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!
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| 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...
