Happy 11th Birthday Emily!

There were familiar sounds in our house Saturday night-- Sounds of girls giggling instead of sleeping. Emily had 2 friends over to spend the night for her birthday. 3 girls who come from3 very different backgrounds--Jaina is an MK(missionary kid) who is the child of an MK and has spent most of her life living overseas in Paupa New Guinea and the Philippines. Keisha is the daughter of a Filipino businessman who has grown up in the PI and is a new student at Faith this year. Emily of course is a small town southern girl new to the Philippines. It is amazing that 3 girls from such diverse backgrounds can be such good friends. They have bonded well at school this year. It hasn't hurt that 2 of them were new to Faith.

On Sunday morning we got up early, attended church and then went ice skating. Emily has been looking forward to this since we moved here. She says she is the only girl in her class who has never been. She was supposed to go skating for Jaina's birthday in February, but that was the weekend of the big coup attempt and State of Emergency so they stayed closer to home, much to Emily's dismay. So what was Emily's first birthday in the tropics?? Ice Skating! Who would have guessed?

Emily wearing a sweatshirt and jeans for the first time in almost a year!

Taking the scenic route

Here is a picture of a truck we saw on our way home from church Sunday. Some time while we were at church, it got stuck under an overpass walkway. As of Tuesday afternoon when I went to pick up the kids from school, it was still there blocking two lanes of traffic on one of the most heavily congested roads in our area.

On a different note- summer has arrived! The temps inside the house are hitting about 91 everyday. It will be interesting to see if they get even higher towards the end of April. Enjoy those last winter days and the coming of Spring while we endure the dog days of summer! I think we are going to cool off in the new Faith pool this evening after dinner. Aaahh what a treat!

Star Gazing----again

One of the things I like to do here at night, is to step out on the balcony and look at the small twinkling lights of the city of Albang across Laguna de Bay and the star above. If I have alot of energy, I will even take the winding staicase up to the roof and see the whole expanse of the sky. Being so close to a mega metropolis we shouldn't be able to see many stars, but if you remember from my post about Orion, there is a hill that blocks the city of Manila from view so on a clear night, the stars fill the sky. (Ok it probably isn't like being on the prairie in Kansas, but it is as good as Greenwood, SC.) As I stepped out on the balcony last night, the sky was beautiful. I looked up trying to find my friend Orion. He wasn't there. I don't know if he is gone for a while or is just coming out at a different time. It was as I turned SW toward Alabang that I saw it for the first time---the Southern Cross. Thanks to the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song from my childhood. It is the only constellation I know that is in the S. hemisphere and can't be seen from the US. After the Orion post, our good friend Rob emailed us and asked if we could see the Southern Cross. Of course this meant I had to go online and research if we even had a possibility of seeing it. The answer was yes--it is visible anywhere below a latitude of 20. Since we are at about 13 degrees that includes us. So there it was--a cross in the sky. It was beautiful and bright sitting just above the trees. The main line from that song kept running through my mind-- "When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you understand now why you came this way." It was such a good reminder to me that we are to be like that cross shining forth in the night sky; a beacon in the darkness of the Philippines to lead others to Christ. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the frustration of learning Tagalog, the visible physical problems of our patients, and the dailyness of life that I forget our main goal and purpose in all of these things is Christ. While the medical work we do here is valid and fills a big need, it is only a temporary bandaid. Christ can heal those we come in contact with from the disease of sin that eats at the soul. So I guess I have a new friend in the sky, a visible reminder of why we have come this way. It would be so much easier to pack up and head "home", but Christ has called us to shine in the darkness, to guide those on the seas of life toward His port of salvation.















Here are some images I got off the internet of the Southern Cross

Spring Break!

