Early days...

Hi, all! Well, we made it to Manila. It was 24 hours of travel time all told, and we slept very little of that, but individual screens on the backs of plane seats made it all better. Thank you, Delta!

Our first leg was to Detroit, second leg to Tokyo, and then Tokyo to Manila. Each of us had a carry on suitcase and a backpack, and I was proud of how well the boys did carrying their own loads. We were fully baggaged, with 10 50 lb. checked bags. We'll be living out of these bags, potentially for several months, so it mattered that we packed to the hilt.

When we hit Tokyo, reality started setting in. I wanted to run back onto the nice, American plane and beg the nice, American pilot to take me home. I love the United States! Just kidding, y'all. I can't do this. I wanted to turn back, but the reality is that there is no turning back. Our house is rented out, and the work contracts have been signed.

We got to Manila, and the embassy sent vans for us and our luggage. It was so helpful after such a long travel time. We drove off to our hotel apartment, and the warm night and the smell of diesel didn't lead to me feeling a lot better about things.

The next morning, I thought I was going to have a panic attack, I was so stressed. I felt afraid to leave the hotel, but we all went out to explore, and that experience turned it all around for me. I discovered I can walk to a mall with a grocery store. There's a Lego store where the boys can build. It isn't hard to find, and most signs are in English. I found a book of trees of the Philippines to use for school. Even the smells and the air felt better to me than the night before. Yes, this is a large, polluted city, but I can get out in it. The boys and I aren't going to be stuck in the apartment. This is manageable.

The local people are what make all the difference. They love children, and my boys get lots of smiles and pats on the head. Most can speak some English, and even though we are the only blonde haired and blue eyed people we usually see, we don't get stared at much more than we do in the U.S. :)

We're gonna be OK. Early days are adjustment days, and it's just going to be emotionally up and down for awhile. Prayers appreciated.