the why

These past few days have been tough on me.  I have wondered what the heck we've done!  Did we really sell our home, give our stuff away, leave family and friends to move here?  To live with poverty, sickness, disease, bugs, damp, oppression?  Why the heck did we do that! 

But today was the first day of school.  I have 14 students.  Some of my kids don't seem to have ever been to school; if they have been to school they were just a face, passed along, not connected with. 

And then there is the R family.  We've clicked with this family and I can see God's planning in that.  You need friends when you leave it all and go away, far away.  Today I got my hope back.  Hope that we are here as part of a bigger plan.  We are here to love - simple and tough as that. 

Of course there are lots of things to laugh at.  Like the 'bathrooms' called CRs which stands for comfort room.  That is so hilarious if you ever actually experience a comfort room on Boracay.  I've started rating them.

ooohhh - just had a bat fly through the house!  he went right on out, no worries. 

And boat signs, I've been collecting pics of boat signs just in case we ever get a boat.

My favorite thus far, Cow Grass.  Such a wholesome moniker.  

Man's favorite, needs no explaining.  Pardon the R rating. 

A large load of bamboo on Panay.  Everything is made out of bamboo here: houses, furniture, cars....kidding about the cars. 

Coke is here, but not all here.  It is a produced in the Philippines, only to be sold in the Philippines, poor reproduction of Coke as we know it.  But it's cheap!

So funny!  Masculinity is alive and growing here! 

These little stores are everywhere.  They are called sari sari shops (as in sorry sorry).  They sell everything in single serving size.  Like one serving of pepper.  Or one candy removed from a pack and re-packaged in plastic, no label.  Or one laundry soap serving.  Or one egg.  Folks here don't make much money.  They buy things as they need them, one day at a time.  I shop every day.  I can only buy what I can carry home. 

Teachers make about US $165 per month.  Yes, that is per month.  I don't know how or why they do it.  A teacher's pay may be PP 7000 in a month.  Our rent is PP25,000.  I spend about PP2000 a month on food, not including eating out.  It's a day to day existence.

Another bat flew in, this one headed up the stairs.

Our neighbor's boyfriend gave the boys a Tree Dragon.  It is a lizard that is about 14 inches long, tail included.  We have it in a bush in the boys' bedroom.  It ate a grasshopper this morning.  It was just living in the neighbor's home so we'll see how long he stays put here.  Seth has named him Thor!