Monday, January 4, 2010

Whoa! What a New Year!

We were so amazed with the New Year’s celebration here in the Philippines.  Believe us, they know how to throw a country-wide party!  It was absolutely amazing. 


We were thrilled to have our Zone over for dinner and another sleep-over.  We even went with a traditional dish, Pancit Canton.  It was yummy even if the shrimps we bought spoiled before we could cook and add them.  It was supposed to have chicken and shrimp but ended up being chicken and hot dogs.  Don’t gag!  It was dang good.  The Mission curfew was 6:00 pm for New Year’s Eve so everyone was here by then. 

We watched “The Forgotten Carols” (only made it through part of it on Christmas Eve.)  It was a hit and we’ll probably watch it again soon.  The Elders wanted to have a fire for the evening and some brought a bit of wood.  We have an area in the front yard that was just right for fire making.  We sat around the fire and visited and shared stories. 

Then, we brought out the makings for s’mores!  It was a new experience in the making for many of the Elders.  They loved them!  They were like most folks and pilfered extra chocolate whenever possible.  At about 11:30 the noise began!  Not just the 14 horns blaring in the front yard but the entire barangay. 

We couldn’t believe our eyes and ears.  There was at least an hour of fireworks exploding all around us and noisy yelling, banging, blaring and music.  Fireworks are quite inexpensive here and I’m sure everyone except us bought some.  Most were the bottle rocket varieties that made tons of noise but there were many colorful, up in the air regular ones also.  They were exploding all around us and you nearly got dizzy trying to see them all.  We had 20 mattresses stored in our apartment for the Mission so each Elder was able to grab one and had a comfortable spot on the floor.  It was a New Year’s Eve we won’t soon forget!  The Elders were up bright and early and on their way the next morning.

The fruit of the month is one of our favorite things in the Philippines.  Calamansi!  This delightful little green fruit really packs a wallop.  It is a miniature lemon/lime with attitude.  It is delicious but you have to squeeze a bunch to get enough juice.  Actually, that little bit of juice goes a long way because they are so full of flavor.  We use them in cooking all the time.  They are great as a hot or cold drink.  They do have tons of seeds (something that happens a lot over here).  The seeds are edible but sour so it’s best to strain them.  Just thinking about them gets the saliva gushing. 

Calamansi is one thing we’ll really miss.  We’ve heard they aren’t available in the US, even in Asian markets.  We’ll be watching for some!

It's for real!  Sign over the toilet in the ladies CR.  Footprints are common on the toilet rim and seats (if there is one).

2 comments:

Natalie said...

Happy New Year to my favorite Missionaries! Glad you had a blast ringing in 2010. Miss you lots. The kids ask to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house nearly every weekend.

The Hardy's said...

Wait - you ARE in the Phillippines on a MISSION...right? It sounds like you just party it up all the time. I'm sure all those missionaries have a blast with you. I really don't think any of the activities you've told about would EVER be allowed in my mission. One thing is for sure...You sound to me to be the funnest 'senior' missionary couple ever sent on a mission. What a lucky mission to have you.