Hello, I'm back after not blogging forever so there is a lot to catch up, too much to fill one post so I will hit some highlight in the fall and then focus on the time with my mom and brother
Kalinga
I went to Kalinga for three weeks! it was the longest I have ever been away from Safe and the longest I had been away from my cat but I knew he was in good hands. However I felt nervous leaving for so long, no reason in particular for that, I think I have just been very attached to the ministry. It can sometimes feel strange leaving, it was a sign that I probably needed to have a change of scenery.
In Tabuk I stayed in the student house next door to the clinic, a building that was not in existence when I was a student. It was nice getting to know the three students who were there, Brittany (you may remember her name from another post when we went to a wedding together in Kalinga) and I walked to the river on a few different occasion exploring parts we had never been to before. Spending time with my midwife friends was beyond precious! they are such wonderful people and it felt so good to work and play with them again. One Sunday afternoon we rode on the back of motor bikes with some friends up to a beautiful mountain park overlooking all of Kalinga. It was amazing!!
I caught three babies while at the clinic and assisted at two others. I was on shift almost every day. It took me a few days to get my sea legs or midwife legs, but it sure felt good to help bring life into the world again, even taking blood and giving shots. The clinic has switched to electronic charting, and it took me forever to get used to that, in many ways I still prefer paper however there are advantages such as people can read my writing/typing!. (I have seriously horrible penmanship)
I spent a lot of time with ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod involving plans for the future shelter in Tabuk, now called Tabuk Refuge of Hope International. I decided during that time that I need to make plans to move to Tabuk well before the shelter is actually in operation. It was several weeks later that I decided that move will take place in February.
I returned to Tagaytay in early October, where we were having major plumbing issues and fiances were still sparse since we have been going through several months of a financial low. Thankfully we were finally able to get our septic siphoned and excavated. our land lady who originally said she would not help with the cost finally agreed to pay for half. Whoever built the septic tank to begin with had not built it properly so it fills up much too fast. We looked and looked and looked for a new house with a better plumbing system and more space but have not been able to find anything!! In the meantime we had to move out of the manila sight as the contract ran out, ate Red walked the streets of Manila for days but there was nothing to rent. Fortunately the girls staying in Manila are all independent now so they can now be on their own, so the house was given up and all of the things from Safe Manila were moved to Tagaytay.
Family Reunion
The weeks flew by and before I knew it I was preparing for the arrival of my mom and brother! as you can imagine I was pretty excited!
They arrived very early on November 7th and we had some friends who had stayed at our B&B last year who have a car and were willing to pick them up. I stayed with them the night before, We got there pretty early, and I stared at every face that could possobly resemble my tall Canadian brother (I figured I would spot him first) and there they were with that sort of confused "I just got off an 11 hour flight and not quite sure where to go" look. In moments we were embracing and just like that my two worlds collided
our friend ate Nikki who picked us up
with her son and Isaac and I at the airport showing off my little blue house!
They received a Safe family welcome!
We spent a week just in Tagaytay, mom and Isaac meeting the girls, Isaac playing Frisbee with the kids, we distributed gifts that were sent from Canada and mom and Isaac worked on adjusting to the time zone and temperature. Mom did a teaching on mother hood with the girls and spent lots of time with them. Isaac spent time with the kids especially the boys who don't get to hang with young strong Christian men very often, they soaked it up like sponges. we took three of the girls out to starbucks one day, the three we took don't often get to go out and for one of them it was her first time to Starbucks.
