Off to Bangkok!
January 30, 2010
My parents, Janet and Steve, arrived in Manila late on the 28th. Instead of letting them rest and adjust to the time change, we jumped on another airplane and flew to Bangkok, where we’ll spend the next few days discovering the city together. I’m so excited to introduce them to our Foreign Service life. And yes, I promise we are going to visit Manila too! I’ll do my best to get you pictures and updates, but I can’t make any promises because their schedule is even more packed than Rachel’s! Let’s give them a big Filipino welcome – it’s their first time in Asia!
Mubuhay Mom and Dad!
Yet Another Reason I’m Proud to Live in the Philippines!
January 27, 2010
This is a great example of a constructive use of “exercise time” at the Cebu Prison in the Philippines. You may be familiar with previous videos of Michael Jackson’s hits performed by these inmates that have circulated around the Youtube. Not surprisingly, they just released a new video of MJ’s “This is It” to coincide with the release of the movie on DVD.
The big news with this one is that MJ’s choreographer and a few dancers came to the prison to teach them the choreography. This video definitely takes it up a notch – seriously, they look professional (which is all the more impressive after finding out that they mastered it in 2 days).
Fun fact: 1500 inmates participated in its making. I told you Filipinos loved to sing and dance…prisoners are no exception!
One Year of Wedded Chaos (I mean Bliss!)
January 24, 2010
WHOA – I was just sitting back this weekend reflecting on the fact that Nick and I just crossed the one year mark for our Civil Ceremony that took place back on January 2nd, 2009 in a Maryland Courthouse. It blows my mind to think of all the things that took place over the course of the last year. Here are a few of the biggies:
- Got married (twice)
- Moved to DC for training
- Job Changes or Reinventions for both of us
- Moved to Manila
- Created our wills
- Hired household staff
- Took our Honeymoon
- Survived our first Christmas overseas
It was quite the year. They say that you’re only supposed to do one big change per year to maintain good mental health – oops, I guess 3 was pushing it a bit!
Someone asked me the other day how I was adjusting to Marriage. What’s funny is that it’s hard to make a distinction between that and all the other changes that came at the same time. When I got married, I wasn’t getting just Nick, I was signing up for a whole new life in the foreign service. And since that was so much more all-encompassing, adjusting to marriage seemed like a drop in the bucket in comparison to living overseas, being a part of an Embassy, embracing expat living, etc. Marriage is one thing I knew I could do well! The others I wasn’t so sure about…
I had heard from more veteran expats that the overseas experience can make or break marriages. There’s no middle ground. Either your relationship is taken to new heights because of your shared response to the challenges or it collapses under the weight of the strain. I feel blessed to count ourselves among the former. After a year of intense change, we are closer than ever and confident that we can deal with whatever new challenges are placed before us. I enjoy being in partnership and knowing that we face all the emotional highs and lows together. I can’t even begin to explain how dependent you become on this other person when you’re thousands of miles from all your “other people”. And so to Nick I say,
“We kicked butt this year! So honored to be your partner through it all. Bring on the next round!”
IdeaPaint: Right Brain Meets Left Brain
January 20, 2010
With my Manila adventures becoming more routine, I thought I’d begin sprinkling in a few of the “must share” ideas and products that I come across. This one is beyond cool. It’s called IdeaPaint and the basic concept is that you can turn any surface into a Dry Erase Board with the use of this magic paint. Perfect for work, school or home…with endless options. Here are some of the suggested uses for it:
- Desks
- Doors
- Walls
- Hallways
- Columns
- Conference Tables
- Reception Areas/Lobbies
- Seminar Rooms
- Cafeterias/Cafes
- Dorm Rooms
- Lockers
- Old Chalkboards
- Kids Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Playroom
What I love MOST about it is that it takes the Left-brained skill of planning & organizing ideas and turns it into a Right-brained creative process! You get the best of both worlds. I’m already pondering if my office is going to get a wall of IdeaPaint… the question is not if, just when (Manila vs. our next post).
What I love LEAST is the price point. IdeaPaint starts at $29.95 for 3 sq. ft. of coverage and goes up to $199.50 for 50 sq. ft. of coverage. It’s definitely an investment for most people, but with the product’s potential to improve communication and the flow of ideas, that could translate into real $$$ for businesses and busy families. Hmmm… it always comes down to ROI, doesn’t it??
So, give me some feedback….what space would be ideal in your home, office or school for IdeaPaint? Any other ideas for creative uses?
New Hospital about to give Makati Med a Run for Its Money…
January 18, 2010
The big news in our neighborhood this week was the opening of St. Luke’s Global City, a new hospital in Fort Bonafacio. With 600 rooms and 400 doctors’ clinics, it’s sure to give the current front-runner Makati Medical Center some good competition. Not that too many hospitals is ever a bad thing, I just wonder which one we’ll be referred to now. As previously mentioned in 3 posts, I am intimately familiar with the Emergency Room at Makati Med.
