We’ll start with a video. Music on the video is by the Hotdogs, a Filipino pop/rock band that topped the Filipino charts in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Watch out, it’s a...
This is a collection of posts from our tour in Manila, Philippines from July 2009 to June 2011.
We’ll start with a video. Music on the video is by the Hotdogs, a Filipino pop/rock band that topped the Filipino charts in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Watch out, it’s a...
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...
VS. 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...
We had a fabulous turn of events today, Nick got Monday off and we had an unexpected 3 day weekend on our hands. So, at 4 PM today we wired money (so bizarre) from a local bank and booked a weekend...
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...
Friends, it’s been a long few weeks. I swear, our house is plagued by disease and injury. As you know, I picked up the nasty whooping cough in Hong Kong two weeks ago. It’s finally...
Manila is big on bazaars. There is always one a month for the American Women’s Club of the Philippines. The US Embassy Club does 2 annually as well. And then there’s the myriad of...
Last night was a big one for the Novak family – our first ever Marine Ball! Just to give you a little history, the Marine Corps Ball is an annual event that is celebrated each year on the...
Yes, it is true. We are still sick. New symptoms seem to be showing up each day. I haven’t kicked my cough yet despite all the various remedies I’ve tried. And then Nick woke up...
On Sunday we attended a baby shower for our good friends Andrea and Brian. Nick and Andrea trained together in Washington, D.C. and have been inseparable ever since. Andrea and Brian are also...
After purchasing 5 sets of pearls for friends and family, I just couldn’t resist anymore. The pearls were calling to me. But not just ANY pearls, the Ralph Lauren set of Pearls… And...
BIG WEEK for Embassy Manila last week due to an impromptu visit from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It was a whirlwind day and a half visit for her while on a tour of Southeast Asia. ...
We had set the intention to put up the Christmas decorations this past weekend. Like most things in Manila, it didn’t end up going at all according to plan. The first problem we had was...
Nick took up golfing in Manila recently and even joined the Embassy Golf Club! Last night he played his first round of night golf at one of the few public courses in the heart of Manila. The...
As I lay in bed writing this post, I can honestly say that after 5 hours with 35 eleven and twelve year olds, Nick and I are officially exhausted. But it’s a good exhaustion, one of those...
I’ve had some fun holiday-related experiences recently that I thought I’d share with you…been running short on time to blog lately, but I’ll try to do better next week! 1. ...
I was in charge of designing a holiday party for the Friendship Home kids. I was determined to make it highly memorable, introducing the kids to a few new holiday activities. It didn’t take...