September 30, 2012

Well, here we are once again, and we finally found something besides that "short" broom to clean with - check out the "long" brook I am holding in the picture below.  I just have to be careful not to sweep the ceiling fixtures down with the handle.  Love this country and all of it's innovative cleaning items.

 

Speaking of innovative ideas . . . . .

 

Anyone who knows Carol, knows she LOVES to bake and cook.  Soon after we arrived here, she decided she needed a kitchen timer so that she would not have to try to remember when she put the cookies into the oven.  We found the perfect timer, but unfortunately, she could not hear it beep without wearing it on her ear.  It is very convenient, but perhaps not too stylish.

 

 

We don't have the drive "thru" car washes as in the States.  But we have personalized car care at the local car wash, where we can sit and watch our car being washed for at least two hours.  On the lower right side of the picture you will see a boom box (for us to listen to), and they serve a variety of refreshments while we wait.

 

 

Here we are, waiting for our car to be cleaned inside and out.  They are very particular, and make sure that everything, including the car mats are immaculate.  This is the cleanest we've ever seen our car.  It only cost 140 pesos, which translates to about $3.36 U.S. dollars.  Wish I could hire him to come and clean our apartment.  Colorful setting, isn't it.

 

 

Penafrancia is an annual parade which goes down the main street,  right in front of our Mission Office apartment.  Penafrancia is an annual week-long celebration, where they have parades starting at 5:30 in the morning, every morning for six days.  We know they started at 5:30 in the morning, because the drums of their marching bands would wake us up, as it seemed as though they were marching right through out bedroom.  The parades would last until about 2:00 in the afternoon.  

 

 

They consisted of marching bands, floats, military marching bands, majorettes twirling batons.   Boy Scouts with FULL uniforms, Girl Scouts and their leaders in FULL dress uniforms lined up just as straight as the military cadets pictured above.   The colors of the costumes, and the costumes themselves were fantastic.  We were so amazed at how disciplined and dedicated all of the participants were.   Filipinos are very patriotic and family-oriented people.

 

 

And the Driver's License Saga continues . . . . .

Pictured above is the is the outside waiting area (there is no inside waiting area) to get a Philippine drivers license in the city of Iriga.

 

 

 

Carol is sitting on one of the benches, waiting and waiting to find out if she is going to get her drivers license.  She looks a little bored and is probably thinking, "this, too, will pass".  Not too happy at this point in time.

 

We arrived at the Naga Drivers License Division on Thursday, September 6th @ 8:00 a.m.  Waited until 9:30, when they told Carol that she could not take the written drivers exam that day, because it had not been EXACTLY 30 days plus one day since she first took the test, and failed it, (in the test, they use words like "infiltrate" for pass, and several Tagalog words, which she was not familiar with). We decided to drive to the city of Iriga, arriving at about 10:15 a.m. to see if she could get a drivers license there.  We arrived at the Iriga Drivers License Division, handed in her paperwork, and waited and waited.  Then, she was called into the manager's office, where she was told that if she had a copy of her Visa they would process her license.  It is a 45 minute, taking your life in your own hands, drive from Naga to Iriga.  So, we headed back to Naga, got a copy of her Visa and drove back to Iriga, fully expecting to get the license.  Well, once we handed that document to them, we waited and waited again.  Once again she was called into the manager's office and was told that they could not issue her a license because she had not been in the Philippines for 90 days, and that her Utah driver's license was still valid.  She was told they have their laws, and that they could not get around that!  She would have to come back after the 20th of September.  So, on the 24th of September we drove to the city of Iriga AGAIN, and once again handed the paperwork in for approval.  We sat and waited and waited, and finally she was called into the office again.  This time, they told her that she would have to be in the country for five months before they could process a drivers license for her.  Well, luckily, we had Willie, the security guard at the Mission Home with us.  He bantered back and forth with the office manager, stating that we'd been told 90 days was the limit for getting a drivers license.  Finally, the office manager said they would process the license,.  Here's where it gets pretty "funny", if that's what you want to call it.  Carol waited AGAIN and finally was called up to have her photo ID taken for the license.  Finally, we figured we were making headway and we'd be leaving soon with a drivers license.  Oh, not so!!!  Again, she was asked to come to the photo window.  The gal there said that Carol didn't have an endorsement from Iriga on her medical form and that we would have to walk to the County Health Department and have another physical, get the endorsement and then come back.  Sounds pretty simple, right?   Well, that building is about 2 blocks away through some paths and weeded areas.  She gets there, is weighed and measured for height.  Then, she's told that she needs a "blank" medical form for them to fill in, and that she'd need to walk back around the block, across the highway to a drug-testing room, pay 2 pesos for a blank form, and then take it back to the health department.  This she did, then she has her bloodpressure taken, which they said was high (what would you think after all of the stress she's been through).   She was asked to read an eye chart - which she had a hard time with, too, but they said everything was good, endorsed the medical form and sent us on our way, after giving a 50 pesos donation.  OK, so we're jumping through all of their hoops and finally are on our way back to the drivers license area, where she, once again, hands her paperwork in and hopes this is nearly over.  Then, she had to have her photo ID taken again (they don't save anything) and sat down on the lovely wood-slatted benches to wait again for the call to the cashier's booth.  FINALLY, she got the call . . . . . .  . . after waiting from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

