Ahhhh….Beautiful, Desolate Batanes

Photo from Flickr Creative Commons by Bingbing

I am happy to report that we are off to spend our Easter in a stunning destination called Batanes.  It’s the Northernmost point of the Philippines, about 190 km South of Taiwan.  You can see where it is in relation to Manila in the map below.  The topography of the island group is unlike any other in the Philippines.  There are 4 distinct seasons (YAY!  I’m bringing a sweater just in case I might actually have a chance to layer up!!!) and it is frequently hit by Typhoons.

Because of the erratic weather, there are only 15,000 inhabitants in Batanes, many of whom live in stone homes.  Just to give you some perspective, that’s 0.01 % of the population that lives in Manila.  I am already dreaming of lush green hills and chilling with the cows while we picnic on a hilltop.  I can dream big, can’t I?  I mean, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site…AND, it’s earned the nickname of “The Ireland of the Philippines”.  I’m expecting big things (and so is my camera).  I hope it doesn’t disappoint!

See you when we get back later this week!  I’ll have LOADS of beautiful pics for you!  Try not to miss me and Happy Easter!

Spread some Happiness this Monday

One Month in at Carewell: On Cancer, Courage & Coaching

Wow, it’s hard to believe, but I just crossed the 1 month mark at Carewell.  In those four weeks I was able to hold seven different group coaching sessions not only for cancer patients, but for their spouses and children as well!

It has been such a gift to spend time with them.  I am constantly humbled and awed by the courage and resilience they display in their everyday lives.  It has really served to put things in perspective for me; to pause and ask, “Is this really such a big deal?” when I am faced with my own life challenges.

As with all new things, there is always a learning curve.  There was differences in how ‘ready’ people were to be coached.  Some dove in deep and fast, finding incredible answers from within.  And as they found their answers, others decided they weren’t ready to explore yet.  While it’s always hard to see someone walk away from coaching, I’ve learned to respect that they will seek it out in their own time.  No matter how much I want it for them, it’s not enough.  They have to make the conscious decision to do their work.  And when they’re ready, I’ll be here greeting them with open arms.

There have been lessons for me as a coach too.  I learned that when doing visualization exercises with Cancer patients, they have a hard time looking 20 years into the future!  Oops… thankfully they have good senses of humor.  I have also improved my ability to stay connected to the client and not let the distractions in the environment pull my attention away.  This is a fairly new skill to me since I do the majority of my coaching one-on-one via the phone.  I’m not used to groups or visual distractions!

The part that has surprised me most is how rigorous they are with holding each other accountable.  I can see that it is a blessing to be able to take the focus off themselves and help another beloved community member step into their best self and take aligned action.  I swear, the person who got coached that week must get 20 follow-up texts throughout the week checking on if they did their homework!  I LOVE IT!  :)

I know that many of these coaching sessions are going to stay with me for a long time to come.  The depth of their experience has created a comfort level with their emotions that allows us to explore things in the first session that I would often only be able to reach by the 10th session with other clients.

Not only does this take great courage, but a real willingness to trust me as the coach.  I’ve had the the opportunity to coach a woman who lost her voice from Cancer but was adamant about being coached.  We crafted a creative system of hand squeezes, pad & paper and input from her husband to make the coaching work.  And the beautiful thing was, it STILL worked.  There was not a person in that room of 15 that didn’t feel the energy shift.  Truly Amazing…

There is a calling for me in this work.  I am proud to realize that I can handle the emotional intensity that accompanies coaching Cancer patients.  Yes, the topics can be heavy….but I can’t think of more impactful coaching work than helping someone make  peace with their issues before death or helping them create a lasting legacy.  This is truly spirit-filled work and I’m learning first-hand from some of the most incredible individuals I’ve ever encountered.

Acronyms of the Foreign Service

I recently stumbled upon another EFM (translation: Foreign Service Spouse) Blogger named David  that’s heading to Hermosillo, Mexico with his wife.  I’ve really been enjoying his content, as it provides a unique perspective – that of a male accompanying spouse.  He sprinkles in humor everywhere, which is a trait that will be very useful for him in his overseas adventures.  Make sure and check out his blog at: EF’M: The Life of an FSO Spouse.

