Drawing the line through 2009

I will refrain from giving details about the awesome time i am having in Indonesia until i can post pictures. But i have met some really cool people and i have laughed a lot. One guy was explaining that his dad is a vegetarian. He said he tried to be too but then he thought, if God didnt want us to eat animals why did he make them out of meat? I laughed a lot at that

also i asked one guy what his job was he responded, i am currently Self-Unemlpoyed. Haha

Anyway, happy new year as it is already 2010 on his side of the world. Miss you all and i will blog with pictures when i return in a couple days to my bungalow.

JAKARTA

I am really enjoying my time here and have already decided i will have to return inthe future. On Christmas day i went to the Sea World Indonesia. Almira has an inside link there so we were able to go scuba diving in the aqarium. This is something i said i would never do but after i caught the turtle who was the same size as me and let him pull me around i was cinvinced it was a good idea. I also was surprised by how friendly the sting ray are. Like cats. They rub against you and catch you off guard. One boy in our group was teasing a sting ray wih a fish instead of leting him eat it and he got bit in the head. No big deal. He is fine

We went to many museums and Almira has taken me all ariund Jakarta. Yesterday we entto an Indonesian Muslim wedding. T was beautifil. We went to the largest Mosk in Indonesia but somehow they figured out i wasnt Muslim and i was not allowed inside.

I have a really bad cil and have been loosing my voice. Lasb niht we went to a birthday party where they rented a room and we all sang kareoke. There are 3 microphones so you are never singing alone and since yoh rent a room ypu are only singing in front of your friends. We arrive home about 2am and got up at 5am. We are waiting at the train station where we will take a train to Jogja for 3 nights. After not geting enouh rest and screaming rock songs at the top of my lungsfor 3 hours i no longer hae a voice. This is very inconvient as English is not their first language and now they have to try and interpre my pathetic gasps of words i may be able to produce if any words at all. However Almira doesnt seem to mind.

Anyway i hope to post pictures soon. It has been crazy busy as Almira has every moment planned out.

Safe...

Josh made it home safe and I am here in Indonesia safe as well. I have only been here one day but I absolutely love it.

I went to see the tea fields and drank A LOT of different teas. There were terraces of Tea plants from as far as you could see. I ddin't get any good pictures because it was super foggy.

We also went to a place that has real dairy cows and the make specialty items with dairy... which is rare here. all the dairy products are imported. So I bought some fresh Mango yogurt and some Coffee milk. Delicious.

Almira was a foreign exchange student when i was in High School. I am staying with her. She has been a great host already. Her family is Muslim and she has been very accomodating to me and is teaching me more about the daily life of a Muslim. I was able to witness the afternoon prayer, the preperation and the details that go along with it.

I am really enjoying my time and it has not even been 24 hours. But she has MANY things planned for us. I am looking forward to it.

it is Christmas eve here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS>

Merry Christmas....

It is hard to imagine that it is only 2 days before Christmas without any snow on the ground and my habitual application of 45SPF. However, there are many decorations and Josh and I were able to ride around on the motorcycle and look at lights hanging from the trees and surrounding people’s houses. It was beautiful.

This past week was really for recovery. However, we both got terrible head colds and sore throats after returning from Tacloban and Josh has still not regained his appetite. In Bohol it is always very humid and hot, it does not rain for long periods of time, and it is exactly what you would wish the tropics to be. However, Tacloban is almost always raining and very chilly, well chilly for the tropics. I believe that going so suddenly from super hot to rainy and cold back to super hot in such a sort period of time really took us out.

Despite feeling groggy and out of it we were able to see the famous Chocolate hills, the tarsier (world’s smallest monkey that only habitats in Bohol), and my favorite water fall. Every moment was a blast and we are thankful we have been able to spend this time together.

It is Monday morning at 5am and josh is still sleeping. The Catholic church near my bungalow woke me up at 4am with sweet tunes of Christmas songs for their 4am Mass. Starting 10 days before Christmas all the Catholic churches have services at 4am. It is beautiful. I don’t mind waking up to that. However, Josh seems to be able to sleep right through it. The water is turned off and I am contemplating making breakfast and leaving dirty dishes for 2 weeks in my sink. Probably not.

We fly to Manila at 9am this morning and meet up with my friend Irvin. We will be staying at his apartment for the next 2 nights before Josh flys out to America and I leave for Indonesia. I am so thankful to have such great friends who are willing to share their homes with me during this holiday season.

I miss all of you great friends, and I want you to know that I am ever so grateful for all of you as well. Merry Christmas. As I spend this time in a Muslim home, pray that I will not forget the reason for this beautiful time and the fact that I can travel to these places with His grace on my life.

....
I had typed that before we left Bohol and then my computer crashed. we have been in manila now for 2 days and we have had an exciting time. Both of us are feeling much better. Josh leaves in the morning and we are at a Starbucks in what they call 'little New York' here in Manila. It is beautiful.
Things we did in Manila:
went to the Mall of Asia
road in busses, vans, tricycles
ate at Krispy Kreme
went to a huge market and bargined with the locals
walked around Manila
made an american meal for my friend Irvin
Drank lots of Coffee
continued to remind each other that is in fact the week of Christmas even though there is no snow and we are wearing shorts...

I hope to update from Jakarta... but i will not bring my laptop with.


Love you!

Hopping Islands

This is inside of one of the caves we have explored:



Josh has been to many countries all over the world. Apparently it wasn’t until he arrived in the Philppines that he found a bacteria to take him out. Tuesday morning about 1am he woke up shivering cold but he was sweating and very hot. This lasted until about 5pm Tuesday night when I finally brought him to the hospital.

The hospitals here, although a 3rd world country, are very clean. They do not have the best equipment and they allow the possibility of tree gods cursing you to be the reason you are sick. However, the blood and urine test results only took an hour to process. Sure enough, he had some weird bacteria that wasn’t too happy about his body trying to kick it out. We went back to my homestay so he could rehydrate and rest some more. I ran to the pharmacy to get him some prescription Advil. I am not sure if I mentioned this before but Jerry, the father of the homestay I lived with, is well known for his great success in Cock Fighting. Due to the rain, jerry kept all 5 roosters in the house. So, this hindered Josh from getting fully rested.

Wednesday afternoon I forced him out of bed to come and meet the Deaf students I worked with two years ago. We caught a plane to the island of Cebu and found a really nice cheap hotel with air condition and NO roosters to spend the night. Laying in bed watching National Geographic at 6pm in a new exotic city on an island Josh has never been to was no ideal. But I knew he needed to rest.

Thursday morning I kept all the lights off and was very quiet until about 8am. Since the buffet breakfast was only open until 9… we had to get a move on. The most amazing continental breakfast you could imagine! Rolls, bacon, eggs, pancakes, rice, corned beef, coffee, tea, corn flakes, juices…. It was great! I felt bad that josh didn’t really have his appetite back yet. So, I ate for the both of us. 

This is the sunrise we saw when we camped on top of the mountain...







Josh rested a little more as I packed up the room and we headed to the Cebu City Market around 10:30am. It was HUGE. We walked and walked and walked. Josh didn’t enjoy the tricycles and the jeepney rides since his body is much bigger than any Filipinos who have to get in and out of them.

We caught the 2pm fast craft back to Tagbilaran City. This only took an hour and 45 mintues. Much better than the 8 hour trip in the beginning of the week. Upon arriving at the Pier we had many taxi drivers and tricycle drivers trying to convince us that 150P was a cheap price to get into town. However, I knew that we were only 800 meters away from where we needed to catch our jeepney. So we walked away and found an honest tricycle driver to take us all the way out of town for the appropriate price of 40P.

we only got caught in the rain one time in bohol:


I made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with tea for supper. Hoping this will help Josh feel better. He went to bed early and I let him sleep until he woke up this morning, which was about 10am. So, we will see what the day brings us. He seems to be doing a lot better after getting a full night sleep with out roosters or me waking him up for any reason.