 

 

AND, the wait was worth it!!!!!

There's a happy Carol who can now drive legally.  No more being a student driver!!!!

 

THE DRIVERS LICENSE SAGA HAS ENDED!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 9, 2012

 

We drove 160 kilometers south of Naga to a city called Sorsogon, which is right next to the ocean.  Our purpose for this trip was to bring supplies, including a bed, mattresses, and other miscellaneous items to Sisters and Elders in the area.  One of the apartments needed an air conditioner installed. Jerry, being the handy man that he is, handled this task.  This air conditioner is the only one in all of the Naga Mission.  Needless to say, it will be the envy of every other missionary.  The apartment it was put in has no cross ventilation, and with the humidity and temperatures in the 80+ degrees, it was necessary.   The area is spectacular with all sorts of beautiful trees, bushes and flowering plants.  We stayed the night at a hotel called The Santa Clara Park Hotel.  Below is a picture of Jerry standing on the steps in front of the room we stayed in. 

 

 

 

This is Carol standing close to an old structure which is in the hotel compound. Even though it is very old, it is well maintained. All areas of the compound have security guards watching over the vehicles of the guests and safeguarding the surrounding areas.

 

 

This is another view of the Hotel, but the room that we stayed in was a 2 apartment bungalow and was not connected to this part of the hotel

 

 

This is part of the area as seen from our apartment. This is a cute little gazebo, and those trees you see to the left of it are bamboo trees. All the grounds are meticulously maintained. They don't use lawnmowers to keep the grassy areas trimmed. They use weed whackers and are continually trimming. Everything grows so fast that it is just one continual cycle. They take great pride in the beauty and cleanliness of their structures and grounds.

 

 

If you look close, you will see a branch connected to a board that is sticking out of the back of a dump truck. Instead of fastening a red flag to it to alert motorists, they just put this branch there. This is VERY typical. We have seen this kind of warning notice more than once. Sometimes, they even attach a plastic grocery bag to the end of the pole. It seems that anything works.

 

Today, Jerry was sustained as the Elders Quorum President of the Pamplona Branch.  Now, I guess he has to be called, "Elder President Campbell".  HeHe

 

