Second blog: http://mymacaustory.blogspot.com/2012/01/manila-lessons-take-2.html
50 Lessons I learned (or was reminded of) in the Philippines [continued]
21. The kidnapping that is often heard about in the Philippines tends to be done by a radical Muslim group in the south.
22. 7a.m. is sleeping in at the orphanage. Babies have early bed times, and people are moving around as early as 4a.m. I ‘slept in’ until 7a.m. on my vacation J
23. God has a plan…and a back-up plan. The teacher for the preschool and primary 1 classes was missing, but it just so happened that there was a teacher visiting at GH this week who teaches 1st grade ESL and has experience with maintaining preschoolers. (Raises hand) That’s right, I was able to swoop in and cover for the sick teacher for 2 days. I’m no miracle worker, but having preschool and senor casa (primary 1) in a small room at the same time sure made me respect the workers that work there every day…and all you mom’s around the world. I’m growing extra arms now…
24. The kids that come to this orphanage for the mistreated and neglected tend to be behind in development both physically and mentally (educationally). They may have slower speech progress and be behind in learning. Something I know I took for granted was access to public libraries, books, and parents who read to me. All of these are ingredients to grasping concepts more quickly, and something that these children probably didn’t have.
25. Not every question can be reciprocated. For instance, “Where are your mom and dad from?” was asked to me, but it would have been far more sensitive for me to ask the children this question. Again, the things we take for granted.
26. Fish can be eaten with bare hands. ALRIGHT! I love eating with my hands, apologies to all those that think that’s disturbing. Ethiopian style food is this way, sandwiches are this way, and so on. For dinner Tuesday, we had fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, rice, and Tilapia. It was the whole fish (head and all), and when I asked how was best to eat it (so I wouldn’t be rude), I was told, break it open with your hands. The head comes off first (unless you want to eat it), and then you open ‘er right up. It’s quite simple and delicious, but you have to be careful of the bones. When it’s cooked this way, the boys come out quite easily.
27. Life at GH is serious. One morning on the way to take a shower, Jordan and I crossed paths with Ate. Char (the director) who said seriously, ‘J’s splitting up blood.’ J’s (whose full name I’m not using) a TB survivor who was rescued at about 35 from the ditches of the Philippines. This is a sign he’s getting worse, but at this point he’s happy (and a miracle) to be alive. Brit told me when he was 7, he went into town with a friend’s family without telling his parents, got separated, and never saw his family again. He survived on the streets until he was rescued from a squatter community when he was in his 30s. They didn’t have a room for him, but he was grateful for the mattress in the garage storage area until they made room.
28. My limited understanding of squatter communities is that they are poor communities where people don’t actually live on the land, they live in makeshift homes, squatting there until they move somewhere else.
29. Everything in life is sales. This is one of many points I enjoyed listening to from the Canadian brother of the orphanage owner. He does all the fundraising to keep the 50+ children and staff supported. I mentioned when we were first introduced that he must have the tough job—begging for money. He said he wouldn’t trade asking people for money for having a sick baby die in his arms any day—he explained that his sister, the director, has the far more difficult job. As far as the sales part goes, he expanded about how marriage, work, etc. are all sales—the outcome is influenced by how you make something appear/how you market it. I was intrigued when he talked about how something as legitimate as this orphanage that also runs community training projects to help people get up on their feet and feed themselves should be able to raise the money without guilting anyone into it. Plus, he explained that guilting people into giving is only short term, and babies that are dying of malnourishment need long term commitment.
30. Broom belly syndrome is a condition where you don’t have muscles in the belly area to hold all your organs in place and in order. They end up being everywhere all over the place inside, and create a belly that fans out much like a broom. There is a miracle toddler at the orphanage with this condition who was told he would never walk or crawl. God showed up science again. Here is an idea of what he looked like sitting in my lap (eyes removed to protect his identity):
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