Me and my girls on a pow day!href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ4hC0hdjfzerOh98r2GK9aLl1EnnLmTkFJkJ7pdx-OYHeKslBkcpfpAjyZfpgbNV_z9xNxieTW_8ls3IanPoUo6GWeVSdRS9vAFjGAFvuGT4MPfQ9UQoaED9lAgaHmfXhX06aPiYEGU/s1600-h/IMG_3394%5B1%5D.jpg">
The docs on the mission
On the way to Lucmayan, Guimaras, a village devastated by an oil spill 1 1/2 years ago!
I'm home!! I landed in Denver on SuperBowl Sunday after about 20 hours of flying, the first leg of which was the scariest flight of my adult life. For what seemed like an hour, but was probably about five minutes, the plane felt like it was flying through a blender. Luckily, Betty, the sweet Philippina lady sitting next to me, and I were holding hands tightly while she recited the rosary and I chanted. The silence in the plane was frightening, save for the little boy sitting across from me saying to the turbulence, "You can't hurt me, you don't scare me, you won't hurt me." It was pretty cute and surprisingly, very comforting. So upon landing, Betty and I shed a tear of joy and disembarked in Tokyo.
The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and I was happy to get home to spend the night watching the big upset, eating a delicious dinner with my parents and sleeping in a super comfortable bed. The next day, I managed to make it to our new place in Buena Vista to retrieve my ski gear and then to Vail to pick up Rio. Colorado is covered in feet of snow, which is absolutely beautiful!! Rio loves it and seems to have been having a great winter in his house with three lovely ladies, Stacey, Jenna and Sadie. They thought they'd bring out his feminine side with a cute pink collar, which he doesn't seem to mind.
Anyway, it's great to be home. I skiied an amazing day of powder yesterday and am looking forward to more. I start work in two days and am trying to spend as much time not driving between Vail and Buena Vista as possible.
The rest of the trip was amazing. We got to the Philippines and were treated like royalty til the end. We went to Eddie's father's hometown on the coast, the cute little village of Anilao, and visited his mom's hometown in Sara. We got to meet all of the family and more and heard alot of amazing stories about his parents lives.
Overall, being in the Philippines, a Spanish colonized archipelago, was eye opening. They speak Taglish, a combination of their native Tagolog and English. They are really kind people who love to eat (alot of fish, rice and lechon -- roast pig). Oh, and I can't forget the best leche flan ever made by Sissa, one of the helpers at Eddie's uncle's house. So, the eating fest didn't stop there. Eddie's dad and I bet on who could lose 10 pounds faster (we weigh the same), but I gave up after the food wouldn't stop coming.
We also participated in a medical mission in several different locations. It was really interesting to see the different villages and patients, who were very grateful to have us there. Although I think some of what's done on missions is helpful (dental and surgical projects, especially), it's almost discouraging that it just seems like we're putting bandaids on. I really feel that the most help we can give any culture is education -- disease prevention, hygiene, nutrition -- things they can use after we and all of our temporary fixes have gone home to our creature comforts.
As usual when I travel, I am touched by the happiness of people who have so little and it makes me want to get rid of everything extraneous in my life. However, I know that I can't do that, but making small changes in my life and encouraging all of you to do the same, will hopefully make a difference. So I urge all of you to be conscious of the energy you use and waste, the material products you replace every year or two that could be reused or continued to use, the extra money that you spend on coffee that could be sent to a starving child. I also encourage all of you to see Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", a documentary about global warming and the future of our environment. I know that it's hard to believe that we can make a difference, but I think that we can make this a better place for our children and grandchildren.
There are so many corrupt governments and evil people, but those of us who care need to make the effort to make a change.
So, for now, I'm trying to get back into the swing of life without excessive overindulgence (not always the easiest thing to do in Vail). I am happy for the amazing experiences that Eddie and I shared and all of the amazing people we met. But, I am really happy to be home with my friends and family and thank you all for always being so supportive of my adventures.
Eddie is still in the Philippines with his father and will stop to see his sister and her family, the newest addition of which was born on his birthday. So he still has a few days of sunshine in San Diego before coming home to the great Colorado winterwonderland.
We're both looking forward to catching up with all of you, celebrating your weddings and new babies and having you all over to our beautiful mountain getaway in Buena Vista.
Peace, Laurie
