I got my key to the church and the gate the other day, making me one of only a handful- something I'm very proud of. I know it's just a key, but to me it symbolizes this place being my home. That's why I say, I'm now officially a Newhopian! This morning after my first class I also received my teacher's uniform, which makes me feel like an official teacher! I'm so pleased. The shirts are a bit big for me, they were actually made for Teacher Jomel, but I think it's better too big than too small (which is usually my problem here haha.)
Yesterday after school I went with Marivic to go look at some clothes down the road and found a lovely pair of shoes for 250 pesos (about 5 bucks). They're an awesome find because I don't even have shoes that nice at home! I really like them. Then Ate Treesa (the white missionary I stayed with for my first 4 days here) picked me up at the church and we went for a massage together :) It was delightful! There was only time for a half hour massage, but it was so relaxing I felt like it could have been an hour. She got on my back and cracked it with her knees! It was awesome! We were at a beautiful spa, but it was really sad to think that within the walls of this spa, everything is bright and lovely and people are pampered, but just outside the walls there's nothing but squatters for miles. The difference is just so drastic, with the vast majority of the population living in that poverty. We went back to the Haus house (ha.) for dinner, and there I met a woman named Holly. She's in her mid-20's, a missionary from the states who taught at Faith Academy here, and is now church planting and discipling young Filipino women. She's obviously very passionate about these people, and I was so impressed by her fluent Tagalog. She's only been here 3 years, but is driving herself around and really finding a way to fit in here as a single white woman, which is not ever easy. So that was really cool to meet her and talk with her.
Richard and I went to the DVD store last night and I bought a disc of 24 great UFC fights, and also a 10 in 1 disc of disney movies. The quality on the 10 in 1's is actually pretty good. And for the price of 2 dollars, it's worth it! The man who runs the shop gave me a special discount, telling Richard in Tagalog that it's because I'm beautiful. Richard looked at him and said, "she understands you." hahahaha. Richard didn't think it was very funny but I was laughing.
So now I'm in between classes, about to start my grade 2 reading class in 40 minutes. I'm getting bored of reading picture books with them every day. Always a different story and different pictures, but essentially it's all the same. I'd like to find them a poem or something different to read. Maybe we can read song lyrics and discuss them. It's harder with the grade 2's because they're still pretty young, but I once had someone suggest to me that it's always better to aim too high and have something go over their heads, than to aim too low and give them nothing to reach for. I like that philosophy.
Oh, before I go, the most exciting part of my week so far was my mom deciding to come visit me here! She and my dad emailed me on saturday night their time to tell me that she was thinking she'd like to come, and to say that they'd found a seat sale with China Air. I phoned them sunday morning to discuss it, and by sunday evening they had bought the ticket! She will be here July 15, for 5 days? Or a week. She'll stay in my room since everything else is being used as classrooms for the school. I'm really excited! I'm so surprised at this risk she's taking, it takes a lot of courage to hop on a plane and fly to the Philippines by yourself! It will be the first time someone from my family will understand what I do here, and subsequently my heart for Filipinos, especially the small ones. Mama Guild is coming to Manila! Unbelievable!
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