The fine art of losing a sale

Yesterday I went to visit my friend who is a vendor on the street outside where we used to live.  She sells banana-Q, a yummy banana fried in oil and brown sugar and served on a stick.  We were happily catching up on the latest happenings in life since I hadn’t seen her since our return from Canada.

A rather well-dressed man with slicked down hair appeared out of nowhere and flashed a toothy smile at us.  Judging by the stack of glossy pamphlets in his hand I had a feeling we were in for a sales pitch.  I was right.

“Good morning, Ma’am, I am speaking to you on behalf of so-and-so Fancy Spa Company,” Slick Street Sales Guy began in flawless, yet somehow slightly awkward, English.  He pulled out one of the pamphlets and laid it on my friend’s vendor cart.

I exchanged a look with my friend who raised her eyebrows at me slightly.  I could tell she wasn’t going to help me out.  “I’m not interested, sir.  But thank you,” I declined politely.

He pushed it.  “Oh Ma’am, we have five main and easily accessible locations as you can see listed here in our brochure.  Please may I tell you about a special deal we have for you, today only, ma’am.”  He paused briefly then plunged bravely on. 

“We have a special deal, ma’am, and free services worth thousands of pesos, all for the low, low price of 460 pesos if you would just fill out your name and number here in the space provided.  Let me tell you about the services you may avail of, ma’am.”

I glanced at my friend again.  She wasn’t even listening anymore and was quietly having a conversation with another friend nearby.  Sighing, I turned my attention back to Slick.

“First, ma’am, your free offer that I may draw your attention to is a free diamond peel service worth 1600 pesos.  This ma’am is yours for free, no questions asked.”  He looked at my face.  I tried to look pleasant but was failing to find value in what clearly sounded like a painful procedure.

“Next, ma’am, may I direct your attention here to the second free offer at our spa.”  I could tell he felt was on a roll.  “A free session of skin whitening, ma’am!”  He triumphantly pointed to the offer on the pamphlet. 

At this point I’m wondering if he is thinking about his potential client (me) at all.  I looked at him with round eyes and protested in shock, “Skin whitening?  Like a ghost?”  I was hoping that he would crack a smile.  Ok, I was actually hoping he’d stop the sales pitch.  But after one humorless chuckle he quickly recovered, “Perhaps you may give that part to a friend.”

Moving quickly on he said, “Perhaps you would like to avail yourself of other services at the spa then, ma’am.”  His eyes quickly scanned me up and down.  I knew where this was heading.

“Here, ma’am!”  He pointed to a list printed on the brochure.  “Did you know that we provide many services for your beautification, like for example, if you want to become sexy?”

I feel the need to interrupt here because I’m treading on some ground I haven’t yet covered on my blog:  Filipinos and their use of the word ‘sexy.’  I was shocked when I first came to the Philippines and heard this word used so often.  Like Inigo Montoya’s quote in the movie, “The Princess Bride,” I often feel the urge to say, “You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means.” 

I’m actually not completely sure what the word means to them, but my first clue that it wasn’t defined the way I thought was when my four year old daughter was called sexy.  Umm, ok…?  Somehow the word is linked to beauty in a way that is well, nonsexual.  (Really hoping I haven’t lost any sensitive readers at this point- it’s the culture here, folks, I’m just telling it like it is.)

It is also perfectly acceptable in this culture to discuss another’s weight and body image.  Imagine my shock when a stranger at the market declared that her vegetables from her stall would further me on my journey to “being sexy” (oh, that really endears me to you, thank you very much).  After attempting to discretely inquire among friends about the subject and beauty perceptions here I was told repeatedly that discussion of weight, even with a total stranger, is totally acceptable and doesn’t carry with it the connotations of judgment that we in our culture so quickly associate with the subject.  Indeed, it seems to be true- the topic is not taboo and thus we all must develop a very thick skin in order to survive here.

So having that clarification hopefully you have been able to pick your jaw up off the floor and we can continue the story with some understanding.

