Well, Jeff is well settled in this time zone (13 hours ahead of EST), but I am still in this weird limbo-land. Asleep by 8pm and awake around 6:30 am....what a fun date I am! Manila itself works on the same timing as Jeff - sleep in late and stay up late. Because so many in this city work in support fields for the North American world, they work EST hours. I look out the window in the morning and rush hour does not appear until 10 am or later. A very different ebb and flow than in Canada's cities.
We are in a nice area of town and have enjoyed walking around exploring this little neighbourhood. The megamall is too big and busy...people head to the malls to get some relief from the heat in the airconditioning. Of course, I am not used to walking through a metal detector, having my bag searched and myself patted down as I enter the mall, but that is day to day life in Manila. Lots of little food areas on the streets that we will explore more of next.
On Sunday, Jeff and I took a ride on the MRT - the metro, an elevated train system which is very efficient, and even on a Sunday mid-day is pretty crowded. And yet, as always, the Philippino people are polite. On this ride, we saw the real Manila that is not within the little neighbourhood we are living in right now. The blocks of shacks interspersed between blocks of highrises and megamalls. The contrast is extreme.
So - that is the first few days in Manila, our new home. The search is on for a permanent home, then some Filipino lessons (everyone speaks English, but we have a deep desire to speak with them in their language also), and along the way, find somewhere for me to serve.
And the jet lag? You may have noticed by the time on this post that I am forcing myself to stay up later to try and get myself switched around. Another day or two and I will in this time zone. The adventure begins...
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