David has been writing lately about his frustration with the myriad of acronyms that employees and their spouses are required to understand in order to function effectively in the Foreign Service.  Honestly, we were still 6 months in and I was mixing these up!  As David picked up on, they’re just not very intuitive to remember… check out David’s humorous attempt to translate the acronyms into something that made more logical sense.  I hope you get a good chuckle from it!  I sure did.

What NOT to do when an Earthquake hits Manila…

Well folks, I can now add another natural disaster to the list of things I’ve survived in my life, which currently includes:

1.  Tornadoes
2.  Blizzards
3.  Golf-ball-sized hail storms (hurts the car every time)
4.  Typhoons/Hurricanes
5.  Near-volcanic eruptions
6.  EARTHQUAKES

Yes, that’s right.  I lived through my first earthquake.  It was a crazy little thing.  Shook the floor for about 30 seconds.  I later learned that it was a 6.2 on the Richter scale – WHOA, huh?  It sounds worst than it felt.  In fact, I thought it was all kind of exciting.  Here’s how it played out:

It was roughly 1:30 in the afternoon and I had just arrived at the 6th floor of Carewell, where I volunteer with the Cancer patients.  I was saying my hellos when all the lovely ladies started praying loudly and clutching their chairs.  I didn’t realize it was an earthquake at first, just thought there was some construction nearby, so I jumped right into the prayers in an attempt to “fit in”.

10-15 seconds in I heard the word Earthquake and everything clicked.  What was funny was that I had no “flight or flight” response programmed for earthquakes.  So I just found myself standing there smiling, a bit in awe.  I even screamed a bit for fun just to feel a part of the chaos!

Now, in retrospect, I realize that this was NOT appropriate behavior.  I should have been getting in a doorway (I think) or going to the roof (so as not to be crushed by the collapsing building).  Did I do any of that?  NOPE.  I danced around like a 6 year old instead.

Note to self: don’t zone out in the future at Emergency Disaster Preparedness Training!  Happily, I lived to tell the tale and I can now say that I survived a 6+ earthquake!

Can someone please walk me through an Earthquake drill, because all I’m programmed to do, I realize, is:

-go to the basement
-get away from the windows
-get into a tucking position
-bring my head to my knees

Not proving to be overly effective for typhoons and earthquakes…

When Blogosphere Friends Become Dinner Guests

Have I mentioned how much I love you, my blog-reading public.  Last week we reached a new high, with over 550 of you visiting in one day!  Thank you for the L-O-V-E… I know you have many things you could be doing with your time and I appreciate it!

Since I started blogging 2 years ago, I’ve been shocked by the number of connections I’ve made online via social media channels.  I never would have thought it possible to develop solid relationships with strangers, but I find myself doing it almost daily now.

One of my favorite stories regarding online-friendships happened just last month.  I was spending the morning at the local equivalent of the Farmer’s Market when someone shouts out, “Hey, this is a strange question, but are you MinnesotaGal?”  I was totally floored but managed to respond that I did write a blog of that name.  She then proceeded to tell me that she’d been following my blog for several months and “absolutely loved the way my chaise turned out” and “thought my Cambodia photos were spectacular”.  I was completely taken aback by the one-way nature of this conversation and thinking how crazy it was that this woman knew so much about my life.

But then I realized that I had invited her into my life by putting myself out in the Blogosphere…AND wasn’t it cool that she had connected with so many of my stories?  Technology is truly creating a whole new way of being in relationship with people, and I must say that I like it.  Yes, it can start out a bit one-sided sometimes, but there are always chances to rebalance it.

For example, once I got over my shock, I managed to ask for her contact info.  We then proceeded to invite Rebecca over for dinner this past Saturday and I am now thrilled to say that I’ve gained my second blog-reader-turned-friend.  Turns out she even lived in MN for awhile when she went to William Mitchell Law School!  Love how small the world is… we even have common friends!

So my challenge to you today is to stretch the ways that you’re allowing new relationships to come into your life.  It was only because I was pulled out of my “MN friend zone” that I really forced myself to look for new ways to make connections.  That’s the thing, you just never know– your new best friend may end up being a faithful blog reader or a Twitter pal!