Thanks so much for your prayers. We love you!

9 days summerized...

After what seemed like the longest 42 days in my life, Josh arrived in Tagbilaran City. The past 9 days have been an absolute blast. We have done so much together that I think I will just sum up the events and only give detail on a few specific moments.
WE….
1. snorkeled
2. went camping on top of a mountain
3. saw an amazing sun rise over several cities
4. climbed a mountain
5. toured through 2 caves that required us to bring our head lamps. We stayed at a place for backpackers one night and met a guy whose grandpa had discovered some caves a long time ago. So we paid him to take us there. I was super nervous to enter the cave since the entrance was super small and I had to duck and maneuver my way into it… needless to say, it was even more maneuvering for josh to get in it. Once we got inside there were bats flying around and many unique cave creatures that were fun to see up close. We took a lot of pictures and even some video. The sound of the bats flying around was amazing.
6. held a queen ant
7. got caught in the rain
8. swam in the Loboc green river
9. ran out of gas
10. walked around downtown Tagbilaran (several times now)
11. bought some AWESOME shoes that both of us are really proud of
12. walked across a bamboo hanging bridge
13. saw an 85KL snake
14. got a flat tire
15. laughed a lot
16. drank a lot of coffee
17. got a massage
18. Ate supper at Lee and Deborah’s house (the other american’s here)
19. fell more in love with each other through every moment
20. Laughed so much I almost peed my pants several times… ( Krystal knows this is true more than anyone)
21. went to the market and bought some fresh food to make the best stir fry
22. Saw a movie on the release day in the theater then bought the dvd the next day in the market
23. Went to the market about 30km away famous for their baskets.
24. Found some locals to take us through the mountains to another cave. This cave had water running through it and we only had 2 flashlights between 5 of us. Once we reached the mouth of the cave I decided to sit this one out. I do not like the idea of traversing through a cave with running water and insufficient light. The sound and sight of the bats flying out of the inside of the cave the further the boys went in was amazing too.
25. Josh broke 2 pair of sandals within one hour. As soon as we exited the cave his sandal broke. He walked through the forest the rest of the way barefoot. He is such a trooper. We stopped at a market on our way to the next waterfall I was going to take him. Everyone who was selling shoes ran to him as soon as the saw a white guy walking around the market with no shoes. I thought it was very entertaining.
26. Once we arrived at the water fall Josh decided he wanted to try and climb up some rocks with the rushing current against him. This is when his ‘new’ pair of sandals broke.
27. We woke up early Monday morning to travel to Leyte. 2.5 hours by van, 2.5 hours by boat, 3.5 hours by van… we made it to Tacloban.

Josh became very ill yesterday and we ended up bringing him to the hospital near by. he had a 102 temperature. They gave us a prescription for Advil and sent us home. He is doing much better today. We will catch a flight to a near by island then a boat back to Bohol. All is well.

Tacloban is the city I lived in last year when I was here. We sang Karaoke for about 2 hours last night and were able to have a traditional Filipino supper with the family I lived with when I was here. The time is going by so fast, but we are able to experience so much together. Thank you so much for your prayers. We appreciate it!

pictures to come...

No Stock Ma’am.

Everyone here is so polite, especially to foreigners. After being here 3 months now I pretty much know what food I like to buy at the market and what foods I prefer to buy in the Supermarkets. They have 4 really big supermarkets with almost anything you could ever need or want in them. However I often encounter my favorite wheat crackers are not on the shelf, “No stock Ma’am” Or maybe I can not seem to find any avocados at the market, “No stock Ma’am” even occasionally the only brand of rasins I have found without spiders or beetles inside will be out of stock. I have learned to live with this. Not a big deal. I just check back the next week and usually they have stock again.

This past week, starting Monday at 2pm I had the worst toothache. If you remember, I had complained about this when I first arrived but prayed for healing and havn’t had a problem since. Well, I prayed and had people pray for me, yet the pain became worse and worse. This week I had been teaching interpreting seminars everyday. Not fully aware of what was going on around me the pain slowly overtook the entire right side of my body. I would weep at night because of the pain. Tylonal and Advil didn’t help at all. Finally, Thursday I decided I would go to the dentist, something I swore I would never do in a third world country.

During my interpreting seminar I was called to interpret at the hospital for a woman who is Deaf and in labor. So, instead of heading to the dentist I went to the maternity ward. They have 3 rooms here in the OBGYN unit. A check-in room, a labor room, and a delivery room. All which look the same but with different specialist for each section. The women are all laid out next to each other knees up ready to give birth. I don’t need to give all the details but needless to say it didn’t help any of my already existing anxieties about giving birth. And I am not sure, but I think the screaming mothers and babies made my tooth pain even worse. Another girl whom I had trained this week was able to take my place interpreting while I went to the dentist.

Once I arrived at the dentist he explained to me that my dentitst in American had put fillings over the top of infections that hadn’t healed and that is what was causing the pain. He needed to drill out the old cavities and refill them. While he was at it he decided to drill out an old Mercury filling I got when I was probably 13 because mercury is bad for me. That didn’t cost extra.

The problem came when he began to drill. I sat up, in pain, and requested Novocain. “No stock Ma’am” WHAT? How can there be no stock? This is a dentist! This is not the cracker section in the grocery store! “Do you have anything for the pain?” I exclaimed half crying out of anticipation of what I knew was to come and half crying because I was already in so much pain. “Acetaminophen” Now, I know that is the generic form of Tylenol. That didn’t help me BEFORE he started drilling my head. I declined and we began a four hour painful process.

I was able to sit up every 5 to 10 minutes and hold my head in my hands and weep because of the pain. I told him several times I wanted to go home and that I wanted my mom. He continued to apologize, I am sure you are surprised to know that didn’t help. All in all the procedures cost about $13. The medication for the antibiotics however, were much more expensive.

It is now 3 days after the appointment. Yesterday I had a terribly high fever and stayed home all day and slept. I am feeling much better today and will take some time to prepare my house and buy some fresh fruit since Josh arrives in just 19 hours!

A missionary!? Ok... so maybe i AM.....

"Are you in the Peace Corps?" they ask in hopes to show off their English speaking skills to the blond haired girl with white skin and blue eyes. For this reflection shows strength and promise in this brown skinned 3rd world country.

"No, I am a volunteer. But I have come on my own." as you could probably tell, i am this blond hair girl.

"So you are a missionary?" usually with lit up eyes this is the next expression.

"Well," she stammers, always hating that term..."my life is missions. But i am not a missionary."

This is a conversation i have had at least 15 times in the past 2 years. Maybe you have even been the one asking me. I don't know where my jaded attitude toward that label has come from, but i am more open to what it means after this past weekend.

We were able to go out on our first 'outreach' One of the high school teachers chose 5 students from the Deaf academy and we prepared a lesson in Jesus' birth. 5pm Friday afternoon we began our journey to Jagna, where 46 Deaf Elementary students awaited the arrival of the visitors they were told had activities planned for them.



we taught them new vocabulary that was related to the nativity story. The high school students acted out the entire story. in a 15 minute drama they started with Gabriel visting each Mary and Joseph all the way to the Shepherds and wisemen coming to the manger. We had color pages to relate each sign with the characters to help them understand the concept of Jesus being born.



They understood that Jesus was born. But they could not understand the importance. How do you explain the concept of a Savior to children who just found out several months earlier that they had a name? What is sin anyway? This is going to be a long process. But it seems that God has already begun the process. Mother Teresa said, 'What we are doing may just be a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less without that one drop.' living next to the ocean and seeing the days when the sky and ocean seem to be one in the combination of grayness... this journey is bittersweet.



After the day and a half of trying to explain that the baby Jesus acted out in recent drama was the same Jesus on the cross they see all over this 'Catholic' nation... none seem to comprehend.

