Day 5 27/11/16 (Sunday)

Posted on by ukekid99

Day 5 27/11/16 (Sunday)
Ladies and gentlemen a new record! 5:50am! It’s going to be a gradual process but I’m sure I will be fully accustomed to Manila just in time to leave it.
The beauty of learning a foreign language when you’re in that country is that you can use the phrase 30 seconds after you learn it. Before 7am I went to the back garden with Kuya A to feed the ducks their morning rice, I also happened to see a very large monkey in the neighbour’s garden. It was sitting down surrounded by a large number of cockerels.
Next to basketball one of the biggest sporting events is Sabong, the cockerel fighting, and it finally explains why I see random people walking around the city with roosters under their arms. Cockerel fighting is a legal sport here in the Philippines and a biannual tournament is held in the city where I am currently staying (Quezon city), knives are attached to the roosters legs to increase the inflicted damage and this sport is usually accompanied with betting.
The first order of the day was getting dressed up ready for church. This is my Sunday best here in the Philippines:
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Before church started I re-tuned my ukulele to the slightly flat piano. And the took my seat, thankfully in a fairly solid pew, unlike the one that fell over, but that’s not important.
I was firstly introduced to the church by the pastor. (I think… It was part Tagalog so it really could have been anything). And then the hymns started. 3 violins, a honkytonk piano, a ukulele and 40 Filipino voices, if you are ever looking for a new “sound” or just bored of normal music then I can recommend the above recipe for you.
Just before the end, the choir (including me) performed “Trust in God my soul” and received a resounding “amen!” at it’s conclusion instead of applause.
Afterwards Kuya J and I tried to see what worship songs we both knew. The goosebumps were real by the end of that mini session. All in all the service was 4 hours long and I was definitely not hungry in a spiritual manner afterwards. That being said, the growls of my stomach indicated it was time to chow.
Chomp…chomp…chomp.
Lunch was the delectable chicken liver and rice which gave me the fuel to go for a short stroll towards the nearby mountain and appreciate the view of the Filipino jungle, with a flash of red roof daring to peek into the open.
In an almost ridiculous Christian plot twist I went back to church again in the afternoon! This time though I shared my testimony and the story of dad’s foot being miraculously healed after prayer (to the extent where we carried him into our friend’s house as he couldn’t walk and after prayer and instant healing he then carried my sleeping sister out of the house.) I can really reflect and know God has blessed me over my life and especially over these last few days. His works and his help have never been more clear to me than it is now.
It was evening before I finally made it into my non-stifling shorts, J, A the pastor and I headed down to downtown. Down in downtown Olongapo I was treated to a small tour of the shopping mall. The mall made for Titans. The mall made for when giants roamed the earth, surely not made for us little humans, no matter how fanatical a shopper they may be…
Manila has 3 of the worlds biggest shopping malls and these ones aren’t much smaller. My souvenir from that trip was a lovely and exotic payong, it was a little on the expensive side but due to its durability I’m sure it was worth the price. It has the power to protect one from the natural elements and in this country is used whatever the weather. And while all of you are wondering what this mystical magical object is… It’s actually just an umbrella.
Dinner consisted of the surprisingly normal fried chicken and rice, the option of unli-rice was offered (an unlimited amount of rice) and Kuya A informed me that in his better days he could take 8 servings. Sometimes I question the business strategy risks a food company makes and whether they ever consider the power of a teenage boy’s stomach. Purple ice cream, banana, jelly (that was suspiciously close to my arch enemy: the grass jelly) and small unidentifiable beans. All of the above was arranged into a delicate sundae fashion which we promptly defaced by mixing it all together with the ice chips below. This frankly alien dessert is known as halo halo.
The dinner conversation was about Australian table manners and I told Joel off for talking with his mouth full… I certainly did not expect his cheekiness of smiling, looking me dead in the eye and saying “mmf, I’m chomp… very sorry…munch munch. I had a hilarious night out with the lads and my face ended up hurting from an overuse of smiling. I slept on a kit Kat shaped bench (who was I to ignore the order of have a break?), I visited fountains which sparkled in the night from the illuminating Christmas lights and nearly got ran overly a 2m high robot elephant. Don’t ask. A 4 year old was driving it and I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t perish under its feet as it would have made one hell of a headline “European trampled to death by villainous toddler atop robotic elephant!”.
Before I turned in I did the responsible thing and called my loving parents on Skype. Except I didn’t. I mixed up the time difference, was 4 hours late, called them at midnight and if the computer was on at home I probably woke them up with the infernal ringtone that Skype supplies. It seems I’d also forgotten to pack chargers for my devices so I’m sure I can expect them to be dead in the morning.
Night night. See you at 5:42am.