Carol is still trying to get her Philippines drivers license.  On Thursday, September 6th, we once again went to the transportation department for her to take the written test.  After waiting for two hours and having her picture taken twice (she closed her eyes on the first one), she was informed that she could not take the test that day because it had not been a month and a day since she took it last time.  They don't count the day that she took the test, so Friday, September 7th would be the day she could take it again.  Well, as it would happen, they would be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  This meant she would have to come back on Monday the 10th.  She was kind of upset, to say the least.  Well, Willie, the security guard for the Mission President said that we could drive to Iriga City, (which is 36 kilometers away) and apply for the license there.   He said they would for sure issue her a license without having to take the written test.  We drove for 45 minutes to Iriga City only to be told that she needed a copy of her Visa and if we'd bring it in, they'd process her paperwork and give her her license.  So, we drove back to Naga, got a copy of of her Visa and drove back to Iriga City.  She took the paperwork in and sat for a little while, expecting to be called in to have her picture taken for the license.  Well, she was called into the office and was told that her Utah drivers license was valid for her to drive in the Philippines for 90 days.  Her 90 days had not expired yet, so she was told to come back on the 20th of September.  We're wondering what they're going to come up with this next time to delay her getting it.  Just by way of information, out of ALL of the Senior Couples and Elders who work in the office who are from Utah and have Utah drivers licenses, she is the only one who has been required to spend a month as a student driver and has to take the written test.  There must be some kind of logic here, but we can't see it yet.  Perhaps it is to help her develop patience. 

And the Drivers License Saga continues.

 

 



August 18, 2012

The past few weeks have been full of surprises and more adventures into the unknown. 

Thursday, the 9th of August, we had 13 new missionaries come to the Naga Mission.  Two of them are from the States, the other eleven are from India, Scri Lanka, the Philippines.  Jerry and an AP (Assistant to the President) took six of them to some areas in the southern parts.  He left at about 2:45 and didn't get home until around 8:30 p.m. 

Early in the week, we received a call from our Mission President, President Bliesner, telling us that we needed to drive to a town called Guinobatan to pick up one of our Sister missionaries.  As we were backing our van out of the parking area, the engine died and we could not get it started. We borrowed the pickup, a Ford Trekker, of the office Elders so that we could get on our way.  We were to take her to the Legazpi Airport, which is 94 km away (about 63 miles).  In the States, it would be an "easy" short hour drive.  Well, it took us 2 long hours to get to Guinobatan and then another 30 minutes to go less than 16 km to the airport.  Keep in mind, we had been to the Sister's apartment in Guinobatan, but had never been anywhere near the airport.  After stopping and asking questions along the way, we finally made it there with about 20 minutes to spare, once she got her bags checked in.  This is a Sister from Sri Lanka who was having a very difficult time adjusting to the culture, temperature and food.  We flew her to the Mission counseling center in Manila.  A little stressful to say the least.

On the way to the airport, this was part of the traffic - a Caribou pulling a cart.

 And, as part of the slow moving traffic, we came upon this Filipino with his pointy hat:

 There is only ONE traffic light in all of the Philippines Naga Mission, and here it is. You can see how much they REALLY need the traffic light. This congestion is so typical, but all drivers are courteous and you hardly ever see an accident.

Every six weeks we have transfers.  Prior to transfers, all of the 72  apartments are inspected by the Zone Leaders.  They score them mostly on cleanliness.   On a scale of 1-60, and the scores from the apartments in each Zone are added together.  The Zone with the highest score gets to decide on a Zone Activity.   On the 30th of July (the date on the camera is off by a day), the Activity was a trip to a black sand beach.  It was a lot of fun.  The Elders and Sisters played football/Frisbee with a volleyball.  There were a lot of other activities, and treats.  One treat was some oatmeal/banana/raisin cookies that Carol made.  Had not ever thought of putting bananas in them before, but they were a real hit.  Below are some pictures of the area where the activity was held.

This is the group of Elders and Sisters at the entrance of the Beach area.

To get to the beach, you have to walk over a bamboo bridge that's over a small stream of water.

This is the home of the person who owns the beach resort.  Very nice!



These are the huts that are rented by tourists.  Notice the green containers in the front of each hut.  They are the national garbage receptacle that is found all over the Philippines.

The Elders and Sisters playing football/Frisbee with a volleyball.  Hard to imagine what they're doing, but it is really fun to watch.  They are trying to score goals on each end by passing the soccer ball.

These are the winners!!!!!

And here we are at the END!

It was a really fun day.  It rained off and on, and was pretty windy, but it still felt good to be out on the beach with all those Elders and Sisters.