Like most kids in the US, many of the kids at Faith Academy long to go to the beach for Spring Break. Fortunately, we are surrounded by beaches here in the Philippines. We have been on Spring Break for the last week (In actual fact it is summer from now until the end of May) and we took our first trip to a Filipino beach. We decided on Puerto Galera on the Island of Mindoro. This is a popular place with a lot of the missionaries who live near us because it is 1.somewhat close and easy to get to and 2.relatively inexpensive. We left home at 5 am last Tuesday to drive to Batangas. In Batangas we caught a banka(boat) to Talipanan Beach in Puerto Galera. Talipanan Beach is quiet cove with a few "hotels" and 3 restaurants. These are not high rises or condos, but each has 10 or so rooms. We stayed at the Bamboo House. A very tropical looking place. We enjoyed eating on the porch and swinging in the hammock. Our room was nothing spectacular. Definitely not a 4 star place- I'm not sure it was even 1 star. Probably not the accommodations we would take our parents to. We had 2 small beds and a bathroom with cold water. The shower was a shower head that wet the whole bathroom and with the sink next to it, it was the water source for both shower and sink. Since we didn't spend much time in our room I guess this was OK especially since the price was only $10 a night.
Outside was a gorgeous beach filled with smooth rocks and blue green waters similar to the beaches off Destin, FL. Behind us the land was lush and green and became mountainous. With just a few hotels, we felt very isolated in our own little paradise. This meant we had to eat all our meals at the 3 restaurants and we were tired of their fare by weeks end, but we did enjoy pizza at the authentic Italian place run by an real Italian--Luka.
The ocean water was clear and not too rough so the kids enjoyed frolicking in the surf. This is the South China Sea and surprisingly a little nippy. Just off shore, there were a couple of rocks home to some tropical fish. We made our first ventures into snorkeling there. On Wednesday, we went with another family by small banka to snorkel on a large coral reef. It was like swimming with the cast of "Finding Nemo". We saw clown fish, blue tangs, striped angel fish, Moorish idol fish, butterfly fish, and many others that we don't know the names of, plus anemones and coral. Some of the highlights were: a baby octopus, an eel, a snake, a couple of different starfish including a blue starfish. We decided we love snorkeling. I knew Em would like it, but the snorkeling award goes to Will who took to snorkeling like a duck takes to water. He caught on to breathing through the snorkel quickly and we had to watch him like a hawk as he showed no fear in following wherever the fish led--even out to the deep sea.
There were many other families from Faith there so the kids enjoyed having friends to swim and play with. Emily's teacher was also there and Em enjoyed talking and swimming with him outside of school. We returned home Saturday very tired and not too pink. We learned the first day that our regular plan for sun protection would have to be stepped up a notch. At 13 degrees above the equator, the sun is much more brutal than in Georgia. We learned quickly to reapply sunscreen often to our pasty white bodies. Still everyone has a patch of burn in strange places that were overlooked or rubbed off on day 1. After the first day we also took to staying inside or in the shade from 11:00 until 2:00 or 3:00. All in all it was a great trip. If you would like to see more pictures, you can check them out on our website at http://www.philippinemission.com/SpringBreak2006.html
Ginger

The crisis has passed!

I know you have all been concerned about us in light of our recent post. You will be comforted in knowing that the terrible situation in which we have found ourselves for the last 6 weeks has been rectified. I am not referring to the current political mess, which is still simmering just below the surface, but the current milk crisis I refered to in my recent post about shopping. This crisis now seems to be passed. Yesterday, at the Santa Lucia grocery store, after at least a 6 week deficiency, there was a whole section of Harvey Fresh skim milk. The kids were so thrilled! I bought 10 - 1 litre boxes just in case a shortage should arise again any time soon. You can do that with milk that just sits on a shelf and has an expiration date somewhere in the next decade. In case you are wondering Harvey Fresh is imported from Australia where they also process and sell fresh milk. No milk cows here means no fresh milk in the PI. While this is not tragic for me, Allan and the kids long for a glass of "real" milk. This milk is ok in cereal and baking, but no one in our family just fixes themself a glass to go with their chocolate chip cookies or cake.

Will's new friend

Will is an animal lover. His 3 favorite animals have always been elephants, donkeys, and dogs. I remember as a little guy he used to tell us when he grew up he wanted to be a farmer and raise elephants. For as long as I can remember, he has been asking for one of these animals for a pet. Since we knew we would eventually be moving overseas, we have promised for years that he could get a dog when we got there. (notice we didn't just say pet because I really don't want a donkey and who can afford to feed an elephant) Well we have now been in the Philippines for 7 months, so it was time to make good on this promise. The Nelsen's dog Bonnie was pregnant and since Will loved her he had decided he would love to have one of her babies. Unfortunately, she did not carry them to term. So this weekend Will made a new friend that I hope will remain for the next 15 years or so. After waiting patiently for 9 long years, he is now the proud owner of a puppy! It is a 3 month old male that he has named....... WAG's Buddy. That stands for William Allan Gilmer's Buddy. We just call him WAGs. So far he seems to be a great dog and we are all in love. Will is beyond ecstatic!

WAGs

Will and WAGs romping in the yard!

More about shopping!

Ok I know I promised to tell you more about shopping, but instead of talking about it, I have been doing it. Last Friday I had to go on a mission for my Mom. Em's birthday is coming up and she wants my Mom to send her Bubble bath--"good bubble bath" Since bubble bath doesn't really fit well into a Global Priority Mail Envelope, I took up the task of seeing what I could find. This was easier said than done. After shopping at many places I finally found a small bottle at a store similar to Bath and Body works. The cost for 5 oz. bottle of rasberry scented bubbles--$12. OK so maybe not. The next place, where I found some, was a strange little store. It was about the size of your bathroom--OK so maybe not your Master bath, but the one in the hall that the kids use. There were shelves down each side with an asile only big enough for one. The outside wall of shelves had glass on one side so you could stand in the mall and browse. This store seemed to carry toiletry items imported from the US. But they only had one or 2 of each item like maybe they had bought some sort of odd lot. In the window of this store I saw 1 bottle of Mr. Incredible Bubble Bath--from the Disney movie a few years ago called The Incredibles. My guess is in the US they are currently selling Chicken Little or Narnia Bubble Bath. The price for this collectors item--$10. At least the price was going down and the bottle bigger. This bottle was probably about 24 oz. Finally at a store called Watson's I found what I was looking for-- 36 oz of Bubble bath for less than $2. Of course it may not be what Em calls "good bubble bath", but it will have to do. By the way, she thinks Mr. Bubbles produces the largest volume of bubbles; so if you ever come to visit and want to make her day just bring her a bottle or two of Mr. Bubbles bubble bath.

