A Philippean Thanksgiving

Well, we've done it. We survived our first holiday away from home. And a birthday to boot. Thursday, Turkey day, dawned hot and humid for us. We spent the day as usual, at school, at home, sweating. We read post after post on facebook concerning snow, while looking at palm trees. A bit surreal, but not bad. My main desire was for some turkey. And, to see the family traditions. The one was a little too far out of reach, but we found turkey. A European restaurant, run by Filipinos, served up an over priced Thanksgiving dinner. We waited all day with baited breath for our 7 o'clock reservation.

I have to admit, it was pretty dang swanky. Keven Todd's name was on the table, they unfolded our cloth napkins and lit candles as we were seated. Pretty intense. And far from the usual "china" also known as "chinette" and plastic silverwear. I felt like royalty. The dinner was a good try. The turkey was in fact fantastic...even without jellied cranberry sauce. And they had stuffing, but it had some form of ham in it...unexpected...it was also formed into a log and cut. But once you picked the ham out it wasn't bad. There were olives, but I'm fairly certain they had to refill the dish 10 times for us throughout the evening. That is about where the similarities stopped. They served mashed carrot-potatoes, yes, they were odd. They also had tuna puffs, spring rolls and fresh fruit. Instead of rolls, there was bread. There was roast beef, also tasty, and fried sweet potato chip things. They served pasta, and not the frogeye kind. They also had soup, and while I was reading the lable one of the 15 attendants offered to dish me up some "Pumpkin Orange Soup". How do you say no to that? So, he dished it. Then he waited for me to finish loading my plate and walked my soup to the table. Awkward.

Dessert, by far the best part of Thanksgiving was odd. They must not be American, because no American eats a 2x2 bite of apple pie and calls it good. Come on people! They also had a 1x1 square of mango cake, good in thought, bad in it's flavor resemblance to pine sol. So we loaded up on the fabulous turkey and took full advantage of the fresh fruit (best pineapple I've ever had) and ate our fill. Not quite as full as the "I can't walk" feeling that usually takes over our bodies on that blessed Thursday, but it was good.

Keven Todd bought us cheesecake, a great substitute for pie. And we headed home. It wasn't like home, but it was a great blessing to have somewhere to go. It would've broken my heart to let one of my 2 favorite holidays pass without my proper recognition.

That night I was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for a few things.
#1. Skype...which made it possible to hear my beloved Grandma recite her annual Thanksgiving poem.
#2. A brother that tried his best to make up for all we were missing.
#3. A family back home that have such unchanging traditions, that as I layed and bed and closed my eyes, I could see and feel every detail. I could even hear the cranberry sauce slurp.
#4. Cult traditions...and cameras, and cousins who made them accesible for me.
#5. Running water, even if it's too dirty to drink. We were without it for 2 and 1/2 days, that sucked.
#6. Little hugs, they make everything in the world seem right.
#7. Peace and faith.
#8. For my mom and sisters...I may be far away, but your spirits are always in my heart.
#9. Email. It makes the world a much smaller place.
#10. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life, and there's no way I'd be strong enough to do it without the support of my Father in Heaven, and the courage I find through the Atonement.

"Put that spider on the stick!"

In the Philippines children have a past time that anyone who doesn't have an Animal Planet special may find a bit disturbing. They go to the cemetery, and collect spiders. Big, nasty, hairy, spiders. They take these spiders to school and sell them, making 5 to 10 pesos per spider (Roughly 44 pesos per USD). The new owner trains said spiders, finds the perfect stick, and commences in the time honored tradition of Spider Fighting. I can't make this crap up!

Most days, I love having some local friends, but when NeBoy promised Brycen that he'd bring him some prime fighters, I prayed he'd forget. Yeah, I'm not that lucky. I hate spiders with a deep-rooted-soul-consuming hatred. Until last Sunday, I never thought I was actually afraid, I simply hated them. NeBoy delivered a small unassuming pills-of-the-week box, inside were 6 of the biggest most revolting spiders to walk this planet, which my brother promptly shoved into my face. Rude.

We stored the spiders in the garage over night, not a chance was I going to let them stay in the house. I was under the false belief that the spiders would remain outside. Sunday night, they were invited in for an evening of entertainment. Each spider was "owned" by one of us. I had Thursday, and Keven Todd had Friday. They were the first round.