Until next time.

Elder & Sister Campbell

August 4, 2012

Although we have been in the Philippines for about 6 weeks, it seems that every day is an adventure. Whether it's losing our car in the parking plaza at the SM Mall or driving to some city and trying to find an apartment of the Sisters or Elders or shopping in Naga Centro, it's so amazing that we are able to make our way back to OUR apartment above the Mission Office Building.  There is something new to learn about our jobs each day.  One of the fun parts about our mission is that we get to travel often to outlying parts of our mission.  We deliver a lot of supplies, plus, move missionaries to new locations, repair water pumps, replace locks, make apartments more secure and basically take care of the needs of the missionaries.  Jerry does all of the ordering of supplies such as Books of Mormon in Tagalog, name tags, song books in Tagalog, Daily planner books for the missionaries, as well as DVD players that the missionaries use when teaching certain lessons, pass-along cards, and the list really does go on and on.  He also purchases locally and supplies the missionaries with mattresses, pillows, kitchen equipment, desks, closets, curtains, wash basins, etc.  He's also responsible for inspecting each of the vehicles once a quarter and has to hand in monthly reports of expenses, etc. for each vehicle.  I, on the other hand, am responsible for recording each of the Baptism/Confirmation records that are handed in and transmitting the information to Salt Lake City via the Internet.  Since missionary companions are not to be separated from each other, I get to travel along with Jerry and attempt to read the road maps - which, by the way, leave a lot to be desired!

 This is a picture, taken as we traveled, of some bananas hanging on it's tree.

 This a Church that we took a picture of, but it didn't have anything close to the road to tell us what it is, or how old it is.  But you can tell by the looks of it's fence that it is very old.

 This is another church that we saw on the same day.  It is also very old, but looks like it's been recently cleaned.  Again, nothing to tell us any history on it.  Just thought it was a beautiful building.

And here's another church that we saw along the way.  We love all of the different architectures.  Some of the churches in the Philippines can date back to the late 1500's - these, probably are not that old, and could possibly have been built in the 1700's and newer. 

 We drove the coastal highway between Goa and Tabaco.  We were impressed with the housing all along the way.  This was very typical.

Picture of an island that has a house and a nice beach.  This is the view from the coastal highway to Tabaco from Goa.

 As we drove along the highway, we looked off to the side, and down there were a few homes that, again, are very typical.  Most of the houses or shacks are built right alongside the highway.  Children play right at the side of the road and it seems every family has a dog.  The dogs love to sleep on the highway, and they don't move for cars.  We have to drive out around them!

 Picture of a Jeepney - looks like a school bus, but it isn't.  Jeepney's are painted all different colors, and some look like rainbows to attract people's attention so that they will ride.  Jeepney rides cost p20 for a long distance ride, which translates to about .47 cents.

 Caribow (not sure how to spell it) along the highway.

 Couple of Caribow pulling drag carts.

 Fuzzy Fruit (forgot the name of it).  Jerry placed some keys on the plate to give some perspective as to how large they are.

 Fuzzy Fruit split open and the fruit from inside it.

Fuzzy fruit showing the pit on the left and the covering to the right of it.  That's all that there is to eat from this fuzzy fruit.  It has little to no taste, but it is fun get to. 

Carol is still a "Student Driver".  We went on Friday the 3rd of August to the Transportation Department in Naga, took a number and sat outside (rainy weather and all) for nearly 3 hours before they made an announcement that the internet connection between Naga and Manila was down.  They said to come back at 1:00 and "maybe" it would be fixed.  We came back at 1:00 and were told to come back Monday.  So, we'll try again on Monday.  It's getting a little frustrating, but we've learned that life here in the Philippines does not run on "Mountain Standard Time", or on any time.  They do it their way, and that's it.   That being said, we REALLY ARE loving it here.  The drivers license thing is just a small, little glitch and will be fixed very soon.  Nothing to get up tight about!

