Monday, July 4, 2016 (our last full day), Manila, Philippines
Happy July 4th!
What a fun start to the morning. Sweet Sabrina agreed to run with me at Luneta Park at 5:30 a.m. I had no idea what to expect, as I haven’t been in Manila or Luneta in so long. We picked a great hotel; Paragon Tower Hotel is just a couple of blocks from the park.
The city was waking up, with people eating breakfast along the sidewalks, alongside stalls. The park itself is clean and full of people starting their day off being healthy. The fountains are grand and pretty, a fun water feature to see the city through. We saw lots of other runners and folks doing yoga. I ran once around, with Sabrina matching my pace, then she felt comfortable enough to take off at her faster pace.
I noticed booming music to the side of the park, where a sign said, “Senior Citizens,” and checked it out. People were doing Zumba, with a guy at the mic and two women showing off the moves. I asked a passerby if I can join and was told it was 20 pesos. They go from 5:30 to 7:30, so I flagged Sabrina down and told her I would Zumba for a few minutes, and to find me there. Luckily I brought some money with me.
What joy! What fun it was to move around and do something other than running. Sweat poured from me once I was done. It felt great. I left the workout a few songs after Sabrina showed up.
And then, one of the best things about going to the park…there was a taho vendor! Taho is soy with syrup and sago. It is all layered in a cup, warm and super sweet. I had brought 30 pesos in coins. So with Zumba of 20, and taho for 10, I had brought the perfect amount.
The taho brought back memories of me as a child listening for the familiar “Taho! Bili na po kayo ng taho!” as a vendor peddled it around our neighborhood. And as a child I brought out our tall glasses, savored that fragrant syrup smell, stirred it all up with a spoon, and ate/drank it to the very last drop.
On the way back to the hotel, we encountered lines: women and men lining up to apply for overseas work, people waiting for a jeepney. Many vendors were out already, and not even seven yet. One woman even had a sewing machine set up alongside her stall; very enterprising. Many were selling breakfast foods – garlic fried rice and fried meats (sausage, tocino or cured meats). One sold sapin-sapin cakes, sticky rice, palitaw, and other rice desserts. I told myself to check it out in a bit when I go to breakfast with the fam. Unfortunately, by the time we did go to breakfast, he was already gone.
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Today at Intramuros, my kids were goofing off as we made our way to the Rizal shrine and I just felt so blessed that we have had this vacation before Sierra heads off to college and Wesley to his mission.
We would have taken a jeepney if we could have, but Intramuros was just walking distance from our hotel. Unfortunately, San Agustin Church was closed until 5:30, but we were able to go to Manila Cathedral. We lunched at a café near the Navy compound – I forget its name – and the food was great. I had lechon kawali (pork crisp fried), kangkong in garlic. We wanted a non-fast food that was not questionable but still would be reasonably priced, and we got it.
Speaking of questionable food. This morning before heading out to Luneta to run, I asked the reception desk lady if the taho sold at the park was “clean.” She said, archly, “Many have eaten it, and as far as I know, no one has gotten poisoned. Ouch. I guess my prissy question deserved that one.
We briefly considered doing an organized tour this morning, but it would have been last minute plus go-go-go again. So we decided not to. Good plan. I think the family needed just a slower pace this morning, sleep in a bit, and have more time for Intramuros.
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After lunch, we toured Fort Santiago and the Rizal shrine. They were doing a lot of renovation on the grassy lawn so much of it was fenced off. We stopped at most of those life-size people with heads cut out, and the family rolled their eyes but posed for their mother.
We watched an Intramuros documentary, as well as a Rizal one, and that was nice for my family to understand what they were touring. The kids said they thought it was fantastic. We then took a little horse carriage ride from Fort Santiago to Manila Cathedral. Our little gray horse ran in a charming, side to side way, jumping to attention when his owner flicked him with a switch.
At 4, we walked down to Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay, where we found a little sliver of concrete to sit on. In the time since my last visit to Manila, many hotels and restaurants have popped up on the bay. Fortunately, the bay is still unobstructed along Roxas Boulevard. The smell was familiar, the smell of salt and dampness. The rocks were as I remembered, having the occasional bug skittering along it and garbage tucked in crevices.
At sunset, the sun not only pretty much disappeared behind clouds, but it rained – poured. Fortunately, we were able to get a trike to Robinsons’ Mall so Sabrina could check out National Bookstore for a Philippine bird book (she did). We also…drumroll please…ate at Goldilocks! What fun – I had lumpiang ubod, dinuguan (blood pudding soup), puto, and sago at gulaman. A nice last dinner in Manila. Sierra said she was happy for me.
We bought a bunch of baked goods at a store near the hotel – buko pie, ube empanadas, and banana bread so we can make good time tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 10:30, and a private shuttle will pick us up at 7.
