Well, I don't have time to post a lot of pictures, but these are just a couple to tide you over. The first is of me (duh) on a scenic little stop on our way from Davao to Surallah. The second is the view over the cliff at the edge of the property at the orphanage here in Surallah. Beautiful, isn't it? It's my desktop background right now.
Hey everyone! Sorry my last entry was so short. I had hoped to write more, but I was really on the clock. It seems like the best plan is to type it up ahead of time, save it on a jump drive, then bring that to the internet café. Where to begin?
Manila was super cool to visit. I felt like I was seeing a world city, a place where world travelers go to see the best and brightest of that culture represented. On one of my days off, I went to the biggest mall I have ever seen in my life. I could have taken a week just to see everything. My favorite floor was filled with different art galleries and cultural artifacts. I pretty much just walked around with my mouth wide open for a few hours. I’m not used to seeing places that are so big and elaborate, especially not here. My biggest shock was when I first walked in, sweaty from the hot sun overhead and the long walk, and saw a huge ice-skating rink. I literally stood there with my mouth open for a few seconds, then started laughing. I probably looked like a crazy person. Well, no use hiding the truth, right? :)
The kids at the orphanage in Manila were mostly younger kids, so I did a lot of playing and supervising. The kids were cared for by a permanent staff, supplemented by a lot of missionaries who came in and out. This was different for me because at the first orphanage, they hadn't had volunteers yet. It's been interesting seeing the different ways that each orphanage deals with discipline and trying to find out where a volunteer fits into that since we'll only be there for a limited time. I've found that across the board, it's not funny dealing with someone with a stinky attitude. It’s funny, as a kid, if I was told to change my attitude, I would think, “Yeah, I’ll get right on that… but seriously, it's not gonna happen.” Now I understand why parents say it so often. It's no fun being around someone with a bad attitude or a disobedient kid. I definitely wish I had been more obedient and respectful! Working with kids so much, I just wish they would trust me that I know better and am looking out for their good. I guess that's why we get to be kids first, so that we have time to learn those things as we grow.
Anyway, on to the next orphanage!
Open Door Christian Orphanage/Baptist Church/Christian Academy was a complex consisting of a four story building, a house, and a two story building, all connected with a basketball court in the middle and a large gate for the fourth wall. I kind of got to live in the shoes of each different group of people there- as a family member, a volunteer, and one of the kids. I was generally treated as all three simultaneously, but I also got to experience the housing of all three. I stayed in one of the air conditioned bedrooms, in one of the classrooms on two foam mattresses (two because I was too tall and had to lay diagonally), and in the orphan girls’ room. Let me tell you, I’m a deeper sleeper than I used to be! But roommates, don’t get any ideas. ;) I got to spend a lot of time with the orphan girls there in serious conversations and just having fun. I really enjoyed getting to know two of the directors daughters, Ate Danna and Ate Aia, who took me under their wing and held my hand (literally and figuratively… about the hand, not the wing… hehe). They were like big sisters, both very kind to me in totally different ways. I miss their company.
The orphanage had a special event while I was there. Some missionaries from North Carolina paid for all of the children to get to go. They dressed in their Sunday clothes, even down to close-toed shoes for the boys and nice sandals for the girls. We walked the ten minute walk together. When we arrived, we sat down in our own reserved room and awaited our food. The kids’ food had been ordered in advance, but we adults got to pick our own course. There was almost a reverence as the food was served. Some of the kids were so excited that they wouldn’t eat their food because they wanted to savor it later, but I encouraged them to enjoy it hot. It was a rare treat that they rarely could afford, only when a gift was given by missionaries or as a reward for some big achievement. It was the most special experience that I’ve ever had eating at McDonalds. Oh, and we had a hip-hop dance party with the big purple character. I’m pretty sure he was flirting with me, but he just wasn’t my type.