Transfers start August 6th, so Jerry will be doing a lot of traveling - getting the Elders and Sisters re-located and making sure that all is well with them.  Thirteen new Elders and Sisters are coming in from the Provo MTC and Manila MTC on Thursday, August 9th.  We're looking forward to getting to know each of them.  As Jerry travels for transfers, Carol stays behind in the apartment.  She's planning on baking a bunch of goodies and freezing them so that when we go to the different areas, we'll have some home-baked treats for the missionaries.  They really look forward to these treats, and Carol loves to have things for them that they'll enjoy.

Well until next time, take care.

Love,

Elder & Sister Campbell

 As of today, July 22nd we have almost traveled from the northern most point to the southern most point in our mission.  We say "almost" because there are still parts of our mission we have not been to yet.  The above picture is a lot different from the pine trees we have in Star Valley or the cedar trees in southern Utah.  This is a coconut tree and they are abundant along the roads as we travel throughout all of our mission.

 During our travels, we find sporatic construction taking place on the roads.  Most asphalt is being replaced with concrete.  We have only seen one cement truck, and that has been in the city of Naga.  Most of the concrete for the roads is been mixed in small personal size concrete mixers like you would find people using for small jobs at their homes in the States.

 At one point, we were detoured at a bridge that has been out for 2 years.   We saw this flag girls with two sticks in her hands, one with a red rag for stop and one with a green rag for go.  At this particular place, we ended up going through a small village with dirt roads only as wide as our van.  At several places along the way there were other flag people (men, women & children) making sure we didn't get diverted from the path we were supposed to be on.

Above is a picture of a caribou workiing in a rice field.  They don't have or use any modern kinds of equipment.  Almost everything is done by hand, from the plowing of the fields to the planting of the rice.

We have learned the  art of eating our food here in the Philippines.  If there is a table knife set on the table, it is for decoration only, as you don't use it at all.  The big spoon is held in the right hand and the fork, which is held in the left hand, is used to push stuff onto the spoon.  If any part of the meal needs to be cut, that is done with the edge of the large spoon.  We haven't figured out what the little spoon is for, yet.  It is actually smaller than our teaspoon in the States.  We truly eat international food.  Our Tang breakfast drink is from Thailand, our milk is from New Zealand, and it requires no refrigeration until it is opened.  The milk we bought last week has an expiration date of October.  Our granola breakfast cereal is from South Africa.  Our Delmonte corn is also from Thailand, Heinz vegetable soup is from Australia.  Our tomato sauce, mayonnaise, and pork and beans and most of our soups come in pouches instead of bottles or cans.  The list could go on and on.  The "Strip Fries" pictured below are actually made here in the Philippines.  They are really good, and not very expensive.  They do have Lays potato chips and Doritos, but they're so expensive that we stick with the Pik Nik shoestring potatoes and the Strip Fries.

We are really enjoying getting to know the Elders and Sisters.  Last week we drove to Malilipot where we installed some screens on windows of one the Sisters' apartments.  They have found about 6 "small" snakes in their apartment and were quite worried that they might be bitten during the night as they slept.  One of the Sisters is from Luzon, the northern most part of the Philippines, and the other Sister is from the island of Mindanao, the southern most island of the Philippine chain.  Their cultures are entirely different from each other, and from the Naga Mission area.  All of our missionaries (even those from the U.S.) seem to adapt well.

The "rainy season" has really begun.  When we came here, we were told that we'd be coming at the beginning of the monsoon weather, but it has been really dry, with very little moisture.  The last couple of days and nights it has rained an awful lot.  We asked one of the members of the Branch we attend if this is the beginning of the rainy season.  He said yes, and that it will last about three months.  Everyone carries an umbrella with them at all times, and the tricees have curtains on them that can be pulled shut so as to protect the passenger.

We are trying to learn a little of the local language, Bicol, as it is different from Tagalo, which is the national language.  We would like to say "salamat", which means thank you in Tagalo, for all of your support and prayers.

Elder and Sister Campbell

 These are my cleaning tools:  Soft broom (on your left) and Stick broom (on your right).  The stick broom is used to sweep all corners, rugs & floors.  The soft broom is used as the "clean up" tool to get everything into a dustpan.