Sometimes we find the oddest things from the US in the stores. Last week at the Supermarket, I saw these beautiful hand painted bowls in the picture at the left. I really liked the bowls on display, but what really drew me was the box they came in said "Southern Living at Home". For those of you who aren't familiar with this, it is a home shopping party like Tupperware or Pampered Chef. They were so cute and less than a dollar for 2 bowls. The color was close enough to go in my kitchen that I couldn't resist. They also had a platter and serving bowl in the same pattern for less than $2. I knew if I left these there my sister-in-law would be appalled so I bought them too. We have beautiful cabinets in the kitchen with glass doors so my knew purchases look nice on display. I wonder why these few chosen items were on sale here. They said made in China so I am not thinking they were seconds. They are for sale in the current catalog so they aren't discontinued. I will probably never know why.

We often seem to have some strange items here. About the only salad dressing we can find is Kraft fat free. I know this is not because Filipinos are trying to cut back on fat in dressings. I am not sure the average Filipino even eats much salad. My guess is they weren't selling well in the US and they had a few too many. For a while, we also had Carb-well peanut butter on the shelf. The Atkins craze has not hit here, after all you would have to give up rice, so I am not sure why it is for sale here. During November, some stores started carrying a Sam's size box of a popular baking mix. Without naming names, it comes in a yellow box and youi use it to make bisqui... I mean biscuits. I of course purchased a box of this. After all I used it often at home for pancakes, waffles, and being a good southerner-biscuits. Obviously there was areason for the supply here. Someone must have accidently dropped the whole container of salt into the mix. I have tried a couple of different times to make something with it, but the taste is always too salty and terrible. I guess I my mom always says--I will just have to chalk that one up to experience.
So if you are ever wondering what becomes of today's hot new item that disappears from the selves a few months down the line--wonder no further. The extra stock has been shipped somewhere else so that 3rd wourld countries can enjoy it as well.

"Walang stock, Ma'am"

If there is one thing we have learned to count on here, it is not to count on stores having what you are looking for. Just because you bought vegetable shortening at a store before, doesn't mean they will have it today--even if you just bought it last week. That was one of my first experiences with this phenomenon. It took me months to find shortening after running out the first time. I think sometimes this occurs if it is an item which is imported and not commonly used by Filipinos. Many Filipinos do not have ovens or bake so why would they need shortening. Other times there must be a problem in production. There was a time when we could not find Coke Light (Diet) at any store. Those who know me well know of my addiction to diet coke. I had to switch to Pepsi Diet during this crisis. It wasn't too tragic as they both taste different from American Diet Coke. We finally discovered Pepsi Max as our favorite. Unfortunately it is now--"Walang stock"--out of stock.
In the 7 months we have lived here, I have developed some items of brand loyalty. I still buy Heintz ketchup which tastes the same as US heintz(this wasn't so in Kenya). I also always buy Best Foods Mayo. We like Hellmans in the US which is made by Best Foods and this is very similar in taste. I just have to make sure I pick up the "Real Mayonnaise" as opposed to the "Mayo Magic". The jars and coloring are exactly the same except the words. Believe me the taste is not the same.
We have taken to certain brands that are new to us. We like the Knorr seasoning--it is similar to say sauce, and any sauce by Lee Kum Kee. There are many items that I have not established a certain brand that I buy everytime. A lot of times this is because I either #1. didn't purchase this product in the US or #2. none of them taste like what we are used to. Milk falls into this #2 category. The milk we buy is all UHT or shelf milk imported from Australia. It can sit on a shelf in our pantry until opened. None of it is great. The kids like Harvey Fresh though so we have been buying that until...... you guessed it--"Walang stock Ma'am". We found 9 boxes about 3 weeks ago and bought them all. They are all gone now and still none to be seen at any of the stores where we shop. Last week I bought 3 different brands for everyone to try and give their opinion of. Cowshead was the new milk of choice. Yesterday when I went to the Supermarket, guess how many they had?--One! You just have to laugh about these things and accept it as just the way it is. I wanted to tell you more about shopping here, but I have gone on long enough. I want to tell you about products imported fromt the US. I guess I will tell you about that tomorrow.
Happy Shopping!