“Did you know,” he said, “that we provide many services for your beautification, like for example, if you want to become sexy?”  I knew where this was headed and steeled myself for some typical (or should I say ‘blunt’ by my culture’s standards) remarks on the subject.

“Hmmm,” I murmured, trying to warn him with a half-smile and a raised eyebrow that he was treading on dangerous ground.

“You know, ma’am, let’s say for example that you wanted to become smaller in your, um…” he eyed my torso, “your…” his hands skimmed the air in a curve, “you know, ma’am, in your abdomen.  To become slimmer.”  He paused.  “We have services for that, ma’am.”  His finger rested on the list of services.

I looked Slick straight in the eyes.  “Sir, buntis ako," I stated flatly.  He ignored me and continued to mutter things about slimming and services.  “Sir!,” I interrupted more clearly, “Buntis ako!  I’m pregnant!”

After staring at me for a few moments he vainly attempted to continue but all I heard was unintelligible gurgles.  Recovery from that faux pas was apparently insurmountable even for Slick.  He finally gave a nod and a quick, “Ok ma’am; if you’re sure, ma’am,” conceding defeat.  He ambled away, presumably to find a more fitting candidate for his spa. 

Perhaps he needed a better training course on knowing his target demographic.  Rule number one: don’t offer slimming services to a pregnant woman.

Get used to disappointment...

I had two things I wanted to do this week while Dennis is up north checking out our home in the village.  Dentist visits for the girls, and a doctor's appointment for me.

Dennis and I have this joke.  He says that if I lower my expectations until they are already met then I won't ever be disappointed.  Sounds like a phlegmatic thing to say, doesn't it?  It works, but it is also boring.

However, I'm considering taking Dennis' advice again.

Twice now I've tried to get my kids in to the dentist and have failed.  I started by going to the office to figure out the procedure for getting in.  I was told the dentist's hours start at 10:30 am every day, but they only take walk-ins.  Ok.  Sure.

So, two days ago, at 10 am we showed up. "Sorry, the dentist won't be here until 1 pm, ma'am.  But normally the dentist arrives at 10:30 every day."  Having kids that were tired and hungry, I decided to just go home.

This morning I was smart and called ahead at 10 am, just to be sure.  "Yes ma'am.  We don't make appointments, but the dentist might come at 11:30.  You must come to the office at 11 because it is first come, first serve.  Today, ma'am, maybe the dentist will get here by 1 pm.  But if you come at 11 then you will be first on the list."

Two hours early just so I hopefully will be first in the queue?  There's got to be a better way.

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment, just for me.  I had called ahead on Monday and scheduled it.  "Yes, we have you down for 2:30 on Wed."

I get my kids watched so that I can go.  In a taxi at 1:30, fighting heavy traffic the whole way there, I arrive at 2:15 at the doctor's office.  "Oh!  Valerie Easton!  I'm so sorry, but the doctor is at a convention today."  At least I could enjoy the air conditioning in the taxis there and back again.

So, if I followed Dennis' advice I guess I would just never make an appointment, or maybe just expect that it won't happen the way I want it to?

Things I love about the Philippines, #11

Last night Dennis and I went out on a date and I remembered something else that I love about the Philippines.  No, I haven't run out of material, I've just been super busy lately.  :)

First, we went to Dairy Queen and got a little treat.  The fact that there is Dairy Queen here at all is a pretty cool thing about the Philippines, but the best part is yet to come!

Then, we walked down to the movie theater and bought our movie tickets.

Then, we went INTO the movie WITH the food we bought outside of the theater!  Yes!  It's true!  At many theaters here it is A-OK to buy whatever you want and bring it in with you.

You want a burger?  Why not?  A grocery bag full of chocolate?  Sure!  Steak and salad?  Go for it!  But they may draw the line at a rolling buffet, I don't know.

