Travel, Arrival & Adjustment

In the wee hours on Monday morning (December 31st, 2012), we woke up and left for the St. Louis airport for our flight to Chicago scheduled to leave at 7am.  (On a side note: We want to thank John Flickinger for his willingness to drive us to the airport so early in the morning.  Thank you mucho!!)  Upon arrival, we had to lug six 50 lb. bags, 3 roll-ons, a stroller, and 2 backpacks into the airport terminal while saying goodbyes and checking in our bags.  We passed the security checks with no problems and proceeded to our departure gate.  We were very grateful that everything went smoothly and were ready to start our long journey through the air.  Our flight to Chicago was short with mild turbulence throughout the flight. Upon arrival in Chicago, we proceeded to the gate for our international flight.  While waiting for our flight to board, we began to wonder what to expect from the flight because neither of us (Kelsey or Hope) had ever flown (or heard of) this particular airline company (ANA).  When it came time to board, we walked down the ramp to discover an awesome airplane!  The flight went well, and we soon landed in Tokyo, Japan at Narita Airport.  From there we took our last flight to Manila, where we took an oversized taxi to Twinville church of Christ, where we were planned to stay until Prissy arrived.


On the International flight

Waiting to take a taxi in Manila with all of our luggage

The next few days, our bodies had to adjust to the time change fairly quickly, because we began participating in Tutorial activities.  Hope taught 4 ladies classes, while Kelsey helped and observed what would be a normal tutorial schoolday.

A little about Amelia:  She has already begun her ministry by teaching the tutorial children new songs, memory verses, and even leading a prayer in front of said children.  She has adapted well to this new environment and has already met people who she calls her friends.  Here’s a fun story about Amelia’s experiences: The first morning we were in Manila, I (Hope) took Amelia to take a shower (read: bucket bath).  We stepped into the shower and I proceeded to explain to her how to take a shower using only a bucket and a kabu (which means an extra, extra large measuring cup).  After explaining, Amelia looked up at me and said, “This is fun!”  It’s good to know she’s embracing her new experiences with a positive attitude!

Amelia sharing her toys and playing with new friends

Now I (Kelsey) would like to take some time to share some interesting experiences that I’ve had since we’ve been here.  I have now experienced what it’s like to ride in a jeepney (kind of like a bus that blares ridiculously loud music), a trike (a motored tricycle with a side car attached), and a taxi with not very good aircon (that’s air conditioning, for you America folks).  So far, I have had to squat over a toilet (many places don’t have seats), had to carry my own toilet paper (they don’t supply it in the bathrooms, not even public ones), had to give myself a bucket bath with ice cold water (they don’t have heaters in many places), been asked if my eyes are their original color, and been told by a random Filipino man that he likes my style.  One experience that I would have to say is my favorite is going to a place called Divisoria, where you can find practically anything that you need, literally anything, for dirt cheap.  Prissy has even told me, “If you can’t find it at Divisoria, then you don’t need it.”  I’m taking her word on that!  It’s all been very different and new, but I’m really enjoying everything that I’ve experienced so far, and I’m excited to be here for 5 more weeks!

Riding my first Jeepney!

There will be more to follow on our endeavors here, so stay tuned!

Kelsey, Hope and Amelia