January 5, 2010
Greetings once again from the Philippines. Today started off rather inauspiciously, as the neighborhood dogs and
roosters rousted me out of my slumber extra early this morning. Stumbling to the bathroom, I realized all was not as
it should be. Turning on the light and looking into the mirror revealed a series of mosquito bites across my face and
neck, including one on my right eyelid of all places. It made the lid swell, as if I had a lazy eye. Wonderful. Just
wonderful.
Today was my day for a morning run before visiting some kids, so I donned the usual gear and began my route
around Legazpi. Unlike the previous runs, where it was raining lightly upon my start, I thought I might make it
without getting drenched. Wrong. Half way around the loop the skies literally opened up. It was torrential. I could
barely see through the sheets. Wanting to get back quickly, I took a detour. Another bad move. I got lost, which is
par for the course for me. Doused from head to toe, no money on me, and somewhat lost, I somehow managed to
navigate back to the hotel. Whew, that was close!
The plan was for the Tabaco staff to pick me up at 8:30. At 9:00, they called and said their van was experiencing
mechanical problems. A shade before 10:00, Raynor Rodriguez, my guide and translator for the day, pulled up in the
back-up van. You can see where this is going, can't you? Maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning....
About 45 minutes later, we pulled up to the Tabaco office and was greeted by many kids and their families. Little did I
know that my child, Jennevy, was among them, as I thought I'd be meeting her at her home. Wouldn't you know that
I wasn't prepared with the video camera on and in the hands of someone that could record my first greeting? Of
course! Argh!
Before detailing my visit with Jennevy, a quick note on some of the other children I saw. If memory serves, I saw six
children: Lance, Stone (Stone Cold...I love the name!), Glenn, Jester, Roselle, and Jhon. I also brought gifts for Mary
Grace, Joey and Maria, and left them with the staff to distribute. I tried out a small tri-pod with the camcorder so that
I could concentrate on engaging in conversation. It would allow me to take still shots during the video too. The
tri-pod kind of worked, except for a couple of mishaps. I'll do my best to edit out the screw ups....
I'd say without exception that the kids are very nice and very quiet. Even their parents are soft-spoken. Much like my
previous video a few days ago, I fear that their comments are going to be lost in the background noise. Despite my
attempts to get them to project their voices, the sight of a strange man pointing a camera at them was probably not
conducive for getting them to act naturally, which should have prepped me for what was to come.
I thought to myself, "It isn't possible for a child to be more timid and shy than Maila, right?" Wrong. If there were a
Shyness Olympics, Jennevy and Maila would share a gold medal. The girl was firmly in her shell, and no amount of
prompting was going to coax her out of it. What little she said was whispered to her Mom in Tagalog. This lasted all
day. I tried every "Uncle Steve" trick in the book - to no avail. What is one to do? You take the kids as they are, not
as you'd like them to be.
That said, I did get a few brief smiles while clothes shopping and at the Embarcadero, a seaside area with kiddie rides
and an arcade. While sipping her mango shake, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, thinking it would be
her new doll or the new clothes she got. Wrong again. It was the grocery shopping! Hey, kids are unpredictable.
Who knew that selecting detergent and canned meat would be the highlight of my visit!
As the day wound down, Raynor suggested that they drop me off before driving Jennevy and her mom home, but I
insisted on accompanying them, and I'm glad I did. With Jennevy back in familiar surroundings and among friends
and family, I got what I came for: a photo of the two of us...and Jennevy was smiling. If at first you don't succeed....
After exchanging best wishes with her family, I high-fived the entire clan, grandma included. They invited me to return
someday, and I will do what I can to make it happen.
Next up: a travel day tomorrow back to Manila, followed by visits with 5 kids over three days. It's going to be
jam-packed. I sure hope these kids talk to me, or I'm going to develop an acute inferiority complex!
So long from Legazpi!
Greetings once again from the Philippines. Today started off rather inauspiciously, as the neighborhood dogs and
roosters rousted me out of my slumber extra early this morning. Stumbling to the bathroom, I realized all was not as
it should be. Turning on the light and looking into the mirror revealed a series of mosquito bites across my face and
neck, including one on my right eyelid of all places. It made the lid swell, as if I had a lazy eye. Wonderful. Just
wonderful.
Today was my day for a morning run before visiting some kids, so I donned the usual gear and began my route
around Legazpi. Unlike the previous runs, where it was raining lightly upon my start, I thought I might make it
without getting drenched. Wrong. Half way around the loop the skies literally opened up. It was torrential. I could
barely see through the sheets. Wanting to get back quickly, I took a detour. Another bad move. I got lost, which is
par for the course for me. Doused from head to toe, no money on me, and somewhat lost, I somehow managed to
navigate back to the hotel. Whew, that was close!
The plan was for the Tabaco staff to pick me up at 8:30. At 9:00, they called and said their van was experiencing
mechanical problems. A shade before 10:00, Raynor Rodriguez, my guide and translator for the day, pulled up in the
back-up van. You can see where this is going, can't you? Maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning....
About 45 minutes later, we pulled up to the Tabaco office and was greeted by many kids and their families. Little did I
know that my child, Jennevy, was among them, as I thought I'd be meeting her at her home. Wouldn't you know that
I wasn't prepared with the video camera on and in the hands of someone that could record my first greeting? Of
course! Argh!
Before detailing my visit with Jennevy, a quick note on some of the other children I saw. If memory serves, I saw six
children: Lance, Stone (Stone Cold...I love the name!), Glenn, Jester, Roselle, and Jhon. I also brought gifts for Mary
Grace, Joey and Maria, and left them with the staff to distribute. I tried out a small tri-pod with the camcorder so that
I could concentrate on engaging in conversation. It would allow me to take still shots during the video too. The
tri-pod kind of worked, except for a couple of mishaps. I'll do my best to edit out the screw ups....
I'd say without exception that the kids are very nice and very quiet. Even their parents are soft-spoken. Much like my
previous video a few days ago, I fear that their comments are going to be lost in the background noise. Despite my
attempts to get them to project their voices, the sight of a strange man pointing a camera at them was probably not
conducive for getting them to act naturally, which should have prepped me for what was to come.
I thought to myself, "It isn't possible for a child to be more timid and shy than Maila, right?" Wrong. If there were a
Shyness Olympics, Jennevy and Maila would share a gold medal. The girl was firmly in her shell, and no amount of
prompting was going to coax her out of it. What little she said was whispered to her Mom in Tagalog. This lasted all
day. I tried every "Uncle Steve" trick in the book - to no avail. What is one to do? You take the kids as they are, not
as you'd like them to be.
That said, I did get a few brief smiles while clothes shopping and at the Embarcadero, a seaside area with kiddie rides
and an arcade. While sipping her mango shake, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, thinking it would be
her new doll or the new clothes she got. Wrong again. It was the grocery shopping! Hey, kids are unpredictable.
Who knew that selecting detergent and canned meat would be the highlight of my visit!
As the day wound down, Raynor suggested that they drop me off before driving Jennevy and her mom home, but I
insisted on accompanying them, and I'm glad I did. With Jennevy back in familiar surroundings and among friends
and family, I got what I came for: a photo of the two of us...and Jennevy was smiling. If at first you don't succeed....
After exchanging best wishes with her family, I high-fived the entire clan, grandma included. They invited me to return
someday, and I will do what I can to make it happen.
Next up: a travel day tomorrow back to Manila, followed by visits with 5 kids over three days. It's going to be
jam-packed. I sure hope these kids talk to me, or I'm going to develop an acute inferiority complex!
So long from Legazpi!
