Merry Christmas: Philappeano Style

 
  Merry Christmas!  I woke from a wonderful slumber.  It was very quiet and dark, compared to my nights i Korea.  I enjoyed using a "real" shower, complete with a bath tub.   There was also a seperate dressing room, with a vaity, to do my make-up.  When Kelly and I went downstairs, the helper had set out chinese bacon, freshly sliced mango, papayas, and bagels.  It was delicious!  To our surprise, we were running very late (I think that we got caught up in the laid back atmosphere) and were whisked away to church.

     The Christmas mass was in English and promptly started right away.  Although I tried to focus, I was distracted by the beautiful nativity scene, Christmas lights, and three kings display.  With about 85% of the population practicing catholiscm, it was not a surprise to see how the community is dedicated to this joyous celebration.  They have one of the longest Christmas celebrations.  They start decorating in September and the carols begin.

     After many photographs, we went to Ann's aunt's house.  There, waiting for us was a roasted pig.  It looked delicious.  It was quite small, but that is supposed to be the most juicy and scrumptuous kind.  There was also lo mein with kalamasi (a minature lime).  It is divine when the lime is squeezed over your serving of lo mein.  It is also good for a cold.  If you slice the lime and drink it, it will shorten our cold.  You can also mix it with hot water and honey.  Egg rolls, white rice, seafood soup, and baked prawns accompanied the pig.
     I will say, it was interesting having a pig on the table.   But boy was it good!  The best part was the crispy skin.  When it was dipped in the sauce, it was great!

Christmas Lunch

     With very full stomachs, we headed off to Mega Mall.  The name suited it quite nicely.  It had American and Canadian stores, and after being in Korea for some time, it was refreshing to see western fashion.  I just enjoyed window shopping, but for the die hard shoppers, the prices are amazing!  Everything is very cheap.
     The next stop, Irwin's house (Ann's cousin's residence).  When we arrived, I felt a little out of place.   It was a Christmas party full of friends and family.  About 30 people were in  attendance.  It was very hard to blend in.  The blonde hair and light skin did not make it easy.  So, I immedietly went towards the buffet.  There was roasted pig, rice, creamy chicken soup, and traditional Philappeano food.  The food was delicious, but the entertainment was even better!

      Everyone at the party was required to do a "presentation."  This could be a song, poem, or dance.  There was even a microphone, which gave a lot of feedback.  I think that I may have lost a little bit of hearing.  I tried to hide, but Kelly, Ann, and I were told to do a "presentation."  We chose "We Wish You Merry Christmas," from our grande finale at POLY.  Of course, it never goes smoothly with me.  They introduced us, everyone clapped, and we stood there, for about 8 long minutes. The sound system was not working, and the music was not available.  I felt as if I was swimming in a sea of awkward turtles.
     The party was filled with many fun games.  They played hot orange (similar to hot potato) and a relay race that involved passing a kalamansi with a spoon.  My favorite was when the adults had to tie a string around their waist.  At the end was a pen.  They had to get the pen into the coke bottle.  It was hysterical!

     The grand finale, was when Ann's aunt, uncle, cousin, driver, and their three maids came out...dressed as belly dancers!  They put on a dance to Shakira's song: "Hips Don't Lie."

     The night ended with the passing of red envelopes to the children.  Then, to my surprise, the adults were told to line up from shortest to tallest.  We formed a circle and started to dance.  As you approached Ann's uncle, he would give you money.  There were 500 pesos mixed in and it was the luck of the draw.  Kelly and Ann both received 500 pesos.  The "circle of money" stopped when the money ran out.
     As everyone left, they were given boxes of apples, oranges, and plants.  Kelly and I were enterained by Irwin and his under water hockey videos.
     I did notice that the family was able to relax, as the helpers cleaned up and put the food away.  It is a very different lifestyle.

The Patio



My bedroom

I Love Mangos

An Unforgetable Shopping Adventure

 
    I am embarking on another adventure.  Although most of my travels have been solitary, this adventure will be different.  I will be traveling with two of my co-workers, Anne and Kelly.  I am excited to have the company on a trip and to be able to share this experience with one another.
     We had a groggy start.  I woke up at 3:45 a.m. to a beautiful city, blanketed in snow.  I took it all in and then panicked.  I had to drag my luggage through this winter wonderland!  After 20 minutes, sweaty and cold, I arrived at the bus stop.  I shouted good morning to Kelly and received a warm good morning from a stranger.  It was from that moment, that this was going to be an interesting vacation.
     The airport limosine bus arrived, and to our surprise, was completly full.  I had to wait 20 minutes for the next one to come...outside.  Besides, this bump in the road, I had a great flight.  There was not any turbulance and three hours later, I was in the Philappeans.  We were greeted by Ann's aunt (who we will be staying with).  She whisked us into the car and the driver placed our luggage inside.
      Along the way, I saw many tin shacks built upon one another.  This was very similar to India.  There is not much of a middle class.  It is either high class or low class.  Ann's relatives, Lola, and Tita Josie reside in a gated community.  The gate guards have guns and do not allow anyone into the community, unless the vehicle has a permit.  There is even an ex-president who resides in this community!  Each of her relatives, aunt and uncle, have a personal maid (helper).  They reside in the service quarters year round and do the shopping, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and errands.  As her aunt put it, it is nice to come home and relax.  Everything is done for you.  I find it very awkard, to be catered to.  If I want something, I just ring a bell.  If I need to go anywhere, the driver will take me.  So, this is what it is like to live the "good life."