I spent my last 15 minutes in Jagna trying to reiterate to a 7 year old that Jesus is spelt J-E-S-U-S.. not J-S-S-U-E... it is difficult for them to learn the letter order, much less the importance of that Holy name. It was at that moment, holding back tears when frustration wanted to arrive that my heart accepted the label, MISSIONARY. that word has become less scary, but i still prefer Kingdom Builder. I can not associate myself with those who give up their families, friends, cleanliness ect... to come to foreign places for the rest of their lives, all in His name. My life does not compare.

On a lighter note: here are some of the amazing pictures i promised in my last post... They do not do justice as to how incredible that view actually is. It brings new light to the words in Genesis when it says God created the land and the sea... How light those words seem until you see the splender, and in only 6 days! How great.. impossibly great.


i am standing on some really old volcanic rock. Bohol doesn't have volcanoes anymore..




Splendid view. This is where I will pitch my tent in just 2 weeks:




Imagine the sun rise and setting up here...Another view from where my tent will be pitched:


After riding up and down 2 mountains behind Lee... this is what I looked like:

Aweful Experiences turned into great learning opportunites.

I met a group of good friends about 1 month ago. When I hang it is usually with them. Luke, matet, and jean. One of their friends from manila came to visit this weekend. Jean was very busy at the time of his arrival so I went with her to pick him up from the airport. We dropped jean off at college and Irvin and I went all around Tagbilaran city for 3 hours while jean was in class. I offered them to stay at my house for the weekend. So luke joined as well. Irvin really loves to cook, so he made us a great breakfast on Saturday morning at 5am before we headed out to find waterfalls and caves.



We went to a couple falls and a cave, and explored other places along the way. Because of the on and off storms around the island we were unable to enjoy the water at the falls or climb into the caves due to the fast flowing currents. It is amazing to me how different those same places looked a couple weeks ago when I was there and the tide was low.




We stopped at a pier to eat lunch one day. This particular place doesn't have a menu since whatever is caught that day is what they will serve. Instead of telling you what is available or unavailable (like most places, i go through my first 6 choices before i find one that they have available) they bring you to a standing freezer with trays of frozen seafood that was caught that morning. You pull out the trays and decide what you want them to cook and how you want it cooked. That was a new experience.



There were some great shells in the water near where we ate. Some HUGE clam shells. i found a ladder leading to the water and decided to go in and get my own clam. The Filipinos i was with discouraged me entering the ocean at a restaurant, but I assured them that they wouldn't have a ladder leading into the water if they didn't want us to go in. I underestimated the depth of the water and was wet up to my waist. But, it was worth it.



Irvin made us an amazing supper once we arrived home. We went to the market to buy seafood and i finally was able to see how to purchase the freshest fish and then how to cook it properly.

Sat, Sun, and Monday everyone stayed at my Bungalow. it was great to have people there. I was reminded how i felt in college when i desperately wanted to live alone, and now how much i appreciated the company.

Monday Morning I went to drop off Jean at home and meet the boys at Dunkin Donuts to start out our next adventure to a zip line about 3 hours away. After arriving at Dunkin I noticed my Ipod did make it with me. I immediately got back on my bike to retrace the 10KM i had driven that morning. with every passing second i began to panic more and more realizing how important that one small device was to me. Searching the sides of the roads while people called out to me from every direction i burst into tears. Pulling over i began to pray and express to God how important it was for me to have my ipod back.
it is after all my connection to memories back home:
..each time I replay Beyonce, Iron and Wine, Ingrid Michaleson, Skillet and the dozens of other playlists my friends have made for me
..several movies Brian had uploaded before my first trip
..Sermons in English
..worship music that is as important for my morning shower as the water that comes from the shower head.
wiping away the tears, i got back on my back still pleading with God that no one had picked it up. After several minutes of this i realized it was impossible that someone would not have picked it up by this time. So i asked the Holy spirit to give me wisdom as to where it had been picked up so they might return it to me. I was asking this over and over and 2 minutes later i saw a group of people and pulled over. I began to tell them I lost something very special to me, and one woman said, "I have it!" and she ran in the house and brought out MY IPOD!!! I burst into tears again , "Salamat Kaayo!!" i repeated several times, "thank you very much" She held out her hand, knowing some American culture, and i gave her a big hug! Very late to meet the boys at Dunkin by now i left. I did return the next day with 2 dozen donuts as a token of appreciation.

Praising Jesus with worship music blaring in my ears from this small device i now had a new found appreciation for, we arrived at Danao Adventure Park. The zip line makes you feel like you are flying. you lay down in sort of a thick blanket and with the command, "BOMBS AWAY" they fling you across the river made cannon. beautiful.

Arriving back in Tagbilaran sun burnt and happy, we prepared our last evening with Irvin.

Wednesday morning Lee and I were given the task of checking in on 2 trainees. Sagbayan and Jagna. They are on opposite sides of the island. Neither of us had ever cut straight through the island. With each of us on our respective motorcycles we began the journey to Sagbayan. On the way Lee pointed out 2 new waterfalls for me, and we stopped at the 3rd. Walking over a small stream, through someone's yard, and down a steep hill, we made it. There are too many jagged rocks and you would have to have perfect aim in order to jump off of it... so we just appreciated the beauty.
(pictures to come)

What should have been a 2 hour ride through the center of Bohol to Janga turned into about 4 hours. We both had been appreciating a huge mountain range and decided to find a way up it. After asking directions several times we found ourselves venturing through the mountain on our motorcycles. Upon reaching the top we walked around and found the most amazing views. no picture or description could even begin to explain this place.
(pictures to come)

Making it down the mountain and back to the roads that led to our original destination we found that the roads are currently being excavated and run jagged up a mountain and back down the other side arriving in Jagna. it was beautiful but VERY dusty. Being behind Lee and every once in a while behind A huge piece of machinery AND lee, I arrived in Jagna with a gray sweater that one was white and a thick coat of gray dust all over my face making me look much older than 24.

We made it back to Tagbilaran by taking the highway that runs all along the ocean. There was a nice cool breeze and the sun was beginning to set. We were in perfect position the entire ride to watch the slow and colorful decent from the sky into what seemed to be ocean, but really was the other side of the world. Too bad i can not take pictures with my eyes.

I was on my way back home after working at the office yesterday and the police had set up a block in the road stopping every vehicle to check for proper registration and license. Um, remember how I told you i needed to get my license.. Oops. i forgot, until that moment as i was pulling over. He asked for my passport to see how long i had been here. since i only i have 60 days. Knowing i had been here over 60 days i was relieved to have left my wallet at home. Really the first time i did this. He never directly asked how long i had been here, i didn't lie at all. I began to explain that i left everything at home and express how sorry i was, Sir. And even through in some Visayan phrases. He told me to be careful and to bring my paperwork with me everywhere i go.

No, i will not be getting my license. josh will arrive soon, he can drive until I leave for Indonesia and will get another arrival stamp when i return. Meaning i will have enough weeks left before i need to get a license. :)

oh.. one last thing: I starting Stick Fighting (Arnis) self defense classes last week. :)

responsibilities...

If you remember, i was given a list of responsibilities to accomplish in my time here. I was reviewing with Dennis (the president of IDEA) all that i have been doing the past 2 months and he reminded me of one thing.

He wanted me to assist one of the teachers at the High School with creating an evangelism program for some High School students to visit the 4 Deaf elementary schools. Well, i had only tried a few times, but that teacher was always busy or it just didn't work out. So, Dennis put me in charge.

What he is looking for:
a 4 year evangelism curriculum that will train several Deaf High School students in bible stories so they can reteach them to the Deaf elementary students.

To remind you, this is not as easy as it may sound.
first: four years is a long time
Second: the deaf elementary students are learning their first words at age 8-10. they will not understand things like Faith or even manger when signed. Much vocabulary will have to be taught before any lesson is given.
Third: I am not qualified for any of this.
Fourth: i have never created a lesson much less an entire curriculum to span 4 years.