Day 4 26/11/16 (Saturday)

Posted on by ukekid99

Day 4 26/11/16 (Saturday)
Wide awake at 5:25. The Australian time zone has an iron grip on me it seems. The exhaustion will catch up with me at some point I’m sure of it.
Breakfast came in the magical form of small purple vegetables known as “Kamorte”, I think they are the Philippine equivalent of tiny purple potatoes. I also was treated to a boiled egg which the duck had hatched last night. Luxury.
I had my first jeepney ride today! Personal space is not a recognised thing here and I’ve managed to learn all the Tagalog needed to pay the driver and stop the jeepney. My friends are testing me on my Tagalog a lot now which is very helpful for practice. Except when I try to say “that was good!” and I mispronounce it to form “that was angry!”
I have been transported to a parsonage which is a little settling above a church where the pastor and his family stays. When I first walked in the church it was still being painted but by the end of the day it looked rather grand indeed. The walls and even adorned with curtains of brown and gold and the pews were lined up like warriors in a holy war. First of all I played ukulele vs viola with Kuya A and then we improvised together which caused an eerie combination, not because of the notes or harmonies but just because the sound other two instruments mixing wasn’t quite the same, the finger picking of the uke and bow of the viola. It’s an interesting effect and one I would very much like to explore later.
For the record: my first injury in the Philippines is a burn to the side of my ankle where I sat the wrong way on a tricycle and caught it on the motorbike engine. It’s not too bad but I know I’ll never sit “sideways” again.
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Later I had a small nap which I think you can all agree was probably long overdue. In the peace and quiet of dogs barking, tricycles revving, children shouting and roosters crowing I managed an hour before I went off to help set up the church.
It turns out I’ll be playing and singing tomorrow during service and so I had to hurriedly learn 8 hymns on the ukulele and learn to sing in a style that’s quite unfamiliar to me. Personally I think they should bring back hymns in Australia. There’s just something strong about then where you can really sing praises and (perhaps through the eloquence) take joy in worshipping. I met another brother today, Kuya Joel, we say he’s my brother because he looks like me, loves Japanese food and is my brother in Christ so we became fast friends and he helped me to sing in the choir as he is a tenor and I struggle slightly to reach the higher end of that spectrum. Kuya A expressed a desire to learn the ukulele, so we swapped knowledge. Music for language. He now knows “the” 4 chords that every pop song is composed from. Perhaps I am an evangelist for the ukulele… Setting the trend in the Philippines.
After 3 hours of hymns (and none of us were tired of praising) we called it a night until tomorrow morning and I found my favourite Filipino food for dinner. It’s scarlet coloured sweetened pork and a helping of rice. That’s it. It’s quite similar to sweet and sour pork but there’s no shame in liking it because it’s authentic (insert an impressed but slightly sarcastic gasp here).
Finally after a quick shop in the markets with Kuya A we went back to the first house to stay the night and collect the rest of my luggage. We stayed up till 10 discussing English accents and how many different types there are. Oh, we also compared our skin colour because after 40 hours of friendship you’re totally ready to break down the cultural differences barrier. I was amused to see that my “tanned” forearms were paler than his “pale” shoulders. It seems both of us and our skins are able to be sunburnt and develop tan lines.
A final thought. You know you’re are in hospitable hands when after you wake up from a nap the father/pastor comes in and hands you a loaf of bread, a spoon and a jar of peanut butter. They don’t use knives over here they use a spoon and fork but the spoon works well as a spreading tool as well. Typical … I should be making deep and profound statements between the cultural attitudes of the two nations and all I can focus on is that they use a spoon to spread peanut butter.
If you still follow this journal after insights like that you’re either really bored, in solitary confinement or you actually like me. So thank you.

