We may just be the luckiest people in the word today- we managed to get assigned our number 1 pick: Manila. The city, not the envelope…. :) I’ll do some research to see if there’s...
Philippines
This is a collection of posts from our tour in Manila, Philippines from July 2009 to June 2011.
Today we’re going to learn some fun facts about the Philippines, so that you can be as knowledgeable as I am about this great country! Here we go: The Philippines is an archipelago of more...
Hi all- We’ve safely landed in Manila and are adjusting rapidly to our new life. It’s exhaustingly hot, but the people are so kind that you just forget about the heat. I have been going...
Hi folks – Still in the internet cafe, so I apologize, but it’s not a good environment to write in. Here’s a little highlight from the last 24 hours: Nick and I are woken up at 2 AM...
Yesterday was the BIG DAY – Photography class started! Just to refresh your memories, this was the class that I had found online and registered for back in June. It takes place over 5 Sundays...
apparently do not mix. I ventured into my first salon on Monday to get a much-needed trim. As I previously mentioned, I already stick out horribly amongst the dark-haired, dark-skinned Filipinos...
I never thought it possible, but I managed to find a gym that has Bodypump classes in Manila (and it’s within walking distance of our place!) A little background on Bodypump… it’s a...
Greetings all – Hello from hot, sticky Manila. I have lots of little updates to give, so I’m just going to fill this post with various subjects of my interest (and hopefully yours). Where...
Great news – we have internet! I can’t tell you how much I missed it. I do believe I’ve developed something of an addiction, as it’s my primary means of communication now. I...
I am proud to say that I successfully hired my first household helper. In the US we would commonly refer to this as a maid, but she’s going to do so much more than just clean that it...
As I wrote yesterday, we have a household helper starting on Monday, August 3rd. Her name is Norma and she’s a Filipino in her mid-30’s. She was the first person we interviewed, but she...
Hello all, please indulge me for a moment and allow me to gush about my most recent pleasure, The Spa. I know that I’ve written about this before, but I haven’t really given you a run...
Nick and I were having the most delightful day yesterday. We had just returned home from a dinner of Spanish Tapas and I thought I’d do a quick load of laundry. All was seemingly fine until I...
not to write about massages anymore! But then the internet went down yesterday….and I just felt like The Spa was calling to me….”Come visit Sarah, we miss you”….and I...
Well, I had a chance to visit the Mall of Asia this week. As you know, Minnesotans are quite proud of the Mall of America, which we claim as the largest in the world. Imagine my disbelief when...
Sorry for being absent for a few days – we had the opportunity to take our first weekend trip outside of Manila. We ventured South to the island of Mindoro via a four-hour car trip plus one...
Nick and I visited our first movie theater last week and like most things here, it spoiled us miserably. A colleague of Nick’s organized a group gathering and rented out a 30 person theater...
Oh the beautiful bobbles I saw today. Pearls as far as the eye could see… and like most things in Manila, very reasonably priced! Today I participated in a group trip to Greenhills Pearl...
I thought you’d all enjoy seeing me pick out my dinner for tonight. This is definitely NOT the US of A! I’m adjusting slow but sure. Sorry for the poor video quality –...
In the spirit of radical self-care, I decided to treat myself to an eyebrow make-over last night. During my many, many visits to the Greenbelt Mall, I had happened across a shop entirely devoted to...
Sadly, my 5 week photography class came to an end yesterday. Hard to believe that it’s over already! The good news is that we formed a Photography club and have our first meeting already...
Today, as many of you know, is the funeral and burial of Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. It is impossible to ignore the impact of her life on Filipinos –...
Since my posting got a bit wordy yesterday, I’ll keep it more succinct today. Just wanted to introduce you to my second home (AND NO, it’s not Starbucks)! I am priveledged enough to...
My, how quickly the days are passing! I think that’s a good sign, right?? Pretty normal week here but it seems worthy of a posting. The Helper- We finished our first week and are gelling...
