Starbucks in Manila

Starbucks is super popular here, somewhat surprisingly so, given an average per capita income of about $4000/ year. But, I suppose that is country-wide average, and with a higher average in the city it might make more sense. At $3 for a grande ice americano, however, the price isn't that different than the US. Somehow, Starbucks has convinced Filipinos that a frapuccino is a worthwhile item to spend disposable income on.

I'm not complaining, though, since I seem to be craving ice coffee a lot with this baby - and the ubiquitous Starbucks reliably carries decaf coffee (which was impossible to find in HYD).  With three locations within two blocks of the embassy and at least five within a 5 minute drive from Seafront, I have no shortage of options. What frustrates me is a lack of quick-stop Starbucks. Having to pay 40 pesos to park, when I'm not even going to stay 3 minutes, ups the cost of that ice coffee by 25%!

After 15 months, for better or worse, I finally found a Starbucks at the MoA complex where I can "park" on the side of the road and for a quick run in without the security guards having a conniption fit. Since it's removed from the main mall by one block, it's also not crowded - and the salespeople don't feel rushed to figure out how to enter my VAT-exempt number. Score!

This exemplifies, though, why moving every two years is tiring. Something as simple as this took me more than half my time in Manila to figure out. I'll only enjoy it for less than a year, and then we'll be off ... And all the little things will be new again. At least for now, I can enjoy a Sunday ice coffee without too much hassle.

Another half-way point

I realized that we're at another half-way point: twenty weeks gestation of baby number 3 (well, it was 20 when I wrote this, but 22 by the time I'm posting it). Funny how quickly a pregnancy passes when one is not paying particular attention to actually being pregnant. I also realized at work today, that I only have just over three months left before I get shipped back to the US on "maternity medevac." The State Department would also have preferred for me to do for Patrick's birth, but I resisted. This time around though, between not wanting to miss my sister's wedding three weeks before the due date, I'll play it conservative and deliver in DC. As it turns out, a maternity medevac is a logistics nightmare, but I won't bore you with those details.

Two funny stories about this baby, sometimes known as Sponge Bob. 1. Background: Greg and I have been debating names. Unintentionally, we've ended up with an English and Irish named boys. Not particularly caring for the Welsh names, we're leaning toward Scottish for this one. A good Scottswoman (now American citizen) at work came up with a list that we've been batting around. Now to the story: Wm came to lunch at work yesterday. My friend asked him where his brother was. Wm says, "well, actually I have two brothers." My friend says, "oh? I thought just one." Wm replies, "Patch is napping at home. Ian is inside my mom's tummy right here!" (poking at my belly). Apparently, Wm approves of "Ian." Greg and I had kind of been leaning that way, too, so we'll see if it sticks over the second half of the pregnancy and after we meet this boy.

2. Patch was sitting in my lap tonight for bedtime stories. After a few pages he turns to me and asks, "Mama, is your tummy full?" I said, "No, Patch, I haven't had dinner yet - I'm hungry." He replies back, "Yes it is! It is full of the baby. I can feel." He wasn't feeling it move - just feeling that he couldn't really sit in my lap and lean his head back against my shoulder anymore since the belly is a bit in the way now. So, half way there, and so far Wm and Patch are still on board. Hoping they'll be as happy with the September outcome.

full weekend!

