twenty four

I no longer have roomies, because the Australian missionaries left.

My relatives through a surprise birthday party... my first one ever! (but I knew)

I am the proud owner of the greatest purse ever! (it has a coin purse attached to the straps)

Tita Miriam and Tito Ernie are in town from Chicago.

We got a new kid at the center, Gerald, but I like to refer to him as G.

I got a haircut at the mall for five dollars.

The kids in Prep are learning stuff for 2nd graders... they are so smart :)

I'm going to get my third visa extension tomorrow.

I am truly thankful for where the Lord has taken me, and I will trust in Him through it all now that I am 24.

Aussie BBQ

The Australian missionaries hosted a BBQ for the kids and the staff. The menu included sausages (hot dogs) on a stick, potato salad, ceasar salad, sauteed onions, and ice cream for dessert. The kids weren't too keen (hanging out with the Aussies, I've taken on some of their words) on the salads, but tried to force it down out of politeness. All in all, they have been a joy to have around, very entertaining, and completely have a heart for the Lord and love for the kids. And it's also good to know that I am still able to converse in English, especially since I'm so fluent in Tagalog now ;)

I'm so Asian!

This pic (one of many) was taken in Mega Mall, and no one was surprised that a camera was out or surprised about the number of pictures taken.

Manual Labor's Not My Thing

A group of volunteers from American Express and the Philippine Daily Inquirer came to help revamp our buildings and the empty lot next door. The Inquirer painted our classrooms and the exterior of the multipurpose building, while American Express worked on the garden in the empty lot. Before the volunteers came, we were in charge of prepping the ground. Everyone helped out... the kids, the guys from church, the teachers (that includes me). It was 3 full days of clearing trash, glass, gravel, cement, and leveling the ground. My body was sore after it all, but all worth it, because the garden is gorgeous and we spent a lot of time laughing in the process :)

and my break comes to an end

Here's an old pic from Bagyo Millenyo (the typhoon that hit Metro Manila at the end of September). My second floor room flooded with water, so a couple of kids had to help me control the flood.

I spent the day cleaning my room and alphabetizing folders... Tomorrow, a missionary from Australia is coming early, so I'll be translating for her and showing her the ropes :) The rest of the group will be coming on Tuesday, so we'll have a lot of activities.

If you have facebook, check out the albums I made :)

We have high speed internet!

I'm eating a baby duck... and it appears that I'm enjoying it, but I wasn't...