... none of that matters...

Once given the task i arrived home and began to cry and pray, convinced it was impossible. i was praying for motivation to even begin this project and half trying to figure out excuses to give Dennis as to why I can not complete it.

After about an hour i had a knock on my door. One of the Deaf students from the High School. He was bored and wanted to ask me a million questions about America. I answered all his questions and then he asked if I was a Christian. Then prompted me to tell him a bible story. So i began to reenact the story of David and Goliath in Filipino Sign Language.
15 minutes later the boy stared at me wide eyed and proceeded to explain how amazing it was that David, such a small boy would take up such a dangerous act all because he felt that God was leading him. He was in awe. at 19 years old he had never heard this story. He is not a Christian and wanted to hear more stories.

Needless to say, this is all the motivation i needed to begin writing this curriculum. As difficult as it may be, this is the only way the elementary kids are going to learn about the bible. In turn, the High school kids i train will develop a deeper understanding of the bible.

In a hearing world, these kids learn Visually. So, time to begin creating dramas for every bible story i can think of. :)

Pray for me.
and for encouragement. I find that i am the biggest discouragement to myself.

bouncing buses and super small boats.

I encountered many more adventures this past week than I had originally planned. I have learned to be flexible and in this I have found myself in the strangest places with new friends each time.

I had spent a little over two months in Tacloban, Leyte, another island, a year and a half ago. I have many friends there that I have missed so much. From the moment I arrived here in Bohol I had planned to spend October 31st to November 8th in Tacloban hanging out with friends once again since the Deaf school will be on semester break. Well, the AG church I have been attending was holding a women’s conference from November 3-4th. So I prayed about it and talked with some friends who also thought it would be beneficial to come back to Bohol early and attend the women’s conference.

The adventure starts on October 31st. I woke up at 3am in order to do my devotions and prepare myself before leaving at 4:30am. I knew the first van left the terminal at 6am, however I live 5km away from the terminal and needed to find a ride. So I gave myself plenty of time to wave one down. At 4:30am I proceeded to walk about 1 km to the highway where I only waited about 15 minutes before a tricycle driver (a motorcycle with a really cool side car) was able to pick me up and take me to the terminal. At 5am I was not prepared to argue with him in my broken Visayan so I paid almost twice the rate I was prepared (still only about 50cents) as he took me the long way to the terminal. As many of you know, time is not really of importance in third world countries. So even though the first van leaves at 6am… really we left about 5:30 since the van was already full. 50 degrees hotter and Two hours later I found myself in Ubay, another city on the other side of Bohol. I was told I could take a boat to Leyte for very cheap. Along with that advice I was told it was only a little smaller than the ships I had taken in the past. Well… the ships seated about 200 and were enclosed… this boat was maxed out at 40 with splashes from the ocean on occasion.. And that is 40 Filipinos, so really only 20 Americans. Not to mention about 10 minutes into the open sea that same friend who told me to take that boat text me and said that another typhoon was heading toward manila and maybe I should take the bigger boat to be safe. Thanks. On this boat I made some friends who harvest seaweed for a living. They actually make a lot of money doing this. They have their own private section near a small island. They gave me their phone numbers and prompted me to call them once Josh arrives and they will have us come with to their plot and let us snorkel for free while they harvest some seaweed. I am not sure if Josh is up for that, but I sure am. Don’t worry mom, I won’t go alone. Another two hours later and I arrived in Bato, Leyte. I was able to catch a van from Bato to Tacloban which took about 3 and a half hours. It was a long trip. I could have taken a plane ride which takes 1 hour for about $25, but this trip cost me about $6 total and I met some new friends.

Once I arrived in Tacloban I was shocked! It is a new city. They built a HUGE mall, even bigger than the malls here in Bohol. And also they tore down the small store that I always went to and built a bigger version of it adding a KFC and a Pizza Hut! Not only that, they have Stop lights and cops now! People seemed to be obeying the traffic laws even more than they do in Bohol. They also built a dome that has different bars and coffee shops all around it. There is WiFi every corner you turn. And my favorite Videoke (karaoke with pictures) bar has closed down, moved across town and now has Huts and cement floors instead of Nipa walls with a dirt ground. The people seem to have more confidence no matter what part of town I was in. A much different feel to the entire city. All I have to say is that if I had arrived in Tacloban now instead of a year and a half ago, it would have been a different experience. It made me realize the importance of God’s timing at an even greater depth.

After the short trip of seeing all my friends and accidentally making new ones, I was off again at 3am on Monday morning. I found a van that was going to Maasin, Leyte. None were going to Bato. I was almost positive that Bato was on the way to Maasin. However, my Vasayan was no good in Tacloban since they speak Wary-Wary. And all I could remember was Please, thank-you, how much does it cost, and Stop. So, those phrases didn’t help in figuring out my way back to Bohol. Anyway, yes, Bato was on the way and I got off near the port and rode on a bicycle of nice guy to the end of the pier. I noticed there was a boat going to Talibon, Bohol that left half an hour earlier than the boat to Ubay. They are both equal distance to Tagbilaran, however the boat should take less time to get to Talibon by the way of the waves. This would have been true if we had not had engine trouble half way to bohol. No problem, we made it. It took much longer, but we made it. Then once I arrived I decided to take the bus that was ready to leave, rather than wait for a van to fill up. The bus was so full I had to hang on to the outside of it for the first 10 minutes, then I was able to stand inside for another 15 minutes before getting a seat. November 1st is All souls All saints day. Bad day to travel. All the Filipinos go to the grave site of their dead loved ones and celebrate the life they remember with that person. Everyone travels on the 1st and 2nd as they are National holidays as well. The entire bus ride ended up taking 5 hours. I should have waited for a van. Either way, I made it.

I didn’t realize how much actually happened this past week. I guess the Women’s conference will have to wait until another post. I will try to put up pictures of it all soon. Thanks for your prayers. I am certain that is why I have peace when I travel without an itinerary and still arrive

Lets Take a Drive

Since this is not my first time in this country I realize there are a few things I have taken for granted that you may not realize I am blessed to encounter. I will grace you now with the revelation of what my trip looks like to the market.
I live on the bottom of a very steep hill that is covered with medium to softball size rocks. This is always my first challenge as I keep my balance on my motorcycle. About three times a week I have a bag of trash to dispose of half way up the hill. I come to a quick halt while holding the back break with my Right foot I attempt to balance my bike at an upward angle as I hurl the bag of trash to the garbage barrel. Only once have I not succeeded in this endeavor but luckily it was the one time someone seemed to be watching as he quickly came over to rescue the bag from the grasp of the ground and place it safely in its bin as I attempted to gain balance of both feet and give exactly enough gas to push myself the rest of the way up the hill without spraying rocks or tipping over.
I then drive past the students who always seem to be out in the court yard of the school no matter how early and I attempt to sign either good morning, noon, afternoon, or evening depending on the appropriate time.
This is proper in the hearing and Deaf culture here to great anyone you encounter with those words/signs.
As I come to the bottom of the paved hill I slow my speed and make a quick right turn while making sure no one is coming from the left and at the same time making sure no on is standing right in front of my right hand turn ‘lane’. (there are no lines on the roads.) Your lane is where ever your vehicle can fit. I have learned to use that to my advantage on a small 125cc motorcycle. As I make this first right turn I am greated with the first group of older Filipino men inquiring what my name is, phone number, where I am from. Sometimes it is just, “hey joe” or “where are you going”

On the right hand side of the road there is a mansion of a house that I would love to tour at some point, however I doubt I will ever meet whoever it is that lives there. Nearby there is a small shack of a home where a large family and extended family lives. Many men are involved in harvesting and drying out coconuts. Almost every day you can see them breaking open new coconuts and laying them out to dry in the sun. This appears to be very hard work. (side note, there is a teacher here whose father is the one who climbs the coconut trees to harvest the coconuts. He used to tell his children his job was a Coconut Pilot because he went up so high to get them. I thought that was so cute as she is still so proud that her father would give her children a sense of pride in him.)

