Lost in Translation

Well, dear readers, dear friends, it's been a quiet week here in Manila. Matt and I continue to wait on bated breath for the second semester to begin. And this, dear friends, is where our lost in translation moment comes in. No, it wasn't a language barrier issue. No, it wasn't related to the 2003 hit motion picture starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson (although compatriots of mine may be experiencing it in other areas of the globe). No, dear friends, this time it was a cultural misunderstanding. It turns out that classes don't begin again on November 1st, as previously advertised. No, as we found out yesterday, classes begin on November 8th. So, we have yet another week to pass. 

Now don't take this as complaining-it's not-but it'll be nice to finally get going. As for now, we're still keeping busy as much as possible. We've been meeting with the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences in lesson and class planning, talking with professors, going to the library-you know...studious stuff....teacher..no-PROFESSORY stuff. So, with yet another week to go, we're starting to expand our horizons. 

Since the last post we had a terrific development. We finally, after 7 weeks, were able to leave the monastery unattended. I know! Hizzah! And for what event were we permitted to leave unchaperoned? Well, for a social, of course, a college social at that! Follow the dots as they're connected here. The Abbot, and Father Roman, have a lot of friend around Manila that they've been introducing us to. So, the Abbot introduced us to a nice old woman, who introduced us to her daughter, who introduced us to her daughters. Yes, we went 3 generations down and found a pair of gals who were our age (well, to be fair 21 and 18). These gals go to Ateneo University, one of the top schools in the country and a BITTER rival to San Beda. Thankfully, they are in a different division than we are in athletics, so there was little tension between the gals and us (you know, being as we ARE San Beda Superfans). Naturally the social was at a VIP nightclub that was invite only, rented out exclusively for the Ateneans. So here's three hip's for freedom! Then, on Sunday, we were taken by the Abbot, Father Roman, and 3 of the other Fathers to the home of the sweet old lady friend of the Abbot, where we partook in a fantastic family dinner. There we were, Matt, me, the 5 monks, and the 10 or so family members sitting around the family dinner table, dining, wining, and enjoying the company of all present. Just fantastic stuff.

As far as other big developments go, there are three. First, today we toured 2 Bennie alums around San Beda-one the wife of a FSO for the U.S. Embassy and the other a member of SJU Admissions. Yes, that's right, the game has come full circle, from us coming to Our Lady of Montserrat to us sending the San Beda delegation to SJU to SJU sending an admissions delegate to San Beda. The world...it's getting oh so small and we're controlling oh so much of it from our ivory tours. Muhahahaha *cough cough* sorry. Second, today for lunch we had the usual rice, chicken dish, soup, and...Fried, Battered Fish. Yes, that's right, the cooks used my recipe! Needless to say, the monks were prr-etty excited when the covers came off the food dishes and asked if Matt and I had been cooking again. Indeed, it was a pretty incredible feeling-one of near appreciation. Yes, appreciation indeed. Thirdly, and pretty fantastically, Matt and I finagled a bit and did some negotiating with our handlers here in the monastery, and on Friday we have another unsupervised adventure out into Manila. We're just going to the Mall of Asia-probably to a movie, maybe get some groceries, but most importantly, just EXPLORE-and explore at our own pace, at that.

So, again, things indeed are very well here in Manila. The weather is warm, the sun is hot, and the people are friendly. Good luck with the cold weather and snow back home, folks, we'll send some of our 90 degrees and sunny weather back your way (or at least good thoughts of warm weather your way), Happy Halloween (preemptively), and look forward to quite another adventure-filled story next week, because, Dear Readers, All Souls and All Saints day in the Philippines, as it's been described to us, is the heart of Philippine culture. With that, Dear Readers, be well, take care, and watch out for the zombies.