The church hunting process in Manila has begun. May I first begin by saying that I HATE church shopping. I find it all quite arduous. So much time is often spent at the “wrong fits”...
It’s a big week, activity-wise. In typical Sarah fashion, I’ve decided to plunge right in. Be sure and check back in a month – I’m sure I’ll be totally overwhelmed...
When our photography class wrapped up at the beginning of the month, there was widespread interest in creating a camera club to maintain our new friendships and keep improving our skills. This past...
We must be feeling comfortable here because we’re starting to venture out beyond a 3 block radius of our condo. Last night we were offered the opportunity to join a group of people heading up...
So for weeks and weeks I’ve been hearing about this S&R place. People would RAVE on and on about it and I was getting a bit tired of not knowing what all the hype was about. So last...
Who knew? It turns out that I have breathing issues. I go to the dentist and I get yelled at for being a “night mouth breather” (which causes gum bleeding) and then I get in the...
Here we go… I’m off to get up close and personal with the marine life of the Philippines. 3 days of pool sessions and open-water ocean dives! I have some serious concerns about my...
Just got home from a long 3-day weekend spent in Batangas, in the Southern part of Luzon (the island Manila is on). We’ll just cut right to the chase – YES, IT’S TRUE. I FAILED...
Remember how I wrote a month ago about how I had all these amazing taxi experiences. I guess all good things must come to an end because yesterday I ended up with my first crazy cabbie. ...
On Sunday our Camera Club was having their third outing. On the first outing in Fort Santiago, I ended up wandering off on my own too long and missed the meeting part. Outing two didn’t...
Awesome news – Our car has finally cleared customs at the port and is available for us to pick up! After celebrating for a few moments it dawned on me that I had no idea how I was going to...
It was a big week here in Manila. As you know, our stuff arrived a week ago, which means that we’ve been furiously attempting to stash things in any open location around the house. I have...
Now that we’re approaching day 90, I’m really beginning to get my feet wet. There seems to be a natural progression that plays out for expats that parallels Maslow’s heirarchy of...
When we were in training classes getting ready to head overseas, they presented a bell curve graph that showed the different phases of cultural acclimation. First was the honeymoon stage, in which...
It’s a typhoon! It’s a typhoon! It all seems a bit surreal and crazy right now. It’s more fascinating that anything, especially since I’m not out and about in it. The...
Hi friends- I didn’t realize the extent of the situation when I posted last night. I’ve been talking with expat friends and surveying the local news and things are quite bad. ...
Manila is finally drying out and beginning to rebuild itself. It’s been a tough few days and the stories are heart-wrenching. I haven’t ventured far enough out of Makati to experience...
I think I’ve mentioned this before but the Manila Embassy has a charity organization called the US Embassy Club (USEC). They sponsor 8 different welfare projects in the city and fundraise...
Ahh, some days my new life amuses me. Like today, when I was invited to “High Tea” at the Peninsula Hotel. Can’t say I’ve ever been to “Tea” before, let along...
It was a big weekend folks. My first dress-up, large-scale event in Manila. And it was not just any event, it was the Annual Hoedown put on by the American Women’s Club of the Philippines...
Wow, my spirits are still soaring after visiting the sensational children of Friendship Home today! It was a big day – the Halloween Party! There were 3 stations for the kids to rotate...
After passing a cold back and forth for the first part of October, Nick and I are finally starting to get our energy back. We managed to come up with a fun-filled weekend to get us back into the...
This weekend brought excitement a little bit too close to home. Our beloved Greenbelt 5, which is a 2 minute walk from our place, was subject to an armed robbery. The 7 person team of robbers...
There are few things in the world that I’m more passionate about then my undergraduate experience at the College of St. Benedict (CSB) and its partner institution, St. John’s University...
As you all know, while the location and view of our condo were fabulous, I had quite a bit of work to do to create an environment that felt “homey” to us. I’ve been laboring for...
All I can say is WOW. I am still reeling 5 days after seeing Michael Jackson’s This Is It. I can’t seem to get it out of my head… I struggle to even write a review of it, as the...