The first month in country has flown by. And it is now time for
us to bid farewell to one of our team members. Liz True is homeward
bound, and so several of the team members have traveled to Manila to see
her off. Mim, Liz, Levi, John, and I took a Victory Liner bus from
Olongapo to Manila, and are currently situated in a air conditioned
hotel. Jake and John Langham stayed behind at the Mercyland property to
hold down the fort in our absence.
Manila is a bustling metropolis with a dense population of 14 million people. There are so many sights to take in, ranging from street vendors selling their wares to elaborate shopping malls with every imaginable luxury. We headed into an SM gateway mall and rode the escalator up to the fourth floor to the food court. It boasted a Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Wendy’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Kimchi, Steak Escape, Jap-OK, Oriental Bowl, a crepe restaurant, Mandarin food, an Asian Dumpling Place, Seafood, you name it. Scattered throughout the mall was a also Starbucks, Italian restaurant, another Taco Bell, and a place called Bread Talk, specializing in cheesecakes and a wide variety of breads. It is so strange to see the stark contrasts of the scrapped together shanty shacks on the outskirts of town and the ritzy westernized malls that are around every corner and stretch for miles.
The younger generation is embracing the western culture, while the older generation holds to their Filipino culture. I am amazed by the young people, because even in the sweltering heat and humidity, when all of us Americans are trying to stay cool in shorts and tees or tanks, the Filipinos wear dark wash jeans and either t-shirts or long sleeves. They do carry around umbrellas in either rain or shine – rain to stay dry and in the sun to stay as white as they possibly can. Our fair complexion is envied, and we get stared at wherever we go. Back in Olongapo, John and I enjoy walking down Bennet Road to the sari-saris, and as we walk, we greet our neighbors as we pass. They stare at us as we go by, but when we wish them ‘good morning’ or say ‘hullo,’ their faces light up into a huge smile. They love to be recognized, and are also beginning to realize that we are going to stick around for a while. We have our favorite vendors, and have become regular customers. It is starting to feel like home. Public transportation is becoming second nature, and I am starting to become familiar with Olongapo City.
This is turning into more of a reflective piece rather than an informative one, so let me add in some information. We finished the tile job at the clinic, and also painted the ceiling a nice bright blue hue. Jake and Levi have been working hard on replacing the plumbing fixtures, and moved a second water tank to the top of our mountain, resulting in much improved water pressure and allowing us to take showers in the CR at the property. We spent all of yesterday working on the Ehler’s family truck, taking out the seats, carpet, and cleaning the entire vehicle. With all of the mud and rain, the interior was getting slightly moldy, and looks much fresher now that layers of dirt have been scrubbed off. John and John fixed the electrical and took out the hot-wired bits, and are working on fixing the air-con. Many of our projects have been small and time consuming, and at the end of the day it would seem as though we have barely made any headway. But we are making progress, slowly but surely. For those who are wondering, permits were submitted on Monday and rejected. We were told that we need more signatures. So the actual clinic groundwork is on hold until the proper paperwork has been correctly processed, but we talked to Jason Ehler and he was of the opinion that we could begin to build up the rock wall at the base of the property where we are going to build the clinic. We would dig it out and start to build it up using river stones.
We knew that things would take time. And yet we are keeping busy in the meanwhile – there are always projects that need doing. We do appreciate all of the prayers and support from everyone back home. Every passing day finds us getting more and more acclimated to the Filipino culture. Love to you all, Kels for both
originally posted on July 2, 2011
Manila is a bustling metropolis with a dense population of 14 million people. There are so many sights to take in, ranging from street vendors selling their wares to elaborate shopping malls with every imaginable luxury. We headed into an SM gateway mall and rode the escalator up to the fourth floor to the food court. It boasted a Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Wendy’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Kimchi, Steak Escape, Jap-OK, Oriental Bowl, a crepe restaurant, Mandarin food, an Asian Dumpling Place, Seafood, you name it. Scattered throughout the mall was a also Starbucks, Italian restaurant, another Taco Bell, and a place called Bread Talk, specializing in cheesecakes and a wide variety of breads. It is so strange to see the stark contrasts of the scrapped together shanty shacks on the outskirts of town and the ritzy westernized malls that are around every corner and stretch for miles.
The younger generation is embracing the western culture, while the older generation holds to their Filipino culture. I am amazed by the young people, because even in the sweltering heat and humidity, when all of us Americans are trying to stay cool in shorts and tees or tanks, the Filipinos wear dark wash jeans and either t-shirts or long sleeves. They do carry around umbrellas in either rain or shine – rain to stay dry and in the sun to stay as white as they possibly can. Our fair complexion is envied, and we get stared at wherever we go. Back in Olongapo, John and I enjoy walking down Bennet Road to the sari-saris, and as we walk, we greet our neighbors as we pass. They stare at us as we go by, but when we wish them ‘good morning’ or say ‘hullo,’ their faces light up into a huge smile. They love to be recognized, and are also beginning to realize that we are going to stick around for a while. We have our favorite vendors, and have become regular customers. It is starting to feel like home. Public transportation is becoming second nature, and I am starting to become familiar with Olongapo City.
This is turning into more of a reflective piece rather than an informative one, so let me add in some information. We finished the tile job at the clinic, and also painted the ceiling a nice bright blue hue. Jake and Levi have been working hard on replacing the plumbing fixtures, and moved a second water tank to the top of our mountain, resulting in much improved water pressure and allowing us to take showers in the CR at the property. We spent all of yesterday working on the Ehler’s family truck, taking out the seats, carpet, and cleaning the entire vehicle. With all of the mud and rain, the interior was getting slightly moldy, and looks much fresher now that layers of dirt have been scrubbed off. John and John fixed the electrical and took out the hot-wired bits, and are working on fixing the air-con. Many of our projects have been small and time consuming, and at the end of the day it would seem as though we have barely made any headway. But we are making progress, slowly but surely. For those who are wondering, permits were submitted on Monday and rejected. We were told that we need more signatures. So the actual clinic groundwork is on hold until the proper paperwork has been correctly processed, but we talked to Jason Ehler and he was of the opinion that we could begin to build up the rock wall at the base of the property where we are going to build the clinic. We would dig it out and start to build it up using river stones.
We knew that things would take time. And yet we are keeping busy in the meanwhile – there are always projects that need doing. We do appreciate all of the prayers and support from everyone back home. Every passing day finds us getting more and more acclimated to the Filipino culture. Love to you all, Kels for both
originally posted on July 2, 2011
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