Day 3 25/11/16 (Friday) 

Posted on by ukekid99

Greetings to all,
Here in the Philippines I am being truly fulfilled. Emotionally, spiritually and physically (dinner is no small affair over here).
Anyhow, overall I could not be happier and already want to return for another trip though I’ve not yet left. Kuya Joel remarked to me that I might be British in blood but Filipino in heart.
Missing you all though.
Without further ado here it is:
Actually, I’m in the mood for a bit of further ado.
I’d be interested to hear what you guys are getting up to as well. Obviously you don’t have to write pages but just a few lines would mean a lot to me.
Now without further ado:
This morning I nearly died. Now in the Philippines there are many horrible ways for ones life to end but running 6km in this humidity is one of the more torturous methods. I got up at 5:50 and E and I set out (him on a bicycle). With my 11 year old guide we ran on. Over the steep curbs, dodging the tricycles (motorbike with side carriage), feeling a thousand little kisses from the water droplets running down the leaves above my head. It had rained in the night which caused the temperature to be cooler but the humidity to be out if full force.
Obviously when I returned home I was in a bit of a sorry state. I have never sweat so much in my life, I had a shower in which heating wasn’t an option but I could hardly see the freezing stream as anything other as a blessing.
When I felt a bit more human again I realised that I don’t feel the humidity as much now, I can wear trousers comfortably. L says that you feel better during the day after running. Seems like it’s very effective advice. Breakfast was nearly cake. Very nearly cake. Cunningly disguised as this “corn bread”. It’s quite fluffy and it’s best served with a light coating of butter and honey. It’s not a replacement for toast though. Even though I have not had a single piece of toast yet (and I decided in the end to not pack my toaster).
The first order of the day was to enter the college and meet with Miss Stand get assessed on my piano skills, I’m planning to take private lessons here at the college and learn (at least how to approach) Howls moving castle (for those who are unfamiliar with this theme search it up on YouTube).
Apparently in Manila the word tricycle means something very different to what I knew as a “tricycle” in the U.K and Australia.
My version of a tricycle: a three wheeled pedal vehicle for children.
Their version: let’s stick a tiny metal box on the side of a motorbike and use it as a carriage!
Being significantly taller than just about every Filipino here guarantees that every speed bump is a headache in waiting. Many head bangs later I paid them 35 pesos (85 cents) and rushed inside to escape the rain which was just starting to fall down.
Before I had to go to the college again for my normal classes I packed my bags for the weekend away in Olongopo, it’s a town in a very rural mountain area and the bus ride will take 3 hours… My sleep is so messed up. No matter how late I go to bed I’m still wide awake at 5:20 ready to start the day.
Once at school I joined the choir again and was no less impressed than the first time, I headed off to my first class which was bible doctrines (only getting lost 3 times on the way). After having only experienced pretty pathetic Christian education classes in Australia I was surprised at how deeply things are analysed here. I learnt about many things such as why Peter quotes psalm 110 in his speech in Acts, and discussed if the people in the Old Testament were saved despite not having been indwelled with the spirit which is a requirement stated in the New Testament. Fascinating stuff. Language update, in bible doctrine class one student thought I’d been to the Philippines before because I said “thank you” on my first day here. Doesn’t take much it seems. I’ve come to think that instead of learning to say hello in 50 languages it’s much more useful to say thank you.
While I’m on the topic of impressions I had no idea that nearly everyone is in their twenties here! The Filipino faces have two interesting features. Men seem much younger than they actually are and women are ageless. I tried to guess the age of M (Kuya A’s cousin) and I thought she looked 15, turns out she is 30. That is how pronounced the ageless effect is.
Something unexpected happened today. I had the chance to use my Japanese! While I was booking a time to practice with my voice teacher we got talking about Japan and out of the blue she asked me “日本語を話す事が出来ますか.” Which means “can you speak Japanese?” I’m so used to hearing Tagalog that it didn’t register for a second.
I finally had the pleasure to meet Kuya A, he’s the one whose family I’ll be staying with over the weekend and participating in his fathers church service. Together we grabbed a snack at the hilariously named Jolibees, I had a jolliburger in case anyone’s interested. At 9:00 pm I headed off with him and M, and they are now my best friends here I think. Understanding them is occasionally a tad difficult but they’re both very funny and friendly towards me. Henceforth I, armed with a ukulele and 2 friends eager to teach me Tagalog started the long journey to Olongapo. If you ever find yourself on a bus in the Philippines at midnight with two Filipinos either side of you I would recommend making a memory palace (also known as the method of loci) and spending your time memorising as many different words as possible.
When I made it to their house I was ushered in through the door by wonderfully welcoming parents and the two tiniest cats I’ve ever seen in my life. They could sleep in the palm of my hand. Easily.  I had a true midnight feast at midnight and then promptly collapsed onto my bed.
What’s the bet that if you go to bed at 2am in your time zone you’re going to be knackered in the morning? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Day 2 24/11/16 (Thursday)