With global medical tourism on the rise here as well as in other parts of Asia, it doesn’t really surprise me that countries are making significant investments in hospitals. This is especially true in the Philippines, where I would estimate that 35-50% of college-educated people become doctors or nurses (next time you’re at a US hospital, take a look around and count how many Filipinos are caring for you – I swear, nurses are the biggest thing they export here!).
I’m not sure about the merit of this statement, but a recent article in the paper quoted, “…St. Luke’s is better equipped than 95 percent of hospitals in the United States…” This could mean big business for relatively inexpensive Asian countries like the Philippines if they can deliver on their promises and capitalize on rising medical costs in the US. Based on our own experiences here, I can provide testament that we’ve gotten equivalent care at a fraction of the cost (visit from a neurologist for $40 anyone?)
Before you check into your local hospital again, I invite you to take a moment and consider the top-notch care a stay at St. Luke’s could provide instead:
- A helicopter ride to the hospital to avoid all the annoying press outside
- A 24 hour concierge service that allows relatives to call from anywhere in the world and have errands done for their confined patient
- A Customer Care Officer to manage all your needs
- Your choice of private lodging – a Private Room will set you back $75 a day
- Or the more opulent Presidential Suite might be more of what you’re looking for – at $1100 a night, this 500 square foot suite on the 16th floor comes with a commanding view, a living room, dining room with table for 8, guest accommodations and a Jacuzzi. Not too shabby, if I say so myself!
With our history of ER visits, I’m sure we’ll be checking out this facility quite soon. I’ll be sure to give you an update and let you know if the paper’s review did it justice… this may be yet another reason to visit me here – just think of it as a 2 for 1 – some bonding with me and a cheap surgery to boot! Warning: No trips should be planned without first consulting your insurance company (they may not want you to get that good of a deal).
Some Real Manila Treasures
January 16, 2010
We had the pleasure of being invited to a Worst Gift Exchange Party on Thursday night. The objective was to bring the worst thing you had in your house and wrap it up for someone else’s pleasure. The thing is, I’ve been to these parties before and instead of trying to offload something, I actually try to “win” the worst gift possible. Check out the great things we came away with this year. They are like nothing I’ve seen before!
First up is this artichoke statue/love plaque. This item was hand-made in the Philippines and gifted from an employee to his boss originally. It was NOT gifted a joke. Very solid craftsmanship, but not sure what to make of the “I love you” message. Pretty bizarre. Nick has claimed this one for his work desk.
Treasure # 2 was also a Filipino handicraft. It was also given as a serious gift from a mayor of a town to a businessperson. We’re not sure what to make of it either. It’s going in the bedroom for now…very romantic with a candle on top, don’t you think! Watch out Manila friends, this is definitely going to be re-gifted when you least expect it! We must let you enjoy it’s beauty too!
How about you? Tell me your best (“worst”) white elephant gift that you ever gave or received?
Are you there Universe? It’s me, Sarah.
January 15, 2010
Photo by Wisdoc from Creative Commons
I’m sure it won’t come as a shock when I say that I’ve been a bit down lately. The 6 month mark hit hard, compounded by the Christmas factor. Thank goodness for Rachel’s visit or it could have been really bad! I’m pretty sure I set myself up for this disaster by creating one of those “check-in dates” when I told myself everything would be up and running perfectly at the 6 month mark. Well, surprise, surprise – it’s not! My business isn’t having the impact I know is possible, I’ve met lots of people but haven’t developed those relationships as well as I know I can and I’m not doing a good time of finding time for me (despite all the help that we employ). In summary, I still have a lot of work to do!
Alas… I’ve been quite tough on myself, especially around my business. It’s funny because I tell my clients to be gentle on themselves all the time when they’re in a transition period, yet I don’t follow my own advice. Hmmm… In fact, recently I had even gotten the idea in my head that God/spirit/the Universe had forgotten about me. That was the only reason I could think of for why I could feel SO READY for greatness, yet have nothing showing up for me. And so I pushed and then got frustrated. And pushed in another direction and then got frustrated. Rinse and repeat was my motto. Until I had a great conversation with a friend this week who basically told me to let go of control and just wait to see what showed up.
Lo and behold, 4 days later, I am reminded that there is a bigger plan for my life! AAAAAAH – EUPHORIA! Here’s what happened… I was at an AWCP meeting in November where the speaker was from a non-profit called Carewell Community. They provide support, education and hope to cancer patients and their families who live in Manila. I was very moved by the organization’s mission, as I’ve lost 3 of my Grandparents to cancer. My intuition told me to explore this route, so I finally got around to setting up a tour of the organization this week.
