Manila Oceanarium

On Friday we went with Jen, Zander, Linda, and Noah to the Oceanarium which is on Manila Bay, very close to the American Embassy here.  First, of course, we had a lunch stop for some delicious Indian food, but then we were off.  I had checked Trip Advisor before we left that morning, and I could easily tell the American tourists who were just in town for the week by their reviews: "I had to wait in a HUGE security line," or "They charge extra for EVERYTHING," or "The place was dirty!"  It was actually really nice, and the things that bothered people are just features of living in the Philippines and not anything wrong with the Oceanarium at all.  (I'm such a local now, ha ha.)

One of these things is not like the other,
One of these things just isn't the same.
One of these kids thinks she needs a stroller,
One of these kids thinks walking is lame.

We learned that EVERY DAY the following is dumped into Manila Bay: 5 million gallons of raw sewage, 1-2 million kilos of fecal matter, and 18 million kilos of hazardous waste.  This may seem hard to believe, but having SMELLED Manila Bay, I think they have actually underestimated a little.

My children gamely smiled for a picture, but could not understand why this snow display was exciting to people.

So, it was a fun day.  Now, for some random pictures.

Come on...
Say the name of these out loud...
It will be funny.

Kate is so excited to get baptized.  She had her interview on Sunday and was very nervous.  Bruce tried to help her know as much as she could, but she did ask me, "If I miss one or at most two questions can I still get baptized?"  I tried to reassure her that the interview wasn't a quiz, the branch president just wanted to make sure that SHE wanted to get baptized.  She came out of the interview all smiles and said, "He only asked me TWO questions: 'Are you Kate or Kiki?' and 'Do you want to get baptized?'"

Sat on my Kindle.  I'm seriously depressed.  I've already ordered a new one, but it seems like it will be so many days before I get it.