Amigo, Amiga, Ug Mga Amigas

Amigo, amiga, ug mga amigas.  Until about a month ago I would have said they are all friends.  Dili na lang! Not any more! Friend, friend, and enemy. Okay, so not exactly.

Just like Espanol, amigo or amiga express the singular form of friend depending on the person's gender.  Mga amigas on the other hand does not mean multiple female friends. It means multiple ants. Normally ants wouldn't be a big deal, except it turns out I'm allergic to the red ant bites and there are daghan kaayo mga amigas (a lot of ants!).  Thankfully it is not anaphylactic shock bad, but puffy for hours and "I want to scratch my skin off" for days bad. I thankfully have access to antihistamines so the itch doesn't last so long but most days I still end up with at least 2 new bites.

I've been here enough times and long enough this time that I can say I have daghan kaayo mga amigo, pero I hope mga amigas go away!  I just don't think that is happening any time soon.

Six weeks and two Visayan lessons complete.  I'm feeling more confident, but there is still a long way to go yet.  Here's to living the life!

Photo Bomb Part Two!

Take two!

Here are some photos of where I am staying.  And in no particular order...

This is the pump area.  I wash my laundry here.  In the mornings the kids take their baths here.  The building is the pump house that has the electric pump that fills the two tanks which supplies four (hopefully soon to be 5) buildings with their running water.  At least it is a shaded area on the side of the house so it is sort of private and blocked by from the sun. 

This is the Cajigas' kitchen.  The sink has running water, but no hot available.  The stove/oven is propane gas run.  It is difficult to really get it low, but high works great!

This is the rice container.  I asked Ate Jess and we determined they use 50 kilos about every 6 weeks.  No wonder it's such a bit bin!  That also helps feed the dogs too though.

These two are lovers... for real.  On the right is Lexi and she has had puppies a couple of times.  Here most recent batch was fathered by Big Jake on the left.  Pretty sure he is full German Shepard that they acquired from some Americans in a neighboring area.

This is Ollie.  He is one of Lexi's babies from a previous brood of pups.  He is a year old now.  Both he and mommy love this chair on the front porch.

This should look familiar.  It is the orphanage as see from the Cajigas's balcony.  Mommy Jean is growing vegetables out front to help supplement the food budget.  If you look closely on the top-ish left is the end of the basketball court.

This is the back of the church as seen from the Cajigas's balcony.  The big shoe shape in the middle is a slide on the playground.  Here you can also see more of the basketball court from this vantage point.

In case you can't tell this balcony is a good place to see a lot of the area.  On the far left is Papa Oman and Ate Amy's house.  They are just outside the gate.  The black truck is the Cajigas family vehicle.  The white truck is the water delivery truck.  The little bit of building on the far right is the church.

Photo Bomb!

It is a balmy Monday afternoon here.  I have no idea what the weather is because I can't understand the news stations so I don't watch and there isn't a thermometer sitting out for me to just check real quick.  I might try to find on sometime...  However, it feels like it is only about 80ish degree, but lots of moisture in the air so it is quite sticky feeling.  It hasn't rained yet today so my laundry from this morning is actually almost dry!

Because it isn't raining we seem to be having some really good internet connections so I am going to try to upload some pictures I have been snapping....

Faith Joy and I have had some fun playing with Wiki Sticks I brought with me.

The mechanics make house calls here.  It seems like they are needed about every other week.

Marah, Mickella, and Jeanne sporting their pillowcase dresses sent from a group back in the states :)

Drew and Jeanne hanging out at the front door of the shelter.  This is a regular occurrence when it rains. 

We took a morning trip out to Bohol Dairy to have some ChocoBao.  It is chocolate milk and ice cream made from Carabao (water buffalo) instead of regular cow's milk.

Sorry I didn't get the whole carabao n the picture, but here are the kids taking a photo op on the patio.
(Mark, Drew, Mickella, and Faith)

I will post this now, just in hopes of it uploading today!  I will also prep another one just incase it is successful!

