Mimi and Pop are here!

After months of eager anticipation, my parents finally arrived Sunday! We are so excited to have them here. I am impressed with how well they are dealing with jet lag. They haven’t gone to bed too early or woken up in the middle of the night yet. Of course with grandchildren around to entertain you, it is hard to fall asleep too early.

Monday was a busy day for Mimi and Pop. They began their day with a trip to Faith Academy. It is International Week at the Elementary School and they began the week with an invocation and a parade of nations. This year there are students and teachers from 14 different nations. There are 65 students from the US followed closely by South Korea with 55 students. Will enjoyed waving to his grandparents as he marched with the other American students behind the American flag to the national anthem.

After leaving Faith, I took Mimi and Pop to the grocery store. We went to pick up just a couple items and look around. We had a good time exploring the fruit and veggie section. I bought a pomelo for Pop to try. It is a fruit similar to a grapefruit, but sweeter. I think he will really like it. We also bought some guava and chayote for them to try. In the freezer section, I let Pop pick out some ice cream for dinner. I told him he could try any of the uniquely Filipino flavors like corn, queso, corn and cheese, ube, or buco fruit salad, but he chose Vanilla Marble—good choice!

In the afternoon, Allan called from the clinic to invite Mimi and Pop to accompany him on a house call in a nearby squatter settlement. So on their first day in country, they went with Allan and Ling Ling into one of the poor areas near our home. Mimi enjoyed taking pictures of the kids they saw. The kids had fun showing off for Mimi’s camera and showing her some of the street games they play. They gave Mimi a high sign of respect by blessing her. This is where a Filipino child takes your hand and touches it to their bowed forehead.

Monday was also Pop’s 69th birthday. It was great to be able to celebrate that day with him. We invited our neighbors over after dinner for a “party” of cake and ice cream out on the lanai. It was a great way to end their first day here in the Philippines!