PS- I don’t think this trend is going to end anytime soon.  I just heard from another blog reader named Jessica who’s moving to Manila in April.  She and I are already discussing when we’re going to connect.  Too cool…

Tondo in the News – One Final Post

Here are a couple of great videos about Tondo that aired on TV in London last week.  Lynie, who led our tour is featured.  You’ll recognize many shots from my pictures.  And I promise, no more posts on Tondo awhile…

Lessons from Tondo

I’m having a hard time letting go of this experience, feeling that my sharing is still incomplete.  I’m hoping that in doing one last post, I’ll feel like I did Tondo the justice it deserves.

Over the last 24 hours I’ve been noticing the impact that Tondo had on me.  First there was the physical toll – the burning eyes from the methane, the exhaustion from being out in the sun and then the inability to sleep.  It was hard, no doubt, but insignificant compared to the emotional toll that came next.  I am fairly certain that I experienced true despair for the first time in my life.  It was compounded by a sense of hopelessness and desperation; a fear that perhaps I couldn’t handle being with sorrow and pain of this magnitude.

Surprisingly, the vastness of the problem made me want to shut down instead of stepping up, which is not a typical reaction for me.  Once the overwhelm passed, I was still left feeling disturbed but also discovered a deep sense of gratitude that radiated to the core of my being.  I realized that I may not be able to make a large difference at Tondo, but I have the skills and the will to make an impact somewhere else.  My thoughts turned to my Coaching and I felt myself being called forth to step into something bigger with my life, to better use the education and resources that have so abundantly been given to me.

I do not  know what the final impact of Tondo will be, but I can already sense that it has changed me, that I can no longer be the same person given what I have now experienced.  Big stuff, I know.  No idea what I’m supposed to do with it yet, so I’m going to let it incubate for awhile.  I will keep you posted as things develop…

I want to leave you with a few last images that I feel compelled to share.  The first is of the swimming hole.  Kids floated around on scraps of foam while children swam unabashedly in the nude.

Here is the scrap wood area, where lumber and tree parts are collected and either re-purposed or sold.

This area was where charcoal was being made, also to be sold.  I couldn’t get over the soot-covered toddlers running right by the fiery coals.

Mmmm, appetizing.  This appears to be a stew made of chicken that was scavenged from the trash, with the addition of some fresh veggies as well (or those might be scavenged too).  I was amazed to realize that almost everything gets put to a second use.  It was truly incredible…

I leave you with this last vignette, which was perhaps the most impactful exchange I had the entire day.  I was photographing a young girl who was fiercly clutching a giant m&m’s bag.  She pulled some smashed, dirty m&m’s out of the bag and handed them to the boy that was with her.  He ate a few and then extended a hand to offer me some.  That soot-covered hand generously offering to give me half is the perfect metaphor for what I have come to know about the Filipino people.

Even those stripped of their possessions or overtaken by disease will still have the grace to offer you a smile and half of whatever they have left.  I truly believe that such radical generosity could start a movement that would change the world.  I am grateful to be learning these lessons hands-on, as I know they will stay with me the rest of my life.

I leave you with one of my favorite Filipino sayings, “Bahala na, God will provide.” Translated, it becomes: Happen what may, God will provide.

The Scavengers of the Dump

Picture from Rage.com

Instead of engaging in my typical St. Patrick’s Day activity of beer drinking and social events, I had the opportunity to do something vastly different this year.  I was invited to go on a tour with the Philippines Christian Foundation (PCF), an organization that is helping the poorest of the poor that live in Manila’s garbage dump called Tondo.  There are currently over 1.5 million people that live and scavenge at Tondo, roughly 12% of Manila’s entire population.

PCF has designed a variety of initiatives to help this population move beyond life at Tondo.  Their most recent project is a brand new school facility located on the dump site.  What’s so innovative about this school is that it was constructed entirely of donated shipping containers, which were then coated in concrete, as you can see in this next picture (which is how we viewed it).  Incredible, isn’t it?

Because there is a lot of pressure on the children to bring in income for the family, parents were forcing the children to scavenge instead of going to school.  To combat this, PCF designed a points system in which various amounts of rice and canned goods are given out each week to kids based on attendance, good hygiene, and clean uniforms.  This has dramatically reduced the attendance problem, as the children are now able to bring home their contribution by going to school.  Again, sheer brilliance!