 This is a small cockroach that Jerry found in the office (already dead, thank goodness)

 This is our little "house guest".  We're still trying to think of an appropriate name for him, but he is most usually never seen.  Although, we hear him "chirping" loud and clear during the day when we're in the apartment.  He does a good job at keeping the bugs under congtrol.

 We drove to Bulan and met with 4 Elders who live in the apartment on the right.  "Apartment?" you say.  Yes, they do live here.  Jerry had to install a new water pump for them.  We left Naga City  @ 6:00 a.m. and arrived there at about 11:30.  It was a 5 1/2 hour drive (one way), but the scenery was beautiful.  We enjoyed it very much!   It was a very long day, but well worth it.

This is a picture I took of Sorsogon Bay, which is on the Ticao Passage and is part of the Sibuyan Sea, as we were driving on our way to Bulan.  The city of Bulan is right next to the sea.

Until next time,   Salamat (thank you)!   (the "a" in Tagalag is pronounced like the "a" which is in the word "father")

Thought you might like a glimpse of our surroundings here in the Philippines, so we'll start with the rice fields, just a few kilometers out of Naga.

 Rice fields

 More rice fields - pretty, aren't they?

Mayan Volcano which is active & has steam coming out of the top 

 Closer view of the volcano - it was raining a little this day

 Trucks on the National Highway

 Our view as we rode in a Tricee to do some sopping for supplies.  Notice how narrow.

 Another view showing some of the road congestion.  VERY TYPICAL

 Carol getting out of a Pudjack close to the apartment front door.



Jerry and I both rode in this Pudjack, along with a dozen pillows (compressed), 4 skillets, pillow covers, pillow cases, can openers and towels.  We were really scrunched in there, but this little guy pedaled right a long and got us home without any bumps or bruises.  These Pudjacks and Tricees are everywhere, so if you want a ride to somewhere, all you have to do is stand on the curb and they will stop right away.  We rode a Tricee into "town" to do some other shopping for supplies yesterday.  This is all so much fun - I could get addicted to it. 

The supermarket isn't what we know as a supermarket in the U.S.  There are not as many brands, etc. to choose from, and they do have some American things (Jif p-nut butter, Weserrn Family Mayonnaise, Delmonte corn and a couple other veggies, but not a large variety, lots and lots of soda pop - Coke, Pepsi - and a few other things), they have fresh whole chickens sitting out in the center of the room, lying on ice, but no refrigeration on them, lots of eggs stacked from the floor to the ceiling, and there again, are not refrigerated, very large selection of fruits, but the veggies really leave something to be desired - UGH - the celery looks like it does when we would throw it away - wilty, etc.,  several kinds of rice and they will weigh as much as you want and put it in a plastic bag for you.  When you check out, they have two different kinds of isles - ones for small blue baskets and then the large grocery carts like at home.  They really get upset if you go to the checkout with something in hand and not in a basket.  I haven't done that, but have been told, so I am careful, if I even want one or two things, I am careful to get a small blue basket.

We attended our Branch for the first time today in Pamplona - about a 30 minute drive away.  It is kind of funny because we have a Church right in the same compound as our Church office building and apartment, but the Mission President thought the Branch needs more help from people who are mature in the Gospel - I guess we fit that description.  There was one Deacon and the Elders Quorum who passed the sacrament.  The two Elders assigned to the Branch blessed the Sacrament.  There was only one sister who showed up for Relief Society, so she went home instead of staying.  All of the lessons in Sunday School, Priesthood Meeting and Young Women were taught in Tagalog, so once in a while we'd recognize a word such as missionary or Jesus Christ, but for the most part, we were lost as to what was being taught.  Hopefully, we'll learn some of the language so that we can at least understand what's being said.  We do have 23 months to do it, so with the Lord's help and a lot of faith and prayer, I am sure we'll be able to understand some of what's being said.  Well, till next time, Salamat (thank you) for your wonderful words of encouragement and support.  We love you ALL.