I took them to Balite falls, these beautiful water falls that fall into clear green pools that are wonderful for swimming, Isaac was like a kid on Christmas morning. We ate Lomi noodles and I took them on a fairest wheel to overlook the city. Another day Isaac and went to Taal Volcano, Isaac loved every minute. I had been there before but this time we went on a trail with actual steam coming up on the trail and our guide knew a lot more and gave us the history and info. We ate a meal at the top and then all but ran down the mountain as I guess we were going over time on our tour.
mom showing the kids pictures on her phone Taal Mountain, with ate Rosanna who helped us get around
Balite falls
After a week we went to Tabuk city via the 12 hour bus ride, except it was only 10.5 hours which was nice. When we arrived I thought we were getting close via the landmarks but I had never made the trip that fast before and so woke my mom and brother up with very little time for us to grab our things, the result was that we left one small beg on the bus. Isaac realized it was gone as soon as the tricy took us to the hotel. Frustrated I got mom and Isaac into the loby and then took off with the tricy driver to get my beg in the bus. Fortunately the bus stops in Tabuk, so we knew we could catch it at the terminal but it was at the other end of the city. We got there just as the bus was parking. I retrieved the beg which had a brand new coffee press in it. The coffee press was for the students because I had broken their last one when I was there during my three week stint. I was so happy I had found it on sale but in the end the money I saved on it was used for the 200 dollar tricy to chase after it.
after resting for a bit and getting transferred to a nicer room which was also cheaper, sweet! we had breakfast with ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod. We then had a nap and in the afternoon Georgia picked us up to take us to the clinic. I loved being able to show mom and Isaac around the clinic and introducing them to all my people there, it was really special.
While my mom spoke to the women for a tram building session I took Isaac to the river. We had supper at the clinic which was delicious of course as it was made by Minda, the cook who made me fall in love with Filipno food.
The next day was the women's seminar my mom spoke at, I did errands in the morning then joined in the afternoon, after the seminar kuya and ate Cheryl took us to the farm where we plan to someday build the shelter when we have enough funding to expand.
My mom fully approved of ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod something that made me very very happy, although I knew she would love them. We ate together again Saturday afternoon, and then mom Isaac and I hung out at the hotel. we ordered sandwitches and Isaac and I watched Emperors New Groove while mom worked on her sermon. It was so nice to just hang out with my brother like we used to do. Sunday morning my mom preached, after church we did some video stuff for a promotional video Isaac is going to do for us and then we met Belen and her husband for Pancit. after that I picked up some mending I had given to my favorite seamstress and then we all boarded the bus heading back to Manila with ate Cheryl sending us off.
It was a crazy weekend so we were all eager for our holiday. Our bus arrived in Manila at around 4 AM from there we took a Grab to the bus terminal to catch a bus which I thought would take us to the boat that would take us to Mindoro Island, only to find out that was not the right bus terminal, the guy pointed across the street. Crossing the street is not a simple thing in Manila so we walked up the street, found a crossing, linked hands and ran across the dark streets avoiding traffic.
we finally found the right bus station and right bus, we loaded in the very back and after about two hours we arrived at Batangas port. I was a little unsure about this part as I was now in new territory. It was still dark and none of the buildings made sense. A guy with an ID of some sorts asked where we were going, I said Mindoro and he said follow me. My mom was asking me questions about why we were following a strange man, and I was like, well lets just follow and see, but then I started getting nervous. But it turns out he was an agent for one of the boat companies, he took us through all the steps, and much faster than I anticipated we were on the boat. we sat outside and watched the sun rise over the ocean, we could not have planned it better.