There is also a daily feeding program on the site that provides all children with breakfast and lunch.  The children are weighed each day and if found to be underweight, given an additional afternoon snack.  Opportunities can be found at the PCF website to sponsor a child to eat.

Health is also of top concern.  Kids receive a vitamin each day and de-worming treatments are given out several times a year.  A recent birthing center was added at the dump site as well, to assist with pre-natal care and deliveries.  Housing initiatives are in full swing too and sponsorships of $300 can provide a new home for a family of 3 on the site, getting them out of the squalor of their shanty.

The final component of PCF is a livelihood project that teaches them how to make items out of trash.  Bags are made out of juice cartons (my sisters each got one for Christmas) and beaded jewelry is made out of magazine pages.  I was able to get some stunning jewelry to take home with me.  It is truly incredible what they are doing, as it teaches them new skills beyond scavenging.

The school is located on the land of a previous dump site that is affectionately titled “Smoky Mountain”.  As you can see in the picture above, there is constant smoke rising from the mountain.  What you may not have guessed though is that the smoke is actually methane gas, caused by all the garbage deteriorating below.  My eyes were burning and tearing up after just 10 minutes near it.  Imagine living there day and night?

I nearly gagged when I saw this.  Contained in these bags are chicken bones with small amounts of meat still on them.  They were pulled out of garbage bins, re-cooked, sauced and sold for 50 cents a bag.  I wonder how many pieces of my leftover Jollibee chicken scraps have ended up in these bags?

So I’m sure you’re wondering why so many people end up at the dump.  The cycle works something like this.  The dream for most Filipinos is to move from the provinces to the big city of Manila and then eventually get a Visa and move to the United States.  What happens though is that they leave the province and come to Manila, attempt to find a job without success and then eventually end up at the dump to make their living by scavenging.

So why don’t they just go back to the provinces where life was better?  Well, the Asian concept of “saving face” comes into play here and unless they’ve made something of themself, they do not feel that they can return (in shame) to their home.  And so the population of the dump continues to grow….

As you can see in my pictures, the Tondo children really captured my heart.  I will never forget the moment captured in this picture above as two children scurried up the garbage pile with their trash bag, fighting over who got to hold the bag.  My heart still remains heavy 24 hours later and I feel compelled to do one final post on Tondo tomorrow.  I hope you will continue reading about these courageous people and think about what you may do to fight poverty in your own community.

The Children of Tondo

Today I was privileged to get a tour of the garbage dump Tondo, home of 1.5 million of Manila’s residents.  It was one of the most humbling and disturbing experiences I’ve ever had and I still haven’t processed my experience enough to blog about it yet.  For now, the pictures will have to do it justice.  So for today, I want to start by showing you some of the faces of the beautiful children that call this trash dump home.

I did get all of my photos up on Smugmug and I must say that they are some of the finest that I’ve ever shot.  They’re also graphic and disturbing, but I do think I did a good job of capturing the reality of this place.  To learn more about what the Philippines Christian Foundation is doing at Tondo, check out their website.

A Sobering Reminder

There are times when it’s easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security with this lifestyle, telling yourself that there’s no reason the bad guys would want to hurt little old you.  Unfortunately, Saturday was a tragic reminder for Foreign Service Families around the world about the VERY REAL danger that comes as a part of the package we sign up for.

In case you are not aware of the incident, over the weekend, 3 members of the Diplomatic community were killed in Ciudad Juarez, a town just across the border from El Paso, Texas.  The NY Times confirmed that 1 was a pregnant US consulate worker and the other 2 were accompanying spouses.  2 children were seriously wounded in the attack as well.  The attacks happened in broad daylight, en route back to their homes after a party at another consular officer’s house.  The thing that I’m still struggling to process is that it was just a casual afternoon gathering that is typical for Foreign Service families around the world.  It could have happened anywhere…

We have since received messages via our friends that the entire Embassy community in Juarez is in mourning, trying to make sense of these seemingly senseless killings.  Despite our physical distance from the murders, it still hit incredibly close to home.  Seven of our friends (and their families) are posted there and it just as likely could have been us that ended up with that assignment.