There is a short cut I sometimes take, but it is limestone. When it is rainy it is impossible to drive on with out sliding everywhere and when it is not raining it is so dusty that my contacts begin to scream at me no matter what speed I attempt. I only take this road on special occasions.

The next right I take is infested with about 10 men called Hubble hubble drivers. They own motorcycles and they wait there for people who do not have a way to town except through them. Even though I have been here for so many weeks each time I drive by they all have something to say. It is never appropriate and usually entails the ‘Whit Whew’ whistle an occasional marriage proposal. When I do not feel like being harassed by these men I take my inconvenient short cut.

This last time I was able to witness a tradition here. The snakes are considered to have some kind of spirit or evil attached to them. So when a snake is found they usually kill it and throw it on the road for people to run it over. Well… I didn’t run it over but another truck did right as I was nearing it. Did you know that when you run over a big snake it sounds like a firecracker! Me either. Now we both do.

There are many groups of people along my trip who upon noticing my skin will yell or become excited. I still have not become used to this. I try to ignore them and keep my attention on the road.

Anyway…. It is an adventure each time I sling my feet over my bedside. And I am blessed to be here.

Teaching a Seminar... Christmas plans.

This past Saturday I was able to teach the high school teachers from Bohol Deaf Academy through and interpreting seminar. I was VERY nervous. I always remember wanting to be a teacher, but I realized that I don’t really have the skill it takes to be a teacher. As I took the past couple weeks to gather relevant information I became more and more nervous.
But as Saturday morning arrived I woke up at 5am:
This is even a little later than many Filipinos wake up. The best bread is sold at this time. Which means many women wake up at 3 or 4 to prepare it. Everyone is smiling. The air is not too hot, a little more comfortable. The sun is already beginning to peak, beautiful view over the ocean no matter what colors it gives off.
I spent about 30 minutes exercising, took a shower, made my coffee and spent another hour reading and reflecting on my morning devotions.

I arrived at the school an hour before my class started. I was able to chat with a friend from home who had many encouraging things to say before my class began. Originally I was not supposed to start the class. Lee had prepared some things to present for the first half hour. However, he was running a little late. Feeling confident at this point I began teaching. The principal of the school decided to attend. She is Deaf. This meant that I now had to teach the seminar in FSL. Before you shrug this off as an easy challenge, I want to remind you that this is my Third language.
How am I going to articulate all this information in my third language? A short moment of panic, but then I remembered that this is really only fair since FSL is the third and even fourth language to many of these teachers.
Accepting this challenge was such a blessing. It was an amazing day. The teachers were very attentive and asked many questions. I actually ran out of time. The past couple days more and more questions about what I taught have been brought to my attention. I have been asked to put together another seminar where I will teach linguistics of sign language more in depth. I do not feel qualified for any of this. But I know that by accepting this challenge I learn and they learn. So, win win.

Today was the start of another intensive week for the 5 trainees from Leyte. They survived the two week immersion at the elementary schools and have improved greatly in their signing skills as we had hoped. Many more activities are planned for this week and next week they will be on break before returning to their respective elementary schools for more observations.

Some good news:
My boyfriend is going to come and spend three weeks of December with me. He is going to help with the drafting plans for the extension of the Dao Diamond Hotel, run by the Deaf here in Bohol. I am very excited that he will be able to share all these amazing things with me.

I will be going to Indonesia from December 23rd until January 4th. A foreign exchange student from High School lives there and offered her home to me. This will be a little challenging I expect since they are muslim. And spending Jesus’ bday with Muslim people is never something I imagined for myself. But none the less God will use that time.

100 POSTS (and counting)....

I decided for my 100th post I would put some links up to my pictures.
I have a webpage that I have been working on through Shutterfly. you can go there and look through my pictures.

Hope it works well.

http://travelingtoni.shutterfly.com/



I need to email LeeAnn Scott. So, if you are reading this, send me an email... otherwise, can someone send me her email address. I have something i want to tell her. thanks. :) toni.ripplinger@gmail.com

another weekend over....already?

I realize that last time i wrote was on the weekend and i wrote all about the amazing adventures. well this weekend was nothing short of that.

On saturday i was able to go to the beach for the first time since arriving here. It was a public beach, not any tourists and the Filipinos were very respectful there. not many people occupied the space. The sand was white and there were seashells and sea animals to be found at every glance. I never experienced so many sea creatures up close. i was able to pick up a sea urchin and let him crawl around on my hands. not as scary as i thought. Yet, when i wanted to venture out to deeper waters i had to crawl/swim on my hands with my feet floating behind in 7 inches of water so as not to put all my weight down if i were to come across an urchin. They were everywhere. I found many amazingly different star fish as well. Some looked very ancient and some were brightly colored. I swam about a half mile out into the ocean with a mask and was able to view a beautiful coral reef. The fish were colorful and fun to watch as they swam together almost in teasing pleasure. the drop off that far out was so wonderful to experience. i will purchase my own snorkel and mask soon and return to that same place. The drop off stretched for miles on either side. So i will have plenty of coral reef to cover before i return home. If only i could take pictures to show you, but i know that it would not do justice.

I love to watch the discovery channel and read through national geographic. but to see these things with my own eyes, to jump off the waterfall, to swim with the fish, to watch the ants collect their food, to climb the mountain... simply indescribable.

I attended the Assemblies of God church this past sunday. It was so wonderful. I could hear Hillsongs being sung from three streets away as I approached my destination. An unexpected feeling rushed over me as soon as i entered the door. i began to cry and entered into worship with these people immediately. A three hour service that seemed to last 3 minutes. In a culture where the people are polite, quiet, shy, reserved i witnessed the most humbling thing i have ever seen in my life. They were weeping, screaming, singing at the top of their lungs for God to move in their city, in their nation. Not holding anything back, not caring what others outside the open doors may thing.. they worshiped. Truly worshiped with all that was within them. i will be joining the prayer services they hold on Tuesday nights as well as the Young Adults group every Friday night. I am excited to be a part of what God is doing through these people.

I also met a couple from Norther Ireland who have lived here for 5 years now. as well as a couple who started a fishing ministry that trains street kids to become fishermen. During their vocational training on their "fisher's of men" boat they share the love of Jesus and each man who has studied on their boat has accepted Christ. They have an amazing story and offered me to come fishing on the open sea with them in November. however, they have been having problems with Filipino Pirates coming and stealing their fish. They will come and drop their nets right inside of the couple's net and steal all their fish. But because they refuse to carry Guns, they have continued to be targets. So, i guess you can pray for safety for this couple and the men they train to fish.

ok.. i need to go. but much more happened.