we arrived on Mindoro and hired a tricy to take us to our resort called Amani Beach Resort. The resort was simple, but peaceful, bamboo out door lounges sandy ground and an outdoor feel restaurant and a beach front, it was pebbly but made for great swimming. The next few days were wonderful. relaxing and swimming. My favorite thing however was the day we went snorkeling. my mom was hesitant I didn't realize how much until she admitted it to me later. the boat we went on was small, like Canoe size but with a little motor. Mom and I sat next to each other, just barely fitting on the seat. Mom had a little panic in her eyes when she realized that was the boat we were getting in and quizzed our boatmen on his experience. But as soon as we headed out on the water, beauty took over any fear. First our boatman took us to an underwater cave and then took us to the reef. None of us had ever snorkeled. I had been given a cheap little snorkeler when i was kid but had never liked the feel of the snorkel in my mouth. The boatmen simply said go, so we figured out how to put on the snorkeling gear jumped in the turquoise water and with some uncertainty I put my head under the water. it was a strange feeling not holding my breath under water but as soon as my eyes beheld the massive amount of colorful fish of all sorts of types, the corals and sea plants I was filled with such intense joy I started giggling, yes giggling under water, mom said she could hear it through my snorkeler. the fish would come up and nibble on my feet and hands which made me giggle even more. It was like I had just stepped into one of those under water documentations. I can honestly say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Before we knew it the holiday was over and we headed back to the main land. I thought I was going to be ok with my mom and brother leaving, thinking I would finally be able to get caught up on some things, but as the days approached I started feeling a little panicky, our days were busy, introducing my family to friends last minute, baking four cakes for four birth celebrations. I was very happy my mom was there to help with cakes, usually I do fine on my own, but that day we had two raw cakes, an over cooked cake and a droopy cake. but with mom's help it call came together.
The girls put together a goodby party for mom and Isaac that same night.
just having some fun
one of the many Frisbee session
Tuesday our friends picked us up, we spent some time together and then took them to the airport. The traffic was intense but we left in good time and still got them there a little more than two hours before their flight. Traffic coming back was even worse, and this is where I get into another story.
My place is really out of the way for our friends, so we had agreed that they could drop me off in a nearby town and I could take public transportation from there, I was showing much more confidence than I felt. I knew how to get to the town I was in but was a little unsure how to get back to Tagaytay. our friend's driver said he knew which jeep for me to take however and took me to a terminal, he said something in Tagalog and the driver said something back, I nodded at the guy who drove me and thanked him, I then proceeded to ask the driver of the jeep "Tagaytay?"as I went to get inside "No,"he said and then named another location I had never heard of. I started to feel panic run through my veins.
Ï need to get to Tagaytay"
"On the way"he said in English "Transfer."
Äh ok" I said again with more confidence then I felt and then got on the jeep choosing a seat right behind the driver, I asked him to tell when to get off as I didn't know where this place was that I would transfer.
Finally we pulled over and he said something indicating this was the spot
"Just wait here."He said
I got off, it was the side of the highway and it was dark, except for the lights coming from some building and the one from the entrance of what I assumed to be a community further back, but I couldn't tell, It was near 9 PM at this point and traffic and slowed down.
"Oh Lord,"came my prayer "Help me get home"
Finally, a jeep arrived with the word Tagaytay on the front
Unfortunately I realized the jeep wasn't going to where I lived in Tagaytay, but I figured I would recognize sights and be able to figure out where to get off. The jeep came to the end of its route. I got off and realized I didn't know where I was. a guy asked me where I was going and when I told him he pointed to the tricy terminal I passed. I headed there and had to pay through the roof for them to take me all the way home. But I would have paid anything at the point, I was feeling cold, hungry, emotional from saying goodbye to my family and just wanted my little blue house and my kitty. Once the tricy took off I finally realized where I was and later observed I could have taken two other rides which would have been cheaper but like I said, at that point I was getting tired of transferring to jeeps. When I arrived home a little later I was beyond happy to have finally arrive safe and sound.
So, life continues, I am still behind in things, it seems there is always something to do, but I often look back on the week and can't figure out how the week went by so fast. lots of baking for one thing. the friend that has picked us up from the airport gave me some high quality bread flour from the USA specifically to make Pandasal with the girls. Pandasal is the signature Filipino dinner roll style bread. Its unique in that it has a sweet taste to it but not as sweet as cake, it is traditionally served with Coffee. Three times I have made the bread with the girls, they are catching on fast. the hardest part is the kneading of course. I have never been a great bread maker so I am learning as much as them.
We are in full Christmas mode right now and it will take another post to fill you in in that area so I will write another post at a later date. Until then God Bless you and Merry Christmas!!!