I arrived today to find myself in a meeting with the Managing Director, Robert Suntay. The non-profit is grounded in Robert’s love for his wife Jackie, whom he lost to cancer in the early 2000′s. He began Carewell as a tribute to her in 2005 and it now serves 300 patients and their caregivers/families. It is located just a few blocks away from Makati Medical Center, where the majority of the patients receive their care.
I went into the meeting unsure of what would emerge and left seeing EXACTLY where I fit into the divine plan that was unfolding around me. After my tour of the facilities, Robert asked me where my volunteering interests lay. I began to tell him about my desire to use my coaching skills to help the patients process their experience more completely and recreate their identity post-cancer. As I talked, I watched a smile slowly spread across his face. Turns out they’d been looking for a coach for a long time without success and he was intimately familiar with my coaching school, The Coaches Training Institute. Coincidence that I ended up there today? – I think NOT!
We talked for an hour straight, finishing each other’s sentences and speaking faster and faster as the energy in the room crescendoed. It was electric, I tell you! Wish you could have been there! :) I’ll keep you posted on what develops, but our initial plan is to do a weekly group session with patients where I’ll coach 2 people each time (in front of a group of 10-15 other patients). I’m imagining that to be quite impactful… He also asked if I’d be open to coaching the oncologists, volunteers and support givers that donate their time. Looks like I could be quite busy! Who knew??? THANK YOU UNIVERSE, this is EXACTLY what I need right now!
The Bizarre but Fascinating Chinoy Cemetery
January 9, 2010
Greetings- It’s been a full couple of days and I’m horribly behind on my posting. Just got Rachel off on the airplane this morning, so now I have a moment to catch you up on the rest of our adventures…
One of the must-share experiences that we had was a trip to the Chinoy Cemetery. First, a definition of Chinoy. It is a combination of Chinese and the slang term Pinoy, which is what Filipinos call each other. Hence Chinoy. The tour was led by Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks. Ivan’s grand-parents immigrated from China at the turn of the 20th century and he was raised entirely in Manila. He had a very intimate relationship with the cemetery, as he had been coming here for the past 30 years to honor his family’s ancestors. Here’s what we learned on the tour:
Like most things Filipino, the cemetery is a meshing of traditions. This altar is a prime example, whereby Buddha and Jesus happily co-exist in the same space.
The cemetery was mostly made up of Mausoleums. They came in all shapes and sizes – small to large, art deco to stately. The one pictured above is one of the largest, constructed for an entire family to be buried in. Plots can be rented for 25 year periods. It is rumored that if you don’t keep up on your rent, the deceased’s body will be exhumed and moved to a new location. This “rent” provides a salary for the caretakers who LIVE FULL-TIME at the cemetery. We saw about 20-30 of them around while we were taking the tour. Here’s the creepy part – each of them LIVES in one of the larger mausoleums!! Can you even imagine that?
Originally, the deceased were buried in above ground tombs made out of stone that were just big enough to hold the body. It was common tradition for families to regularly come to the tomb to spend the day or even an overnight with their loved ones. In the Philippines it is common to bring food, games and music to the cemetery and literally host a large family celebration with your ancestor present. It was a way to show honor for that person and keep them in your memory. The problem in Manila was that it was hot and uncomfortable to stay out for that long. So the practice of building mausoleums was created by those who could afford it. Some of the most lavish, like the one above, contained chandeliers (a bit hard to see in the picture, sorry) and flushing bathrooms.
On days like all Saint’s Day, the cemetery is overflowing with Chinoys. It’s an all-out celebration, with food vendors lining the cemetery streets selling delicious Filipino delights! Hard to imagine that in the US…
I’m thinking about stealing this idea for my gravesite. This guy has a sign pointing the way to his tomb, so that there’s no confusion about where he’s buried. Now there’s no excuse for his descendants not to visit!
Oh, but let’s not forget this guy, Mahon Luk. In life, he was known as the “Noodle King”, creating a empire of restaurants serving that very item. Fitting, I guess then, to top your tomb with a crown. I’m sure he was quite the humble man in real life (or just had a good sense of humor).
Last but not least, we must call out the unfortunate wives of this gentleman. Not only did these poor souls have to compete for his affection in life, but now they get to spend eternity with each other as well. Please note: There was no remarrying here, this was a 2-at-1-time kind situation. No thank you!
All in all, a fascinating way to spend a morning. Highly recommended for those of your visiting Manila. I’m still trying to work out how I can finagle an invitation with a local Filipino family to spend All Saint’s Day this year at a cemetery. I’ll keep you posted on if I make it happen…
Sarah’s Turn at the ER
January 6, 2010
Made my third trip to the ER in 6 months today. Instead of accompanying Norma or Nick though, this time it was me checking in. I wish I had some fabulous glory story to tell about what happened… alas, it was merely my klutzy-ness that got me into trouble once again. Here’s a rundown of my experience at the ER:
At 4 PM I was heading into Friendship Home with Rachel to go play with the kids. I was walking up three little steps to the front door when somehow the toe of my shoe got caught on the step and I began to pitch forward. I managed to brace my hand against the door to stop myself, but my head went crashing into the big antique iron door handle. OUCH. Things were spinning a bit but I am happy to report that there was no passing out and no puking (both good signs). I went up to say hi to the kids but it was way too overwhelming with the massive headache that was invading.
