It’s American Thanksgiving here in the Philippines! What does that mean for us? It means the bank is open, the mail is delivered, and every store is open. Some restaurants, primarily owned by foreigners, offer Thanksgiving specials that cater primarily to other foreigners, but for the most part, it’s business as usual. Recreating a “traditional”… Read More Thanksgiving Is Sort Of Here!
Well, we made it through Typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda, not sure why it’s called something different locally, but that kind of sums up life here…it makes no sense sometimes!) We woke up to cloudy skies that slowly made way to the partly sunny skies we are more accustomed to this time of year. A… Read More Bittersweet Thankfulness
Fall is in the air! Well, that’s what I’ve read on Facebook anyways. We have had some rocking evening thunderstorms over the last few days, which have helped clear and cool the air, but otherwise, it’s just business as usual. 85 degrees during the day, 75 degrees at night. The Christmas decorations are going up with rapid… Read More Here Comes Fall! Or So I’ve Heard…
So here’s one for the “never a dull moment” file. Last Saturday after our kids Saturday ministry, my awesome teaching partner Vergie and I were chatting, eating, and recovering from class like we always do. Every week, kids still pass by her place, popping their little heads in to say hello, and to see if… Read More The Great White Peacekeeper
September is “officially the unofficial” start of Christmas season here in the Philippines. It begins with the first “-ber” month, not to be confused with “brr” months as those north of the equator might think, because, well, it’s never “brr” here, unless the thermometer decides to drop below about 75 degrees. I know the States have pushed their start… Read More Aaaand…Christmas is HERE!
Things have been tough the past few weeks. I miss my kid, who has been back in the States for a little over a month now. I’ve been missing friends in the States on a level I haven’t felt since being here. Finances have been tighter than they have been in a long time. Our… Read More Thankful
I’ve been around the internet long enough to know one thing. All respectable websites, blogs, and photo albums have one thing in common. Cats. So here’s mine. One Year Ago… This… entered our lives. It wasn’t exactly a graceful entrance, but after having this rug live with us for the past year, I’m not surprised. A… Read More Cue the Obligatory Cat Photos!
Rainy season has officially begun. Our rainy season is a bit different than the stereotypical Asian monsoon, dumping feet of rain in hours for months on end, and for that I am eternally grateful. We live in the rain shadow of Mt. Apo, which blocks most of the incoming storms, but she’s not invincible, and… Read More Dancing in the Rain
So I recently realized that in all these posts, I have never really laid out what we do on a regular basis, and it’s really the basis of my next several posts. We live in Davao, Philippines, and we own a small bag manufacturing business. This is what we did in the United States, and… Read More Life!
S & R, the newest shopping experience has arrived in Davao! Similar to Costco, S & R brings American style shopping to the Philippines. We went to check it out this afternoon along with three of our employees, and seeing American consumerism through the eyes of locals was a real eye opener, for all of… Read More Shopping in Bulk Has Arrived in Davao!
Beware the Comfort Zone! 