-thesheepishmidwife
Isaac in a tricy
Kalinga
I went to Kalinga for three weeks! it was the longest I have ever been away from Safe and the longest I had been away from my cat but I knew he was in good hands. However I felt nervous leaving for so long, no reason in particular for that, I think I have just been very attached to the ministry. It can sometimes feel strange leaving, it was a sign that I probably needed to have a change of scenery.
In Tabuk I stayed in the student house next door to the clinic, a building that was not in existence when I was a student. It was nice getting to know the three students who were there, Brittany (you may remember her name from another post when we went to a wedding together in Kalinga) and I walked to the river on a few different occasion exploring parts we had never been to before. Spending time with my midwife friends was beyond precious! they are such wonderful people and it felt so good to work and play with them again. One Sunday afternoon we rode on the back of motor bikes with some friends up to a beautiful mountain park overlooking all of Kalinga. It was amazing!!
I caught three babies while at the clinic and assisted at two others. I was on shift almost every day. It took me a few days to get my sea legs or midwife legs, but it sure felt good to help bring life into the world again, even taking blood and giving shots. The clinic has switched to electronic charting, and it took me forever to get used to that, in many ways I still prefer paper however there are advantages such as people can read my writing/typing!. (I have seriously horrible penmanship)
I spent a lot of time with ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod involving plans for the future shelter in Tabuk, now called Tabuk Refuge of Hope International. I decided during that time that I need to make plans to move to Tabuk well before the shelter is actually in operation. It was several weeks later that I decided that move will take place in February.
I returned to Tagaytay in early October, where we were having major plumbing issues and fiances were still sparse since we have been going through several months of a financial low. Thankfully we were finally able to get our septic siphoned and excavated. our land lady who originally said she would not help with the cost finally agreed to pay for half. Whoever built the septic tank to begin with had not built it properly so it fills up much too fast. We looked and looked and looked for a new house with a better plumbing system and more space but have not been able to find anything!! In the meantime we had to move out of the manila sight as the contract ran out, ate Red walked the streets of Manila for days but there was nothing to rent. Fortunately the girls staying in Manila are all independent now so they can now be on their own, so the house was given up and all of the things from Safe Manila were moved to Tagaytay.
Family Reunion
The weeks flew by and before I knew it I was preparing for the arrival of my mom and brother! as you can imagine I was pretty excited!
They arrived very early on November 7th and we had some friends who had stayed at our B&B last year who have a car and were willing to pick them up. I stayed with them the night before, We got there pretty early, and I stared at every face that could possobly resemble my tall Canadian brother (I figured I would spot him first) and there they were with that sort of confused "I just got off an 11 hour flight and not quite sure where to go" look. In moments we were embracing and just like that my two worlds collided
our friend ate Nikki who picked us up
with her son and Isaac and I at the airport showing off my little blue house!
They received a Safe family welcome!
We spent a week just in Tagaytay, mom and Isaac meeting the girls, Isaac playing Frisbee with the kids, we distributed gifts that were sent from Canada and mom and Isaac worked on adjusting to the time zone and temperature. Mom did a teaching on mother hood with the girls and spent lots of time with them. Isaac spent time with the kids especially the boys who don't get to hang with young strong Christian men very often, they soaked it up like sponges. we took three of the girls out to starbucks one day, the three we took don't often get to go out and for one of them it was her first time to Starbucks.
