Isa Encanto Lang! (One white lady...)

I have a total of 3 weeks here in the Philippines, and I only have less than a week left! The time has flown by! I have had my busy days, going to and from Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Palawan, and Tuod, but I have also enjoyed a few days of just hanging here in the campus, not really doing all that much. I have been having the most wonderful nights sleep in my old room!!! I have been traveling for more than 2 months now, and sleeping in some not so nice or comfortable places, so coming here was like going home in a way!

I am surprised at how familiar things are to me here. Time and production move more slowly here than in the western world. So when I came back it should not be a surprise to see construction still in progress on the road from CDO to Iligan, the weekly schedule of CH transactions remains the same, the Lagundingan “international airport” is still just a road, the pharmacists recognized me and asked me if I would like to buy Hepsera again… I remembered all the names of the towns on the 1.5 hour drive from CDO to Tuod, and I still know a lot of the Cebuano words that I have not heard, said, or thought about for 2 years, but they flowed from my mouth like I never left! Chika-chika (casual talking) with the staff and kids, eating my favorite fresh pineapple bread from Basic Knead, sending Johnmar to the neighbors house for a coconut so that I can put fresh gata (coconut milk) in dinner, hugging a kid when they are crying, laughing at the little boys singing and dancing at night, walking on the dirt road to church on Sunday morning, even the power going out (brown out) in the first 15 minutes of church and proceeding anyway, and going behind the house to pick some Mulungai leaves for soup… these things are all so comforting.

But quite honestly, I forgot about a few intricacies of life here… like being a white woman in Mindanao. This mainly just means that I am stared at and talked about when minding my own business and doing fairly normal activities! It means that everyone in the city wants to know my name, why I am here, where I am from, if I am single, why I am single, and then wants to take a picture of me! The people in Manticao and Tuod (where I lived before) did not forget me, and all feel the need to comment about my return visit, change in my look, ect. It continues to be an incredible feeling to be such a minority again, something that I got used to before, is now making me slightly uncomfortable! For example, last Friday, one of the college kids, Ernesto, invited me to walk him to the front of the church during his school nursing capping ceremony. I was honored of course, but being the only white person in the large church, I got a little more attention than I would have liked! Ernesto was a trooper though, and was proud to have his ate (big sis) there to escort him on his special day, and I humbly obliged for a few pictures with people that I do not know!!!

I also forgot how hard it can be to care for the kids here in the children’s home. As I was updated on the happening of the past 2 years, I found myself feeling the way that all the staff feel… sometimes overjoyed and happy because of the success and growth of a kid, but sometimes devastated by news of something sad, or frustrated because you know they can do better! The updates from the past 2 years were a lot to take in, and I found myself still emotionally invested in the lives of all the kids here, which is both a hard feeling, and a blessing at once! The BEST feeling thus far has been that epiphany… Most people in their lives have a family, and then a small group of close friends, and then maybe a large group of fairly distant type of friends. The love that most people feel with this dynamic is great, sure. You know the people you are close to and they know you. But here in a childrens home that love and relationships is multiplied by like 60 or 100. As I was riding in the jeepney, I watched the kids interacting with their houseparents, and it occurred to me that most people in the world do not have a family this big, and do not have this many people who love and care about them! What a blessing it is for me to be part of this huge family, even though I am now far from them! How sweet it is!!! I’ll be sad to leave again, but happy to know that even when I leave, I can still come back for a visit, and it still feels good!! :)

As if I never left...

I am so tired, and I know I am lacking a proper nights sleep for 8 or so days, but still, I am paranoid of decompression sickness from my dives yesterday!! The joint in my left thumb is aching, and im sleepy, and I flew the day after 3 dives!! Although I had about 18 hours between, and the dive computer said im good… I am paranoid! I wonder if they have a recompression chamber in Cagayan just in case…?!?! I’m guessing NO!

It has been a whirwind of a week in the Philippines, and I am starting to feel like I am on the show “Amazing Race” with all these last minute plans, and running here and there!!! Buying tickets at the airport for the next flight out can be a little adrenaline rush! The whirlwind has been amazing though, as I have reunited with old friends and remembered why I love the Philippines so much.

I arrived in the Philippines the evening before my 27th birthday, after being away for almost 2 years! I was very tired, but when I saw the faces of my old Christians’ Haven co-workers I perked right up! Within minutes I felt as though I had never really left them!! We chatted and caught up over a great dinner at the CH college house in the city, and after a sweet little welcome program I spent the night hanging with the college students and reminiscing about years ago. Again, it was as normal and relaxed as if I had never left! The kids woke me up at 4:30am with a birthday serenade (like the old days!). I spent the morning in the city visiting a few old friends, and then headed to Tu-od for a wonderful birthday lunch with all the CH staff!!! They are trying hard to fatten me up again, and I cannot resist the delicious food I have been missing for 2 years! Hanging out and basically doing nothing with the staff and kids proved to be just as fun as it used to be, and then the kids in campus had a cute welcome program for me that made me cry. Then, to end my birthday in perfect Filipino fashion- we hit up some “videoke” in Iligan. Nothing like a small enclosed room, a tv with sing-a-long karaoke with super cheesy backgrounds, bad speakers, and good friends!! Then Ely, Jane, Jerlin, Maam Gumbao, and I slept late in the guest house, like in the old days!!!

