Change of Seasons

Since we have been getting rain almost every day for the past few weeks I guess we are officially in the rainy season in the Philippines.  It really struck me last month when I was talking with one of my children about gardening that I missed the change of seasons.  As we talked about the possibility of still getting frost on Memorial Day I realized that it seems to be the same here everyday.  The temperature only changes from hot to real hot and the humidity from humid to more humid.  There does seem to be a change in the plants as different blossoms have appeared in the last month so I guess the plants know there is a different season.  I am amazed at how many trees have blossoms on them. We enjoy the flowers so much that I thought I would show some new ones that weren't in blossom last month when I posted flowers.  Hope you enjoy these also.

Shopping

It has been a few weeks since our last blog update.  We will blame it on a combination of time needed to serve in the temple and figuring out what may be of interest to post.  If any of you have subjects or questions about the Philippines that you would like to see on our blog please email your ideas to us as soon as possible.

This time we thought we would show you some of the ways that we do our shopping from buying food to other items as well as getting a hair cut.  You will see the contrast between modern Cebu and more historic ways of making purchases.  There are small fruit stands or shops on almost every street because transportation, other than walking, for many is not financially feasible. The Filipino people also are very  talented at creating ways to support their families by having any kind of business to generate some income in a very limited space.

We are waiting for a stop light to change so this "street vendor" is walking past all the stopped vehicles to see if anyone would like to buy something from him.  You can purchase anything from food items such as fruits, drinks, water, etc. to rags, towels, flags and much more.  You need to have some pesos ready because as soon as the light changes your chance to make a purchase is over.

Sister Sorensen purchasing eggs at a street market.  We actually found the eggs at this spot to be fresher than in the stores.  It was interesting to us that you never see eggs refrigerated, even in the modern stores.

Two vendors on the sidewalk selling fruit and corn.  We are spoiled by the corn that we grow in our garden so after giving the local corn a try decided we could wait until we get home for "the good stuff".  

This sister is known as the L.D.S. lady and runs this business across the street from the temple.  She makes sure the fruit we get, mango, apples, bananas, watermelon, avocados, etc are fresh.  Notice the hand made items in the window, necklaces, rings, belts, that they make on-sight.  Many of the items have an L.D.S. theme.  Her son is the bishop of the Busay 1st ward and has several of these businesses selling different items in Cebu.  He learned how to start these businesses by attending a seminar and because of his success encourages members of his ward to attend the seminar to learn how to increase their income.

You can purchase chicken that is being roasted over coals.  When you purchase chicken in the Philippines it usually comes with gravy to put on it.

This is the Salon where Elder Sorensen gets his hair cut.  Several of the missionaries go here to have Ryan cut their hair.  This includes both the Elders and Sisters.

This is Ryan the Barber who cuts the missionaries hair.  He has a physical disability with one of his legs and is very lucky to have the skills to provide an income for him and his son.  A man's haircut costs 50 pesos, about $1.25 but the missionaries give Ryan more than that to help him out.

There are places that are set up to sell specific items such as this one that sells only shoes.

Each small section is a different vendor even though many of the shoes look the same at each place.

Welcome to international fast food.  The menu is similar to the U.S. but you can get rice and spaghetti with your meal too. 

S & R membership shopping, sort of like Costco.  We go here almost every Monday for our weeks supply of food.

Sister Sorensen inside S & R.  We did learn that if you find something you really like you should stock up on it because it may not be there next week.  When we first arrived I was glad to see that they had a pretty good selection of vitamins so when I needed some I would know where to get them.  As I was getting close to needing vitamins they were gone, not just the ones I wanted but the whole vitamin section.  It has returned now.

Here Sister Sorensen and some of the other missionaries are entering the SM Store in the SM Mall.

Looking at one small section of the SM Mall.  You do have to be in the mall a number of times to get to know your way around so you don't get lost.  You really can find most anything you want to purchase in Cebu, if you can find out where to purchase it.