I decided to head out and left Rachel to play with the kids (which she thoroughly enjoyed). I called the Medical Unit on the way home and they suggested that I go to the Emergency Room to have it looked at to check for any bone fractures or bleeding. I’m all about piece of mind, so I agreed to go.
We arrived at 5:30 to check in. I should go ahead and say at this point that I did have a 1/2 inch abrasion above my right eyebrow (no cut though) and that I was getting puffy under my eye. Other than that, the headache was dimming and the dizzyness was over. Even after recounting these things, they still insisted that I be taken around in a wheel chair. Nick couldn’t stop laughing…
I was given my bracelet and wheeled over to a nurse who gave me a neurological exam (following the light with my eyes, finger pointing, checking for sensation, etc) and pronounced me a-ok in her eyes. Next I was off to get 4 head xrays. By now we’ve been there an hour and I’m assuming we’ll be released after they check the scans. Not so.
Despite being told I was fine and having the scans come back with nothing, I was told that another doctor would be seeing me. And not just a general ER doctor, no, I would have one of Manila’s finest neurologists! Maybe it was the blue eyes and blond hair, but for whatever reason it was deemed medically necessary that I see a neurologist. The neurologist however, appeared to disagree with the decision to bring her in.
She looked mildly annoyed the entire time she checked me out. I must not have had an exciting enough head trauma. She couldn’t figure out why she was there since I hadn’t blacked out, puked or fallen down the stairs. It was hard to suppress laughter, as I was so clearly not the type of patient she sees regularly. Ooops.
3 neurological exams and 2 hours later I was finally deemed fit to leave with my extra strength tylenol prescription in hand. Definitely my most expensive doctor visit yet at $45 to see the neurologist -still… I’m not complaining, as I know what that would translate to in the States (although the neurologist would never have been visiting little old me anyways in the states). Never mind that. It was nice to join my family’s “ER CLUB”. Now I feel like I belong.
Beautiful Bohol!
January 4, 2010
Just got back from 5 glorious days in Bohol, an island in the Southern Philippines. As you know, my friend Rachel is visiting and we wanted to take her somewhere that would give her a feel of the island life (versus the chaos of Manila). Bohol had been high on our list for awhile, so we decided a trip over New Year’s was the perfect time to go. This was our first time to one of the islands and Rachel’s first tropical beach getaway.
If we weren’t napping, suntanning or swimming we were most likely eating. And eat we did! Food was fabulously cheap, so we indulged. The Philippines is reported to have the world’s best mangoes – I think Rachel would concur, as she managed to make Mango a food group in every meal she indulged in. YUM! Our favorite dinner ended up being a beachside BBQ. We selected the delicious red snapper pictured below and had it grilled up with corn on the cob and baked potatoes to round out the meal. Nothing better than selecting from fish that had all been caught that morning… very unique (and fresh)!
We did do one day of intense touring. It was an 8 hour island tour and we had a private car and driver (insanely better than being on a tour bus with a microphoned guide!) Highlights of the day were the following:
1. Seeing the Tarsier Monkey, the world’s smallest monkey, found only on Bohol. Fun fact: each eye is as big as its brain! No touching though because they have suicidal tendancies. It is rumored that human touch causes them to begin banging their head against the tree until they die… not good at all! They were beyond cute, but I kept my hands to myself.
2. Next up was the infamous Chocolate Hills, named for the Hershey Kisses they resemble. These mounds are naturally-made limestone formations that are (once again) only found on Bohol. They stretched as far as the eye could see and were extraordinarily beautiful despite being oversized anthills. Definitely a must-see for anyone visiting the Philippines.
3. Our day ended with a trip to the Bohol Bee Farm. This organic farm blew my mind. Not only was there a bee-raising operation, but a full organic garden, a restaurant, a handmade goods operation and a small resort. It was a mini bee-centered world and I’m 99% sure that Nick and I are going to come back to Bohol just to stay here. Not only did we sample the delicious organic food at the restaurant, but we took the farm tour and each got to hold the “friendly” honeybees! Can’t say I’ve done that before… happy to report, no stings!
As I mentioned above, the rest of our trip pretty much centered around relaxing. We did partake in a great beach party on New Year’s Eve, in addition to diving and snorkeling outings. Plenty to do in this relatively undiscovered paradise. Already looking forward to returning! If you like what you see, check out the 150 shots at SMUGMUG. Definitely some of the best pics I’ve ever captured!
