Saying goodbye!

Our last day we packed and said goodbye. It is always hard to say goodbye to great people and great experiences. This was an experience that has impacted our lives and one we will never forget.

All the students with the Brewers (we are in our traveling clothes!)

On our way out to the airport, we had to take a picture of the poor houses on the side of the bridge. It is amazing to see.

A chance to see an old friend...

We had the opportunity to meet the Sestoso Family. I had met Rionil Sestoso in California before he was married. We took them out to dinner with Met-Met and Lester. It was a lot of fun and great to see an old friend and make new friends!

Everyone with the Sestoso Family. They are such special people.

The food was delicious. It was so cheap too... we really miss that!

The juice was so good, but not as good as the company!

Karaoke Night!

We had a karaoke night for our farewell party. Neither Jeremi or I have ever sang karaoke... and we were a little nervous...

We ate some really good barbecue chicken with the staff...

And then the fun began!! We sang!

And we sang...

And we sang!!

And we did the YMCA! It was a lot of fun!!
We can't wait to karaoke again!

Lester's House

Lester, one of the employees of the Academy, really helped us out a lot during our stay. He invited us to his home for some Filipino treats!

We still aren't sure what this is... it was like a gooey... sort of sweet...goop!

Yes, Jeremi tried Balot (pronounced Balut)


I think he prayed right before he ate it! Don't worry, he didn't eat very much. I think it was a one-time taste.

Met-Met and Rebecca... good friends watching the fun!

The whole gang.

Trip to Bohol

We were able to visit the small island of Bohol to meet Academy alumni and also to promote attendance to the Academy. We got to see some really neat stuff, but since we were only there for 1 day, we had to hurry!

Our driver knew we would love to see these! Tiny Tarsier Monkeys. Aren't they cool!

This is to show how small they really are!

This was one of the Jeepneys they have in the Philippines. I think this is the
fullest one I have ever seen.

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted... we feel asleep so fast on the ferry ride back home...all except Jeremi! He had to take the picture!

Day 9 Mexican Night!

We decided to make mexican food for all the staff on Monday night. It was a big hit! Although we couldn't find the perfect ingredients, it was just about the same! We made salsa, guacamole, black beans, corn, and rolled tacos (tacos dorados). It was really yummy!

This is the cooking and maintenance staff. They loved it!!

This is a picture of Nanai. She usually does all the cooking and household cleaning. She's really nice and good at what she does. She thinks Jeremi is a little crazy, but who doesn't?!?

This is Donna and Met, more staff. Met is one of the regional coordinators who travels with us sometimes.

Randolph, Russell, and Alvie enjoying the food!

More of Day 7 ... fruit tasting!

We stopped by a fruit stand on the way from GenSan to Marbel. The Delfin's had us taste all sorts of yummy fruits. Among them were small papaya (which was Rebecca's favorite!), sweet and juicy pineapple from the nearby Dole plantation, Jack Fruit, and Durian. We have Jeremi's experience with Durian below...
This is Jeremi and Boiser (our tour guide and ACE representative) holding jack fruit. A very slippery texture with an intersting and sweet taste...

Jeremi and Rebecca with pineapples! They are the sweetest and juiciest we've ever had!

This is Jeremi's first smell of the fruit. Even the Filipinos say it smells like hell but tastes like heaven...we'll see!

Mr. Delfin had to plug Jeremi's nose so he would try it!

Ewww! Looks like it tastes as bad as it smells!

So, maybe it is an acquired taste. They LOVE it!... and we don't!

You get rid of the smell by washing your hands in the shell of the Durian fruit. It really works!

Day 7 - Trip to Mindinao

This weekend we were able to visit another island for more recruiting and getting to know some of the graduates from the Academy.

Ok, so I thought in Asia, do as the Asians!

This is just to show how beautiful it is here! On this island they grow a lot of fruits. It is beautiful!! The Dole plantation is located on this island as well. A wonderful fruit experience will be posted later!

This is Peter Caro and his family at one of his businesses. A true "rags to riches" story. When he first attended ACE Academy he and his family actually lived in a pig's pen. Now they own four homes 2 of which they rent to others and have 3 other businesses. He learned so much about starting a business and changing his life. He is a model student for the Academy!

