Update #11: Old news to me, but new news to you

Hi,

This will be a mixture of a blog I had worked on prior to the move but didn't get around to finishing as well as providing some new info. It might be hodge podge of grammar and tenses, but hey, at least you're getting an update!!

To start with the most interesting news: the baby is to be born on June 9th, 2006 via C-section. For more details on him, check out his Web site. I have also included a couple of the photos from the 4D ultrasound. To quote Camilla, in one he still looks a bit like an alien, but the profile one looks like a chubby baby.


If you want to see our apartment, I've added a link to the building (Salcedo Park) in the links section. The apartment shown in the pictures is not the apartment we are in, but the layout and everything is similar. It is a large 3 bedroom, 3+ bath, with a huge kitchen and a great view. There is also a maids room with her own separate bath. The building is beautiful and has amazing facilities with a beautiful pool that I love! It is located in Salcedo Village in Makati on H.V. Dela Costa Street - the same street where Glen and Laine and James and Diane live.

The cat loves the place, especially all the large floor-to-ceiling windows. It reminds us a lot of where we used to live in Toronto. The security staff aren't as nice as they were at the other apartment but I think that is just because I get freaked out that the name of the company they are from is called 'Shooter Security.'

We moved the day after I was discharged from hospital and have Laine's sister in law as our household helper. Her name is Blaire and she is amazing. She does all the washing, ironing, cleaning, and has had to do all the shopping as I was not allowed to leave the house. The first couple of times she went shopping for us turned out to be interesting though. I asked for tin/aluminum foil as I didn't know if she would know of it as tin foil or as aluminum foil. Well, she came back with the silver metal you put on roofs. I think we've worked through most of the kinks though. She's also been good company for me when Dave is at work. If you call us and hear a strange voice on the phone, it is most likely Blaire.

Speaking of the phone, we now have our phone unlocked so we can make international calls. We were planning on getting a VOIP hooked up but to do that we need high speed Internet. The only place that provides high speed Internet requires a 1 year contract, so this will probably have to wait until we are more permanently settled. The beauty of a VOIP is that we can call the US and Canada for a cheap flat rate and you guys will only need to call a 416 or 905 number so the long distance bill for you will be really small.

We were registered for Prenatal classes but unfortunately had to cancel due to bedrest. I guess it won't really matter though as I won't have to do any pushing or anything since it will be a C-Section. I was also scheduled to take an Indian cooking class that sadly I had to cancel too. Oh well, hopefully I will still be able to gain access to the recipes.

We had our first jeepney ride by accident. We were coming back from the medical lab where it is really, really hard to get a cab. Finally a cab stopped. Most of the cabs in the city are Toyota Tercel equivalents, but this one was like an SUV. Anyways, it had the 'metered taxi' sign on it so we just hopped in. We said our address and the driver just started to drive. Then I had the fright of my life when all of a sudden the door gets opened and other people just start hopping in. We then realized that we were in an expensive jeepney. Anyways, he dropped us off near our apartment, but due to the pedestrian barricades, it turned out to be quite a walk for us.

On our way back from one of our doctor appointments we had an incident with the street panhandlers. Now to give you some impression of what it is like here, it is not like panhandlers in Canada. Where they just sit there on the street corner with a sign and a hand out or where they wash your windows. Here, they walk in the street - even against traffic - and stop and knock on your window. I find it really hard to just ignore the person, so I generally look at them and say 'sorry.' Big mistake. Then they give you sad eyes and tell you that they are hungry. There are even kids as young as 5 working the streets at night selling all sorts of wierd things like flower necklaces. Luckily just when I have been about to give in the light changes and we are on the move again. Well this time when we were coming home from the doctors, I was stroking my belly and thinking of my little son all safe and sound in my tummy. Then at a stop light, there was a woman with a naked baby boy in her arms asking for money. I couldn't say no, especially after knowing how hard some women and babies have it here and knowing that our son will never go hungry or unclothed. So I gave her some money. Well let me tell you, that was the longest light ever. Right after people saw we gave money, we were surrounded by other women with their babies. Me being a bunch of hormones and already feeling maternal, we had to give to them too. Well then the first mother got mad that the other moms were taking money that should have been hers, and there was a bit of an argument. Luckily the light changed and we were on our way.

Prior to the move and bedrest, Dave and I went to Tagaytay and to Bottoms.

Tagaytay is considered to be THE place to go for Easter as it is considered to be a religious place. Why? I have no idea. Just like I don't know why the Filipinos believe in vampires and witchcraft. I've learned not to ask questions anymore.

Anyways, we went to Tagaytay because it has cooler temperatures, clean air, beautiful views (the landscape is steep rolling hills) and a hotel with a pool I could actually get in and out of. See the last month or so at our old apartment I couldn't use the pool. It only had a step ladder to get in and out, and I was so large that I couldn't do it anymore. The hotel in Tagaytay had steps so I was finally able to get the weight of the baby off of me and cool off.

Me in the pool. I'm still not allowed to swim. So basically I just sit there and read.

The other thing about Tagaytay is that it is where there is a volcano that recently erupted. The volcano is in the middle of the lake. I used to know the name of it, but due to time and just pregnancy brain I can't remember. I think it is the Taal Volcano. We were planning on doing a tour of the volcano but it involved a rocky boat ride and horseback riding and there was no way I was able to do any of that. So we basically just got to enjoy beautiful scenery and I got to sit by a pool again. It is a pretty place, but definitely one of the more overrated tourist places in the philippines, at least in my opinion. Plus the food (my main reason for existence now) sucked. Even Dave wouldn't eat it. The exception though is fresh fruit and veggies. Tagaytay is known for their agriculture.


A pineapple field. I had no idea pineapples grew out of the ground. Please say I'm not the only one who thought they grew on trees.

It was also our first exposure to a tourist place in the Philippines and it is definitely different than in North America. For one thing, they have no location maps, tourist guides, brochures about sites in the area. You are basically on your own. Plus if you don't speak Tagalog, it is really difficult to be understood. Then, when you go to your room - which was definitely clean and ok - there is still nothing to introduce you to the area. There wasn't even a menu for room service. It was quite interesting - it must be that in the Philippines the whole reason for travelling is to stay in a hotel - either that or it was just the hotel we were at.

Bottoms is one of the girly bars located on Burgos street. This is basically one of the red light districts in Manila. I have been begging Dave to take me to one of these bars as I see them all the time on my way shopping and wanted to know what it was like. In the Philippines, a regular bar is very rare to find. I think there are maybe two or three in Makati. The rest are what are considered girly bars. The only people there are men - except for the time when Laine and I tagged along - and basically there are a bunch of scantily clad women dancing. Let me tell you, the dancing and amount of clothing is no different than what you would see at a bar in downtown Toronto. I was pretty unimpressed, I was expecting it to be more like a peeler bar.

Anyways, there are two drink prices: one for the patrons and one for the girls. If you want to talk to a girl (or do more), you have to buy them a drink. The cost for a patron drink is something like $1 but for a girl drink it is like $4. Anyways, in our case we just bought some of the girls drinks (otherwise it is considered rude) and when they were with us we just talked to them. The mamma san of the place even started buying us rounds. I miss wine and beer. Sadly Calamansi soda is just not the same as a nice bottle of red wine. Apparently though it was a tame night and some times you can even see people having sex in the bar. Maybe next time!!

After another frustrating time trying to get service over the phone in the Philippines and spelling my name out, I still became Gabrielle Clemente. I've tried using Deb, Debbie, Deborah and it still shows up on the contract or sales slip as Gabrielle. It is so frustrating! I've had Wendy's hang up on me twice when I call for delivery because they just can't figure out what my name is and in order to get food delivered they need to know your name, address, bra size, date of birth, etc. I've decided I have to have a nickname that will allow me to fit in. I'm thinking of Princess or Bunny. What do you think? The other option is to just say 'Yes' to whatever name they throw out at me.

That's it for now. Hope all of you are well.

Love Deb and Dave

Update #10: April 17th - Easter Weekend

Hope Everyone had a Hoppy Easter!

Easter in the Phlippines is a big deal. Stores shut down. Churches are packed. People walk the streets with crosses on their backs and everyone leaves the city to head towards the provinces.
We had originally wanted to do an overnight trip to Tagaytay, but were told by many people that traffic would be horrible. Instead, we ended up staying in the city. It turned out to be a good thing as we had a number of things to do.