We had a really full weekend - thought I'd jot it down just for a sense of what daily life is like. Friday started off very exciting: Greg had a conference call with DC for work (turns out, trying to get Europe, DC and Manila on the phone at the same time is not easy! Manila time, the call was at 9pm); I headed over to the airport to welcome a new family. At embassies, we all take turns being sponsors - helping a new arrival get settled - which includes being a friendly face at the airport and showing them their house. Saturday morning we had a fundraiser for Patch's school; as treasurer, I stuck around the whole time from 8 to 11:30. Between the yard sale and bake sale, we raised about 14,000 pesos - double last year - so yea! Now we can hire two staff to help with the pre-k graduation, and still have some left over. This is especially nice because the parent board members (ie, me among others) aren't stuck with cleanup duty! Saturday afternoon was at MOA helping the new family get the stuff they needed. Recently married, they don't even have much in their shipment, so they ended up spending a bunch getting basic household goods in addition to groceries. And we learned the hard way that the store can only charge 8000 pesos on a foreign debit card per transaction ... So the check out took some time. I remembered how stressful those first few days are, trying to figure everything out. This family has a slight advantage, though, as the wife is originally from the Philippines. At least no shopping culture shock for her - even if US government transient life style is new to her. Exhausted after being on my feet the entire day, I tucked in around 8:30! Sunday morning was church, with Wm finally starting to behave, even if Patch is still so wiggly! Then Greg took Wm and his best friend to their weekend soccer tournament. The two boys still wanted to play soccer when they got home, despite the heat and having been outside all afternoon. Wm's friend's parents are on a separated tour right now - the dad is in Mexico and the mom here with the three kids in Manila. The mom had organized a pottery class for the general embassy community before the soccer was announced ... So luckily Greg could take the boys so she could attend the class she organized :) here's to keeping our fingers crossed we don't face any unaccompanied tours. It's rough. During soccer and pottery (which I didn't attend), Patch obliged me by taking a 3.5 hour nap, of which I slept for 3. What's the joy in being five months pregnant if I can't indulge every now and then? It's hard work growing a baby while keeping up with two boys! Then, around 4pm, we headed over to the pool to cool down after soccer and chat with three families finished with the pottery class. Kids jumped in, parents ordered pizza, and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. Wm declared himself ready for home around 6, and Patch followed shortly after. Both were asleep within the hour. But that's not all - off to the grocery store for me, since I had no time to shop earlier. Just now all is unpacked and we can finally rest. Greg zoning out with a Manchester City game, and I'll read a bit of the Game of Thornes. No Downtown Abbey tonight given the importance of this soccer game is determining the winner of the Premier League. Of course, I can't complain about Greg's addiction because it caused him to wake up at 5:30 this morning with the boys so he could watch the Liverpool game on DVR (FA Cup final, not to be confused with the Premier League, which runs at the same time with the same teams, as best I can tell...)

Easter concept, check

I think I posted about 10 months ago about how we were going to make an effort to regularly attend church services here, as we found an English speaking congregation (bonus points for being Episcopal) and enjoyed parts of the rambling bishop's sermon (usually about half, then I get lost). I'd been wondering just what William was learning at the Sunday School, but decided not to worry too much focusing instead on the habit of going to church and the elusive skill of sitting still for the eucharistic prayers. The later alone is an uphill battle! Since they always came back from Sunday School with a weekly "parents an me" sheet usually about that week's reading, I figured the two teachers must have some curriculum.

Today, I chanced to overhear a conversation between Wm and a four year old neighbor, who attends the other expat-oriented protestant church. He asked her some question, and she replied, "I don't know, I guess God made it that way." Then:
Friend: "You know about God, right?"
Wm: "Yes, we go to church, too."
Friend: "Well, did you know God - I mean Jesus - died?"
Wm: "Noo. Easter already happened. Jesus is alive again."
Friend: "Oh yeah. I forgot."

Anyway, obviously the Easter concept taught in Sunday School sunk in, and our endeavor to foster a general Christian awareness is taking some roots.  

Half way through

Hard to believe, but we're half way through our time in Manila -- even more than half way, once I consider the three months I'll be spending in the US for baby number three's birth. I still get anxious and a bit sad when thinking about HYD and the friends we left there -- maybe that's what's inhibited me from feeling like I've figured out how to "connect" with Manila and left me with a feeling that I'm just existing here (rather than really living here). In any case, here we are, in April 2012 with a scheduled transfer date of April 2013.

Since many family members have asked, I'll explain how we figure out where we go next. The first two assignments were "directed." This means we received a list of all possible jobs (over 100), which we evaluated based on logistical criteria (did the timing work so we didn't have a big gap between posts? would we go over the permitted 'time-in-training' limit?) and personal criteria (two jobs available? can the boys and Bagwelle come? what's the housing/school/child care situation? etc etc). We rank ordered about 25 assignments, and the career development office back in DC slotted us into our positions after considering the State Department's needs and our preferences (compared against all the other bidders' preferences).

From here on out, we "lobby" for our assignments. Meaning, after available jobs are posted, we start contacting various people to express our interest in the jobs we like (i.e., "lobby" for a position). This involves sending out resumes, working contacts, asking colleagues to submit "360 reviews" of our performance, and I'm sure some other aspects I have yet to figure out. We could stay overseas, we could go back to DC - just depends on what the options are, especially because we're looking for two jobs in the same city with relatively the same starting month.

The lobby process officially starts in August when the list is released ... but unofficially starts as early as May when bureaus start to post "projected" positions available. Around late September/early October, we submit our official bid list into the online system, rank ordered, so bureaus have a final list of who wants to go where. Then the bureaus offer "handshakes" - and if we accept a handshake, the assignment is submitted to (and hopefully approved by) "the panel," making us "paneled" into the job.  The exact timeline changes year to year, depending on when tenure and promotion announcements are made (since jobs and people are ranked by level, and bidding "at level" is evaluated differently than a "stretch" position).

If all goes well (i.e., we get a handshake we like), we should know by Thanksgiving where we're headed next. Otherwise, it's back to the drawing board to see what's left and where we might fit best. So, dear family, now you have the explanation of the lingo we'll be using this fall. 

Bagan: Burma/Myanmar Travelogue Part 3 of 4

After Rangoon, we flew to Bagan for two days/two nights. I should add here that we cobbled together our intra-country travel instead of using a travel agent to decide the agenda. While this works well in most countries, in retrospect, going with a travel agent would have been much easier. Phone communication wasn't possible, and email responses took two or three days. No credit cards accepted, so deposits are tricky (some places seem to have found an off shore account work around). While the hotels we stayed at turned out amazing (lived up to its chain name: http://www.amazing-hotel.com/ ), I still would recommend using a travel agent to anyone considering a trip.

Three methods of transport exist for touring the Bagan temples and pagodas: car, horse cart, and bike. Once upon a time - before small kids - and in a different weather climate - i.e., not as hot - we might have chosen bikes. And from reading the guide books, we had been leaning towards a horse cart for the day. On arrival, though, and realizing just how brutally hot  it was in the dry part of the country with few shade trees, we figured the $50/day for car and driver was the wisest choice. Being able to zip between sites, easily get back to the hotel to drop off Patch for a nap (with someone staying with him of course!), and then return quickly in the early evening before either boy suffered a meltdown was key to our enjoyment.

We spent first day seeing just a sampling of the 3,000 temples in the town. My favorite was a climb to the top of one from which we could view the spires. Of course, once we got to the top and realized we had to bring both boys down very steep and uneven steps, a slight fear set in. Patch zoomed down so quickly, Greg could could barely go fast enough. William, thankfully, followed my advice and went slowly and carefully. Needless to say, not a climb or decent that would ever happen in the U.S. with all its liability issues.

The second day we drove to Mt Poppa to climb lots and lots of steps to a hill top monastery. After much cajoling (and some carrying) all six made it to the top, unbitten by the rather aggressive monkeys. Unfortunately, a heat-induced haze clouded our view, so down we went again without too much time at the top.

En route from the hotel to Mt Poppa, we stopped for a demo of making sesame and peanut oil and harvesting and making palm sugar. The small boys got a ride on the oil grinder, while the big boys sampled some palm sugar liquor at 10AM (gack!). Beth and I were in charge of purchases. We also stopped in at a traditional farming community - again, poor, but not miserably destitute. It just looked like that was how the families had been living for generations on end, as if the last 100+ years of "development" had yet to reach this far into the closed country. We shared some dried mango snacks with the kids - a big hit! Though the village kids all gathered round once they realized we'd share a treat, they all waited in turn for one piece, and no one came back for a second. I wish I could have communicated to the parents what great manners the kids had :)

Bagan is also famous for laquerware, so Beth and I toured a laquerware shop which was on its fourth generation. I tried not to think about my human rights portfolio at work of reporting on child labor, since obviously everyone in this extended family - from kids to grandparents - helped the enterprise. The work was quite beautiful, especially a chest special ordered by a visitor from Australia which was almost finished - after 2.5 years of work!

Around sunset of our second evening, we took a one hour horse cart ride to an area unaccessible to cars. An hour was just about right for all of us. Turns out, the carts aren't very comfortable for extended periods of time anyone - age 2 or 32. Plus, by dusk, the temp cooled off enough that being outside was somewhat pleasant.

As always, food was delicious. We ate twice at a cafe run by a French woman settled in Bagan, at an Indian place where the cook's grandparents migrated from India, and at a locally run place. All tasty. Seems like one can't go wrong when it comes to food in this country.

Durability

After 10 years, my ironing board just bit the dust. Technically, the board is still OK, but the legs no longer are able to slide up and down, pretty much rendering it useless to me - though I'm sure someone will happily carry it away from my garbage area within half a day.

I've recently noticed that after almost 10 years of marriage, many of the daily household items we purchased or received around our wedding are starting to show wear, from pots to linens. A decade of use for those items used often is pretty good, but I can't help but think about the old wooden ironing board in my grandfather's basement. I have no idea how old this ironing board - or the electric iron that sits on it - are. At least 25 years, since I can remember my grandma using it to iron on name labels before I went to my first summer camp. I suspect the ironing board is probably closer to 50 or 60. The fact mine only lasted for 10 doesn't really mean much, in comparison.

And yet, some little things around the house have managed to last longer than expected. The best example is the small plastic blue tub Georgetown Hospital gave us as part of our "welcome baby" kit to help bathe newborn William. To date, that article remains the best utensil I've used to rinse shampoo from hair, while simultaneously serving as a bath toy extrodinaire. Probably a $2 piece of plastic from China, but definitely something I'll be packing to bring to the US for baby #3.