On Thursday of last week the Victoria Branch had invited Julian and I to the beach for a fiesta on Sunday, so we happily agreed to attend. After some preparation and apprehension about riding a Jeepney by ourselves, we were off (more on Jeepney’s in a later post)!
The beach was a bit different experience than the beaches we were at before. It actually had about a hundred people playing in the water and kids and adults alike frolicking around like they were, well, kids. There was badminton, volleyball, intertubes, food and no two-piece swim suits. The group of people we were with were interested in hearing the differences between going to the beach in the U.S. and going in the Philippines. This is a segment I like to call “sames and differences”:
Same: There are people at the beach in both the US and PH.
Different: The majority of the people in the US know how to swim, PHs do not for some reason… I have mentioned this before… pay attention!
Same: There is food at the beach in both the US and PH.
Same: Trash receptacles are not observed as existing in either place.
Different: Two-piece swimsuits are common in the US, in PH whatever you happen to wear that day is fine!
Same: Sand gets everywhere.
Different: I am very white… they are not….
Overall the beach was a great time and it was very relaxing to go out into the crystal clear ocean… In addition, we “planted” many chicken bones in the sand and I hope to come back to find that they have grown into a full chicken (just a joke… see “trash receptacle” comment above). Julian headed back to the ranch and I prepared for church.
Church in the Philippines is probably the biggest event of the weekend. I am pretty sure everyone in the community attends at least one service. Even in a town the size of Catarman (60K people) one of the main Catholic churches holds at least 6 masses on Sunday… one in English… so I go to that one… even though I am not Catholic. Which brings me to my next point, I could probably go to the Tagalo mass and get the same out of it, because I just go for the relaxation and to focus on other things… that, and I can’t really understand a word the priest says (because the echo is bad, not his English). In additon to this, I have determined a few things about churches in general:
1. The priest or minister always chooses songs that are long when their homily/sermon is short. Just so they fill the hour-alotment.
2. The priest (in a Catholic Church) chooses to sing all parts of the mass when their homily is short.
3. The congregation doesn’t like to sing along… it doesn’t matter if you are in the US or in the Philippines (who is the most vocally talented country I have ever heard), people just don’t like to sing at church.
4. It is much easier to go to church here because I don’t have to put on a button up shirt and slacks… it’s like swimming, you just go in what you are wearing (for my mom, I did change after the beach to go to church though)!
5. The church is usually the nicest building in the community (same holds true in the US).
6. It’s on Sunday (sometimes Saturday, occasionally Wednesday, hardly on Tuesday, and masses are daily… follow?)
After church, we went out for a few drinks (me and some co-workers and sir Vivencio)… I sang “Great Balls of Fire” and called it a night… all was right with the world.
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