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Tonight, for Family Home Evening, our family talked about what we learned/appreciated in the Philippines. I loved our discussion. There were some tender feelings shared.
Sabrina: In Coron, a little boy asked to finish my soup at the restaurant. I kept thinking of that boy. I have to be more grateful for what I have. There is nothing wrong with having what we have, we just need to be grateful. I need to look for ways to use what we have to help bless others. There are so many people who are in need, and we need to reach out to them. I was thinking of the EFY service trip. I really want to go on that trip. Seeing that boy who had so little, I can help at an orphanage in Ecuador, and I can go and try to help them. I need to make sure I can go and do that. We can do a lot for them.
Drew: I knew from Sierra, sharing her missionary experiences, I knew how she would have difficulties. It’s been fun watching Wesley and Sabrina thrown into some tough situations. We are extremely blessed to come and do this trip, but it has been far from a luxury trip. Some people that travel might go to a five-star beach resort, where you might not have a feel for the culture. Wesley, for as many days you weren’t feeling good, you didn’t complain. You bucked up and you smiled, being friendly and happy.
Wesley: If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
Drew: Sabrina, when we were going along squished in this tricycle in Baler, you looked happy as can be sitting over there. When we have been blessed as a family, you guys don’t take it for granted or feel privileged. When we were hearing about the flooding in Baler, I was honestly thankful that if a sister missionary was there, it was Sierra, because I knew she could handle it. I am not worried about you (Wesley and Sabrina) at all.
Wesley: One thing I learned from Dad, the language barrier was a surprise. I almost expected for English to be more common. It surprised me that when we got here, I couldn’t communicate with them at all. For the first part of the trip, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to help people, the language barrier would be there. Dad just said, “Don’t focus on the things you can’t do. Don’t let fears keep you from doing the things you can do.” As I studied the scriptures, Heavenly Father can help me do the things he needs me to do. I don’t know how well I can speak the language when I go to South Korea, Heavenly Father can help me. If that means I have to bear the testimony in simple terms, than that is what I will do. No matter what we are doing, we will have His help, as long as we rely on Him.
Sierra: On the love for other people, that’s the key for the mission, life, leadership position. Wesley, you are a great example of that with being student body president. Just love. Keep those things with you. Just do whatever you can to keep feeling what you are feeling. If you aren’t feeling those feelings, change what you are doing. Pray. Serve someone. Sometimes it won’t be the exact same feelings, but that is okay. My favorite thing was loving people. Love people and everything will work out. Moroni 7: 42-48 are my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon. I am grateful you got to meet the people in Baler. They are super special people. We need to love them.
Sabrina: What do you do when people beg for money?
Wesley: The church discourages you from giving to panhandlers and instead support welfare programs in the church. The best way to help people is to donate to bishop storehouse funds, and fast offerings.
Drew: As hard as it is to see those kids beg, they probably do have a need. We don’t need to make that judgement. Begging doesn’t help them with the underlying situations that, solving them, would help them in life. The church encourages self-sufficiency. In developing countries, the church helps with the Perpetual Education Fund.
Sabrina: When we walk by, I don’t even look at them all the time and keep walking. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do. They’re just a kid.
Wesley: It’s so hard, eventually I was getting bugged by people selling hats and hawking tours. But they aren’t doing it to be obnoxious. They needed to make a living.
Sierra: Yeah, it really is hard. Especially with little kids, when they come up. What helps me the most is to realize there’s nothing we can do to help those kids. You love them, and trust in the promises Heavenly Father has for you. Trust in his promise to them. Trust that Heavenly Father loves them. You might not be the one to help them, but everything will work out for them. Nothing is impossible through prayer. The biggest help isn’t the 20 pesos. It’s the spirit telling them that God loves them. That the gospel can truly change their lives.
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In a few minutes, I will sleep one last sleep in Manila. I’m not sad to be leaving, just grateful. It’s been fun and I’m gonna miss easy access to all my favorite foods, but it will be good to get back into the swing of things back home, to do laundry properly, to not live out of a suitcase.
As we return home, I am so grateful for the chance we had as a family to travel to the Philippines. So happy for the kids to get to know about their ancestry and the Filipino culture; try the foods; meet wonderful Filipinos and learn our customs. It was great to ride on a jeepney to the rice terraces, to ride in a tricycle in a downpour, to meet with Kuya Patit’s family, as well as Jayne, Lance and Jayne’s sister’s family. But most of all, I loved the opportunity to meet Sierra’s friends – members and non-members in her mission, in Baler and Angeles, and to feel of their spirit. I appreciated their kindness to her then and now.
Who knows when our family will return to the Philippines? With our family at a crossroads, with Sierra poised to start college, and Wesley leaving shortly for his mission, I’m glad we were able to make this trip happen and create memories to cherish forever.
Thank you for reading along. 🙂
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