The spiders are placed on opposite sides of the stick, which they enjoy repelling off of, and begin the dance of death. They hug, and bite each other. The one to bite most wins...each bite delivers venom, paralyzing the loser. The winner then wraps the unfortunate in a web-cocoon and gloats. Really, the winners all stood on the stick and gave a little smirk. I saw it.

After the initial shock of watching spiders crawl around the living room wore off, I found myself getting into it...although I never got as close as Brycen. And, although I will not be repeating this adventure, another "must do" in Cebu can be crossed the list. 6 spiders slowly dwindled to 1, Wednesday, owned by Michelle. And a dead spider was added to the pile after every round.

I know betting is bad...but to fully understand the bizarre joy of watching spiders fight to the death, you have to put your money where your mouth is. Seeing as how my spider was clearly superior in brute force as well as ugliness, I made a clean sweep.

As the last spider wrapped up...get it?...I relaxed. Remember how I thought I only hated spiders, no fear involved? Well, I was wrong. Because my 3 year-old nephew took the stick and chased me up the stairs. I screamed like the baby I once was, and ran. Yeah, it's official, I hate spiders and Brycen can't be trusted.

Fun at the Beach Shack...

We've been told that island hopping is a must when in the Philippines. But, the opportunity was officially upon us on the 6th of November. A group of Filipinos that work with Todd invited us to tag along. And good heavens, had it not been for them, I'm fairly certain bad bad things would have happened. But, we're lucky to have local friends.

The whole adventure began with a bus, air conditioned for the comfort of the white people who can't handle the heat. It takes roughly 3 hours to drive to the top of Cebu island. I saw my first Carabou or Carabow, I don't really know. In my world we call it a water buffalo. But in the provinces (country, boondocks, middle of nowhere) these creatures are the difference between life and starvation. The farmers use them to plow fields. It was fun to see. Kids and adults alike stared and pointed at me on the bus the whole way. I'm pretty sure they don't see many pale faces out there. At one point we were stopped because of traffic next to a group of men. I was waved and kissed at for a few minutes, no one was watching but I promise it happened. We arrived at the dock, and after a short wait we boarded a ferry and made the hour long trip to our destination. BANTAYAN ISLAND!

It was pitch dark when we arrived, so we waited in the street for a jeepney and blindly made our way to the Sugar Beach. I've asked everyone I know why it's called the Sugar Beach and no one knows. So I came up with my own answer. It's called that because when the sand gets on your skin it looks like powdered sugar. This is fact.

I have been a spoiled white girl for far too long, and as such I didn't expect our living arrangements to be quite as primitive. Ok, so I knew we weren't going to a hotel, but I was hoping for a little something nice. A place to maybe put my feet up and relax....nope, not what we signed up for. If I had been warned, I probably would've handled it better. We were in a 12x12 green room, furnished with 2 full beds, and a fan. Ok, now the picture doesn't look too bad. But you can't see the stain on the sheet I still choose to believe was chocolate (we slept on our towels, which doubled as sweat catchers), no air conditioning, so to ventilate there were small holes along the cieling. And those holes are equal opportunity, they let anyone in, including lots of grasshoppers, which I wasn't allowed to kill because Kaitlyn was certain they needed to find their families. The bathroom was interesting. The shower I avoided like the Titanic should have avoided icebergs, but another glorious hole was found there, to drain water. The toilets flushed, but only in the evening, and if you're so bold as to flush TP you lose that luxary. We did have a fan, and those 2 seconds when it hit me were sheer bliss. But, fans only work when the electricity is on, and to remind us that we were still in the Philippines we had a brown out. I shed a few tears at this point then pulled up my big girl panties and decided to tell myself I was camping. It was better after that.

The next morning we introduced 10 Filipinos to Pop-Tarts, and Khen proved that once again Brian Regan rules. She asked us to explain how you warm them up. "So, you take them out of the package and then into the toaster oven? And then you eat them?" Oh yeah, that happened. Michelle and I took the kids to the water so they could enjoy their new beach toys. We buried Kaitlyn and turned her into a mermaid, complete with shells. We found seashells and watched our friends buy fish for lunch.