Things I like about the Philippines, #9

Filipinos are generally wonderfully creative and artistic.  One of my favorite things about living here is their love of music and their lack of inhibitions when it comes to singing.

There are two sides to this coin (think karaoke at midnight) but the part that I love and would like to emphasize is that it is perfectly acceptable to sing out loud almost anywhere.  One time I was riding along on a jeepney when suddenly the guy sitting across from me burst out into song.  Loudly.  I was the only one who looked twice.  

Many times I've been shopping in a store and a sales person in the same aisle as me suddenly chimes in with the music playing on the loud speaker system.  They have no qualms about that at all. 

I decided to experiment with this.  I was curious what people would do if a foreigner, who already sticks out like a sore thumb, burst out into song in the grocery store.  The answer?  Nothing!  They didn't even look twice.  I love that!  Now I don't have to feel weird about humming along to the radio or singing a song of my own.  

Now, isn't that refreshing?  Who cares what other people think?  Enjoy life a little!  If your heart feels like singing, then sing!  We should all learn a lesson from the Filipinos on this one.

You may be wondering what happens if the person who is singing along can't carry a tune.  Nothing.  They are welcome to sing too (think karaoke at midnight).  :D

Things I like about the Philippines, #8

I took this picture a long time ago knowing that if I ever blogged about things I like in the Philippines this would have to take place among them.

There are many varieties of bananas available here in the Philippines and they are all are quite flavorful and delicious- very sweet and just the perfect amount of tang.  Even a very ripe, brown-turning-almost-black banana is quite good (according to Dennis and others anyway, I don't really eat brown bananas no matter where I am, banana-snob that I am...).

If you try to eat a banana here when it is too green you will know it right away!  There is a Tagalog word for "unripe fruit taste" that is especially appropriate when eating a green banana.  It is super dry and pithy tasting and almost turns your tongue inside out.

I know ripe bananas are good here, but who better to tell you the difference than someone who recently went from 'here to there'?  Bee, my sister-in-law, lived with us here in the Philippines for two years and has now returned to Canada.  When she ate her first banana back in Canada she couldn't believe the difference.

Here's what she had to say: "Eating a banana that was yellow here tasted something like a green banana there... kinda pasty and a bit bland."  She said it would take her awhile to want to try a North American banana again.

Things I like about the Philippines, #7

This is something that definitely had to grow on me, but now I really just can't imagine life without it.

This, my friends, is halo-halo; a yummy dessert concoction made with evaporated or condensed milk poured over shaved ice and colorful ingredients including, but not limited to, a few different kinds of "dessert" beans (did you know there was such a thing?), gelatin, tapioca, sweetened fruits, pinipig (like crispy rice), leche flan (like custard), sweetened banana, chick peas, etc., topped with ube (purple yam) ice cream.

Take my word for it, it is delicious and everybody should at least try it once before they die.  It should go in one of those "1,000 Things to Try Before You Die" books.  I hope to try it 1,000 times before I die...  :D

Things I like about the Philippines, #6

Another thing I love about living in the Philippines?  Year-round flip flop wearing!

That's right!

Flip flops on Christmas.  Flip flops on Thanksgiving.  Flip flops to church *gasp*.  Flip flops to the mall.  Flip flops to the beach.  Oh, the ease of getting a family out of the door now compared to the snowsuit and boot-wearing chaos of yester-year....

Ah, this is bliss... 

Not to mention how cute they are on even the smallest of feet:  :)

Things I like about the Philippines, #4

This, my friends, is a stroke of genius.

These are small sample-sized packets of shampoo and conditioner sold individually or in strips.  Check out the picture of the sari-sari (road-side convenience store) below.

All those strips hanging from the line above the counter are small packets of shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, laundry soap, and even tiny boxes of just a few bouillon cubes.  Toothpaste comes in packages like that as well, and you can buy tiny sizes of deodorant, cologne, lotion, baby wash, vitamins... almost everything, just like the package of four diapers I wrote about earlier.  Most items here are available this way and it isn't expensive like the trial and travel sizes we used to buy in Canada or the U.S.

