Let's Get Down To The Business of Living

We have left the hotel behind permanently and are feeling settled in to the apartment.  I have cleaned and cleaned but the end isn't in sight because the pollution here is so terrible that even if you mop 3 times a week your feet are still black when you go to bed at night.  The girls have been leaning on each other for company and friendship, and meltdowns have been few and far between.  They haven't quite adjusted to the time change: they are getting closer, though, which means for the last couple of nights they have gone to bed at 5 or 6 and been up at 3:30 a.m.  Yesterday (Thurs) was the first day that just felt like a regular day: Bruce went to work, we did a little school, we ate lunch and dinner at home instead of going out, we swam and took a walk around the block.  I definitely need to get structured on Kate's school: it seemed a little haphazard which isn't exactly how I pictured it going in my mind.  We are continually amazed by how friendly and nice the Filipino people are to us.  They call Kiki "Baby" and she thinks that is funny. 

This is a jeepney.  They are military vehicles that were left behind by the U.S. after WWII and are now the most insane taxis.  They have no air conditioning and cost about 20 cents to ride.  We have been warned away.

These are some shots by our pool.  There is construction all around us.  The Fort (where we are) is undergoing a massive change and everywhere we look things are being built.

On Wednesday we went to Market! Market!  It is a huge mall.  There is a fresh market at the bottom with fruits and vegetables and other delights, then the inside is 4 or 5 levels of stores.  It is always crowded because it has air conditioning.  (Here they say "Air Con" and almost no one has it, so when it is really hot people leave their homes to cool off in public places.)

Another jeepney.

This is our apartment building from the outside.  We are on the 33rd floor, and the first row of windows is floor number 3 if you want to count up.  Our apartment faces out this way, but I'm not sure which set of windows is ours.  The trees in front were knocked over by the typhoon.

We could see this little park from our window, so yesterday we went exploring.  The girls were excited to have a place to play until they realized that the humidity makes the moss grow and it had rained so the bricks were incredibly slippery.  I'm going to need to find some fun places to take them.

Now I just need to figure out day to day life...get oriented, find a piano, stock up on groceries, and the like.  It feels safe here, so I think I need to get a map and get out and explore.