Our morning began at 4 am due to
the jet lag. We messaged with my brother Mikey then video chatted with Joel’s
sister Alyson and our nieces. About 5 we
decided to take a walk to the market which was the only place we knew
directions to. The school is a locked compound after 9pm and no one had shown
us how to get out which made our outing more complicated. After walking around
the campus for 30 minutes we finally met up with a pastor named Gary who made
our escape possible.
On our way to the market we noticed
how important exercise is here. There we groups of runners and bikers along
with several outdoor public exercise facilities. We found a public park where
people gathered to do Tai Chi. In the park also were gardens filled with
beautiful trees, plants and flowers. We had an appointment for a video chat so
we headed back home while stopping at seven-eleven for refreshments.
Gary, the pastor from earlier,
invited us to have breakfast with him and his wife at 9. We showered, unpacked
a little and headed down to apartment G (we are in C). They were serving
pancakes and hash browns.
Gary and his wife, Marilyn, are
American. They are moving back to the US in 10 days but had great advice for
us. Since they are moving, they were having a sort of “garage sale”. Joel and I
took advantage buying bus passes, an internet router, hangers, water jugs,
converters and a close line all at half price the normal. Joel had a list of
questions and the two were very patient with us keeping us until almost noon. 
When heading back to our room, we
met up with the grounds maintenance man. He fixed our fan, hung our curtains
and mounted our shower head. I ate my leftovers from dinner the night before
and Joel ate Cup of Noodles. Our friend Man kin came
around 1pm to take us on a tour of the school. We found Joel’s new desk and
classroom. There are 15 grades because Kindergarten starts at 3 years old and
is 3 years long. We then decided to head out sightseeing.
We found that the no one here cares
about the weather except for when there is a typhoon warning. This is because
it is constant; hot, humid with occasional rain. We experienced all today.
Man kin took us to a local market.
There were live animals that could be butchered on the spot. Becoming a vegetarian again crossed my mind
at this time. I did enjoy the fresh fruits, vegetables and baked good.
There is a Flea Market that is open
on the weekends that we passed through on our way to Cunha Street which is a
famous place for restaurants and souvenirs. People on this street were crammed together
with no such thing as a comfort zone. Here is where we seemed to fit in because
there were so many tourists.
Our route then continued to a city
garden with a large lotus lily pond which is a famous spot for taking
pictures. Several couples were taking
wedding photos. We took a small path that lead to the Galaxy Hotel and Casino
which is very Americanized.
On the way home, we realized that
crosswalks are merely white strips on the road. Drivers do not yield to
pedestrians. The road was 6 lanes with a median in the center. Basically you
find a break in traffic and sprint hoping the driver at least slows down long
enough for you to make it to the middle. Obviously we made it home alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment