AJ's First Birthday

So, Rob and I have a househelper (I will tell you more about the culture in regards to the househelper thing in a later blog) whose name is GieGie! She has been so much help to us and we are so glad she is a part of our lives. GieGie is from "the mountains" an area about 2 hours south of here called Malungon. In fact there are some missionaries working on translating Scripture in this area in her native tongue! She is helping them translate! She has a son AJ, who just turned 1! In Phillippine culture, it is a very big deal when your child turns one because the infant death rate is very high here. So, they always have huge celebrations when a child turns 1! She invited us and two other couples to AJ's first birthday party at her parent's in the mountains!
Yes, it was our first opportunity to see what "rural" living in the Philippines is like amongst many other cultural lessons! Talk about the experience of a lifetime! Luckily, one of the couples had a car, so we drove there. Once we got to the town, Giegie came to meet us to show us how to get to her parents. We then had to drive on a VERY bumpy dirt road, where we got stuck a few times (Usually only motorcycles go on this road, thank the Lord it didn't rain, we would have NEVER made it!). Finally we came to a stopping point and had about a 10 minute walk to her parent's.
As we came down this hill, all I saw was about 100 Philippinos staring at us! There were so many people there! It was amazing! Talk about watching every move you make! Wow. She had all her family and friends there.
One of the first things they wanted us to do was ride the caribou. So, all the boys took their turns. Next was to see how the food was being cooked. They were cooking rice on the fire in bamboo. And no Philippino celebration is complete without a roasted pig (lechon). Rob and I even had the opportunity to roast it for a little bit. What is amazing is that they made all this food on a fire! There was no stove or electricity! In fact their house/hut had no doors and dirt floors. I'm not so sure what they do when it rains! Well, we were the honored guests! We were the first to eat, at a nice table with soda and everything. She even got buko juice for us! Buko juice is the juice from a young coconut. You drink it right out of the coconut! How fun! After our very Philippino meal, we went in their house/hut to relax a little. Next it was time for children's games! There were so many kids there, and they were having a great time! It was fun to watch them play. Giegie's brothers are really into boxing and boy do they start them at a young age! The next spectacle was a boxing match between two very young boys!
After all the games, it was time for ice cream and cake! They were all so excited, the man serving the ice cream just about got attacked! Being the "honored guests," we were served buko salad (the meat from the coconut, mixed with fruit and cream) and cake! After our desert, it was time for us to go. But not before taking some family pictures. One thing I have learned being here is that if you give someone pictures, it is considered a very nice gift. None of the Philippinos had a camera, so I was happy to take a ton of pictures! I'm not sure when Giegie's family ever had the opportunity to take a picture together. We waved goodbye as we heading on the path through the rice paddies back to the car!
On our way back, we had to go through the bumpy dirt road again, and of course we cannot do that without a little adventure. There were a few times the boys had to get out to push and once where we got in a very deep hole! Thankfully some Philippinos came to help us! (Philippinos are so nice!)
And so was our adventure. It was a day that I will never forget. An experience of a lifetime! I am so thankful to have the opportunity to experience other cultures. We Americans have no idea how luckly we are! That our bathroom is not a hole in the ground, we don't have to build a fire just to cook a meal, we can drink tap water, heck, we have running water, we have electricity, carpeted floor and aircon! All of which they had none! And yet they are happier, and more content than most Americans! Makes you think....