You can even go to the drug store and buy just one or two tylenol.  It is perfect for those headaches that suddenly hit and you don't really want to buy a whole bottle of medicine since you already have three at home!  :)

These packages are great for everybody- those who can't afford to buy a lot and also for those who don't really need a whole bottle of shampoo.  They are perfect for travelling, for sampling different kinds until you find something you like, or to get you by if you are in a pinch.  I love it!

Things I like about the Philippines, #3

Here's another thing I love about the Philippines.

You know those large plastic mascots and larger-than-life toys outside of fast food restaurants, toy stores or movie theaters?

Those are not just advertisements here or gimmicks to get children to beg their parents for a product!  Those are photo ops!

Gone are the days of quickly snapping a picture of the large plastic lego guy before someone sees me take a picture of something so childish and embarrassing.  Do you remember ever furtively looking around before posing with Ronald McDonald or that purple McDonald's guy (what's his name?)?  In my mind those things were always embarrassing.  Or maybe it was just me?

Anyway, I do not need to worry about that anymore.  Here in the Philippines it is A-OK to have your picture taken with any old statue, larger than life toy, advertisement on the wall, movie poster or large cardboard cut out.  That is not embarrassing at all, even for adults.  And if your kids are cute enough, you may not be the only one snapping a photo either!  Not sure what to think about that part of it, but I do love that it is ok to enjoy the more childish things of life, no matter what age you are.  

 

Just look at the cute little "wanted"

I honestly had no idea that I had so many pictures of my kids with these sorts of things until I dug through the archives looking for pictures to go with this post!  Wow- not exactly practical or anything, but they do underscore my point.  :)

Things I like about the Philippines, entry #2

Thing I love #2

This thing is something I never knew existed three years ago.  I did not have a need for this item.  I did not wish I had one.

When I arrived and was shopping for household supplies I kept seeing these huge colorful basins on the shelves at the store.  They were very affordable but I still had my NA (North American) eyes and I didn't even know what they were for.

Soon I started noticing them everywhere, and I found out they had a name! Palanggana (pa-lang-ga-nah).


Now, we own three large palangganas and several smaller ones.  These things are the best!  They come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  We use them for laundry, sorting things, a swimming pool, a spaceship, a car, holding water balloons, a bathtub for Miss Muffet and bunch of other things.

It took me a long time to be able to say that word without messing it up or saying the Tagalog word for "name" instead, which is "pangalan (pa-nga-lan)." 

"Excuse me, what is your washbasin?"  :)

Things I like about the Philippines, entry #1

I've been wanting to write about the things I like about the Philippines for a long time.

Any time a person is going from one culture to another, or from one country to another there are things that are different.  But, as Dennis and I learned (and often mantra-chant to each other when the need to be reminded arises), it usually is "not wrong, just different!"  Some of the "new" things I like so much better than the old!

Here is my attempt to share some of those cool, different things with you.

Thing I love #1:

This is a package of four diapers.  Yes, just four!  These little packages are available all over the place, and they are often available at roadside stores (called sari-sari stores) or corner convenience stores.  

Have you ever been out and realized that you forgot to restock the diaper bag?  Now, I won't put all of you in the same disorganized category as me, but I can recall lots of emergency runs to the store while on a road trip or sightseeing.  Usually I'd have to buy a pack of at least a dozen diapers or more, and the extra diapers usually wound up hanging from a plastic bag on the back of the stroller.  Annoying!

Happily, here I can just buy a few diapers and be on my way!  Hooray for differences!

Oh, be careful little tongue what you say...

For the past year I've happily been calling this

a 'plastik' which is just a Tagalog-ized English word, obviously.  It seems to be the most common term used here.  So, surely you can sense my excitement at discovering after another full year here that there is a real Tagalog word for it after all!  I stumbled upon it during one of my language helping sessions.  I happily started trying it out in a few difference contexts so that it would become part of my vocabulary.

