And I will cook you some fish heads

It is crazy to think that I have been in the Philippines for over a month now! Considering the amount of time that has passed, it only makes sense that by now I have settled into a routine. Every morning I wake up bright and early to go running. At first, I got lots of weird stares and most everyone did a double take when I ran by– but now I get friendly smiles from the people I pass every morning. Whereas in Vietnam I had to run around in circles and do the same loops over and over again, in my new environment I can run forever without having to double back. I run by rice fields, over a huge river that empties into the ocean,  and past hundreds of coconut trees. I see water buffalo, cows, chickens, and lots of dogs every morning. I even get to watch the sunrise. My morning runs have become one of the highlights of my days. Sometimes kids will run beside me for a little bit, actually one time a little girl followed me all the way home and sat outside the house waiting for me to come back out to talk to me. After that incident I started looking behind me while on my way home to make sure no one is following me– I was a little freaked out that the girl tracked me all the way back to my house and I had no idea. Good thing it was just a little girl! So yes, now I am more cautious.

After my run I shower– if we have running water. Timeout to explain that for the past five days we have had no running water. In order to take showers, flush toilets, wash dishes I have to fill a bucket of water from behind the house from the "free flowing water" that smells like sulfur. Mmmm. I don't

We recently hosted a birthday party in our house and mangoes
were served. I ate a lot of them.

really know why sometimes our water magically doesn't work. It isn't that big of a deal, because like I said all I have to do is go get a bucket of water from behind the house. For breakfast every morning I eat a mango. I love that I can buy five mangoes for just over a dollar. I am in mango heaven and I will continue to eat at least one a day until I leave the Philippines, or I just get sick of mangoes (highly unlikely). I never imagined I would live in a place where apples cost more than mangoes. Most people eat rice for breakfast– Jhen told me that Filipinos don't want to eat mangoes or really any fruit in the morning because it will hurt their stomach, they need something substantial like rice, fish, or eggs. Sometimes I will eat rice and fish, but usually I am just happy with my mango. Michelle and I go off to work usually around 8:00, sometimes a little later depending on what day of the week it is. We usually eat lunch at the school and then return home. I have the afternoon to myself to do as I please– usually I read and write or go use the internet. I want to  start taking walks to explore the area– and Michelle doesn't know this yet but I am going to convince her to accompany me. Hehe.

Oh jeez, another hard day at work.

When everyone else returns home I go and sit in the kitchen and practice my Tagalog while getting my cooking lesson from Jhen or Gladdies– they are amazing chefs! I am being spoiled with delicious food.

Cooking up a storm.

I try to write down all the recipes so I can cook Filipino food when I return to America. I feel so useless while in the kitchen (even though I would say I am pretty adequate cook back in America) because the staple taste and spices as well as the cooking styles are completely different. For example: I have no idea how to cook with fish sauce because no dishes that I have heard of in America use it, plus I don't particularly like fish sauce, so while cooking I would never want to put it in any of my foods– even though basically every Filipino (and Vietnamese) dish has fish sauce in it and I love all the dishes. But, like I said, I am learning. I am so excited to cook for my friends and family come April– get ready for some fish heads. Nom nom nom.

After dinner we all sit around and chat, watch some Pinoy Big Brother and usually I am the first one to go to bed because I am granny and love my sleep. Then I wake up in the morning and do it all again. It is a very laid back lifestyle. Everything here is low key, no one ever seems rushed, panicked, or trying to stick to a schedule. People just go with the flow and I am learning to do the same. OH. One more thing: Saturday is laundry day. That means I wash all my laundry... by hand. I will never ever again complain about doing laundry in America where all I do is separate whites from darks and press a button. Rough life.

So that is the routine I have established within the past month. I honestly cannot believe that the amount of time that has passed by since my arrival is the same length of time I have to wait until my sister gets here. Exactly one more month until I get to pick her up at the airport. I can hardly contain my excitement. People here probably think I am obsessed with her because I talk about her and our soon to be island hopping adventure all the time. Whatever, it has been far too long since I have seen a family member. Fourmoreweeksfourmoreweeksfourmoreweeks.