Do I live in a zoo?

Everything is great with Aubrey and Genesis. Janie (the roommate also from the states) is helping to take care of her a lot since Janie and Genesis share a room. Janie also doesn't have as many responsibilities as me (and is a nurse), so this makes her the best available person to assist. Genesis hasn't shared yet what she is going to do about school and about taking care of Aubrey. She has this week to decide. Please keep her in your prayers as she makes this decision.

For you Americans who follow baseball....Yay Rangers!!! :-) Congrats to the team of my home country! ;-)

I've been playing with the kids here a lot. Thursday they started calling me "Momma Tiger" and they are my "Baby Tigers". I chase them and hug and tickle them if I can catch them and we all roar at each other. There are teams of older and younger and the younger ones protect me while I try to catch the older ones. I have yet to catch the older ones. About 10 of the kids will growl at me when I walk by. It's really cute! :-) I look forward to playing with them more!

This morning some of my Baby Tigers and I shoveled the mud off the sidewalks and out of the drainage ditches, as well as picked up all the trash and leaves from in front of the faculty room to the warehouse of IFL. With so many Baby Tigers and a few other Momma Tigers, it didn't take long and was fun. We used a broom made from small wooden sticks bundled together to sweep up the leaves and get the little bits of mud off the sidewalk. We took turns so it wouldn't break anyone's back.

There was a new mall built not too far from here. I went there today. On my way there, I found a little vendor stand that makes personalized wire necklaces. For $1.16, I got a necklace with my name correctly spelled on it! I'm going to go back to get Aubrey's name made so Genesis has it to wear with her. Any other orders?

Upstairs, there is a really nice food court. But imagine the looks of confusion on the Filipino faces when a white girl sat down, shared a table with Filipinos she didn't know, and started eating a sushi dish with chopsticks! Talk about cultural confusion!

The mall has a Starbucks inside!!! :-) It was like a taste of America! Can you please start putting $21 a month into my account to fund my new hiding place? lol. That's enough for travel expenses to go there once a week and get a tall mocha frapachino and a snack. Only $21 for the WHOLE MONTH. Please???

Just kidding. (Kinda.)

I was sitting inside there today, journaling and reading. It was nice. So many people walked by and just stared at me! Some of the bolder ones would actually wave when I smiled back. At one point, I was people watching from behind my safety glass and two young girls came up to the glass and stood on either side of me. Their dad was behind them and pulled out his camera and took a picture!!! I was on one side of the glass and the girls were on the other. Then, he showed me the picture, waved to say thank you, and walked off! Now I know how animals at the zoo feel.

In Crocodile Hunter voice: Crikey! What an amazing specimen we have here! I've never seen such a thing. Look at 'er! She is so intent on using her tools. I'm amazed the she knows how to make color appear on that paper. She moves with such speed and focus! Watch, she made a mistake and now crossed it out, but it doesn't stop 'er. She just keeps going. Oh, she noticed me standin' here, tryin' to take a picture. What is she goin' to do next? Crikey! She put her head on her hands and smiled! And just in time for the snapshot! Woah there, mates, she is a beauty!

Hahaha! Such is my life.

"Happy Starbucks to you...

You live in a zoo...

You look like a monkey...

And you smell like one too!"