They were gutted at a sink, of questionable cleanliness, and cooked on a grill placed over coals directly on the sand. Don't try that in California. At this point it began to pour. I mean, flood the beach pour. And I learned an important Filipino custom, everyone sacrifices for the food. A tarp was stollen from one of the tents and I and 5 others became human poles. Once the freshly butchred pork complete with skin was cooked we took our drenched selves out of the rain.

I then learned another important lesson. The only time it's cool enough to go play in the hot ocean, is when it's raining. So, we took a dip. Then we came back and ate some lunch, we were later instructed that if we didn't want our pork fat (the majority of the cut) we should just put it back and someone else would eat it. You can't make this stuff up. And the method of meal time was fun. We all stood around a picnic table and dug in, no utensils and no napkins. We all shared dipping sauces and got full on puso...or hanging rice.

Next it was time for a trip out on a local's boat. We bonded in the sun and laughed at our British friend Toby's hangover. He found us on the ferry and spent the weekend with us. good times. The water was beautiful and as we neared the coral reef jumping point we were graced with fish, coral, and starfish to make it unforgetable.

I was expected, as the only one besides the kids who'd never been into the depths of the ocean, to jump in and swim. Yeah, ok. It's not like the ocean totally and completely freaks me out or anything. I mean, come on, there are some freaky creatures in there! But, after about 15 minutes of freaking out, and being told "Jump in, you'll be fine." "No, not there, the corals too close, you'll cut your foot off" "Here." "No, I cut my toe there" I finally slid in. And no contact with coral happened for me, Michelle cut her toe. Good thing I'm short. I had been in for about 5 minutes when Kaitlyn began screaming. We got out of the water so fast I still think I have super powers. She had been attacked by a jellyfish...what'd I tell you about freaky creatures?

We then headed to a "virgin island" or as Khen called it, "Ashlee's kind of island." The boys posed for pictures, and I searched for seashells. As we were leaving 2 beautiful little girls walked up to me and handed me a handfull of shells. They'd seen me looking and had found them for me. I felt so loved! I got to spend a few minutes by myself along the beach and did some thinking. We watched the sun paint the horizon pink, outlining small fishing boats against the sky. Breathtaking.

We all slept a little better that night. And after we ate a bag of chips and some cookies for breakfast we went down to the beach again. It was that morning that I noticed I'd gotten some sun. But it wasn't bad, I was rather proud to see I wasn't a lobster. We took lots of pictures and headed out. At the exit we saw 2 women doing laundry and the most adorable little boy bathing in a garbage can. Still my favorite picture!

On the ferry we sat on the top, under a shade. I sat next to the rail, so that the kids wouldn't. I felt myself begin to bake but I figured once we started moving I'd be fine. By the time we reached Cebu island again, I was crispy. 2 weeks later and I'm still peeling. I'm a desert girl, I don't think about things like the sun reflecting off of water. Our friends kept touching my arm, they'd never seen skin that color. We had a nice snack of "spanish bread" and Coke out of glass bottles with long straws. I felt like I was in a movie. We all piled into a van to take us home. And the drivers 2 sons pretty much sat on my lap. My booty hasn't been touched that much since my diaper days.

It was an adventure to be sure, but one full of fabulous memories. I am so grateful we got to take this trip and see more of the Philippines. For me the highlight is a toss-up between the 2 girls giving me seashells, the sunset, the baby bathing, and the feeling of "home" that I felt for the first time since landing in the Philippines as we pulled up to our condo.

The Answer Is 4...And An American

Wow, one of the scariest moments of my life happened last week. I wasn't even prepared, because Filipino people don't like to make plans. Things just happen, kind of spur of the moment. So, Khen called us to see if we were free, and 2 hours later we were headed up the mountain to the...

The zipline is at the top of the mountain, the same mountain that La Tegola is on. This time we got to look over the entire island in the daylight. The drive was beyond words. How can you describe the beauty of looking at miles upon miles of jungle clouded in mist? There are so many trees! I kept imagining gorillas and chimps swinging around in the canopy...Even though we don't have them here, because as I was informed, Filipinos shoot anything that moves.