Imagine my surprise when someone quietly told me that I should probably be careful- if the wrong syllable is stressed the word actually means "uncercomsized mail."*

I apologize to my sensitive readers but honestly, what a funny mistake!

*words intentionally misspelled so as not to attract unwanted traffic to my blog.

Blog Catch-up and Little Fish

Wow, it has been a long time since I last blogged.  Mostly my excuse is that we have been quite occupied with the business of living and learning a second language.  Things are coming along, but my brain is so befuddled that even as I am writing this I am imagining the ways I could say it in Tagalog.

Over here Filipinos have a saying when they hear too much English.  "May nosebleed ako," they say, which surprisingly means, "I have a nosebleed."  In other words listening to too much English is overwhelming.  They find it funny when I say, "May nosebleed ako" in reference to Tagalog.  Sometimes I have tried to say that my brain is fried but it really doesn't translate too well...  Nothing quite like trying to explain an English idiom in Tagalog to someone who doesn't really understand English.

Last week Dennis had a little culture event with his language helper.  They decided to make rice and toyo, a small, extremely salty fish that they fry up and eat on top of rice for breakfast or sometimes other meals.  Our whole family tried it for a snack.

It was oddly addicting, sort-of like super salty chips.  First we popped off the head and scraped the skin off.  Then we pulled the meat apart into small pieces and used our hands to pack some rice together with the fish and popped it into our mouths.

The kids were skeptical at first.  Squeaky had a look on her face that said, "You've got to be kidding me," but to her credit she didn't say a word and even told us afterward that she actually liked it a little bit.  Button didn't say anything, but after politely trying it she left most of it on her plate.  Winnie gobbled the whole thing up and played with the fish heads like they were little toys talking to each other.

Ok, I really would like to blog more frequently but sometimes I can't think of anything interesting to write about.  Isn't it ironic that two years ago I would have given an arm and a leg for some insightful information on the culture over here and now sometimes when I sit down to write I can't even think of anything that is out of the ordinary.  Funny how that works.  If there is anything you'd like to hear about, dear reader (if you do indeed exist), just let me know and I will try to blog about it.  :D

Not Real

Every once in awhile I am freshly reminded that we are not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Here's a little story that made me realize again how different cultures see things differently.

We interact with our neighbors daily as we come and go from our house. It all seems fairly normal with a lot of smiling at each other and saying hi and sometimes we try out our Tagalog with them.

Our helper, Rona, loves the baby and likes to take her out in front of our house sometimes in the evenings. But recently Rona told me that the neighbors had been asking her questions about the baby.

Apparently there had been some discussion on the matter and finally the neighbors asked Rona in all seriousness if our baby ever cries. After all she looks just like a doll, they said.

Shoeless in Manila

This morning I headed out for language helping. I was meeting my teacher at a nearby Jollibee (sort of like a Pilipino McDonald's) for breakfast and then I had planned to go with her to the palengke (market).

I hopped on a jeepney (that, by the way, didn't slow down enough for me to get on without lurching, grr) and got off near the Jollibee. I don't think that particular street corner sees many foreigners because I found myself the center of attention. This is fairly normal and not at all shocking or embarrassing unless... you are like me and somehow manage to trip in front of the crowd on the uneven sidewalk, breaking your flip flop right off your foot. At eight months pregnant. In a bright red shirt. Yes, I think I would stare too.
I aligned the broken sandal with the sole of my foot and shuffled over to the side of a building. Leaning there casually I tried to act like this happens to me everyday. What to do?! Stores here don't open until 10am and this was before 8am. I texted my language helper/knightess in shining armor and asked her to come across the street and meet me. She came, but now there were two of us who didn't know what to do. Finally I mentally calculated the risk of infection ("do I have open sores on my foot? No.") and took the broken shoe off to cross the streets to go to the restaurant. It is amazing how much more aware I was of the little piles of spit, loogies and various trickling streams of liquid of unknown and sketchy origin when barefoot.