On Saturday the 15th, I went shopping with Camilla, Pamela and Annabelle to Greenhills in Quezon City. This is the place to get your designer knockoffs, cheap clothes, shoes, crafts, pearls, etc. I ended up buying a pair of shoes, a fake Coach handbag, and some T-shirts that would stretch enough to fit over my big bulk. I saw a ton of pearls but was advised to come back with a Pinoy as they could help barter the price. Afterwards, Dave and I went out for a late lunch and then stopped by the hospital to see Glen and Laine's new baby, Lochlin. He was born on Thursday at Makati Medical and weighed 6.4 pounds.

This is a picture of Laine and Lochlin Scott Odom.


Saturday evening, we went out for dinnner to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of our First Date. By coincidence, April 15th, also is the anniversary of Donna and Phil's first date (my inlaws). Our favourite restaurant, the Old Manila was closed for Easter so we tried another restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel. While the company, as always, was wonderful, the food was not the same. It was good, but not amazing, like it was at the Old Manila.

Sunday was a lazy day for us. It was just what we needed. Then I had my traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Since I've been experiencing limited mobility, Dave had to hide my chocolates between knee and shoulder height. Even with the small apartment and the restrictions, there were still a couple of chocolates I couldn't find without the assistance of 'hot/cold'.

In the evening we went to Diane and James' house for Easter Dinner. The food was amazing and there was a ton of it! It was nice that even though we were on the other side of the world from our family, we still got to feel like we celebrated Easter.

Earlier this week Dave and I went to visit Clark - the place where we will be living. See the link at the side. It is about 1 1/2 hours from Makati in good traffic and can be as much as 2 1/2 hours in bad traffic. The drive there was a study in contrasts. You start out in huge traffic (full of honking and rapid lane changes) until you leave the Greater Manila area. Then you get to the toll expressway and all of a sudden the traffic drops significantly and everyone stays in their own lane. Plus you go from tons of buildings and people to vaste farmland. The drive was pleasant, but we ran into a number of difficulties every time I had to get out of, or into, the minivan. I needed someone behind me and someone to basically yank me out. I am definitely feeling like I ate a huge bowling ball.

My first thought about Clark was that it was huge. I guess I pictured it as being relatively small, with a lot of residential and the odd industrial area. Instead it is massive - apparently larger than Singapore. Most of the area has not been developed and is slated for growth. While in Clark, we did a lot of sightseeing. We got to see the new office site even though it is still under construction. This is a picture of Dave standing in front of what will be the main entrance.

After the office site, we went to Clark Polytechnic. This is, in essence, an area that is devoted to education. It is where Dave will train his staff and the area also hosts a flight academy, language school, a public school and a facility where judges and lawyers go for continuing education.

After that it was time for lunch. We had lunch at a nice cafe called the Yats Grill Room. It is situated in what is known as Mimosa Leisure Park. This area is home to a huge golf course (I think this is the one where Tiger Woods played at) and includes a Holiday Inn and guest lodges. The food was great at this place, has the biggest wine collection I've ever seen, and the chef even came out to greet us. Chef George was very nice and once he found out that we would be moving to the area, he said he would call his friend, a chef at the sister restaurant at another country club to give us a tour.

Next stop was the Clearwater Country Club. This club is for members only, but I believe you can pay a daily rate. Anyways, it has stables, a large man-made lake for swimming, kayaking and fishing, and camping facilities. It also houses the sister restaurant to the Bistro Vin Cafe. Dave actually went in the cafe, but at this point I was so exhausted I didn't even want to try to make it up the stairs. The chef did come down to greet me and he too was very nice and friendly. While the number of expats in Clark is supposed to be small, in one day, Dave and I met two.

This is a picture of the man-made lake at Clearwater.

After Clearwater, we went to see the third leisure park, Formosa. This leisure park is the largest and houses a waterpark as well as a number of vacation homes. Formosa also has its own Casino. I can imagine spending a lot of time at the video poker machines!!

Next stop was the duty free stores. There are a ton of them and they are all huge. You won't be able to find fresh fruit, meat or dairy at the Duty Free, but you can find canned items, clothing, household stuff, etc. For meat, dairy and fresh fruit, I think I will have to go into Angeles until the new SM mall opens up.

Our last stop in Clark was to see the area where we will most likely be living. It is very close to where Dave's office is and there are about 20 houses in the division - all of them bungalows and all of them look the same. Even though Dave can't stand the thought of it, we will be living in a cookie cutter area.

That's about it for now. I should have more to post about soon once we have the 4D ultrasound and go to Tagaytay. Hope all is well with you.

