The Philippines!!!

Well this is the second instalment of my blog catch-up posts. The first one took forever to upload because the internet here in the guest house is really slow, so I think I shall go easy on the photos this time…

I arrived in Manila on New Years’ Eve. The lines in the airport were surprisingly short and I got through immigrations and customs very quickly. Baggage claim was a different matter. I waited for almost an hour for my luggage to show up. Oh well, the important thing is that it did actually show up!

First impressions? After a couple of days in Hong Kong’s cold(er) weather, I was looking forward to some warmth. When I walked out of the airport terminal in Manila, I was greeted with weather that was neither as warm nor as humid as I expected… But at least it wasn't cold!

Living in South America, I became well acquainted with driving practices that differ greatly from those of the Western world; Manila driving, however, is in its own special category of “different”. The lanes are definitely “more like guidelines”. What is acceptable seems to be restricted only by what is physically possible. I have actually been very impressed with the skilfulness of most drivers here.

Manila seemed (on first impression, at least) to be a little cleaner than I expected. I found out that this is likely due to the fact that the Pope will be paying a visit to the Philippines next week. According to the front page of yesterday’s newspaper, police are being issued adult nappies/diapers so that they won’t have to desert their post and potentially wait in line for an hour in order to get to a toilet. I guess a visit from the Pope is a pretty big deal in a Catholic nation!!

A day and a half after I arrived in Manila, we travelled to a beautiful little place a couple of hours out of the city for field conference. This was a great opportunity to get to know many of the missionaries here in the Philippines. I think I have mostly figured out which children belong to which parents! I stayed in a dorm with one Faroese, two German and two American roommates. I am really enjoying the cultural diversity of this field!

Five nationalities are represented in this picture of the crazy hair & crazy shoe-themed fun night

Conference ended two days ago, but many missionaries have chosen to remain in Manila a little longer in order to take care of business and/or have a break, so the Manila guest house is still a very social place at the moment. I suspect next week will become a lot quieter as many people return home, but maybe then the internet will speed up a little and allow me to upload a few more pictures...