RLS-Christmas

I know in the US, the holiday preparations for each holiday begin RIDICULOUSLY early. There are Halloween decorations sold next to back-to-school deals, and Valentine's Day preparations begin once that ball finishes dropping on New Year's Day. However, the Philippines, for me, has taken this to a new level. Perhaps because the country is 90% or so Christian, and the separation of church and state is a somewhat blurred line, Christmas is a big deal here. I mean, it's a big deal in most of the Western world, but this is absurd. Around the second or third week we had been here, in SEPTEMBER, Cobbie and Dessa said "this is around when Christmas season starts". It's not something I'm not too unaccustomed to because of the early beginnings in the USA, like I said, but it is disconcerting to be walking through the supermarket in Manila on Oct 5 and hear a slow, crooning "Silent Night" over the loudspeakers. In every market, Christmas lights and decorations are being sold, and there are random gift-wrapping stations popping up downtown. As I sit in my kitchen writing this, I can hear some slow Christmas tunes wafting through the open screen door (which may or may not be what reminded me to write this post).

The early thing is shocking enough for me, but since Halloween and Thanksgiving are not nearly as big a celebration here, if at all, I guess there are less holiday speed bumps on the road to the big Winter holidays. But most disconcerting thing is the weather. I've always equated Christmas with roaring fires, candles in the window, bare trees, snow, winter coats and sweaters, seeing your breath outside. Yesterday, I sat in a park, in the 90 degree heat, next to a few palm trees, near some very naked children playing in a water fountain (child nudity here is about as common as palm trees, actually, which is to say very. I almost had a naked child pee on my foot earlier this week 3 doors down form my apartment). The combination of the time of year and the weather just has me shocked that I can keep it together whenever I walk in a mall and here Elvis's "Blue Christmas" or see someone dressed as Santa in a market (what was he thinking? he must have been sweating bullets!). But I'm getting over it...slowly.

RLS

There are security guards everywhere in Manila and in most stores in the Philippines in general. I mean everywhere. Every mall entrance, every store and fast food restaurant, at every light-rail entrance, there is a security guard in a white uniform, often with a metal detector or a little wooden wand. Their job is to search your bag and "feel up on you", which is when they feel you waist area for a gun. They are looking for guns and knives, because apparently, theres kind of a big problem of people bringing these in the light-rail or into a mall. However, the searches are often half-hearted at best, and usually they don't expect the white kid to be bringing in dangerous contraband to hurt people in the mall.

The strangest experience so far was when I was walking out of this giant department store, Landmark, into a giant mall. Before I had stepped into line or made eye contact with a guard, I hear "Hey, dude, what's up?", and see the security guard beckon me over. I say a typically suspicious "hello", and he says "Dude, you wanna know why you are so lucky? Because youre so handsome!" And as I try to open my bag for examination, he jovially slaps me on the back out the door, and says "Have a good day, handsome!" Very professional for a middle-aged security guard who is supposed to be making sure I don't have dangerous weapons.

Random Little Stories (RLS)

Ok, some of these blog posts have been monstrously long, and I wanted to add in a little variety, so Im going to start telling these random little stories from each day (which I will call RLS) so they won't get stale in my mind as they wait for a longer post.

First RLS:

I went to church yesterday with one of my roommates, who sings in the choir there. Everyone shook my hand and they made me stand up and accept applause and such, the usual awkward and embarrassing stuff that happens. The service, however, had three events in the bulletin dedicated to an Air Conditioner (they call it AirCon in the Philippines). I thought it was a metaphor or something, but no: we dedicated it, prayed over it, sung a song about it, and counted down as it was turned on for the first time. Definitely not a metaphor.

The pastor also came up to me and said, and I quote: "Hello, you are from America? Which state? Oh, Kentucky. Well, if you ever want to come over and talk or play basketball-wait, you do play basketball? Yes? Great.- well, feel free to come over and talk and play basketball with me."

So if there is bball with the minister, I will be sure to post some pics.