Transitioning

It felt like forever getting here. It was a quick trip from Denver to LAX.  I had time to relax and slowly find my gate because I had a few hours before the next flight.  From LAX to Hong Kong might have been 15 hours but I filled it with sleep and Marvel movies so it went fast.  Then I had 9 hours in Hong Kong.  That was rough because I wasn't sure I'd get to leave on time due to a super typhoon.  The time came and they let us go.  It was a bumpy flight which included an audible gasp across the plane at one point.  Relief!  I was on solid ground again.  Due to the typhoon the Cajigas family couldn't leave Bohol to meet me in Cebu, but Pastor Iglee and another man I know met me at the Cebu Airport.  We stayed overnight at a hotel so I slept pretty good, but I was still exhausted so the 7 hour wait at the Port the next afternoon had me slumped over my bags sleeping again.  Thankfully the Philippine Coast Guard did lift the hold on ferries and we were off by 8 pm.  Ate Jess and Kuya Jonah met us at the Port in Tubigon around 10 pm which is nearly the other side of the island.  I think we finally made it home by 1 am.  Oh yeah, I left Denver at 8 pm CST on Wednesday and that would be 1 pm CST on Friday that I finally made it to my new home.  Talk about long travel!

Now I am in Juagdan and things feel normal here.  I have visited often enough and right now I'm staying with close friends.  Kids argue, fuss, and fight no matter where you are so that is no different here.

I think the most difficult thing right now is actually the humidity!  I know I grew up in Florida and had plenty there, but we had Central air-conditioning.  Here it is just a small wall unit in the bedroom.  I mean it is great and I actually got cold last night, but other things are affected by the humidity.

For example, most foods are acquired in small batches because there is only so much space in the refrigerator.  Flour and dry oats are among the things I would normally leave out but can't here.  Spices clump quickly.  Laundry takes days to dry because we don't have a machine to do it for us.  It is rainy season so the ground is almost always wet and therefore muddy.  I have to be careful to not wipe out on that!  There are also certain areas I have learned to walk with my hand in front of my face because the laundry lines hang low and are almost invisible when no clothes are on them.

Overall, life is good.  I'm getting over a cold which has slowed me down, but each day I learn something new.  I have a lot to learn before classes begin in January though!

Until next time... A word from the Lord for you...
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9 NIV

Countdown Mode

I'm in the final countdown.

In seven days I leave Arizona to go on my last family vacation for a long while.  I will not return to my parents' house before leaving the country.  In some ways this is good because then my true last week will be low stress and time spent with my family instead of trying to get last minute things accomplished.  It also gives me a bit of time to still realize what I might be forgetting and acquire it in Denver because my actual departure from the country isn't until 12 days later.

Yes, in seventeen (17) days I will be leaving my country of origin to spend two years in my "second" country.  It is second only because I was not born there.  It will be a sort of home coming because I know so many people where I am heading.  Several visits have happened, but this will be different than any other time because it's not temporary.  I am establishing a home there.  It is very exciting, but also very nerve wracking.  I know they love me and will be forgiving.  However, mistakes will be made and I will offend many just because I didn't grow up there.  The hope is that they are willing to share not just their language, but their culture willingly.

Seven Days To Test Launch:
7. Worship in the house of my Lord and start to pack the last box to be shipped.
6. Work on a birthday project for my niece and nephew and do a few errands with my mom.
5. Finish the project, complete the packing of the box, and verify some last minute paperwork/record keeping.
4. Sort what is going with me and run a test "packing" of my luggage.
3. Deliver box to Sari Sari store for shipment.
2. Freak out and walk in circles around the house double checking everything is done.
1. Do my last load of laundry, actually pack my luggage, and load the van.
0. Flight departs at 7 am.

Understandably, there are a lot of things on my mind.  I simply ask that you keep me in your prayers this week as I try to remember to thank and praise God during this countdown.  I am extremely grateful for those who have partnered with me in this endeavor and I pray regularly for you as well.  Apart from the Lord, my God, I can do nothing.  Without my supporters I can do very little.  You are my lifeline.

Praise God and Amen!