We made it to the restaurant and I put my cheeriest smile on to distract the guard at the door from my bare foot. I was afraid he wouldn't allow me inside without shoes!

Beth (my language helper) rescued me by ordering breakfast and making a quick run down to the palengke to buy me a new pair of flip flops. :) I had her record the whole story in Tagalog for my continued listening pleasure over the next year or so.

After I was happily shod we both went back to the palengke where I bought a little baby bed and grass banig mat for about $4. We have a playpen but I was wanting something smaller I could move around from room to room when the baby is tiny and napping. I'm so happy about this little "duyan," or baby hammock. It will do the trick and makes me feel like this baby is definitely entering a different culture than Canada. And that is great, because it reminds me of the mix of culture that now defines our lives.

(Disclaimer: I'm sure this wouldn't pass safety standards in Canada or the U.S. I shall take necessary precautions, don't fear. However, most baby things sold in Canada and the U.S. eventually don't pass safety standards either, right? I'm pretty sure I won't find this basket on a recall list.)

A Pleasant Surprise

This morning I set out on a mission to pay a bill. This was my first time paying and I wasn't sure how to do it. I went first to a nearby supermarket to a payment center but they couldn't accept payment for this particular bill there. So I asked where I should go and they mentioned a payment center in a mall not too far from here. But with public transportation it would have taken me about two hours to pay at that location. The guy in front of me in line was still standing there and offered another solution- there was an office nearby that he thought could take the payment.

I walked over to the office with my umbrella up. No, it wasn't raining- using an umbrella as a sunshade is a common way to combat sunburn and heat exhaustion here. Things have been fairly warm this past week as we get closer to hot season.

When I arrived at the office I found the line for the teller. There were at least 35 people ahead of me and I have heard lots and lots of stories here about people waiting for hours to pay bills. I resigned myself to my punishment because I knew I had left this bill payment to the last minute.

A guard came over and asked me if I was waiting for the cashier. I said yes, and then he asked to see my bill. I was flustered but did what he asked. I thought he was going to tell me I was in the wrong place. He surprised me by taking the bill from my hand and escorted me past all the people to the front of the line. As they gawked at us he explained, "Kasi buntis siya," which means, "Because she is pregnant."

I was embarrassed as I paid my bill but so very grateful not to have to stand there and wait for an hour or two.

New Glasses

We had a cool experience this morning. The longer we are here in Manila the more I find myself dragging my feet at going out and "experiencing the culture," especially if it involves meeting new people. I am not generally a people person and have to fight the urge to sit at my desk all day rather than live a real life. :)

For the last few days Dennis has had an idea to check out an eyeglasses place located just behind our house. He needed new frames. He asked me to go along with him and for a couple of days I said no. But this morning I just decided to bite the bullet and go.

As we left the house and got out onto the street Dennis realized he hadn't brought along his wallet. I tried to convince him that he didn't need it but he told me to go talk to some people on the corner while he went back to our house. I protested for awhile but soon found myself all alone. I walked to the corner. Our local newspaper vendor was there as usual with her cart. I squeaked out, "Kumusta kayo?" (how are you) and smiled.

I tried to remember a new verb we just learned this week, "to wait." I could remember the verb and it's various forms but not how to properly put it in the sentence. They use the verb here to differentiate specific or non-specific objects, tense and who or what the sentence is focusing on. So the one verb "to wait" has 12 forms and I was trying to figure out which was appropriate in this case as I currently waited for my specific husband on the street corner. By the time I thought maybe I had figured it out he was back and that saved me from having to say anything.... ahem.

So we walked up to this little store that is right behind our house. The lady working in there let us in the door and I noticed an open Bible that she had just been reading on her desk. She was more than happy to speak Tagalog to us and since it was just her and us and not an intimidating environment we were both more than happy to try some of our Tagalog out on her.