When we parked a little boy, I refer to him as "the scary boy", informed us where we were allowed to drive, and directed us to a parking spot. He couldn't have been older than 7 and was in charge of his little brother, around the age of 2, while his family were busy at work running the zipline. We walked up a hill and I saw the cable that was meant to carry us over the jungle. It was about this point that I realized I'm afraid of death. And, even though I am most afraid of drowning, falling to my death from high above the jungle didn't sound like a real fun way to go.

Now, most of you should know that I'm not skinny. We'll go with full figured, it boosts my self-esteem far more than "fat" does. And, those cables may be able to hold up to 900 lbs, but that doesn't make you feel safe when you're probably the biggest chick they've strapped into a harness. Once we're all done getting our safety equipment on we climbed and climbed and climed up some rickety bamboo stairs. I made Todd promise that he'd go first, because I was ready to back out at that point. But when we were paird off, he and I went at the same time. The poor guy had to push me off the platform. My heart was pounding so loud I would've been able to hear it, had it not been for my screams. At one point I turned backwards, and I swore. when I finally looked down I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life!

We did this...

Over this...

We landed on the far platform and the first thing the man said to me was..."Wow, you very big, yes?" Well if that doesn't make you feel good, nothing will! I just laughed. We were then loaded into a kidnapper van and transported back to the beginning. There was a shorter zipline, and since the 2 combined cost us about $5 total, we went for it.

I don't know if they just used a different harness or what, but when I was trying to remove the harness, it was far more challenging. The men just laughed and watched my guy try to remove my harness. After several attempts they decided to help. 4 men later and my brother had to come help too. After one last tug and a several inch lowering in my pants I was out. So, one of the worlds questions has been answered. Equally as mind boggling as the tootsie pop question.

How many Filipino men does it take to get one full-figured American chick out of a harness? The anser is 4, and 1 American.

They scrub where?!

I've been excited about a massage, and once I was informed that you can get a massage and a full body scrub for less than $15 I was all sorts of excited. And even though I knew it was called a "body" scrub...I must say I wasn't quite anticipating the thoroughness.

Our friend Khen took us to this salon in Mango Square. And it's surrounded by creepy, dirty alleys just like the rest of the island. But, she said it was clean and that they do a good job...so we let her lead us. After our snack (see previous post) we returned to the salon. That's when Khen left us to follow the owner, pretty sure he's gay, outside. We followed him past a homeless man, a stray cat, piles of garbage and up a back staircase. About then is when we got nervous. But once inside, it was very peaceful. Soft music, dim lighting, and beautiful curtains. This seems like a much better idea now. We changed our shoes into some white slippers and then we were taken into our spa room. So, it too was beautiful. And we then found out that Michelle and I would be in the same room. And then we were instructed to, get naked, take a shower and lie on the table.

Once they left and our laughter subsided Michelle looked at me and said, "Well, when in Rome." And we did as instructed. As I sat my towel and last article of clothing aside, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I jumped and looked down just in time to see the mouse run across my foot. I don't know why they always scream in the movies, because I was more like hyperventilating! I grabbed my tail and ran back into the room with Michelle. She said that I should just go back in the shower and be fast. I checked behind the door and toilet to assure myself he had vacated the area (which really just meant that he was somewhere else in the room) and quickly showered. I continued to remind myself that it could've happened anywhere. I am living in a third world country after all.

Once we were showered and laying on our tables, bonding just as my mother suggested, our scrubbers returned. Those few minutes spent laughing while draped in a towel were over...They whipped those off immediately. And all I could do was giggle to myself and think of how none of this would ever happen at home! They scrubbed us with some awesome smelling vanilla and honey concoction. Now, let me put it this way...about a 4 inch area wasn't scrubbed. The rest of my body was returned to it's newborn smoothness. My junk in the trunk was no exception. Although I was forewarned, nothing really prepares you for a slip of the hand into the crack. So, after the back of me was coated, I was instructed to roll over, yeah...the girls got a good scrub too. And, there was some speaking in vasaya exchanged...I choose to believe they're just jealous of my curves. Once they were done we were told to shower again.

Michelle went first so I stood, completely naked outside the door holding my towel with 2 fingers so as not to get the scrub on it. That was fun. I continued to search for the hidden mouse. But we didn't see him again. After the shower, and that stuff is hard to get out of the crevices, by the way. I felt like that sandwich on the mustard commercial who hates the beach because he gets "sand in all his crevices". We were once again stripped of our towels and now coated in a green paste/mud concoction. They wrapped us up in a sheet and left us all egg-rolled-up for 15 minutes. Michelle and I spent this time finally making eye contact and discussing who in our family we would and who we wouldn't (Aubrey) be bringing to this fun stuff. We showered again and this stuff was even harder to remove from the whole body.