understanding true love more deeply everyday,

toni

Leyte and bohol

Now that the Typhoons have passed and the five teachers from Leyte were able to make it to Bohol, the Southern Leyte elementary Deaf sped program has started to become more of a reality for IDEA. The longer I live here the more I notice the small differences between the culture of Leyte and the culture here in Bohol.
One of my favorite things that the people in Tacloban did everyday, all day long was sing Videoke. This is a favorite past time for all Filipinos, I am told, however, it is not as prevalent on this island. As I keep in touch with my friends in Tacloban I remember how much it rained there. Not a day went by in the two months I was there that it did not rain. Here in Bohol the weather is absolutely amazing. Although it does rain, it is not everyday and not nearly as hard as I remember in Tacloban. I am able to choose from 3 malls and many many coffee shops with WiFi here. In Tacloban, there were no malls and only one small coffee shop that had an unpredictable internet connection. All the American foods I seem to crave are readily at my fingertips for double the price I would even be willing to pay in America. This has been one of the lessons in self-control. I have not bought the things I do not need and have not given into the cravings of buying a Snickers bar for $1.35. All of this to say, had I not been to other islands before Bohol, I would not have a reason to venture off this beautiful place. It has everything I could ever possibly need or even want, except my friends from the other islands. I continue to think about the Deaf in Leyte and how IDEA is taking a huge step by starting this Sped program in Ormoc, Southern Leyte.
Lee Duncan put together a 5 day intensive Filipino Sign Language (FSL) course for the 5 teachers in training who will be placed in Ormoc. I was able to assist with this, but secretly learned a lot as well. To start out the week we gave a pre-test to see where each of the students were at in their knowledge of FSL. Only one was able to understand basic questions and signs asked. Through out the week 4th year Deaf students from Bohol Deaf Academy(BDA) assisted in teaching the main components to signing correctly. The majority of the class time was spent signing. This was an effective way to challenge the trainees to struggle through the signs they knew and learn more at the same time. By the end of the 5 days each of the trainees were given a ‘performance’ exam all in sign language. Each one of them was able to show the alphabet, count to 1 million, answer basic questions, and understand the vocabulary shown to them.
Since passing the exam the 5 students were placed throughout the 4 elementary Deaf programs IDEA runs around the island of Bohol. This is a 4 month observation time for them to grasp more of the sign language and also gain ideas of lesson plans for when they will be teaching in Ormoc. Although it seems far way, September is going to be an exciting time for many people. These trainees will start a new career in Deaf education and many Deaf students from all around Southern Leyte will be given their first opportunity to learn a language as well as gain an education. It is important to understand that the average ages of the students starting at this school are 11 years old with no education and no formal language. The challenge is great but the reward is astounding for these children who before this time had no hope.
In my short time here looking at the big project in Leyte I am overwhelmed. Then I am able to spend time here at BDA with students who are very intelligent and have great futures and such big dreams. Had IDEA not began; these same students would not have even gained a language. I can see the promises that are waiting for the Deaf in Leyte right in my back yard here at BDA in Bohol. Nothing, NOTHING is impossible or too complicated.

The best weekend yet...

All five of the teachers were able to pass the one week intense Filipino Sign Language (FSL) training with an exam on Saturday. Lee and I split the group and gave to the exams individually since the test was ‘hands on’ it was very interesting to be on the other side of giving a Sign Language exam. This, I think was the first time I realized I am Actually done with College. Wow.
This next week each of the new teachers are going to be placed through out the 4 elementary programs here in Bohol. They have a two month training/observation time within the classrooms. This is really a full immersion experience for them and they will be able to become fluent in FSL in no time.

On Saturday night I was invited to supper by Lee and his wife. It was great to get to know them more, although I think did most of the talking. It is nice to be around people who have English as their first language as well. I am always so worried about accidentally being witty or using an idiom that the Filipinos will have no idea what I am talking about, they would never tell me.

On Sunday I went with Lee and his three sons to a famous market in bohol and then to two more waterfalls. The market was very awesome. It is the Filipino culture alive at its best. This particular market is famous for the baskets the people bring. They are really neat baskets. It is amazing the things these people do with the resources God has given them. At the market you can find anything:
1. dried fish
2. raw fish
3. rice (of all kinds)
4. food for your chicken
5. fruits
6. vegetables
7. soaps
8. clothes
9. jewelry
10. breads
11. candies
12. and something special from the medicine man…
we asked the medicine man about a lot of his products. There was some rocks about the size of your hand that you set on your window sill to keep away the bad spirits. Something to tie around the baby’s ankle to help them stop crying from teething, sulfer powder, beads to keep away colds… many things… that I found not so useful at this point.

The first waterfalls we went to was amazing. The water was a teal green and nice and cool. I guess there was a flash flood there just two weeks ago and two guys were killed. Too much water came all of the sudden from the falls and they drowned. There is a clip on Youtube if you search Magaso falls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVyuGIqcrnU


Anyway, we jumped off some places that were VERY high. One was only about 25 to 30 feet and the highest, near the top of the falls was about 60 to 70. It was a rush. By the time I climbed up there with Lee’s 8year old son I knew there was no turning back. It was a rush. One really cool thing is a small cave underneath the water fall. It isn’t very deep but we could all fit in it and sit underneath the water streaming down. It was a bit difficult at first for me to get under the falls. We swim up to the falls and scale the wall, in your bear feet while water is pouring down on you. I tried to search out and memorize a few places to set my hands and feet in order to get the ledge where I could climb underneath. However, if you now me, I can only think three steps ahead and then I forget. So, as I got pretty much under the falls, the water is beating down hard on me and I can not think, nor feel where the next best place is. I am trying to open my eyes just the slightest, however my contacts were not too excited about staying in my eyes if I were to open too wide. I moved a couple more grasps to the point where I thought Lee was already, and I stuck my hand out in faith, He was able to grab me and pull me up under the falls. Alas, I made it. And it was dry, beautiful, and worth it. We rested there awhile and then jumped out from underneath the falls. We were able to follow the water down stream a ways to a great swimming pool area. It was tough to get to as we clung mainly to the rocks on the side, I fell in several times because it was so slippery. We were able to technically walk in the river, but the current was kind of strong and their were big rocks everywhere that were covered in about 2 inches of really slimy mud. So impossible to step on or hold onto. The water was in a huge area of light and the water was nice and cool. It was so neat mainly because it was just a giant open area in the middle of the streams from the falls. Lee thinks it was about 14 feet deep. Very Clear! I took my hair down and swam around pretending to be a mermaid. That is where I would imagine a mermaid to live. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.



The second falls was not as high, but there is a deep cave. We didn’t enter the cave because his boys didn’t want to, again. But you bring your flashlight and you can swim through this cave about 45 minutes and you come into this great big room with awesome stalactites and stalagmites. Apparently also a lot of bats. There is an entry way that you dive under and swim a little bit to get to another room, and then again to another much smaller room. But I think if I ever end up swimming through the dark cave I will stop at the big room, before I would have to dive and swim into the dark water to another area where I would find air. I am not that brave.

All in all, a very full and adventurous week. I hope all of you are having a great time… most of you reading this experienced snow this last week. Before you complain too much, there are millions of people here would give anything to see it, even just one time. Appreciate where you are. 

New schedule.

This week we started teaching the 5 teachers from Leyte (the other island where the new Deaf elementary program will start next September.) It has been a lot of fun. I really enjoy the more concrete schedule. This helps a lot with the homesickness when I have things to prepare and more concrete goals for each hour.

The teachers are doing a fantastic job and will be placed through out the Four Deaf elementary schools through out Bohol over the next 6 months to prepare them to teach on their own next school year. This is very exciting to see them learning a new language in anticipation to teach these new students. It is going to be very challenging as I have mentioned before most of these kids who will start at the new Deaf school are average age of 11 and have no language. What a challenge! I am so proud of these 5 teachers as they have really stepped up and taken on a huge responsibility.

IDEA is looking for a few new personnel in certain areas. I won’t go into detail, but please pray that the right people will be chosen for these important positions here in Bohol.

As for the ants:
Many of you know that my favorite candy is chocolate covered raisins. Well, they do not have that here. I looked, and have even thought of making my own. I have been wondering if boiling these ants and covering them in chocolate may have the same effect. Probably not, but maybe if I mixed in some raisins as well… it would be cheaper, you know, add more water to the soup. 

There have been a lot of terrible things going on with the weather still. There was a typhoon sitting off to the side of the Philippines the last couple days that made it very windy and dark here. I didn’t mind as it was pretty cool. Many Filipinos have become sick due to the severe weather change though. Today there was 3 earthquakes to the Eastern side of the Philippines. It did not effect Bohol and our tide at all, but none the less, crazy weather.

A great weekend.

I will start with the news you all wanted to hear...

Yes, the typhoon went right around the philippines. It ended up touching the Northern tip of Luzon Island but the damage was nothing compared to the tragic hit last weekend.
Now, I know many of my friends who do not believe in God, or are unsure of his existence are reading my blog. (please read this next portion with my "this is another physical example as to why i believe in God" tone and face. You know who are, and exactly what i mean. :)....