We discovered that she is a Christian and was the last one in her family to get saved. She had grown up a Catholic but began her relationship with the Lord 11 years ago. She somehow already knew that we were missionaries and that we lived in the townhouses right behind the store. It is a little scary to discover things like that- it reminds me that people are watching!

Anyway, right on the spot she examined Dennis' eyes, gave him a prescription and we picked out the frames. She said they would be ready this afternoon at 3 or 4pm. Dennis picked them up after class. Can't beat that for service! And she gave us a discount too!

Caroling

We were surprised a few days ago when the little gaggle of neighborhood girls invited Squeaky and Button to go around with them and carol. Now, I'm sure that for most of you Christmas caroling conjures up some images:

people of all ages

boots and mittens and scarves

stomping to warm up feet

standing on dark porches or outside front doors

singing while your breath freezes in the air

carols set way too high to reach those high notes

a few cookies and some hot chocolate afterwards... perhaps?

It's a little different here. Aside from being in a tropical climate where the normal caroling attire is shorts and flip flops, caroling here is typically only done by children and they do it every night- sometimes for the entire month of December until the 25th. Our neighborhood children started it just over a week before Christmas instead of on Dec. 1. Here, it seems to be a little money making venture for the kids. They expect candies and pesos after they sing. Usually one person will collect the money for the group and it is divided up amongst the carolers at the end of the night.

I've noticed that they basically sing 2 or 3 little songs, the most popular being "Joy to the World," "Jingle Bells," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Most of them carry little plastic instruments of some variety and joyfully play along. At the end they sing a little thank you song before they run off giggling to the next home.

Thank you, thank you

Ang babait ninyo

Thank you!

"Ang babait ninyo" translates into, "you are kind." Kindness is based on whether the person at the house gave them candies and money or not. If they don't give enough then the song goes like this:

Thank you, thank you

Ang babarat ninyo

Thank you!

...which translates to... "you are so stingy."

the Lord preserves the simple...

It was a dark and stormy night, but since it was "family night" we decided to brave the wind and rain and take our kids to the mall for the evening. After all, it is just rainy season and we have to live a little, you know. So we grabbed our umbrellas (all 6 of them) and the hands of our children and took off to find a jeepney going to the mall.

We climbed onto the crowded jeep that stopped for us and pulled the girls onto our laps. The plastic rain flaps had not been pulled down on the jeep but that was ok, I thought, because I was only getting a little bit of rain coming in on my back.

When we finally arrived at the nearby mall (as in, less than 3 miles away) 30-40 minutes later I realized that while the rain hadn't been too bad on my side of the jeep, my poor sister-in-law's back was entirely soaked.

The end of the jeepney route is not exactly at the mall. We have to walk along the outside of a different mall, go up a long flight of stairs, cross a walkway suspended above six lanes of atrocious traffic, down a long flight of stairs and another block or so to the mall entrance.

It was still raining as we stopped at the end of the sidewalk before the long flight of stairs. We gathered ourselves as we prepared to step out into the rain. The girls were pretty excited that they had been allowed to bring along their own umbrellas.

Winnie was the first to open her umbrella. We turned our attention to the other girls as Winnie stood waiting.

Suddenly, as if in slow motion, I saw Winnie take a step forward... right off the edge of the sidewalk. The step down was over a foot in that spot. She crumpled to the ground under her umbrella. In fact, all we could see was the colorful umbrella- no Winnie!

We heard the gasps of the people walking by. We knew what they were thinking, "Crazy foreigners!"

We quickly picked up the umbrella and noticed that part of Winnie was missing... down a dark hole in the cement. We quickly pulled her out, ascertained that she had all her appendages and accessories and started wiping her down with wet wipes from my purse.