After a couple of days off at my supervisor’s house in Davao, I set off yet again! I would have been unhappy about going had it not been for the fact that they sent a companion with me this time. Now that I’ve had to make friends and lose them in such a short amount of time and so many times, I didn’t feel like I had the energy to do it again. They sent my Filipina friend Nice with me (her name is really Eunice, but she doesn’t like it, so everyone calls her Nice). She is the same girl who accompanied me on my bus ride to Butuan a couple days after I arrived, and we have kept in touch since then. Now I get to have my very own friend for a whole two weeks! We had been dying to hang out, and we’re having a great time together. We’re both pretty easy going and like to joke a lot, so we’re popular around here. We are now in Surallah at Uncle Dick’s Home for Children. I don’t know who Uncle Dick is, but I do know that Surallah means that the town is south of the Allah River. I’ve been into town a couple of times here. The people are openly curious and usually friendly, if they’re not too shy.
Aww, nuts, it’s about to rain on my laundry again! It got drenched last night, which wouldn’t be such a big deal if I wasn’t almost out of clothes. It’s been raining hard off and on for a few days now. I got soaked through last night, even with my umbrella, walking to the church where youth camp was being held. Apparently the kids pulled an all-nighter, as is their tradition for the last night of camp. I sat in the back and read Atlas Shrugged. I felt rude for not listening, but they were speaking Illongo, which I cannot understand. Nice and I only stayed until ten thirty. It’s almost three in the afternoon now, and the kids have been unconscious since about seven this morning. I hope they wake up soon, because I’m supposed to teach them a song to sing at church on Sunday. I’d like to teach them a melody and harmony part and have time to help the ones who don’t know how to match their pitch. Teaching them a song is my task for this coming Sunday. Last Sunday, I had to give my testimony. I say “had to” because they asked me to and I was terrified, but it actually went really well. I’ve noticed how much I thrive with such an uncritical audience. I wasn’t nervous at all, and I could really feel God speaking through me. I didn’t stumble or lose my train of thought once!
I’ve gotten used to the bug situation here. I basically can’t emerge from my bed or the shower without putting my Off lotion on first. I have mastered the art of catching/killing mosquitoes in my hand (there’s always a bunch in the shower because they like standing water, so I kill them before they bite me). I still get a bite or two every day, but I’m living with it. I’m even used to the cockroaches crawling around in the bottom of my luggage, although I’m still not too fond of them in my purse. Hehe, one time I reached into my purse to get my lip-gloss, and there was a very large cockroach clinging to it. Naturally, I screamed and threw it down. A few days later, I was in bed at night and I reached down for my cup of water and felt a friend crawling up on my fingers. I was rather unsettled. That was a couple weeks ago. After that, I would be angry with them, not afraid. Now it’s just a feeling of mildly annoyed indifference. Same with the rats and ants. In fact, I can hear a rat in my room right now. He sounds like he’s behind the dresser. As long as he doesn’t die in here or eat any of my clothes, I’m okay. There’s no use fighting the ants, you just do your best to keep clean and brush them away when they bother you.
There’s something very satisfying about the simple life here. I spend a lot of my mornings doing basic chores like washing my clothes, sweeping the room, or doing yard work with the kids. They grow a lot of their own food here, and they also plant a lot of things just for display. The kids build little rock walls around their planters, and it’s funny to me to watch them hauling rocks and building stuff. Nothing like good ol’ fashioned child labor to build the character, eh? Hehe! It’s not really like that, they just help out so that the adults don’t have to do everything and are free to supervise. The kids wash their own clothes, tend the crops, clean the houses, and cook their own food. I’ve been trying to learn some things from them, especially about planting and cooking. They’re so industrious and resourceful, I love it!
I’ve been playing a lot of jokes on the director’s family here, especially Nanay (it means mom, that’s what everyone calls her). This afternoon they were cooking some sort of black, spiral shaped shellfish that could easily look like a bug if you’re not looking too closely. I borrowed one, clasped it in my hands, and said to Nice, “Hehe, watch this!” I walked up to Nanay, who was sitting in the other room, saying, “Look what I caught!” As I opened my hands, I shook them so that it would look like it was moving and “jumped” onto Nanay. She squealed, jumped up, and tried to brush it off her. When she saw it unmoving on the floor, she picked it up and examined it. We all had a good, long laugh. This is just one example of the many things we do. She plays jokes on Nice and me also, but we’re pretty hard to beat. Well, I think that’s about all I’ve got for ya’ll. I’ll post some more pictures and write again when I get a chance. Ttfn (tah-tah for now)! ~Becca