Many people stayed up praying, and I know many of you prayed several times for the destruction of Typhoon to waiver and God to have mercy on the Philippines. Not only was Manila spared another terrible wrecking force tearing through its already drenched and broken city, but many other islands, previously in harms way, did not receive a rain drop. I didn't hear the winds at all during the night. This morning was Beautiful and sunny and remained that way all day. There is full moon tonight. So full and close to me that it was almost as if i could climb the mountain behind the school again I might be able to lean against it. This, can only be explained through the supernatural. Praise God. And many times i have used those words lightly. But, I truly have experienced another touch from something I can not see nor fully explain through any other way but of my own experiences.

..............

I have figured out several different kinds of ants that host themselves in my bungalow. I will describe them below. *note.. these are not scientific names...

The large red ant: This ant tends to form a line from the window sill in my shower to the drain. They don't bother me, ever... I just wash them away before my shower and allow them to continue what they are doing any other time of the day.

The Skinny large red ant: This ant finds any drippings of fruit juice in a matter of seconds. somehow there are at least 15 as soon as I walk away from cutting a mango and set the knife down. I don't notice them as they hide underneath the knife. When i lift the knife... there they are.

The tiny tiny tiny red ant: I have found this ant in two places. One of them is where I sit now at the high school. For some reason when i am sitting for longer than 10 minutes they find me. And you can't feel them crawl on you, but when they bite.. .It hurts SO bad. and they leave a welt bigger than a mosquito bite and itches twice as bad. I had to go buy cotton swabs and alcohol so as not to itch them. Everything here gets infected fast. So I am afraid to itch anything.
The other place i find this ant is on my toothpaste. They do not bother my toothbrush. I noticed them about 2 days after i arrived. so I put my toothpaste in a zip lock bag. Somehow, they are so tiny, they are still getting in it. And they find a way to climb up into the cap of the tube. I need to commend them, for I have taped the plastic bag all around the edges and TRIPLE make sure that the bag is sealed.. somehow, they still figure out a way to get in.

the large black ant: Any food left out will be taken over by these. They especially enjoy bread crumbs.

the small black ant:I only see about 2 or three of these at a time and they have no rhyme yet. usually they are on the floor, so i just step on them.

the tiny black ant that may actual be tiny spiders: They are always near my doorway. I haven't had any real problems with them, but i notice them. It is possible they may be a new hatch of spiders. so i am watching to see if they grow.

.....
My water was turned off starting Friday Morning in anticipation for the Typhoon. They wanted to conserve the amount of water waste in case of flooding in the drain systems. Good idea....

Things you can not do with out water:

Wash the dishes.
flush the toilet.
take a shower.
wash your face.
wash your hands after you just ate a mango. :(
wash your hands so you can take your contacts out...
drink a glass of water.
boil noodles.
and many more... but not to worry.. the water was turned back on this morning. so i could finally shower.

For no reason at all i wanted to let you know the breakdown of what i ate today:

4 cups of coffee
4 mangoes
3 mangosteens
3 bananas
2 Rambutans (spiky red fruit)
and some left over spaghetti.

yum...

good night...
toni

and update with a serious prayer request as well.

I will start off light.

This past week I was able to travel to all four of the elementary schools that IDEA has Deaf programs in. Each of these schools have dormitories for the children to stay at the school since traveling everyday is not an option. It was great to see all the amazing progress these children have been making. It is also wonderful to hear stories of children being found at early ages and able to start schooling at the normal age instead of 25 years ago when IDEA started and they had Deaf at 18 and 21 starting school for the first time, learning a language for the first time!

We were able to eat lunch at one of the dormitories. It was amazing! When i first looked at the meal, i wasn't too sure. But that was the best i have eaten since i arrived.


I was able to walk around town and find an amazing coffee shop, as well as all the other white people on the island. But it was the best Mocha i have ever tasted. It may be the reason I came all the way over here. jk. one interesting thing, they charge you about a dollar extra if you want to use the electricity, like to plug your computer in.

The inevitable happened, I got a flat tire. It was really bad. I had a hand pump but it wouldn't hold ANY air. It was only about 1 KM away that i had to drive it though. The man was very nice who fixed it. Apprently the inner tube was ripped in several places but the tire was fine. he told me the tube was from China and it was only a matter of time that it gave out. :) My friend Croy would have said the same thing. This man also told me he believes all the young White people who come to Bohol for a significant amount of time are working with the American CIA and FBI... I just laughed and assured him i was not smart enough to be an agent.



Next week the 5 teachers from the new Deaf school will be arriving,weather permitting, and I will be teaching them, along with Lee, all about Deaf education. As well as giving them an intense lesson on sign language. I am nervous about teaching them, but I know that it will be great. This is one of the reasons I have arrived here.

Today I was able to go into the Government Provincial office with three Deaf students, IDEA's social worker, and Lee. We had the three Deaf students interview, while Lee and I (mostly Lee) interpreted for them. They have never hired a Deaf worker in the Government offices in Bohol. After interviewing they agreed to allow the three Deaf students start next week for a six month internship/training period. The students will be allowed to work 16 hours a week. They will not be paid, but this is huge! They are going to be able to prove themselves in a government office. This is setting the pace for many Deaf in the future.

ok... I know you have all heard about the weather. It is very bad. Many people have died and even more people have had their homes and everything they own destroyed. If you have time you can look at more pictures. I am including one here. There is another Terrible Typhoon on its way for either tomorrow or sunday. All fisherman have been advised to stay out of the waters and to try and move their boats to a safe place if possible. Bohol will probably only be hit with Gale winds and a lot of rain, but it looks as though Manila will be hit again. This is where the terrible flooding is. I just praise God that I arrived when I did. Originally I wanted to come a week later than i had, I would have been right in the storm...

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This is a screen shot of the Typhoon headed this way. I pointed to the island i am on and circled manila, where the terrible Deaths and floodings are now. they say this is the worst in 30 years here. Also, i know that you heard of the Tsunami in Samoa, and there has also been a terrible Typhoon and earthquake in Indonesia, just south of the Philippines. A lot of storms.



I guess just pray for safety and that this does not hinder the plans that God has arranged for these new teachers.

Thanks so much. love you all and miss you a lot.

Fighting cancer...

these are the two fruits i make sure and eat everyday. They are very delicious and I can not get them in America. So, i decided to search actual health benefits... I was happily surprised. I thought i would share...





Health Benefits of Mango :
1.Mangoes contain phenols, this phenolic compound have powerful antioxidant and anticancer abilities.
2.Mango is high in iron, pregnant women and people with anemia are advised to eat this fruit regularly.
3.Mango is effective in relieving clogged pores of the skin.
4.It is also valuable to combat acidity and poor digestion.
5.Mango is high in antioxidant and low in carbohydrates.
6.Mango is a rich source of vitamin A(beta-carotene), E and Selenium which help to protect against heart disease and other ailments.



