Happy New Year!
I just have to brag for a moment where I am right now. We arrived yesterday to an island called Mindoro for our project break. It is amazing. I had the best New Years ever! After arriving, we had an awesome lunch, followed by a swim at the beach, then an hour massage on the sand (for P200, about $8), then our first hot shower in a month, then getting dressed up in our 'sexy tops' - singlets - that we're not aloud to wear in front of the kids, then fantastic pizza and wine, then hanging at the Coconut Bar having "Mindoro Slings", with fireworks on the beach and 3 countdowns to new years (Melbourne, Brisbane, Philippines). Best ever!
Bet thats the first time you've been jealous of my trip so far! :)
So anyway...what I've been up to since Christmas. Christmas Eve was spent entertaining the kids until midnight mass (at 10pm), then going to the local hospital with the kids. Was bareable...the choir was good.
Christmas day was spent in Sta Mesa Center with about 15 kids that couldn't go home. Had a good day - the morning I went with Sibella and Tegan to Quiapo Markets to buy a small present for each of the kids left. It is supposed to be a really good, really dangerous market (mostly pickpocketing), so only Sibella brought a bag. Most of the stalls were closed though, but we found some nice things for the kids. Had lunch - a couple of the girls made potato salad and trifle, (the two things I avoid at home Christmas)!
We did secret santa between the volunteers which was nice, and I scored some chocolate (precious resource over here), a braclet and a cool filipino wallet. Half of the girls then took the kids to Mall of Asia, and a couple of us stayed behind. All was peaceful, until two of the boys got into a fight on the street, and the neighbour brought them back...so that was fun to deal with, without the house mothers around. :)
After Christmas, we travelled back to Victoria - stood up in a bus for 2 hrs before people got off, to sit for 1/2 hr, fun trip that was. That night was Anh's 28th Birthday, so we went out to dinner and had a cocktail (with umbrellas) at this tucked away bar, it was beautiful.
We then had two days to plan our Christmas camp with the whole group. Christmas camp 28-30, was surprisingly awesome! We had planned lots of activities, and was plesantly surprised that the kids went along with most of it! It was at a pretty good camp, lots of trees, cabins for them to sleep in, and great weather.
We did have a couple of incidents. The second day, one of the boys really got into this girl (upper cut punches and everything), and then he ran away for the afternoon. Then that night, a few of the boys and girls snuck off after 1am, to have a private party in the jeepney. Those girls also pieced their tougues and noses during camp!! So we had dramas the next morning when Cath found out, and she sent two of them home.
So after all that, and not much sleep (from patrolling the cabins past midnight) we left for Mindoro, by jeepney, then boat...and now I'm soaking up the paradise until the 3rd, when we get stuck back into work.
Hope everyone had an awesome new years! Sibella has this theory, that however you spend your new years, the rest of the year will follow in that direction... so look out, bring on 2008! :)
xoxo