At this point we were allowed to "put on just panties" and that was a huge comfort. Then began the most relaxing and wonderful massage you can even imagine. They climbed on the tables and really worked those muscles. They worked all of our joints and even gave the old booty some attention. It was absolutely wonderful!

So, even though it was a bit unnerving and a little bit unexpected it was fabulous! I can't wait to go back! Michelle and I sure did bond...it's hard not to when you're naked for 3 hours. And the girls were great, you could tell it wasn't a big deal to them, which made it more comfortable for us.

To end of the exciting and relaxing afternoon, we crossed a big street. No crosswalks or lights needed over here. And rode a jeepney. The taxi's were all occupied. Michelle and I were the only white people on our packed jeepney. And I just started laughing. We were like the cream in a double stuffed oreo. It was great. It felt like I imagine the animls in the zoo feel like, being stared and pointed at all the time. We made it to the mall and took a taxi to the house. We had wonderful fish for dinner and went to sleep. What a day!!!

When In Rome

Well, I know it's been a long time since I posted...But I've been waiting for something awesome to share. Our days are pretty much the same during the week. Wake up early, go to school all day, come home, eat, do homework, play with the kids, and then we have some dinner. We have a cook now, so no more failed dinner attempts. This is an example...my first real fish! Sweet-n-Sour fish made with Lapu-Lapu. Yup that is the whole fish there, teeth and all. We eat it with rice of course, thus making it a meal instead of a snack. If you eat without rice, it's just a snack.






We went to Mango Square, which is another shopping mall, to get a full body scrub/massage. But we had to wait, so we went to a little restaurant and tried some new food. I tried crab for the first time and actually enjoyed it. I almost kept the claw from my "Crab Pincher" but then decided a picture would work just as well!



We had Shomai? Yeah, I couldn't read, let alone spell what I ate. It was a pork and carrot thing with a breading and you can dip it in either a spicy sauce or a sour sauce. I prefer the sour sauce, cuz it's vinegar based, and it's delicious. And those are the "Crab Pinchers". We also had some kind of bread thing stuffed with sausage, pork, mushrooms, and eggs. It was strange, but awesome. I believe it was called "Showpow". But who knows?

This is us with our awesome "snack". Our friend Khen ordered for us. It was awesome.

This is Halo-Halo, it means Mix-Mix. And it is a mix of strangeness. Upe (a Filipino fruit), ice cream, jello (called jelly here), shaved ice, cream, coconut, jack fruit (or any kind of fruit really), and this one had beans. Weird? Yes, but good.

We also went to a restaurant, way up in the mountains. This is where we learned about spider fighting. Elementary aged kids buy and sell spiders then they find the perfect stick and watch, make bets, and cheer on their spider. Our friends have repeatedly assured us that the spiders here are NOT poisonous. But I guess I'm still under Utah spider programming, and I believe they should all die. But we're going to soon host our own spider fight. I can't wait.

The restaurant is called "La Tegola" a outdoor Italian restaurant. It was delicious. But the food couldn't compete with the view. It sits on top of a mountain in the middle of the island. We looked out on the entire city, and ate to the sounds of the jungle. There were geckos crawling everywhere. And our Father in Heaven blessed us with a lightening storm over the ocean! The pictures will never be able to capture the beauty of that night.

My hair grows into a monster after every shower. And I can't even capture the dome of fuzz on my camera. So when I say it's big...You should just believe me. The only time it really looks good is right after I dry it, before the sweat and humidity get a swing at it!

Life is still rough at times, but greatly improved from those first few days, and even weeks. It's hard to believe that we've been here for a month! It seems like it's been forever. I am beginning to enjoy the culture, even the eyebrow raise that translates into "yes" is becoming part of my brain storage. I am learning new words...most of which I can't remember. And trying fabulous food I would never eat at home. I find myself becoming a better person, and a better American. I now know that I will miss this place when I do go home. But that is a bridge I will cross when I come to it. And it's a bridge paved in gratitude.