Posted on by ukekid99

Day 2 24/11/16 (Thursday)
Yep. Up at 5. The aircon is wonderful but I’ll have to get used to its absence soon enough I fear. All had gone well, except for the packet of antibacterial wipes which had exploded in my bag. At 7:00 (my half past 9) E (who is in the bunk above me) got up and together we read some of the bible. He has a daily reading plan from school so I joined him in his homework.
In the morning I had a traditional Filipino breakfast. Some fried egg, garlic rice and minced pork meat. It had a rich almost gamey kind of flavour, I loved it. Breakfast conversation revolved around the titles which you have to give to certain people. And I thought the Japanese had it bad. On the upside E calls me Kuya Ukekid, Kuya is a term used to respect an older male, though I believe the literal translation is “older brother”.
After breakfast I did some washing up and helped E learn a bit of ukulele. I’m astounded at his musical ear. He’s got the feel for the uke and was playing a blues version of “twinkle, twinkle little star” in no time. I also got round to sorting out what classes I’ll be taking at the bible college. Some music, some religious. I’m really looking forward to it. No sooner had I circled the classes I liked the look of I was informed I would be starting today in the afternoon. I guess I asked for fast pace.
You know, I don’t actually find the Philippines hot. Australia’s hot. This place is just oppressively warm. The heat hugs you and doesn’t let you go. Anyway, I got dressed into my formal trousers in preparation for thanksgiving and set off to another Americans house. I cannot remember the name because I’ve been introduced to over 60 different people already (20 of them in this setting alone). Well. It was American alright, there was the traditional stuffing and mashed potato and fried chicken as well as many other foodstuffs. I started chatting with the other American teenagers and I think overall I might have received a fail grade for my celebration efforts. I was absolutely astonished at how much they could put away. I had one serving (one plate with a little bit of everything) and some of the guys there had 3 servings and dessert! According to them they can’t eat like that all the time but this is on par with Christmas for the “I don’t care how much I eat” factor.
After I said my goodbyes to everyone (E was trying to create an English accent with his cheerio) I clambered into a van and we set off for the bible college I’d heard so much about. When I arrived I had a singular first impression. It went along the lines off “oh dear… I’m going to spend the next 7 weeks lost in this place”, it is a rather huge building, it holds music classes, bible classes, a church and a high school inside it.
My first class was chorus/choir and I had the honour of singing the warm up with the choir. I use that word purposefully. Because this was akin to a beginner pianist going over to Mozart’s house for jam session. They. Sounded. Heavenly. I’ve heard choirs before and some truly beautiful music but in all seriousness I cannot remember another sound that has fallen so sweetly upon my ears. They sang psalms and old hymns with a new energy and a majestic quality. I remained in class to listen but as they had a performance soon I didn’t try to learn all the songs that they had nearly completed.
After the angels had finished their praising I went to my first class which turned out to be non existent. I didn’t know it had been cancelled so instead of Christian ethics I went to the New Testament introduction class. It was most informative despite being run by someone who switched between Tagalog and English that was so heavily accented I thought it was Spanish. By the way, the students I sat next to called me sir! I mean yes, I’m a visitor but these people are in their twenties! (I’m still the tallest though). I raved quite a lot about politeness and etiquette in Japan and from what I’ve seen so far it’s much the same here in the Philippines, albeit in a slightly different style.
I find it amusing and slightly worrying that 9 days after my final exam and I’m already studying again. I had music theory and ear training next, my year 10 aural class helped immensely so I’m not too far behind at all. That being said I enjoyed the exercises, even the singing done in the ear training class is nothing short of beautiful.
Now when I walked out of college I had a bit of a surprise waiting for me. It was Mr B. On a motorbike… I’ve never been on a motorbike before and I think Manila is probably not the easiest place to get used to it. In addition to that I had my mothers feelings of disapproval of motorbikes invading my mind. But, since it was that or walk home I had no choice (I may or may not be writing this just to justify my actions). I hardly dare admit that it was an exhilarating and exciting experience and the first time I’ve actually felt less than suffocating in the Manila heat.
Speaking of new experiences I had a snack at home. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The surrounding Americans were rather shocked it had never before passed my lips and they took a video of my reaction. I cocked my head to the side in deep thought and decided that it was bizarre. Very bizarre in fact. I also presented them with the Australian chocolates which I’m sure they will enjoy. The parents the left for a meeting at the college which let me continue my slight warfare with L on American/English differences and wondering about her algebra math homework. I like algebra but working with pounds and calories is confusing. We then had a laugh with E about everything under the sun. Nicknames, ukulele, lock picking and the rest.
As I am falling asleep I realise it took me a mere 48 hours to think of this house as home and these people as a second family to me.