I think I've talked a little about the pollution and grime of the city in the past. Well, let's just say you really don't want to fall down a hole in the ground here. Her legs and dress were covered in greasy black slime. The sewer runs underneath the city and there are often openings right down into it right in the middle of the sidewalks or roads. The smell is horrific and you always have to look down as you walk. One of the hazards when it floods is the danger of accidentally stepping into an open hole as the water rushes over it. Many people have been lost that way.

It wasn't until lunch the next day that I realized what a close call we had had. We could have lost our Winnie! She had fallen in up to her waist, but in the dark we didn't know if it was a shallow hole or one that went all the way down into the sewer.

Dennis checked it out in the daylight later that week. The hole was as big around as Winnie's waist and it went down all the way into the sewer.

Thank you, Lord.

Perspective

Last night there was a banging on our screen door. Dennis was out, so I thought that he had returned and needed me to unlock the screen door for him. I hurried downstairs and discovered two little faces peering in at me. It was two neighbor girls. I don't know them, although I think I've seen them playing around outside with the 40+ other neighborhood kids.

"We want sidewalk chalk," they said. "Can we borrow some?"

I said, "Sure," and fetched two of the bigger nubs from our declining stock of sidewalk chalk.

They giggled like they had accomplished a major mission and ran off. I knew I probably wouldn't see the chalk again, and I was ok with that. I thought.

Pretty soon there were a dozen kids outside in the driveway in front of our place. My own kids were upstairs playing.

The screen door banged again. It was another neighbor kid asking to borrow one of our plastic deck chairs.

"Where are you going to take it?" I asked in my most chipper, syrupy neighbor voice.

"Just there," she said, pointing to the driveway.

Soon all five of our plastic chairs were across the street on another neighbors' patio.

"Grumble, grumble," I thought.

My girls finally went outside to play too, and took the rest of the nubby chalk with them. There were only two pieces left. I sighed and mourned the loss.

Then the first two girls were back. "We're thirsty," they said.

My kind sister-in-law asked them if they would like some water. "I want iced tea," one announced flatly.

Then to my horror, they came in the house and tramped into my kitchen. They started pilfering through some of the stuff on my counter. They found one of our girls' little dollar store notebooks and loudly exclaimed how much they liked it. Bee gave them their drinks and they thought the water was too cold. Then they left most of it on the counter and went into our living room. They started looking through a box of Lael's special quiet time toys that was sitting on our couch.

"Oooo!" they said. "This is a cute book. Can I have it?"

We ignored that. They touched everything in that box. They grabbed a magnetic picture board and sat down to play on our chair. I stood in the kitchen with a furrowed brow.

"How rude!" I thought. "They just marched in here like they own the place. And the way they are giggling at each other makes me know that they feel like they really accomplished something by getting in our house."

Soon their nanny came by and asked them to come home. They ignored her. She came back about 5 minutes later and asked again. They ignored her again. I was making our own supper by this time and was wondering what would happen when I was finished with it and it was time for us to eat. Would they go?

"I'm hungry," one said. "Can I have a cookie?"

"Grrr," I thought.

Finally it was time for us to eat and I pulled out the syrupy sugar voice again. "Ok!" I chirped. "Thanks for coming over! You'll have to come another time to play again. (I lied...) It is time for us to eat supper and so you need to go, and your nanny has been calling you..."

They didn't really act too fast. I am not authority to them. But finally they reluctantly put the toy away, took one more glance around the room at all the stuff we have and left. I breathed a frustrated sigh and went back to the kitchen, relieved that the inconveniences had left.

...........................

A little while later I regurgitated the whole tale to Dennis. "Wasn't that terrible? Weren't they rude to march in here like that and demand all that stuff?! They are kids of rich people. They could have gone home and gotten anything they wanted. They have no respect for us and just wanted to use us." I was looking for some justification.

Dennis just said, "Well... isn't that why we came here?"

And then I heard Squeaky singing a little song, "I want to be like Jesus, to walk and talk like Jesus; I want to live like one who follows Him..."

That night she prayed and thanked God for the friends who had come over.