On Sundays, all the children go to Church, except for the little darling babies. This gave me a great opportunity to play with them and let them know I wasn't someone they needed to be afraid of. Many of the younger kids are very cautious and shy with strangers, as they see other children being taken away from the visitors. Apparently, I shared this same behavior when I was their age. Even though I talked about wanting a mommy and daddy often, if ever strangers came by, I would have nothing to do with them.
It took some of the little guys longer than others to warm up to me, but eventually, I had them all laughing and scurrying around. There was one little girl who was super adorable [they're all adorable..]. Her name is Lovely. Her middle name - this is great - is Queen. I had to think about that one for a second, but opted not to question it. Regardless, she is indeed quite lovely. The cutest little thing. There are these twin brothers, Jimmy and Frank [pronounced "Fronk"], who are precocious little buggers, but too cute for their own good.
Lovely Queen
such a cutie-patootie!
She almost came home with me..
After a good hour of play time, I headed off to attend a service at a church the CSC staff attend. Very different than what I've experienced in the past, but when in Rome..
The remainder of the day was Sandy & Arlie QT. We drove out to the city of Mandaue to a resort called Plantation Bay. It's right by the ocean and has good food. The drive out was an adventure in and of itself, as the car nearly overheated from a leak in a clearly aged hose attached to the.. radiator (?). A guy at a nearby gas station took about 30minutes to modify the hose to fix the problem and refused Sandy's offering to pay!? [her persistance eventually overcame his resistance]. To clarify just how bad the state of their economy really is.. if she was to give 500 Pilipino Pesos, which is a lot of pesos for Filipino standards, that is equivalent to about $11. You don't get that kind of service anywhere in the states! Once things were vehicularly-copasetic, we continued. I couldn't believe the things I saw. It is truly awe-inspiring to see so many living in standards we wouldn't consider fit for even our pets. And yet, you smile at them and they respond with an even bigger smile right back at you. I've always been aware [and appreciative] of EVERYthing sent in my direction, b'c I know so many others have it so much worse. What incredible strength and spirit.
They call these 'tricycles', and they were EVERYWHERE out here!
The massive bush on the left is blocking the 'houses' [aka: shacks], and these kids were playing in what they consider their front yard [you also can't see the piles of trash everywhere].
And I thought CA drivers were crazy..
This was also a frequent sight. Kids riding on motorcycles or scooters without a helmut, just wedged between people.
I could literally touch his arm without reaching very far if I wanted to
Lots of fruit stands like this - very colorful and nicely arranged. [notice the couple posing for the camera. Filipinos love having their pictures taken!]
Sandy at the beach of Plantation Bay Resort
Sunset at Plantation Bay
I had my first taste of Lechon here. It's cooked pork with the skin still on [the skin is the most favored part - others know it as 'cracklin' or 'chicharrones'. It was the biggest serving of pork I've ever seen. It was fantastic catching up with Sandy and hearing her share stories about me as a baby/toddler, realizing just how little my personality has changed since then [she used the word 'spunky' and 'stubborn' quite often : ) ]. Strange, it was her and my first REAL conversation since we last saw each other 26 years ago, and it felt like I was talking to an old friend. Sandy says she felt the same.
Awesome stuff Arlie! Thanks for sharing!
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