The city bus

   

     The first stop: Duty Free.  We went to a very large Duty Free store.  It had everything and accepted US dollars.  It was two floors and a few times, I got lost, trying to get out.  The biggest highlight, was the American grocery store.  I forgot what that was like.  I was in heaven, although I didn't purchase anything.  I couldn't take anything frozen.  How I am craving for a Sarah Lee cake!
     After the Duty Free store, we went to a local shopping area: Green Hills Tingge.  Bargain, bargain, bargain.  I was quick to learn this process, with the help of Tita Josie.  Everyone speaks English here and she was able to get me three scarves for 6 dollars.  That is a bargain for Parshima.  You do need to be cautious.  There are many people and hagglers.  Keep your purse close, because there are purse slashers.  I did feel completely safe.  There were police around and I everyone is very friendly.

 I like to bargain for scarves!

You never know what you will find!

     In the evening, I took a nice walk around the neighborhood.  It is about 82 degrees F.  It was refreshing coming from such cold weather.  I took pictures of the houses decorated in Christmas lights. It was nice to see palm trees all decorated and the Philappean star (Parol) decorations.

parol lights

 
  I relaxed on the porch eating purple, yam ice cream!  It was very different.  It was not very sweet, but still quite tasty.  I am looking forward to the events of tomorrow!

Tita Josie

Picture Diary

     Once a week, I grade my pre-kinder's picture diaries.  They are always a joy to read.  I look forward to reading about their adventures during the weekend.  It is amazing to see how their writing has improved during the course of the year.  They are able to express their thoughts and feelings.  They are also getting very creative!

Would you try it?

Happy Thanksgiving

     Another year away for the holidays.  Thanksgiving is always the hardest.  It is the start of family gatherings and the holiday season.  It is hard to think that all of my loved ones are gathered together around a wonderful meal.  I was fortunate to have a great meal with my new family, my co-workers.
     The day started with a Koren style Thanksgiving lunch.  It consisted of fried rice, spaghetti, and ham (or so we thought).  Everyone ate the "ham" and couldn't believe how delicious it was.  We went on and on.  Only to find out later that it was duck.  No wonder it was so juicy.

    
     I had almost forgotten what turkey and stuffing was, let alone tastes like.  I have been in Korea too long.  Rice is now a staple of my diet.  It tasted extra good, when I put the savory turkey in my mouth.  It was delivered by Clements, our school's handy-man.  He went to the U.S. military base and waited about 40 minutes, in a line of traffic, to be escorted on base.  He then had to wait in line at the deli to pick up our meal.  It was worth it in the end. 

Only in Korea, do you eat turkey with chopsticks.

     We had three turkeys, two different kinds of stuffing, vegetables, rolls, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  It was very delicious, but not as good as home.  The best part was that we were told to bring "to go" containers.  I took advantage of this and brought three!  I filled them up, especially with pumpkin pie.  It was a tasty treat the next day.

Miss B. carving the turkey for her to go container

A Wishbone!

Heidi's Shower

     It is very difficult to be away from family, especially when your sister is planning a wedding.  The thought of missing her wedding shower was very hard.  The price of a plane ticket was too high and I was unable to receive time off from work.  Instead, I was able to use technology to be there during this special time.
     I surprised my sister, at 2:00 a.m. with a skype session at her shower.  I really felt as if I was in the room right with her.  Her Maid of Honor gave me the tour of the venue.  It was gorgeous.  I was then set down at a table with my family relatives.  I was able to chat with many relatives and listen in on great conversations. 
     It was a little bit upsetting when everyone started to eat.  I was longing to have a chunk of cheddar cheese and a bite of salad. Conviently, the battery died on the laptop.  They were able to log me back on, for a short good bye.
     I am glad that I was able to share this moment with my sister and great friend, Heidi.

Kids Biz

     Today was the best field trip that I have had since my time with Poly.  This field trip was geared towards children and was the appropriate age (4-6 years old).  The name of the establishment was called Kids Biz.  It was a small, quaint building, about 15 minutes away from our school.  The inside design was child-size, with the floor plan being divided into small rooms.  The rooms were the following: supermarket, hospital, fire station, bakery, kitchen, and cars.  There was also a room for the girls, which had a beauty station and dolls. 

     The best part, was that there was a Mom Cafe.  This was designed for parents to go upstairs, away from the chaos below.  They had a coffee station with snacks and tvs that monitored the children below. 

     My students, along with four other classes had a blast.  They were able to be children and use their imaginations.  They were dressing up in princess, doctor, and police costumes.  They even had me shopping in the grocery store and be a patient in the hospital.  Before I knew it, I had a roll of toilet paper (from the bathroom, taken without permission) around my arm!  I had thermometers in both my ears and my legs elevated.  It was a stressful day, for both the children and me.

Doctor Sue Boo

Patient Mesmer

 

    

Miss Kim relaxing

The girls getting their hair done.



11/11/11

     Happy Pepero Day!  Once again, I have experienced the the madness of Pepero Day.  This year I was inundated with Pepero.  I received strawberry Pepero, peanut Pepero, wafer Pepero, hand made Pepero, and the best.... pop rocks Pepero.  The last was a pleasent surprise.  I thought that I was eating a Pepero decorated in candy, but was surprised with a sizzling madness in my mouth.  It was a party in my mouth! 
     This year, I was prepared with a box for each of my pre-school students and a wafer stick for my elementary prodigies.  They welcomed the gift and gave Pepero in exchange.  It was a wonderful day filled with chocolate and smiles.