Real Life in Manila - Feb 21

It really is the little things about real life in Manila that remind you that you are not in Kansas anymore. Here are few examples we thought you might enjoy:

1. If you happen to be a mall as it opens (10 or 11 am), you will hear an announcement over the intercom. This may seem any other North American practice to welcome shoppers, however in Manila they are opening their malls with prayer.


2. The ultimate in worship convenience and Sunday shopping is that every mall has mass in the middle of it a few times every Sunday. Buy your groceries and flip flops, and stop for a quick blessing and eucharist.


3. We have discovered that there is such a thing as too many people serving you. Quite often in Canada you will stand in a department store and ask yourself the question "Does anyone actually work here?" This is not the case in Manila. There is one person for every little shelving display, and they do not move from their display or product. Their shirts even display both the store name and the brand name they are selling. Can you imagine spending eight hours in front of a rack of T-Fal frying pans unable to move two meters to the left to sell another brand of frying pans? As you are walking through the store, everybody greets you with a smile and "hello Ma'm, hello Sir" at each rack. We think they are just craving human contact!


4. Once you have selected something, like a toaster, as we did, the overwhelming service continues. First, they leave to go get the toaster you want from storage. When they return, they bring you to a table, unpack the toaster and test it in front of you so that you know it works (no toast, but Jeff had to put his hand over the toaster to verify that there was heat). Then they bring you and your grand purchase that has been carefully reboxed over to the cash area. At this point, three other people take over and the toaster disappears down to the claims area. Yes, three beautiful women spend some time stamping and circling many things on the reciept. When you finally get the couple of reciepts you need (payment by Visa often requires three separate signatures), you head to the claims area. Another beautiful woman brings the toaster to you, followed by more stamping and circling on the reciepts. The final circle and initial is by thefully armed security guard who verifies it all, and lets you finally leave with your toaster. Whew, we are exhausted just remembering the experience! This is a similar experience for everything, including lightbulbs.


5. New opportunity for service at church that you will have many volunteering for because they get to carry a gun. Church has security guards with guns, medal detectors and smiles who check everybag (maybe they are just making sure you have your Bible!)


6. Don't tell Ernie and Elaine Wolfe, but Jeff dropped into a Walk-In clinic today in a drug store in a mall to get an ear looked at. From the initial walking up to reception to walking out with perscribed drugs in hand only 30 minutes had gone by. Seriously! Oh, and the cost for the doctor visit and drugs was P 436 which is $9.84 at today's rate. Seriously!

Most importantly, rooster update from Jeff: This just in...roosters in the country have their own little houses in the field. They have little lean-to like teepees. Looking out over the vast fields there are dozens of rooster homes. How weird is that!

Once again, love you all, and we will share more later.