Update #9: April 6, 2006 More Protests and Pics to Put Faces to Names

Hi All,

Well there was another protest in the Philippines. Once again against the President. However, if I didn't get out of bed because my son (the kicker) wouldn't let me sleep, I would never have known about it. Clearly it wasn't anywhere near us and it wasn't a big protest. However, to read the global papers online you would think it was huge. I got to say though, the news reports do take a while to come out, I could have written three articles about it in the time it took for CNN and Reuters to finally cover the story. Thing is, as someone said at lunch today, when something does happen that might actually have an effect on us expats, the text messages fly. Even with me only being in the country for less than three months, I get a ton of texts from people. The phone never rings (or rarely) instead everyone texts each other.

The expat community - while large in numbers - is very small in some regards. Just from joining the British Women's, a book club and the Canadian Club and from hanging out around the city, I run into the same people all the time. Case in point, I went for a newcomers welcome lunch today (organized by Crown Relocations) for women who recently moved to Manila. There were only five of us there, but only one was brand new to me. Two of the ladies recognized me and we realized that we have the same Doctor and were in the waiting room together. Then I already met another woman from my 'Ladies who Lunch' outing. Another time I ran into people I know at the Deli and grocery store. With Manila being such a large city - way larger than Toronto - to run into the same people all of the time is really quite neat.

Now, for a short vent. My name is Debbie, not Gabby. For a country where people are frequently named things like Joker, Baby (for both Males and Females), Girlie, Kidlat, etc, why is it so hard to get their head around the name Debbie? When we signed up for Internet, even though I said my name more than 5 times, we still ended up with the service being under the name Gabby Clemente. Then, when I went to a woman's house for bookclub, I had to tell the security at the gate my name more than 10 times. What name did they hear? Gabby. AGHHH !!!!! I think I am going to have to start giving the name Deborah as maybe it will be easier for them to say. Who know's maybe so our son won't be teased we'll have to give him a more traditional name... like Bobo.

On another related vent, I keep teasing Dave that our son's first word will not be Mommy or Daddy, but Mamsir. Because everywhere you go, you are greeted with "Hello Mam, Sir." And we're not just talking once in the lobby, we're talking about every single security guard in the lobby, then by all the security guards when you enter the mall, and inside the 7/11, etc. Sometimes, it becomes so much of a routine for them to say "Hello, Mam, Sir." that they will say it even when Dave isn't with me.

But on the bright side, I do so love having someone else cleaning for me. For the cost of $10 I have someone come to my apartment and clean it for a day. And we're not just talking about pulling out the Swifter. She actually moves all the furniture and first sweeps and then mops the floors and wipes down the cupboards and walls. It is pretty impressive. She still is afraid of the cat though. As is our landlord. Poor Pheobe, she would have such a complex if she understood how shocked people are at the size of her.

Since my last post, not much has happened. I've been sleeping a lot - or trying to - and feeling very tired and hot. I remember people saying that it is brutal to be pregnant in the summer. Well let me tell you, it is way worse to be pregnant in the summer in the Philippines. I am so worried about dehydration that I drink at least 4 Litres of water a day and gatorade whenever possible. That does mean though, that I am always going to the bathroom and rarely do I leave an air conditioned place.

At our doctor appointment today, we found out that our son is very, very healthy. You're supposed to start doing kick counts - where you count the number of kicks, movement etc you feel when you are lying down. If you don't feel at least 10 in an hour, you're supposed to have a snack and then test it again. Well... it took less than 5 minutes to feel way more than 10 movements. And his movements have gotten to be very strong - so much so that I sometimes cry out in pain. You can even see his movements now and Dave can feel them through a sheet and blanket.

I went to the American Women's Club Bazaar. There were a ton of stalls set up in a conference hall selling everything from clothes, fake designer purses, craft items (including handmade quilts for about $200), pearls, furniture, etc. It was quite neat to look around but never settle for their asking price. I did find though, that afterwards when I showed Lainie my purchases and raved about my discounted prices, that I definitely didn't get the best deal. However, I still think that the price I got was pretty good.

We also went to a shower for Glen and Lainie's little boy-to-be, Lochlin. It was a lot of fun and exciting as we are on 'baby watch' for Lainie. The pics below are from the shower and will help put a face to some of the names you may see in our blog.


Glen, Bharat, Dave, Sumit.

Diane and James

Glen and Lalaine (and Lochlin at 35 weeks)

Deb and Dave (and Little Grape at 28 weeks)