As you can see in the map above, our main Mexican Embassy is located in Mexico city.  But since Mexico is one of the highest Visa-processing countries, there are also five Consulates located in the border towns of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey.  The drug violence is not isolated to Ciudad Juarez — in fact in 2008 a grenade was launched at the Monterray Consulate, although it did not explode.  Hard to believe that something so close to our borders could present such a safety challenge.  It is a blessing to currently feel safe here in Manila, but I know that will not always be the case over the next 20 years.

I know that if these murders had happened a year ago when we were just going through training, I would have seriously questioned our decision to join.  In the 9 months we’ve lived overseas though, I’ve acquired a true sense of patriotism and pride for what our Embassies and Consulates do overseas.  It is vitally important work that is worth dying for.  That doesn’t make it any easier to process what happened on Saturday, but I can now say with confidence that I willingly accept the risks that come with this lifestyle.

For my part, I will commit to utilizing the appropriate security measures, continue living each day to the fullest, and remain grateful for all that I am experiencing on this global journey.  Our prayers are with you Juarez.

Pay As You Throw Programs Gaining Popularity

Okay, so I’m sorry to feature an out-dated chart, but it was the best one I could find.  I was truly inspired when I learned that over 7,100 US communities have implemented Pay-As-You-Throw Programs.  It is estimated that since their implementation, an average of 6 million tons of waste have been saved from landfills each year.  Most communities have shown a 25-35% reduction in solid waste.  The bonus of all this is that nearly 4 million tons of Greenhouse Gases have been saved!  Very inspiring, don’t you think?  Does your community Pay-As-You-Throw?

Sources: Body + Soul Magazine, http://www.epa.gov/payt/

Time to Get Your Groupon!

Seriously, this concept is sheer brilliance.  The basic premise is that there’s a daily deal at a significant discount that only becomes redeemable if enough people sign up to get it on that day.

• It’s Ideal for businesses because they’re guaranteed a certain amount of new customers and can also manage their break-even point.
• It’s Ideal for customers because they leverage the power of a group discount and get the best price possible.
• And it’s Ideal for Groupon because if the customers want the deal bad enough, they’ll promote it via social media channels to get friends to buy in, effectively spreading the word about Groupon in the process.

Are you seeing the brilliance yet?  Seriously, I wish I would have thought of it.  Here’s the best news, it’s available in over 50 US cities and one new international location: London!  Just go to GROUPON.COM to sign up to get an email letting you know what the daily deal is.  Note: Groupons can also be gifted to loved ones for future purchases.

Restaurants, Theatres, Spas, Stores – all these experiences are yours for the buying!  To date, over 2.3 million Groupons have been sold for a combined savings of $109 million.  If you’re ready to get in on the Groupon action, check out this 2 minute video to learn how the process works:

Age is Just a Number

You can’t help being inspired by this couple, who still know how to have fun with each other after 62 years of marriage.  Add to that the fact that it happened at the Mayo clinic and it became a must-share in my book!

Gettin’ My Baby Fix

I really like the Chinese concept of “Year of the …”.  I think that fits well into everyone’s lives and allows us to concentrate on key priorities for that year.  For Nick & I, this is the Year of Travel and we’ve committed to getting a minimum of 10 trips in.  Given that big goal, it means that the Year of Baby needs to be tabled for a bit.  Thankfully, there are babies available for the holding every way I turn.

Big-eyed babies, chubby-cheeked babies, Asian babies – no shortage in Manila!  Which means that any time I need a baby fix, I just call up one of my favorite recent moms and invite them for a coffee date (with baby in tow).  They get to sip their latte while I satisfy my baby craving.  It’s a win-win for everyone!

I have to admit, even I was a bit overstimulated when I showed up at a Brunch this Saturday and found not 1 but 2 three-month old babies!  Which one to hold first???  Eva, on the left, is brand new in town, so we were just getting to know each other.  Leni, on the right, is my long-time pal.  We’re so tight that she even reserves a few of those adorable smiles for me……So I did I resolve this dilemma?  I just rotated back and forth!  What a good problem to have!  And as you can tell, this is a friendship in the making – that hand holding was organic, not orchestrated.  Isn’t that cute???

Look Mom, I’m an Astronaut!

