Hello my friends!

After 28 hours of travel, we reached Cebu in the Philippines. The kids did an amazing job of not being grumpy, despite very long flights, and lots of sitting around. I was very proud of them! We stayed in Cebu for about 30 hours and tried to get adjusted to the time change (12 hours into the future.) Then we caught a small plane and then a very small boat to Boracay. We finally arrived August 6th.

It is very hard to describe this place. The people are incredible... so friendly and kind. It is easy to forget the hardships many of them face, because they are always smiling. The island itself is a beautiful gem.. with amazing beaches.... but it seems the best word I can use is juxtaposition. There will be this nice resort, and then just over the wall, literally, will be people living in what we might refer to as "shacks"... with dirt floors, water running through, open walls, clothes hanging and a great deal of litter... and yet everyone will be carrying a cell phone. (Yes, I am learning to be a "texter"!). It is the same with the environment... beautiful beaches.. but litter, litter,litter everywhere. Even when one is swimming in the ocean there will be plastic bags floating around you, depending on the currents that day. I find littering so upsetting. I think this experience will make me an even stronger advocate for the environment!

The school is an incredible feat created from donations of love, money, time and sweat. The school is being created around us as we work. The first floor is leased to the Red Cross (the workers sleep there with a hotplate "kitchen" and bunk beds) and the second floor is the school. The third floor is being worked on little by little as the money comes in. The building is very simple... concrete and bamboo... but it is sturdy and full of hard-working loving people. The classrooms are very small.. about a third of the size of a Canadian classroom. But, there are only about 15 to 20 students in each class... compared to the Filipino public schools which reportedly have upwards of 80 to 100 students for each teacher! (Can you imagine a grade one class with 100 students and just one of you????) My real joy is that the school is full of local children and many local teachers, working along side "foreigners" (that is what they call us) doing our best to be "God's Hands".

 The best quote I heard was at a school event, where one of the Filipina women spoke to the crowd and exclaimed with joy that since opening the school "English will no longer be just for the rich!"

My joys:

The people

The beaches

The church

The adventure

The time with family

The view from our apartment

The walking

The constant search for food from home, it is like a scavenger hunt (there are many nice restaurants that we hope to explore... but one must be careful what is consumed... even in a nice place.... especially with children.)

The fun and exciting new foods to try.

The people

My challenges (or adventures.. depending on your viewpoint):

The heat (I have completely given up on trying to be attractive! My hair is always scraped back. No makeup - really why bother? Constant greasiness from 50 SPF sunscreen, and bug spray. I am always hot, sweaty and disgusting!! I have NEVER sweat so much in my life. :) ) So.... I probably won't be posting too many pictures of myself!

The litter!

The creatures sharing our home with us... geckos (kind of cute), giant flying beetles (I am talking giant!), lizards (much bigger than geckos), cockroaches, ants and very big spiders! ( I am proud to say I have been a full partner with Malcolm, concerning the process of their removal...no screaming from this gal!) If I wake up one night with one in my bed however....

The lack of vegetables... we have been warned not to eat food that you can't peel, boil or cook... so I am REALLY missing salad!!!

The missing of people I care about! ;)

Thank you again for all your warm words and prayers. They mean a lot.  Be good to each other, as always.  And remember "You are lovable and capable."

Mair