No worries, I'll post about my scrub and massage experience very soon...the mouse running across my foot in the shower in the spa is where the new motto "when in rome" was first uttered, by Michelle. And, just to keep you in suspense, I'll be posting about my near death flight across the jungle too!

No Matter Where

So, a few thoughts. #1, I will never complain about being cold, the snow, the ice, or the long winter ever again. #2, I now know what the word minority means. #3, If prisons were built out of Durian Fruit no one would commit a crime. And #4, the Church is true, and our Father's love is tangible and real, no matter where you are.

After a long and somewhat death defying trip into town today Michelle and I were just chilling on the chouch, looking at the world of facebook, cuz it's our biggest connection to home, when I happened to glance out the window and saw the missionaries walking down the street. Michelle opened the door and we invited them in. It's hot here...In case you didn't know...so we turned the air on for them and offered them some water. Michelle asked if they were hungry. Now, in the Filipino culture you have to offer them food about 3 times so that they know you really do want to feed them. Very different from at home, where we feed missionaries every chance we can, and they know we want them to eat. But this is a third world country and not everyone has food to share. They are a very gracious people though, and still offer, but it is polite to say no the first 2 or 3 times before accepting. Anyway, we pulled out our staple food these days and had them make a PB&J.

We chatted a bit and talked about single's wards back at home, another thing we have in Utah that they have never heard of over here. Anyway, the Elders were around telling the inactive members about the rebroadcast of Conference next weekend, and decided to come visit us as well. Elder Landingin (No, I can't spell anything over here, but we'll pretend that's right) asked if they could share a message with us. The other Elder, who's name i can't remember, offered an opening prayer. And in his prayer he asked that we would be able to understand each other. Language is a huge challenge over here.

Elder Landingin said that during the prayer he had a scripture come to mind, and it was Mosiah 2:41. It is part of King Benjamin's speech, it speaks of keeping the commandments. That in doing so we will have true happiness. And that we need to focus on the spiritual side of things, and the commandments, all of our temporal needs will be taken care of. Michelle and I were both amazed at the inspiration.

For me, it made me smile and tear up a bit, because that was the theme for my YSA stake last year. The magnet is probably still on the fridge at home. It was perfect for me to hear, it was a testimony to me that this may be a whole other world, but the Church is just as true here as it is in Utah. I felt the Spirit stronger than I have since I stepped on the plane and left everything behind. Elder Landingin said in closing, that he wanted us to know that we are welcome in the Philippines, and that we are all brothers and sisters. I feel so loved, and that my Father is still aware of me. How beautiful to know that while everything else in my life is unfamiliar, the Gospel and the Spirit are exactly the same. I know that I belong to the only true church. And with that knowledge, even though things may be hard and this life can hurt, I can do anything.

And So It Begins...

