MANILA, Philippines – She stunned the country when she danced the “Papaya” on national television in 2007.

Now with just days before she leaves the Philippines, outgoing United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney showed off another dance step—the moonwalk.

“You know I’m not a great moonwalker but I can do a little moonwalk,” Kenney told ABS-CBN Anchor Pinky Webb in an interview on “Umagang Kay Ganda” (UKG) Thursday.

Kenney got up and did her version of the moonwalk to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

Webb tried to do the moonwalk as well and fellow anchor Alex Santos joined in. The trio danced the “Papaya” thereafter.

It was on UKG where Kenney first demonstrated her dancing skills alongside Edu Manzano in 2007.

“It was a lot of fun but perhaps not my greatest talent,” she said of her “Papaya” dance performance with Manzano. Kenney also recalled that her first television interview was with Webb.

“I was so intimidated. You were smart and pretty and I was brand new,” Kenney told the ABS-CBN anchor.

“It’s been almost 4 years and I absolutely loved it. This is a great country and the people here are wonderful to Americans and to me. I think we do a lot of great things together so I will be very, very sad to leave. I just loved being here. It’s a great place,” she said.

'Too soon'

Kenney arrived in March 2006 as the first female US Ambassador to the Philippines.

She was the US Ambassador to Ecuador prior to her post in the country. She said she has to attend to her 86-year-old mother in the US.

She is leaving on Monday, which she said is “all too soon.”

She addressed the Filipinos: “I won’t be forgetting the Philippines… I will take all of you with me in my heart, you will always be with me. So I love you all. Thank You.”

When asked by Webb about what she will miss the most about the Philippines, Kenney replied: “Probably everything but mostly it’s the day-to-day contact with people. There are Filipinos all over the world but this is the only country that’s full of Filipinos.”

“And I like the fact that people are friendly. If you walk into a shopping mall, the person who searches your bag is friendly and cheerful," she said.

She added that Filipinos are “just warm and compassionate” even in times of natural disasters.

“We saw in Ondoy and Pepeng, Filipinos still reach out to help others even if they’ve lost everything. I think I’ll just miss living among people like that,” she said.

She said she will also take with her numerous memories like her experience at the Banaue Rice Terraces and snorkeling with the whale sharks off Donsol which she described as “once in a lifetime.”

Successor

Kenney went on to say that she wished she had learned more Tagalog words. “I’m learning it but I should have studied it very intensively before I came.”

She said that her successor, Harry Thomas, Jr., is already studying Tagalog.

“He'll arrive ready to speak Tagalog with you… He's a wonderful guy he's one of my favorite people in the diplomatic corps so I know Filipinos will give him a really warm welcome… I think you'll love him,” Kenney said.

She also said that Thomas is a very experienced diplomat.

Kenney, who is known as a sports fan, added that her successor is also into sports, particularly golf.

“He’s a great golfer, I’m not… I do run, he’s not a runner,” she said. (Read: US Ambassador Kristie Kenney’s ‘sports diplomacy’) 

Philippine favorites

She also shared her lighter side when she bared her favorite Filipino celebrities and food.

She mentioned the names of hunk actors Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby when asked which actor she would like to take with her when she returns to the US.

She also admires singers Lea Salonga and Charice Pempengco and actresses Sharon Cuneta and Sarah Geronimo.

The outgoing US Ambassador also stated that she has been collecting native decor like fabrics, abaca, capiz and pearls.

She will also be bringing home the paintings given by her friends. As for food, Kenney said her favorite is fried vegetable lumpia.

She also loves adobo, sinigang and mangoes (green and yellow). “I’ll miss that hugely because it’s never the same as eating them right where they're grown,” she said of her experience of eating Philippine mangoes.

She added that she enjoyed eating bibingka during the Christmas season.

However, she has not tried the street food delicacies such as balut (duck egg) and isaw (grilled chicken intestines). Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com.