Our first week in Manila has come and gone, and there are a lot of lessons that I have already learned. And I feel like I’ve had to learn a lot of things in a hurry. So many things. So, let us just narrow things down a bit. Here are a few of the top lessons learned this week:
Lesson #1: I love the church. And I love members of the church
It is amazing to me how you can forge an instant connection with people just by knowing they are members of the church. We arrived in Manila, and knowing nothing about me, other than the fact that I am a member of the church, people brought us dinner. And people invited us into their homes. And another family offered to drive us to church. And we weren’t weirded out by any of that!!! Yes, stranger, we’d love for you to bring us food. Yes, stranger, we’d love to climb in your car and go places with you. Yes, stranger, we’d love to come into your house. Aren’t these the things we warn our children against!?! But, all of it was perfectly lovely. The rides, the homes, the food. It was wonderful, and I felt very loved. I love the church. And I love the people of the church.
Lesson #2: Don’t assume you already know how it’s going to be
You cannot make any assumptions about how things will be. It will taste different, smell different, be different than you imagined. It’s a whole new world. As just one example: I bought curry paste, thinking it would be basically what I was used to, only better. Because it would be more authentic. Authentic it was. Authentic= spicy. My kids couldn’t eat it…. Ok. Who am I kidding? I couldn’t either. It was so sad. because the initial flavor was in fact quite fantastic. Then the spice hit…. and it kept hitting for the rest of the evening. We had PB&Js for dinner. (Note regarding the image below, those are little tiny crabs. Deep fried. In batter. Remember, don’t assume you already know how it’s going to be…. I keep telling myself that when I see things like that.)
Lesson #3: Scarcity breeds creativity
We are trying to limit the amount of money we spend here. Because we aren’t going to bring home much. And I’d rather bring home souvenirs than kids’ toys or household items. So. I’ve had to get creative. Applesauce and yogurt containers are a great toy by the way. Also, I sticky-tacked some placemats (200 pesos, $4) up on the walls, just because they were pretty. And they honestly make a huge difference.
(One of my favorite pictures of all time, taken this week.)
Lesson #4: There is much to be grateful for.
Already I have seen and experienced so much things that make me realize I’m spoiled. What a glorious luxury it is to go to the store and fill it with anything and everything and be able to get it ALL home. Having to carry your groceries home makes you think twice about how badly you actually NEED that extra container of milk. Also. Our water heater is tiny. So your shower lasts long enough for the essentials but that’s about it. Things like dishwashers, dryers, garbage disposals, potable water. All things that I have absolutely taken for granted…. Oh, and potable water. That’s a big one. Jonathan goes to the mini-mart nearly every day to buy a big 5 liter jug of water. We’ve started saying that he needs to go draw water from the well 🙂
And a laugh…
This is something from this week that really made me laugh. These are sanitary napkins!!! Honestly, the brand names are sometimes ridiculously hilarious.
Did you know that a bathroom is called a ‘Comfort Room’? That made me laugh too!
I must have started your blog in the middle because this is where I ended up! But I loved every picture and word!! And your experience as a missionary gave you a tutorial for this trip. I can’t imagine any of the people I knew as a young mother being as calm and open to new experiences as you are. What an experience!
Meme!! I’m so happy to hear from you!! And I’m glad you are enjoying my ramblings 🙂 I can’t tell you how many times I have had the same thought, that my mission prepared me for this experience. I served with some rather pessimistic senior missionaries who always seemed to be saying things like “I don’t know why they can’t just learn English” or “they just need to learn to do it the right way” or “it’s not like in America”. And it really bugged me. It was like they didn’t think anything good could be found outside of Utah. So I made a very conscious decision to embrace the good parts of the culture and to not dwell on the not-so-good parts. And that has been invaluable here. I can tell you, I will NOT miss the cockroaches or the traffic. But already, there are so many things that I know I will miss. Anyway… Thanks for reading, and it was good to hear from you!