The Philippine Adventure begins

Posted on by ukekid99

Day 1 23/11/16 (Wednesday)
There’s no escaping it, I’m going to be doing an awful lot of typing in these next few days. If I thought journaling Japan was tough for 2 weeks then I can only pray to God that he gives me the strength to write for 7.
Let’s start at the airport. Where adventures begin. I’ll happily admit to feeling the nerves set in when mum dropped me off. However with the famous GOI approach (Get over it, get on with it) I checked my bags in, waltzed through security, got told off for waltzing and then spent the next 20 minutes in a state of considerable stress hunting down the seemingly non-existent donut store, finally I satisfied myself with a chocolate brownie. I also nearly walked straight into a mirror and had a bewildering thought of “who else in this airport can possibly be carrying a ukulele?!”. Mirrors… They fool me every time without exception.
As I boarded the airplane I felt the deliciously cool sensation of the entrance tunnel, was greeted with a “Good morning Mr I”, I feel like dad… It’s not often I’m addressed as Mr I. The take off was wonderful, I class wonderful as not ending up as a fiery meteorite plummeting out of the sky.
On the journey I rediscovered David Scheet who is a comedian with a piano who I intend to find in Adelaide when I return. As the plane came down to land the guy next to me seemed quite determined to open a conversation and due to his clenching hands I deduced it was to calm his nerves a bit. We talked about travel generally and what he was doing in Sydney.
Afterwards I departed the aircraft and walked my way down to the shuttle bus, with all the signs around I’m starting to believe that even a child can do this. So far no calamities have occurred save me forgetting about pressure and nearly choking to death after opening my water bottle at 18,000 feet.
Had lunch after I boarded at Sydney. I honestly haven’t the faintest idea why people say airplane food is terrible. I had an absolutely amazing beef curry. It was so tender, and the raspberry muesli bar made for a delightful dessert. I watched Superman, man of steel, I enjoyed it immensely as it starred one of my favourite actors (Henry Cavill) and yet there was perhaps, maybe, just possibly a little bit too much banging, booming and explodyness.
One thing struck me on the plane, never before and most likely never again will there be a voice like David Attenborough. You can probably guess I’ve started watching documentaries but he is more than an icon of it… He’s a fundamental part. Whenever you watch a documentary (or at least when I do) the first thing I notice is the voice, sometimes it’s the proper one, and sometimes it’s a truly jarring realisation when it’s gone and some American impostor tries to fulfill his role. I’m rambling but after 6 hours on a plane I’ve got little else to do.
I feel a squirm of genuine worry as I am informed that the temperature is 31 degrees. I’ve done more than that it’s true. 45 is my record but I’ve never had to handle significant humidity. I’ll guess that I’ll either die or I won’t.
I can see a mountain! It’s been so long since I saw a mountain, I actually mouthed the word wow when I glimpsed it. Mount banahao… Which now hat it occurs to me has the top blown off. I do remember reading that the Philippines has something like 3000 volcanoes… Hmm.
