One week ago today...Part 1

The following is taken from my journal of our experience in Tabuk, Kalinga province in the northern Philippines. Here are a few things you'll need to know:

Tabuk - a city in Kalinga province, northern Philippines, a few hours north of Manila

Bugnay - a remote tribal village in the mountains a few hours away from Tabuk

Sagada - a city in Mountain province that attracts international tourists

Achao & Georgia Macad - husband and wife who started a maternity clinic in Tabuk (Achao is from Bugnay)

Crystal Meeks - a midwife who started a maternity clinic in Bugnay, a remote village in the mountains

Sara & Fonda - friends from the clinic in Davao

Trip to Bugnay

July 7, 2012

We woke up around 6:00am and finished our packing, then ate breakfast. Achao then drove us to Bulanao to get a jeepney going to Bugnay. After a little confusion, Sara and Fonda joined us. We all climbed on top of the jeepney, with all of our bags. We had to climb over 3 baskets of chickens! The inside and top were both very full. The top had metal bars to sit on, and a raised metal bar around the edge to help keep you on top.

The Value of Encouragement

I've been meaning to write this all week. Now I've had time to think about and reflect on it. And today I'm finally taking the time to write it.

So what is it? Well, it's a simple story really. And honestly, I won't be doing most of the writing. This post will basically write itself. How will it do that? Well, I'll be using quotes. Not just those quotation marks (imagine a post filled with these """'' """ """" """ """"""). But actual words from local Filipino children. And an adult or two.

Maybe you could say I'm cheating. I don't see it that way. You'll just have to read the entire post to understand. So go ahead. Click on the link to keep reading and find out what these quotes are and how personal they are to me.

Realization of the day

So today I realized something. I'm not a blogger. Maybe I'm just not a writer. Whenever I do think of writing a post, I can't think of anything to write. Even now, I feel like I have nothing to write. And I think the gecko outside my window is laughing at me. At least it sounded like he was laughing. Or something.

I'm distracted. I just wandered into the kitchen looking for something to snack on. Now I'm back and I still don't know what to write about. I remember having this same problem during college whenever I tried writing a research paper. I'd turn the TV on, listen to music or play a game for a distraction. Then go back and try to write some more. Sometimes I wonder how I ever wrote 12-15 page papers.

Well, let's see. What did I do this week? Something there must be interesting. Well, Monday I went to the market to get a few items. While there I came across some of the Rugby boys from our Wednesday night ministry. One of them yelled my name, so I went back to say hi and shake their hands. Most of them had been at the youth camp the other week (which reminds me, I never wrote about that...I'm a terrible blogger). I was only able to communicate a little bit with them. I could tell them what I was doing and where I was going, but I could not respond to whatever it was they said because I had no idea what they said. I was able to ask about Wednesday night, and they said they'd be there. And then I said goodbye because it's rather awkward being a white guy in the middle of these Filipinos in a public market.

Youth Camp

So what's going on? Well, this month sees the completion of 4 years of marriage for us. It's a bit strange to realize that nearly 40% of our married lives have been spent overseas. That's 2½ years living back home in the States and 1½ years in our current home in the Philippines. I wonder what it would feel like if the day comes when more of our married years have been outside of US borders than within its borders?

In celebration of this momentous occasion (our 4 years of marriage), last week we spent a few days away from the city. We stayed at the same place we did last year on our anniversary. It rained one day, but we really didn't care. It was just really nice to get away and unwind a bit.

So are you starting to wonder what this has to do with the title of this post? Well, nothing. I just felt like writing a little bit about the most exciting of our recent endeavors.

Do you want to know why I this post mentions a youth camp and what in the world I have to do with it? Well, keep on reading!

Highlight & Lowlight

So I want to tell you about the highlight and the lowlight of my day yesterday.

Highlight:

Walk to the market: Free

Fresh, whole, mature coconut: 20 pesos (≈$0.50)

3 potatoes: 40 pesos (≈$1.00)

8 pieces of bread snacks: 40 pesos (≈$1.00)

6 pinkish-red roses: 120 pesos (≈$3.00, that's right, 50¢ each!)

Pedaled tricycle ride home by a guy who remembers me and knows where I live: 20 pesos (≈$0.50)

A happy wife: Priceless!

Life musings

Life musings:

I keep encountering a common theme in the past couple of months. The concept of missionary self-care. Before coming here, I don't think I really appreciated what that could me or the importance of it. I mean, I've seen how excited missionaries are to serve and get to their intended destination. I, too remember the sleepless nights I had before coming here. I was so overcome with joy and anticipation of what this new chapter would hold. Now, I wish I would have just slept more {and stored that sleep time in my 'short on sleep' tab}.

But self-care really applies to anyone who meets this criteria.

1. must be human {sorry I don't do animal self-care}
2. must interact with living humans on a daily or very frequent basis
3. proceed below :)

You can just change the title and fill in the blank (nurse self-care....mother self-care etc.) You get the idea.

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