Richard Branson totally inspires me.  Talk about a man who’s dedicated his life to making the impossible POSSIBLE.  Let’s take his latest project, Virgin Galactic, for example.  In this new venture of his, Richard has decided that every person deserves a chance to go into space.  I’m going to repeat that, so it sinks in.  EVERY PERSON DESERVES A CHANCE TO GO INTO SPACE.  That’s no small goal, huh?

How’s he going to make it so that every kid who has ever dreamed of being an astronaut can fulfill that desire?  Through a combination of savvy business strategy and innovative technology, of course!  Before I tell you the juicy details about how you can book YOUR ticket, let me just remind you of 2001 when American businessman Dennis Tito paid 20 million to be the tourist in space.  At this point I’m sure you’re still thinking, “Yeah right, like I could ever afford that!”  And at that rate, neither could I, but thanks to Sir Richard, you can now be in space for a mere $200,000 – less than the cost of a condo!

Seriously friends, do the math, in less than 10 years he has brought the cost down to 1% of what Dennis Tito paid.  UNREAL!  Makes me want to add it to my bucket list…

I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the mechanics, but apparently how it works is that the spaceship is tethered to a mothership that carries it 50,000 feet up, at which point it disconnects and takes off.  Another innovate feature is that once it reaches a maximum altitude, the wings “feather” up to provide additional resistance (pictured at top).

Here are some of the specifics for those of you who are ready to join the 300+ people that have already booked:

• Take-off is from Spaceport America in New Mexico, home of the first commercial spaceport.
• Total flight cost – $200,000.
• Flights begin in 2010.
• There will be 1 flight per week, 6 passengers per flight.
• Passengers must undergo medical exams and 3 days of training prior to the flight.
• Each flight will be approximately 2 1/2 hours in length, with 5 minutes of weightlessness.
• Each Virgin Galactic tourist will officially be certified as an honest-to-goodness astronaut.

Ready to book your ticket?  CLICK HERE

Finally, I leave you with a quick video that shows highlights from the Spaceship’s unveiling:

Reunited with Tater Tot Hotdish…The World is Right Again!

After 8 months of painful waiting, I was finally able to have my first taste of Tater Tot Hotdish overseas.  Despite the simple ingredients in the recipe, it was surprisingly hard to execute.  I battled with it for months, trying to decide if I was willing to eat a sub-par version of it or if I’d just rather wait until I got back to the States.  As you can see, I wasn’t able to hold out.

Norma and I made this one together, since she had no concept of what hotdish was.  I tried to explain it better by saying that an Asian version would be made with rice instead of a potato.  That seemed to help her understand.  And while I hadn’t cooked anything in quite awhile, I found myself wanting to teach her the art of executing this, instead of just explaining it.  Happily, when it came out of the oven and I asked if she wanted to try some, she said yes! (something that rarely if even happens when she cooks us a new American dish)  That totally warmed my heart – T Tot hotdish wins over another fan!

In order to make the scrumptious dish you see above we had to make some compromises and go to a few great lengths, including:

1.  Having Nick’s mom send dry onion soup mix

2.  Substituting Tater coins for Tater Tots

3.  Settling for fresh green beans instead of canned (I’m sure some would consider that upgrading, but in my mind it changes the taste and I don’t want it any other way than the one I’m used to!)  :)

I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but I’m giving out our family’s secret recipe.  This is no joke people, if it was my last meal before dying, I’d choose this.  It’s got your meat, potato and vegetable all in one – no sides needed.  Not to mention the perfect blending of flavors.  Tip: I prefer to mash mine all together to get a little bit of tater with every bite!  One last thing – this is the purist version of the recipe.  I am not a fan of over-complicating it by adding peas, corn or carrots.  Nope, just the core ingredients for me.  SO…..without further ado, here is the recipe:

The Miller Family’s Tater Tot Hot Dish Recipe

Brown: 1 lb. of Hamburger or Ground Turkey with one medium onion

Add: 2 cans of Green Beans (or the equivalent amount of fresh cut beans), 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of milk.

Mix and Pour: into a 9 x 13 inch pan

Top: with 1 bag of frozen Tater Tots

Bake: At 350 degrees for 45 minutes