It’s also slightly worrying when you pass over Manila and see nothing that looks like an airport. On the plus side I have a wonderful view of the mountains on the horizon, the hulking monoliths that they are, slightly obscured by the clouds, the shadows and the cloud’s shadows.
Manila airport was a smooth transition, except that I was nearly denied half of my trip as the official didn’t see my visa in my passport. It was a bit like a tennis match.
“How many days?”
“51”
“51?!?”
“Yes…?”
“I can only give you thirty”
“Thirty days?!”
“Yes”
“What about the visa?”
“What visa?”
“Right there! Hidden on the next page”
“Ahhhhh… Sorry about that”.
I didn’t reply. I had pretty much sagged to the floor in relief.
After I made it through I spotted Mister B and his very identifying beard.
I had arrived.
I’m in the traffic… Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! The maniacs! I had my toes clenched tightly for the first half an hour. Not only are we driving on the wrong side of the road but I’m in the wrong side of the car and really feel like I’m the driver with a missing steering wheel. (They drive in the American style over here). Organised chaos. My first 2 seconds allowed me the view of the famous jeepneys. The brightly coloured taxi trucks based in the old WW2 jeeps left behind. Mister B gave me a tour by darkness and we had a lovely chat for the 2 hour trip (for 17km). So many different things caught my eye. Shopping malls the size of cities, the multitude of Christmas lights sparkling in the blackness and perhaps most of all the 7-11s. I cheer at the sight of them which earns a puzzling look from Mr B. I explained I hadn’t seen one since Japan and desperately craved certain items inside them. I hope there is a crossover between what was in the Japanese 7-11s and these ones.
For a quick and easy dinner we had McDonald’s. I have amended my vow not to eat McDonald’s (having worked in one as a student) to be allowed to try foreign McDonald’s. But there is absolutely no difference. Except for one thing. Never before have I seen Price: 268.00 on a cash register in Australia. But both of us were fed for I think about $6.80. I love this country already. By the way apparently Tomorrow is thanksgiving. Never thought I’d be experiencing american traditions in the Philippines but there you go. Embrace all cultures wherever you may be.
I love the family already. Master B is really cute and a proper christian man already in some aspects I think. Miss B has a lovely smile and is already proving to be a good laugh.
Mrs B is a lovely hostess and reminds me of my American grandma with her welcoming manner and charming accent. And Mr B… Well we get on fabulously already and that’s largely due to both of us loving Krispy Kreme donuts.
The family and I went out for mango ice cream and I spoke my first word of Tagalog. A thank you (Salamat) I hope to learn so much here and from so many different groups of knowledge.
And that was the end of day 1. It’s been action packed and one I’ll never forget to my dying day. My introduction to the Philippines.
Quote of the day: If there was road rage in Manila everyone would be dead. -Mr B,
Is it just me or has it been a really long day today? Nope. I’ve had 2 extra hours. I went to bed at 1:30am by our standards. Despite that I know I’ll wake up at about 5:00 here. This will take some getting used to, no doubt about it.