Bright and early the next morning I tagged along to a Badjao feeding. This is kinda cool too, because I spent my 23rd or 24th birthday (I can’t remember which) visiting and feeding the Badjao for the first time, long before CH had their outreach there. During my first year in the Philippines I took note of the Badjao people, and had a strong desire to be involved with them somehow. That is when I did the feeding for my birthday with the help of the ladies from CH. About 6 months after that my family came to visit for Christmas and we ventured for the 2nd time into the Badjao neighborhood, which basically started the CH outreach there( feeding, developing relationships, and medical). Although CH continues to foster a relationship with them, the purpose of CH is not the Badjao, and CH cannot help them much further. I have spent much time thinking of how to tackle such a gargantuous problem as the poorest people group in the Philippines. Then, last year during the Global Missions Health Conference I met an organization from India, called Jamked, who has managed to empower a people group similar to the Badjao, and transform their community and lives. I was so inspired by this, but I am not sure if there is a plan in my future to help the Badjao. Currently, CDI (Community Development International, my brother’s NGO) may be interested in something down the line. Who knows what will come of my compassion for the Badjao, but it was nice to visit them once again and start the wheels turning again for how they can be helped, and empowered to help themselves!!

Then early this week I took a spur of the moment trip up to the island of Palawan to see the famous Underground River and hit one of the top scuba sites in the world. Both of which were amazing. I think that the Underground river is on the list to be one of the new "natural wonders of the world", and it lived up to it in my book! The diving in El Nido didn't let me down. I saw so many interesting underwater creatures and beautiful corals, and the highlight was swimming with a school of fish of thousands in number! If i was gentle i could join the school and swim while surrounded by them, and i could also swim into them and they would part for me!! COOOOOL! My max depth was 24 meters this time (78 feet)!!!!!

As of now I am on a bus going back to the main CH campus to hang with old friends and pretend I never left for a few days before another adventure! Sorry no pics, the internet is not that good while traveling on a bumpy bus! Check my FB na lang...

2 weeks in Malaysia (written by a dangerously tired traveler)

I guess that now is as good a time as any to blog, considering I have been stuck in either a bus terminal or airport for 5 hours now, and its finally 6 am! I board my flight to the Philippines in a little over an hour, and yes I’m excited to get there, but this moment I am most excited to take a little napper during the flights! Needless to say I am very tired after a full day in Kuala Lumpur, so excuse any craziness or boring-ness in the following…

After our amazing scuba diving on Ko Tao, Leah and I had to book it out of Thailand because our visas were about to expire! We headed off the island on the most interesting overnight travel yet- a 9.5 hour boat ride, well suited for backpackers on a budget, or (more likely) the transport of cattle!!! The pictures on my facebook tell it all, sweaty strangers spooning in cramped little spaces… I’ll just say that it was hot, dirty, and miserable, and after laughing about it for a good while, I literally medicated myself into a deep sleep!

Our first destination in Malaysia was Langkawi. This island turned out to be much like a Malay Virginia Beach. There were too many nice hotels and tourist activities for our liking, but we managed to find our nitch in a chill backpackers’ guesthouse, and a cool reggae bar on the beach. We spent almost a week in Langkawi, with minimal western backpackers and whole lot of Indian, Malay, and Middle Eastern vacationers. A single motorbike and sense of adventure took us to the north of the island a couple times, which was a different vibe and provided some fun, a breathtaking sunset, and a nice long nap at a waterfall. The proper and organized roads of Malaysia challenged my motor driving skills, and I hit a speed of 105km/hr on the highway without hitting a monkey!! (Seriously, I was actually terrified of being attacked by monkeys on the way home at night, they are just all over the place and do not like to be messed with. We witnessed one dumb white guy instigating them on the side of the road and if I wasn’t so afraid of them turning on me, maybe I would have stayed to tape and you-tube a monkey fight, in which I would have been rooting for the monkeys!!)

After Langkawi, Leah and I traveled inland to the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia’s tea capitol, with an elevation of 6,000ft. It was beautiful! Rolling mountains covered in tea or fruit and vegetable greenhouses, chilly temperatures, relaxed atmosphere, a lot of Malays on their vacations, and of course a whole lot of tea!! (FYI- Tea is basically one of my most favorite things in the world!!!) This is my first time to visit a Tea Plantation, and it was stunning. We went to a factory, and as they were fermenting and drying the tea the aroma was spectacular, I wish I could bottle that scent! Overall, the week was just about as relaxing as it gets, with lots of hanging out with some cool and interesting people. I was tickled that our neighbor was a 70 some year old female solo traveler who would inform me of the international news each morning when I woke up! How cool is she?!?! We also got to know the crew at our favorite Indian restaurant, and even though the food made me sick twice, we still went back day after day because forming relationships with the people there was more filling than the food in a lot of ways!

Leah and I parted a couple days ago, (to be reunited in the beginning of July) and I took off to the capitol of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. I stayed at a friendly hostel recommended by friends, which basically feels like being at home, and then I explored the city on my own for 2 days. It is kinda crazy how many random people I had conversations with over the past 2 days by myself. My favorite moment though was when I was stuck in a Chinese tea shop during an afternoon down pour, and learned the art of Chinese tea! I have now realized why they drink out of such tiny cups, and will be sure to practice this charming ritual once back in the states!!



Alright, my life according to Blogger is officially caught up, and I can no longer handle the scent of fast food in exchange for free internet, so it is off to find my seat on a plane, and wake up to the Philippines!