An odd little tidbit of information that has fascinated me AND I’ve wanted to write is (are?) noses! And they are NOT shy about asking what an American would consider “personal” questions about our bodies, ages etc. and it is rather fun! OK noses; I didn’t even know this was a thing… but southeast Asian people have different noses than we Europeans do! The awareness started by noticing that many Filipinos wear glass. Now that in itself is not odd, but I have noticed that almost all of them are constantly adjusting their glasses and pushing them back up from the bottom of their noses and back between their eyes. Eventually when folks got to know us just a little better, they started asking about our noses. This happens to pretty much all the Americans and Europeans and most Australians who are not of Native descent. Eventually they will either ask or mention it to you. Example: Roy and I were at a gas station filling up our truck and the attendant pumping the gas started talking to Roy. He asks us where he was from and while visiting, Roy asks why he wanted to know. The guy explained that he assumed we were from America because Roy had a nice, big nose! We had a great laugh and something similar has happened several times. It happens to many of the young missionaries too. One of our favorite Sister missionaries, Sister Carter says that Filipinos tell her all of the time that she has a “tall nose” and we laugh all over again. Until they started talking to us about our noses, I didn’t realize they were different BUT.. our noses are generally bigger AND “taller” and hold our glasses up much better. They have these cute little noses that don’t hold their glasses up to their eyes and they must constantly adjust them. Interesting little things like geography can impact generations of noses; who knew!
Here are some additional observations:
Many millions of people living on islands that would all fit into the state of New Mexico if the puzzle pieces were aligned, make for very little personal space. Which I guess is typical of any heavily populated area
Filipinos still touch each other, on purpose!! In the US and many European countries, the personal space bubble is bigger, and people do NOT touch as often. In the Philippines, it is very common to be hugged or patted the very first time someone meets you. People often/usually touch when they talk to each other. They offer up their babies to us to hold and they are generally trusting, and very warm, loving people! Roy has had a couple of conversations when the person he was talking to had an arm around him and even a hand on his booty… nothing weird, just “touchy”…. Several times young kids (and complete strangers) have pinched me on my bottom to get my attention, so I am thankful I come from a “butt pinching” family!
When you meet someone new and are getting to know them, one of the first things they ask is your age, where you live, what you are doing, what you are going to do, etc. etc. They are truly interested, and they are intrigued by how we age. In the states very few people would ask a grandma her age and here in the Philippines it is often the first thing they ask!
Many people here are NOT body shy! They are modest and polite but a guy with a big belly, will pull up his T shirt on a hot day hang that belly out to cool off AND is proud of that belly! I’ll capture pictures and include those one of these days. Sisters like me who are bigger and rounder than many Filipinos are greeted and told that we are so fat and beautiful! At first, I wasn’t so sure I liked that greeting but realized it is truly a compliment. I don’t know who started the love language of food first; the Italians mothers and grandmothers or the Filipinos mothers and Lolas BUT…. I believe both their courtesy AND their love language demands that they feed us! At times it can be uncomfortable to know that a family has very little, but they will go hungry to share food! One family up in the mountains and literally living in a dirt-floor hut, was visiting with one of our fellow missionaries and they had no food in the house! That father shimmied up a coconut tree and brought down a coconut to share! They are also so please when we like their various dishes and are also very complimentary of the food we make and share with them! I found out in today's very first meeting with a small branch of members in one of the very most northern areas of our island that apparently, several weeks ago some missionaries shared some of my cookies with these members. Someone figured out I was the person that made those cookies today after our meeting and begged us to move to their area so I could make them cookies! It was cute and anyone that knows me knows that I love to feed people!
OK… I’m doing it AGAIN… blathering and taking too long. I’ll make Roy do this next week, so it is more concise and to the point. I’ve included some fun pictures that aren’t really related to what I wrote about but just plain fun. We love and miss you all, but really love the people of the Philippines. I already know I’ll miss this when we return home! Until next time, Lots of Love!!
BELOW: Cool trike BUT.... behind is a classy little lady in blue. She is all dressed up and headed for church but look at those boots.... she is also ready for the daily downpour and probably has "pretty" shoes in her handbag to pull out at church! Filipino women are very classy!!
BELOW: Classic young "gwapo" Filipino guy cooling off his belly with his shirt up. The guys with big round bellies are just as proud!
BELOW: Our lovely WONDERFUL sisters Hess and Nanua in our tiny little living room. Sis Sadie Hess has been in the blog before, and Filipinos call her "barbie" because of how tall and blond she is, and I have just plain fallen in LOVE with Marian Nanua! She is from Vanuatu and both are going home tomorrow! They have been living and working in the Philippines for 18 months. They are hard-working and fluent in the language. Sis Nanua is now speaking her home Vanuatu language Bislama, French (formal language of those islands), Cebuano AND English! This language is NOT easy, and I am amazed at both of these sisters work and dedication. We will miss them terribly!! And I SWEAR I am attending both of their weddings!
BELOW: Flooding in Manilla as a result of a recent typhoon. This is a bus like a Jeepny and the people had to crawl out of the windows to be safe. We have had flooding in our area but nothing like this! Lots of rain, but no more drought!
BELOW: They opened a US Chili's at a local mall. We had another senior missionary zone conference last week and President and Sister Fernandez AND Kasha and Klyde joined us for a lovely dinner. There were a bunch of us but it was a great night! Front left side Kasha, Sis Fernandez, Pres. Fernandez, Elder Koyle, Sis. Koyl, Wendy Beesley and it gets harder to tell but the Damstedts, Hansens Roy and the Waymans. On the right side is Klyde (youngest son of Fernandez'), Elder and Sister Cary, Dyke and Kimber Millard, Sis Damstedt, me, Heaths, and Elder Wayman.
BELOW: Finally, a common site in food markets especially on Sundays. You can see the pride in these guys eyes for their beautiful roast pig! That particular pig is a piece of Filipino food art!!
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