We arrived on August 12 with minimal jet lag, and our good friends Jason and Jonie took advantage of the energy we had to take us out looking for apartments. They already had one picked out for us that they thought we would like, so we went there first. Low and behold, we liked it! So within a week of our arrival here we put a deposit on an apartment, and were all geared up to move in.
Then the ghosts started coming! Let me explain. Our landlord is Chinese and at the time we were looking at the apartment she was unaware that we had just entered into the "Chinese Ghost Month." During this time she is unable to sign contracts or discuss business agreements until the month passes. "No problem," we said, "the apartment needs some work before we can move it, so we'll just have the work done, and sign later." This was a great plan until the next day when we found out that the landlord's contractor is Chinese and she can't make any agreements with him either.
So we are now sitting here in the guest house in Manila, which is much like a hotel room, awaiting the arrival of September 16, the first day that we can do business! Hopefully today we will line up the contractor and get some agreements made. We are learning very quickly that the Philippines is a nation influenced by many cultures and many superstitions. We are studying Filipino culture and are learning first hand that nothing goes quickly here except for the jeepneys and taxis.
Missionaries who have lived here for a long time listened to our story and encouraged us with a saying they have all learned to deal with. "It takes a long time to live in the Philippines." Our expectation coming here was that life would be much more frustrating and difficult, but we didn't expect it to start so soon!
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