Overheard somewhere in the Philippines

Thus far, here is my strangest conversation since I have arrived.

Sister G____ is a retired nun from the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I visited a collective retirement home and church in the Tuding area. She is a gleeful and an excitable woman. During a group discussion, she interrupts.

Sister G____ (excitedly asks): Do you want to see my monkey?

Me (sensing something bizarre is about to happen): What?

Sister (repeats): Do you want to see my monkey? It's out in the backyard.

Me (not knowing what to say): Okay.... Sure.

She grabs my arm to take me to a yard filled with flowers and where other nuns present outside finishing some chores.

We quietly walk around a tomb and talk briefly with the other nuns. As we walk through the immediate garden, sadly tied to a tree and a tree house is a brightly tan baboon-looking monkey making the usual animal sounds. Although the animal is crouching in the tree, he looks about 4 to 5 feet tall.

Sister (with much excitement and points to the animal): Here is my friend! He is such a great ah-no kwan. There used to be two, but the other one died recently.

I stare at the animal and watch him observing me with quiet reservation, and I get the sense that the animal doesn't like me much as he stops moving when I get close to 15 feet from him. He never takes his eyes away from me.

Sister : Do you want to pet him?

Me (with quiet reservation): Oh, I don't think so. He doesn't look too friendly toward strangers.

Trying to be pleasant and reassuring, she approaches the monkey near his home. He climbs on her shoulders as she talks. The monkey excitedly crawls over her shoulders. While she speaks, he leaves a little present on her white hood.

She did not notice the new design on the uniform.

The animal stares at me again and he definitely stops moving and stops making any type of sound. I don't like his glare. He looks like he's about to pounce. Feeling confident about the presence of a leash on the wild and beautiful animal, I make a quick suggestion.

Me (trying to think quickly before something happens): I think we should go and return to the group.

Sister (feeling satisfied): He is such a great companion!

Me (thinking to myself): Yeah, I bet. Definitely a handful.