This is the Delfin Family. They were so kind and picked us up at the airport, took us around the island, brought us to a fruit stand to try all sorts of new fruits. They are also graduates of the Academy and this is one of their thriving businesses. They have also greatly improved their lives through their life changing experiences at the Academy.

We traveled to a different city to fly out and this is the exiting photo of Jeremi!

Loving the Philippines

So, we've been here almost a week now, and we love it! The food is different, but we've found a few snacks we really like! Jeremi really enjoys the fresh fish and the squid, while Rebecca enjoys the chicken.

This is the Academy Sign where we're living. You can visit the website to find out more about what we're doing! http://creatingenterprise.com/?page_id=8

This is Jeremi and Lester, one of the Academy's teachers, eating a banana cue. It is a small banana rolled in brown sugar and deep fried. Ok, it might sound weird, but they are soooo good!!

One last snack we really enjoy are the Chunkee cookies! We only hope they don't make us chunkee!! :)

Day 2 Philippines

Monday Aug 10, we went to two different islands. We visited Olango Island and another islet. They are beautiful places where the life is simple. Most people are fishermen or they sell seashells. There are many public schools, but there is very little running water. They get most of their water from the rain. Here are a few pictures to enjoy! It is visits like these that make you really appreciate what you have.

This boat may look small, but there were four of us, plus the "driver". He actually rowed. Isn't the ocean beautiful!

Jeremi tried rowing. It was much harder than he thought!


After we got to the island, this is what we road around in. Yes, there were still four of us, plus the driver!

Jeremi and me on the beach.

The principle of one of the schools we visited explained to us that the children often have very little food and no water. In fact, they have more coca-cola than anything. Then, they brought us to lunch. Although it was very nice of them, we felt badly about the little children who couldn't eat. However, it is offensive to reject a meal, so we ate. :) It was fish (very fresh!) and pork with rice and lentils.

This is one of the elementary schools were a different charity group brought in a water system to help the children have running water. They love getting their picture taken!!

We will post more later. You will notice that there is a lot of English here! Even in the most remote areas, the children learn English and Tagalog (the other national language).

Cebu!

We have arrived! We are on the island of Cebu and after a very very long 5 flight trip, we have arrived exhausted. The only thing about flying so long is that you get CANKLES. If you have never experienced cankles, it is not fun. Your ankles swell up so much you can't tell where your calves end and your feet begin. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment! Don't worry! They have decreased exponentially and we are feeling great!

Per Jeremi's request

Caution! What you're about to see is real live footage!

The following image may cause discomfort and disgust!!

Here is a brief summary of what surgery was done yesterday (but I won't go into too much detail)

Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: (taken from ehealthmd.com)

A thin, lighted instrument called an endoscope is inserted into the nose, and the doctor looks inside through an eyepiece. Much like a telescope with a wide-angle camera lens, the endoscope beams light into different parts of the nose and sinuses, allowing the doctor to see what is causing blockages. Surgical instruments can then be used along with the endoscope to remove the blockages and improve breathing.

Septoplasty Surgery (taken from webmd.com)

The septum and nasal passages are lined with a layer of soft tissue called the nasal mucosa. To repair the septum, the surgeon works through the nostrils, making an incision to separate the mucosa from the underlying cartilage and bone. The doctor trims or straightens the bent cartilage and then replaces the mucosa over the cartilage and bone.

Here is the picture requested by Jeremi:

Surgery...

Yesterday, June 18, Jeremi had sinus surgery. They had to go in and open up his sinuses so now when he gets allergies they won't automatically turn into a sinus infection! (which means I don't have to make him my special soup recipe...)

He is very sore today and this picture was from yesterday. The nurses and the doctor were all very nice and helpful and understanding. It took a while for the drugs to wear off yesterday so many of the nurses got to hear him singing and telling them that he has the best wife (good thing to say on truth serum!)

Today he is in quite a bit of pain, but we are getting through this healing process. He wants to let you all know that he loves and appreciates you.

9 years and counting

Last night we celebrated nine years together. I can't believe it has been that long... or that short. It seems we've been side by side our whole lives. We've been through so much. I know that so much more awaits us, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be than beside my Love!