I took them to Balite falls, these beautiful water falls that fall into clear green pools that are wonderful for swimming, Isaac was like a kid on Christmas morning. We ate Lomi noodles and I took them on a fairest wheel to overlook the city. Another day Isaac and went to Taal Volcano, Isaac loved every minute. I had been there before but this time we went on a trail with actual steam coming up on the trail and our guide knew a lot more and gave us the history and info. We ate a meal at the top and then all but ran down the mountain as I guess we were going over time on our tour.
mom showing the kids pictures on her phone Taal Mountain, with ate Rosanna who helped us get around
After a week we went to Tabuk city via the 12 hour bus ride, except it was only 10.5 hours which was nice. When we arrived I thought we were getting close via the landmarks but I had never made the trip that fast before and so woke my mom and brother up with very little time for us to grab our things, the result was that we left one small beg on the bus. Isaac realized it was gone as soon as the tricy took us to the hotel. Frustrated I got mom and Isaac into the loby and then took off with the tricy driver to get my beg in the bus. Fortunately the bus stops in Tabuk, so we knew we could catch it at the terminal but it was at the other end of the city. We got there just as the bus was parking. I retrieved the beg which had a brand new coffee press in it. The coffee press was for the students because I had broken their last one when I was there during my three week stint. I was so happy I had found it on sale but in the end the money I saved on it was used for the 200 dollar tricy to chase after it.
after resting for a bit and getting transferred to a nicer room which was also cheaper, sweet! we had breakfast with ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod. We then had a nap and in the afternoon Georgia picked us up to take us to the clinic. I loved being able to show mom and Isaac around the clinic and introducing them to all my people there, it was really special.
While my mom spoke to the women for a tram building session I took Isaac to the river. We had supper at the clinic which was delicious of course as it was made by Minda, the cook who made me fall in love with Filipno food.
The next day was the women's seminar my mom spoke at, I did errands in the morning then joined in the afternoon, after the seminar kuya and ate Cheryl took us to the farm where we plan to someday build the shelter when we have enough funding to expand.
My mom fully approved of ate Cheryl and Kuya Rod something that made me very very happy, although I knew she would love them. We ate together again Saturday afternoon, and then mom Isaac and I hung out at the hotel. we ordered sandwitches and Isaac and I watched Emperors New Groove while mom worked on her sermon. It was so nice to just hang out with my brother like we used to do. Sunday morning my mom preached, after church we did some video stuff for a promotional video Isaac is going to do for us and then we met Belen and her husband for Pancit. after that I picked up some mending I had given to my favorite seamstress and then we all boarded the bus heading back to Manila with ate Cheryl sending us off.
It was a crazy weekend so we were all eager for our holiday. Our bus arrived in Manila at around 4 AM from there we took a Grab to the bus terminal to catch a bus which I thought would take us to the boat that would take us to Mindoro Island, only to find out that was not the right bus terminal, the guy pointed across the street. Crossing the street is not a simple thing in Manila so we walked up the street, found a crossing, linked hands and ran across the dark streets avoiding traffic.
we finally found the right bus station and right bus, we loaded in the very back and after about two hours we arrived at Batangas port. I was a little unsure about this part as I was now in new territory. It was still dark and none of the buildings made sense. A guy with an ID of some sorts asked where we were going, I said Mindoro and he said follow me. My mom was asking me questions about why we were following a strange man, and I was like, well lets just follow and see, but then I started getting nervous. But it turns out he was an agent for one of the boat companies, he took us through all the steps, and much faster than I anticipated we were on the boat. we sat outside and watched the sun rise over the ocean, we could not have planned it better.