Benefits of the Mangosteen:
1. Anti-fatigue (energy booster)
2. Powerful anti-inflammatory (prevents inflammation)
3. Analgesic (prevents pain)
4. Anti-ulcer (stomach,
mouth and bowel ulcers)
5. Anti-depressant (low to moderate)
6. Anxyolytic (anti-anxiety effect)
7. Anti-Alzheimerian (helps prevent dementia)
8. Anti-tumor and cancer prevention (multiple categories cited)... shown to be capable of killing cancer cells
9. Immunomodulator (multiple categories cited) - helps the immune system
10. Anti-aging
11. Anti-oxidant
12. Anti-viral
13. Anti-biotic (modulates bacterial infections)
14. Anti-fungal (prevents fungal infections)
15. Anti-seborrheaic (prevents skin disorders)
16. Anti-lipidemic (blood fat lowering, LDL)
17. Anti-atherosclerotic (prevents hardening
of arteries)
18. Cardioprotective (protects the heart)
19. Hypotensive (blood pressure lowering)
20. Hypoglycemic (anti-diabetic effect, helps lower blood sugar)
21. Anti-obesity (helps with weight loss)
22. Anti-arthritic (prevention of arthritis)
23. Anti-osteoporosis (helps prevent the loss of bone mass)
24. Anti-periodontic (prevents gum disease)
25. Anti-allergenic (prevents allergic reaction)
26. Anti-calculitic (prevents kidney stones)
27. Anti-pyretic (fever lowering)
28. Anti-Parkinson
29. Anti-diarrheal
30. Anti-neuralgic (reduces nerve pain)
31. Anti-vertigo (prevents dizziness)
32. Anti-glaucomic (prevents glaucoma)
33. Anti-cataract (prevents cataracts)
34. Pansystemic - has a synergistic effect on the whole body

sum up the weekend...

Since the terrible rains the past few days there has been a puppy outside my window at night whining. I luckily was able to find my earplugs to drown out the pathetic cries I could nothing about.

The smog is very evident each morning when I try to clean my ears. I am considering searching for a small shovel and saving my time with the Q-tips that seem to do nothing with the build up.

I have been able to learn a few phrases in Visayan, but not enough to hold a conversation. I can tell people where I am going, ask how to get there, and a few other things.. but I am hoping to be conversational soon.

I was able to climb a mountain that lies behind the school campus. It was actually pretty lame. I hope to find a better one. The only pictures I took were of a cool plant and some of the disgusting millipedes. There was no good place to get a view shot since the rains made the ground very unstable.

I found out yesterday that there is an Assemblies of God church right in town. I have not had time to search it out, but I want to check it out. I found their website and it appears they have a young adults group. I would love to be able to join that. I am still feeling a little lonely. For some reason it has been more difficult here to make friends than it was in Tacloban.

My teeth have not bothered me for quiet sometime. I am thankful every day. Thank you for all who prayed. I know that it is a miracle.

The next few weeks I will be putting together material for an interpreting seminar I will be putting on for the teachers of Bohol Deaf Academy (BDA). This material will also be used when the new teachers from the other island are able to come over for their formal training. I am very excited about this because interpreting is such a passion of mine. Please pray that I will have wisdom to teach these people what they need to know in order to help the Deaf children develop into the people God created them to be.

Please feel free to email with any questions or just to let me know how life at home is going!

Miss you all…

Video of my Bungalow... Finally.

It literally took about 6 and a half hours to upload this on Youtube. But it was the only way it actually would upload. So enjoy. :)

Extra Protien..

I went to another elementary school that has a Deaf progam here in Bohol. The town is Sagbayan. I left on Wednesday early morning and was able to spend the night in the dorms with the Deaf children I was able to evaluate a couple of the teachers as well as observing the school and the program they have for the Deaf children. It was an amazing experience. The elementary kids range So much in age that it is difficult to teach them all in the level they are at. Some who are 17 years old are only in second grade. This is difficult because their brains are not yet caught up with their bodies sexually so they have run into some problems along those lines. I was able to participate in a meeting dealing with many issues such as this at the elementary school.

I went into town to buy some more groceries. I decided to try brown rice. Rice is easy enough to make at home. So i went back and put three ladle scoops into boiling water. About ten minutes into it i started to stir the rice and here is what I found...

small black rocks
a tequila worm(i don't remember the real name)
and a small beetle.

i about gagged... actually i did. I tried hard to sort through it and find everything. I proceeded to find small chunks of dirt that i assure you were probably cockroach poop. I could not get myself to take more than one bite. I felt really bad wasting all that rice... maybe I will save the other Kilo for when I have quests over. I just can not get myself to imagine what is in the rest of that bag if I found all of that in just three scoops.

the weekend... and an amazing bday

Last Saturday I became a tour guide. When i was in the PHilppines last time I took a weekend trip to the island i am staying on this time. We had hired a van driver to take us to all the tourist spots. This morning at 8am I left with one of the teachers and two of his friends from Manila on our motorcycles all around Bohol. I had one Filipino guy on the back of my bike and Keats (the teacher) had the Filipino girl on his. This was about a 10 hour day with a passenger.

About an hour into our day it started to pour! We pulled over many times as it was unsafe to continue on the curvy roads with our small bikes. However, Keats wanted to stop so our electronics did not get wet. After the rain was a little lighter we kept on our way. We were able to stop and see the Tarsier monkey (smallest in the world), the Chocolate hills, the Python, the hanging bridge made from bamboo shoots, and take a ride on the Luboc floating restaurant. I was able to point out other roads that Keats had not been on before. I can not believe i remembered these stops from 2 years ago, in a different country, AND a place i was only at one time. This is a miracle if any of you know how good my directional skills are. However, here... there seems to be not too may turns. Bohol is only about 70 miles wide. So there isn't too many places you can not visit in one day. And the map i have is pretty clear as to where i would need to go if i took a wrong turn.

I am also going to try harder this week to pick up the local dialect. I found myself answering in Visayan a couple times today. But only when the answer was Yes. haha. this will be quiet a challenge... but i know that i will be able to at least speak conversationally in one month if i try really hard.

when on the motorcycle today many people would turn their head or yell. Everything was wrong with the picture.
I was wearing a helmet (very uncommon)
I am a girl driving a motorcycle with a man on the back (usually the other way around)
I am a White girl driving a motorcycle
I am a white girl driving a motorcycle with a Filipino man on the back.

I also experienced some high school boys wanting to take their picture with me so they can go back to school on monday and tell everyone that I am their girlfriend. Haha. of course i let them.... it is not so uncommon to see someone with Blonde hair in Bohol because it is a tourist island. However, it is not as common to see blonde hair and blue eyes.

In bohol the people have a little more personal space then in Tacloban. However, they all respect each other in different ways than in America. Several times I have come back to my bike to find some guy sitting on it just chatting. All I have to say is Excuse… then he will move. No big deal. I just found that interesting. I have had three different high school boys ask for a picture with me. I think maybe I should start charging 5Pesos a picture in order to keep up with my finances. Haha.
Yesterday was an amazing day. I thought my bday may have been boring this year since I was in a different country. However, a lot happened. I was able to sleep in a little bit and then I was invited to a waterfall. It took about an hour to get there on our bikes. It was THE WORST roads I have ever been on. We were pretty much off roading the whole time. Very steep hills and giants rocks to watch out for. Once we finally made it to a point of grass we had to park and walk the rest of the way. It was slippery and all down hill. At some spots I had to sit and slide a little in order to make it down with out tumbling. But it was worth it! There were three caves with in the water fall that we were able to swim into and sit on a nature created ledge. It was so beautiful. I also was able to jump off a couple of the cliffs. One spot was about 25 feet high. It seemed a lot higher when I was waiting to hit the water. We were able to climb up over the top of one cave’s mouth and jump off. That was so exciting. After we returned from the cave Dennis and his wife Marilou took me and two other teachers out to a resort restaurant on the island of Panglao. It was right next to the ocean and very beautiful. Looking at the menu I noticed they served pork belly. Almost gagging I went on to look at the other selections. One of the teachers ordered pork belly and or course offered me to try it. So I did. It actually was very good. It just tasted like a big slice of bacon. All in all.. a great birthday!

I wanted to make a list of things that I want to do on this trip. I added a few things I have already done since I should have put this up here before the first week.
1. jump off a cliff
2. climb a mountain
3. learn the local dialect conversationally
4. approve 1 Pag-IBIG loan
5. eat what ever is offered to me
6. visit friends from other islands
7. go snorkeling
8. get a massage on the beach.
9.perpare my own fish
10. watch the sun rise/set at the pier.
11. listen intently to why God has brought me here
12. explore every moment I can.
13. find a waterfall
14. ride with a passenger on my bike.

I am sure I will add more down the road.