Most Saturdays I park at the market near where we have class. The narrow walkways and alleys just aren’t conducive to parking even the smallest vehicle. Plus, there is the added bonus of having a parking “bantay”, similar to a security guard, who watches over the lot. One bantay in particular, Paul, has been around… Read More And Speaking of Language Confusion…
With over 7000 islands, the Philippines contains hundreds of cultures, people groups, and languages. The languages have common threads, but they are far more diverse than expected. Since there is a need for a common baseline of communication, English is widely spoken throughout the country. Hey, that’s awesome news for us foreigners, right? We don’t… Read More Confessions of a Foreign Language Learner
We were advised not to move overseas with our older kids. They were 12 and 15 at the time, and yes, they’re both good kids, but were still in the thick of preteen and teen drama and angst when we uprooted them. There were challenges for sure, and they didn’t have the luxury of growing… Read More What To Do About Third Culture Teens?
Ah, the iconic jeepney. Anyone who has visited the Philippines or seen pictures of this fun country has no doubt noticed these quirky leftover relics of World War II hauling massive amounts of people from point to point for about 20 cents. You can’t argue with the bargain, but is it maybe time to upgrade the… Read More The Joy of Jeepneys!
This last Summer, we visited the States for the first time since moving to the Philippines. We were invited to speak at a handful of home groups, to share what we do overseas, show a slideshow, you know, the usual “tour”. Being able to reconnect to old friends, and make new ones, was so needed, and… Read More The “Price” of Being a Missionary. Or…”Did You REALLY Need That?!?”
I don’t know what it is about Saturdays. My mornings are free, the first obligation I have it kid’s ministry at 2 pm. I try to avoid doing much of anything “out” on the weekends, so there is no reason for me to wake up early. Apparently, my internal clock hasn’t gotten the memo. So,… Read More Talk About a Cheap Date…
So Last November, I wrote a blog post titled “20 Things No One Told You About Moving Overseas“, while determined for the twentieth time to maintain a regular blogging regiment. That post had the highest number of readers ever, somewhere around 130 views. I was ecstatic. Then, a short time later, life got in the… Read More Just Keep Blogging…Just Keep Blogging…
Boy, that title sounds like the name of a college course or something. Don’t worry, I’m not that technical, even if I tried. It doesn’t stop me from hearing the voice of my college Econ professor though when I read it. In the States, we worry about living “paycheck to paycheck”, hoping our money will… Read More The Culture (and Economics) of Living Day to Day
When I woke up this morning, I was welcomed by Ann Coulter’s lovely smile on a news website. Not my first choice to start off the day, but she wrote a column that did catch my attention. The headline? “Ebola Doc’s Condition Downgraded to ‘Idiotic’”. Wow. So basically, anyone who helps anyone, and it happens… Read More Are You “Idiotic”? Ann Coulter Might Think So…
They said it would happen. I was prepared. I was warned that visiting the United States after two and a half years would serve up a hefty dose of culture shock. And for the most part, they were wrong. There were a few glitches here and there, our first trip to Walmart was probably a… Read More Time-Release Culture Shock? Yep, It’s a Real Thing!
Beware the Comfort Zone! 