we arrived on Mindoro and hired a tricy to take us to our resort called Amani Beach Resort. The resort was simple, but peaceful, bamboo out door lounges sandy ground and an outdoor feel restaurant and a beach front, it was pebbly but made for great swimming. The next few days were wonderful. relaxing and swimming. My favorite thing however was the day we went snorkeling. my mom was hesitant I didn't realize how much until she admitted it to me later. the boat we went on was small, like Canoe size but with a little motor. Mom and I sat next to each other, just barely fitting on the seat. Mom had a little panic in her eyes when she realized that was the boat we were getting in and quizzed our boatmen on his experience. But as soon as we headed out on the water, beauty took over any fear. First our boatman took us to an underwater cave and then took us to the reef. None of us had ever snorkeled. I had been given a cheap little snorkeler when i was kid but had never liked the feel of the snorkel in my mouth. The boatmen simply said go, so we figured out how to put on the snorkeling gear jumped in the turquoise water and with some uncertainty I put my head under the water. it was a strange feeling not holding my breath under water but as soon as my eyes beheld the massive amount of colorful fish of all sorts of types, the corals and sea plants I was filled with such intense joy I started giggling, yes giggling under water, mom said she could hear it through my snorkeler. the fish would come up and nibble on my feet and hands which made me giggle even more. It was like I had just stepped into one of those under water documentations. I can honestly say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Before we knew it the holiday was over and we headed back to the main land. I thought I was going to be ok with my mom and brother leaving, thinking I would finally be able to get caught up on some things, but as the days approached I started feeling a little panicky, our days were busy, introducing my family to friends last minute, baking four cakes for four birth celebrations. I was very happy my mom was there to help with cakes, usually I do fine on my own, but that day we had two raw cakes, an over cooked cake and a droopy cake. but with mom's help it call came together.
The girls put together a goodby party for mom and Isaac that same night.
just having some fun
one of the many Frisbee session
Tuesday our friends picked us up, we spent some time together and then took them to the airport. The traffic was intense but we left in good time and still got them there a little more than two hours before their flight. Traffic coming back was even worse, and this is where I get into another story.
My place is really out of the way for our friends, so we had agreed that they could drop me off in a nearby town and I could take public transportation from there, I was showing much more confidence than I felt. I knew how to get to the town I was in but was a little unsure how to get back to Tagaytay. our friend's driver said he knew which jeep for me to take however and took me to a terminal, he said something in Tagalog and the driver said something back, I nodded at the guy who drove me and thanked him, I then proceeded to ask the driver of the jeep "Tagaytay?"as I went to get inside "No,"he said and then named another location I had never heard of. I started to feel panic run through my veins.
Ï need to get to Tagaytay"
"On the way"he said in English "Transfer."
Äh ok" I said again with more confidence then I felt and then got on the jeep choosing a seat right behind the driver, I asked him to tell when to get off as I didn't know where this place was that I would transfer.
Finally we pulled over and he said something indicating this was the spot
"Just wait here."He said
I got off, it was the side of the highway and it was dark, except for the lights coming from some building and the one from the entrance of what I assumed to be a community further back, but I couldn't tell, It was near 9 PM at this point and traffic and slowed down.
"Oh Lord,"came my prayer "Help me get home"
Finally, a jeep arrived with the word Tagaytay on the front
Unfortunately I realized the jeep wasn't going to where I lived in Tagaytay, but I figured I would recognize sights and be able to figure out where to get off. The jeep came to the end of its route. I got off and realized I didn't know where I was. a guy asked me where I was going and when I told him he pointed to the tricy terminal I passed. I headed there and had to pay through the roof for them to take me all the way home. But I would have paid anything at the point, I was feeling cold, hungry, emotional from saying goodbye to my family and just wanted my little blue house and my kitty. Once the tricy took off I finally realized where I was and later observed I could have taken two other rides which would have been cheaper but like I said, at that point I was getting tired of transferring to jeeps. When I arrived home a little later I was beyond happy to have finally arrive safe and sound.
So, life continues, I am still behind in things, it seems there is always something to do, but I often look back on the week and can't figure out how the week went by so fast. lots of baking for one thing. the friend that has picked us up from the airport gave me some high quality bread flour from the USA specifically to make Pandasal with the girls. Pandasal is the signature Filipino dinner roll style bread. Its unique in that it has a sweet taste to it but not as sweet as cake, it is traditionally served with Coffee. Three times I have made the bread with the girls, they are catching on fast. the hardest part is the kneading of course. I have never been a great bread maker so I am learning as much as them.
We are in full Christmas mode right now and it will take another post to fill you in in that area so I will write another post at a later date. Until then God Bless you and Merry Christmas!!!
-thesheepishmidwife
Isaac in a tricy
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