Well, I’m here in Cebu. I can’t even begin to tell you how strange it is to be in another country. But, I think I’m starting to get used to being away from home, family, friends, and everything familiar, At least I pray that I am. We didn’t have the internet for about 3 days, and I know that doesn’t seem like a long time, but it was quite possibly the longest 3 days of my life. But, enough of the depressing stuff…here’s the story.
We flew out on Thursday, the 23 of September 2010. That Monday Michelle’s dad and Keven Todd were able to give us blessings, of comfort, and protection. They were beautiful I hear. I was only able to stay for mine, seeing as how the girls from work had planned a goodbye dinner for me that night. My blessing spoke of the 2 things I needed to hear more than anything else; that I’m making the right decision, and have known that from early on. And that my mom and Mandy would be watched over while we are gone. Also, that I will be able to become a beacon to the saints and the people over there. That statement gave me goose bumps, because my mom said the exact same thing to me a couple weeks previous to that beautiful blessing. The rest of my blessing spoke of missionary work, and that I am going to be able to help to spread the Gospel. How awesome is that?! But, it also is exciting! And, the knowledge that my Father in Heaven wants me to be here is the greatest comfort I have received this past week.
So, we left the beautiful Cache Valley at 3:00ish on Thursday…After we weighed all of the luggage, all 10 pieces. Mine was 17 lbs over and I therefore had to go through my stuff and leave things behind. I put my extra towels, soap, toothpaste, blow dryer, straws, shoes, and other random things (like my bopit I intended to introduce to the Asians) into a box to await my return. Sad stuff!
Next we met for dinner in Layton, with Michelle’s family and my Aunt Terry. Once we reached the airport we had to check all 10 large suitcases. Sitation #1…The scale we used at home was off. Solution #1…Go through almost every suitcase and take out the nonessentials to be shipped off at a later date. Way too many tears, not enough hugs, and one giant prayer circle later we were off to security. My wonderful family waited outside the security ribbons for one final wave. We made it to our gate about 20 minutes before takeoff. Situation #2…As the airplane began to taxi away from the building, the auxiliary power cut off. The pilot assured us that we didn’t really need that power to fly, that it was just for the taxi process. Solution #2… That’s awesome, and I’m sure you believe that, however, from where I was sitting, I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. What a way to start a transpacific flight! The complications with the power delayed us and we don’t know the LAX airport, but we made it to our gate in just enough time to buy some drinks and board.
Once we were on the plane I heard my first word from a Filipino, Ma Buhy. It means welcome. And we heard it a lot on the rest of our trip. Now, our original seats were not together. There were 2 seats and 3 seats together. Normally that’s great, but unfortunately, we had 2 small children with us, and that’s not an ideal situation. Thankfully the airline moved us to the back of the plane where there was extra room for all of us. Awesome! Situation #3…our 17 hour flight took place on an old airplane, with no TVs. Solution #3…Drug the children with Benadryl so that they will sleep for 8 hours. And then we just got to put on the headphones and watch the small screen 10 rows up and pretend you speak Filipino. They fed us dinner once we leveled out. It was some rice with some form of chicken, a roll, CHOCOLATE PUDDING, and some noodle awesomeness. I didn’t know what most of it was, but you better believe I ate it all. When everyone is asleep, they walk around and hand our water, and some peanuts. A few hours later they hand out cookies and a nasty sandwich…for real, I couldn’t even choke it down, I shoved it in an empty cup and waited until morning to throw it away. (Pointer…Don’t drink a lot unless you are super skinny. Cuz the bathrooms are so small on those big planes that you can barely find room to pull down your pants. And DO NOT drop any change on the floor, because you’ll have to leave the lavatory to retrieve it.) Now, in case you are wondering why I know all of this I’ll end your confusion. It’s because I am a snorer and was afraid to disturb the whole plane so I didn’t sleep till Michelle was awake and could tell me if I needed to wake up. They served a fake omelet, sausage of some meat variety, and a muffin for breakfast. Then they pass around hot towels, which pretty much rocked my world.
We left the plane in Manila and I kid you not, my hair instantly started to frizz! It was massive…and we were only in the terminal! THE PHILIPPINES ARE SO FREAKING HOT!!! And yes, it’s instant heat/humidity! We must have been quite a spectacle because everyone stared at us, and brought little kids to get a closer look, much like you would at the gorilla window in the zoo. Kaitlyn and Brycen just turned around and waved. They got their hair touched by just about everyone. Strange custom…When you go through security you separate into genders, and are patted down (My first foreign touching). Our next flight went by without a hitch, and I caught my first glimpse of our new island as we landed. A quick trip through customs and we were on our way. Keven Todd’s coworkers picked us up, we loaded all of our luggage into one van, and the people into a second and drove from Maktan island to Cebu island. We unloaded our suitcases, realized we had nothing, including water, fans, or any idea of where to buy food. But Rishee and Marvin came to our rescue. Though it seemed to be a whole other day, it was only a few hours before we were back in our condo, and asleep.
We weren’t able to find church the next day, the number we were given in Utah was non existent. But after a week of waiting for things to get fixed around the house, and attempting to cook in this country, things are starting to settle down. It’s still just as hot, but it’s not too bad in front of the fan. And I'm starting to taste the food I've heard so much about! Like "Lechon" and "Hanging Rice" (it's rice cooked in intricatly folded coconut leaves) which was amazing! I think this is going to be some sort of awesome…though I’m not really sure what kind. Contrary to my first week freak outs…and tears…I am excited to start this chapter of my life. I have no idea what is going to happen, even from day to day, but have no fear…I’ll keep you posted.

holy crap I am a BLOGGER!!!