Third Week in the Philippines!

Wow! I have been here in the South Pacific for 3 weeks now! I am glad to report after the first week or so I became "acclimatized" to the weather and cultural differences. At first it was very hot and humid. Wherever I went I had to carry cold water, a hand-held fan, and a hand towel to wipe my face. I must have sweated and afterwards drunk a gallon of water daily! Now the most humid weeks of the year are over, and the weather feels more mild but warm and really good.

There really are some contrasts here. For example the people are very friendly, hospitable, and giving, but there is a trend here of some assuming an American visitor is rich and ready to give money to all! However, the people are really poor and many in need of help. When I attended Visitation with Cecil (see Week 1, Tuesday), visiting her patients in the home, I was struck by the stark poverty of the people in contrast to the smiles on their faces! There is a little girl named Misi who has cerebral palsy and moderate mental retardation. She cannot walk, but needs weekly physical therapy and one day hopefully surgery. Yet she is very sweet and meek in her condition. Perhaps I will be a sponsor to help her out with a little money.

On a more romantic note, Cecil and I are really enjoying eachother's company and getting to know one another now in person, after 6 months of correspondence and phone calls! Please keep our discernment in your prayers. I will keep you posted! :)

Here are a few notes on this last week here in Tagbilaran City, Bohol where I am staying. Sometime soon I will post more photos. For now I will post a few pics from the web.


Monday, 4/20

After going to the beach on Saturday, I came home with a very bad sunburn despite using very strong sunscreen. That makes sense since I am near the equator and am Irish! So for a few days I slept in to get better, feeling a bit sick. So far no intestinal sickness from the street food (mmm, they BBQ chicken feet, intestines, etc on the road side) except a small reaction the first few days to the oil they almost always use in stir-fry cooking.

In the PM, after Cecil's sister Elva's Helpers (often families have live-in "helpers") made me fish and rice, I started to work staining a kitchen cabinet. In between coats I read and played with Cecil's neices, especially Caryl who is 5 and calls me "Uncle Chris." In the evening we watched "Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Arc" with the kids yelling out "Oy!" during each action scene.

Tuesday, 4/21

I slept in, checked my email, and jumped in a tricycle (see photos) to meet Cecil for lunch at JJ's Seafood restaurant. We had calamari and sweet salami for appetizors, followed by shrimp curey and grilled squid. Later I worked on the cabinet, played with the family puppies, and read. That evening we watched "Castaway" with Tom Hanks, another movie I had bought during our trip to the island of Cebu.

Wednesday, 4/22

Today I finally finished the sanding and staining of the cabinet which looks really good! Finished one book and started another. Cecil and I took an evening walk and stayed up late chatting. For dinner, they made a dish of internal pig organs. Not bad. I especially liked the fried and crispy intestines. I really appreciate how they do not waste anything!

Thursday, 4/23

Back to my rented room to check-in with the caretaker of the house and replenish my supply of clothes while a guest this week at the family home. The caretaker's wife served me a coconut drink from a street vendor stand just near their home. For 20 cents, they serve you a huge cup of sweetened coconut milk which is outstanding and refreshing. When you finally reach the bottom, there are coconut shavings. After, you hand the cup back. Its like that here, often you order a Coke and have to drink it on the spot before handing the glass bottle or container back for recycling. Later, ran a couple errands to the mall and then another quite evening, walk with Cecil, and late night chat.

Friday, 4/24

Today I really ventured into town on my own. In the afternoon, I alternated times praying in the 500 year old Spanish Cathedral of St. Joseph, taking a siesta in the town plaza enjoying 10 cent Sprites and cheese popcorn which I shared with the pigeons, and reading an old intro book to nursing in the town library (situated in the colonial style municipal complex, ie town hall). In the cathedral I watched craftsman refurbrish the high altar with gold paint. In the plaza, two boys helped me feed the pigeons and then asked for a few pesos. They were really dirty and barefoot. I really enjoyed the library for the AC, art depicting Spanish colonial times and art depicting the life of Christ. There is no "separation of Church and State" here!! Later, I sped back to the rent room to get US dollars, then back to the "black market" to get a good exchange rate in pesos. Later offered to order Pizza Hut delivery (which people rarely treat themselves to), but found out they don't deliver after 9pm, even on weekends like in the US. We started "Forrest Gump."

Saturday, 4/25

Today was a Black Out. The entire island of several million had no electricity for the whole day! So we cooled down with a lot of water from the fridge, napped, and waited for modern convenience to return. Attended Latin Mass at 6pm, with several parishioners, since Father Ghela, a travelling missionary priest had arrived in town to say weekend Mass. After, I invited Cecil's friend Sahara and Father to the Bohol Tropics Resort (see photos) for an outdoor dinner and live music--mostly oldies though you can write a song request on a napkin which we did several times! I requested any American country song and Cecil requested "Dont cry for me Argentina." A gentle wind from the ocean was very relaxing. We shared Filet Minon and squid, both dishes served over some kind of brown bean with sauce and bacon, plus of course rice. mmm. I had diet coke, and the rest had some kind of tropical drink called "Four Seasons." While the girls took a walk on the grounds to better view the ocean, Father and I discussed politics and he gave me some very valuable advise on courtship and matrimony!

Sunday, 4/26

Up early for some of the best eggs I have ever had--wolk-fried with flour and fish, served with a sweet ketchup. I have really been enjoying rice with each meal, for the fiber which I don't get enough of back home, even for breakfast. I always add a bit of soy sauce.

Off to Mass at the traditional chapel at 830am. Helped Cecil sing in the choir. Father preached on Jesus the Good Shephard and on the grave responsibilities of priests, fathers, and all who lead. He said all lay people must help the priest practice "Catholic Action" in order to bring people to Christ and the Church. Very inspiring. I noticed that Cecil's brother-in-law Peepo, who is home on vacation from his engineer job in the Middle East, really sat on the edge of his seat taken by the sermon, one of the best I have ever heard. Fr. Ghela is a Filipino and a priest for just 3 years. Though young, he is really doing a good job!

After Mass Father discussed the upcoming SSPX pilgrimage (intention = to restore Sacred Tradition to the Church) here in Bohol and I discussed with one pilgrimage planner an idea for making portable toilets for the pilgrims to use instead of going behind a tree or renting expensive porta-poddies. He was very interested to make them, so perhaps next week you will get to see a photo of our handiwork! Joined Cecil for choir practice which lasted into the afternoon. We enjoyed a heavy downpoor of rain which cooled us off, as one side of the chapel is open to the outside and a colonial-style courtyard (nice design). See photo. Later, we drank Sprite and Coke from little plastic baggies, from a street vendor, and headed home to rest on Sunday. I enjoyed a long nap in the afternoon, and in the evening we watched more Forrest Gump.

More to come....