The Odyssey

Apparently, living in Manila is going to provide plenty of material for me to write about. Here goes: We have been provided several books to help us adapt to life in the Philippines. Something we read was very beneficial for us yesterday. We went to SM which is a department store, furniture store, grocery store, and several restaurants all in one. Danae had to use the bathroom and guess what? There was no toilet tissue. No, they didn't run out. They don't put tissue in the bathrooms at all. No empty tissue holder or anything. Because I read about that, I had a little tissue stowed in my bag to use. In the grocery store, the most overwhelming shock was the stench. The entire back of the store is basically a butcher shop. Surprisingly, there were no flies or anything. But, the smell was gross. Danae held her nose while we looked around in there. I wasn't bold enough to purchase any meat yet. One day, maybe. Or, we'll just become vegetarians while we're here. In the cl...

We have survived our first 24 hours in Manila. I don't have much to tell though because we slept a lot of it away. We ate breakfast in our hotel and it was pretty good. We ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Yeah, we needed a little American food before we experiment on our digestive systems. Everyone is wide awake right now and it's after midnight here. Of course it's midday in the US. We stick out here like a sore thumb and everyone stares at us as we pass them. Tomorrow we're going exploring in this area. Just downstairs is a shopping mall and a lot of restaurants. It seems that a lot is within walking distance so the location is nice. We're in a 2 bedroom apartment in the Ascott Makati and it's really nice. These people here are serious about their customer service. I'll write more when I have more to tell. I'm going to try to go to sleep for a bit. Later...

At this moment, we're sitting in the Narita airport in Tokyo, Japan. We are dead tired because we didn't sleep much on the flight here. We left Houston at 10:50 am on Thursday and arrived in Tokyo at 2:15 pm on Friday. But, it was about 12:15 am in Houston so right when we got tired on the plane it was time to land. Now we're sitting in an unfamiliar place fighting sleep until our flight to Manila at 7:15 pm or something like that. I feel like I'm in a dream. Surely I'm not really in Japan. Although, all the signs written in Japanese and the people walking around speaking Japanese keeps reminding me that I am. I've seen 2 black people so far. I know that's not really news but it was still something noticeable. What else? Oh, we went to the bathroom. And, of course, they have the whole in the ground toilets. But they also have regular toilets too. The funny thing here is that they have 4 controls on the toilet. 1) music to play while you're doing the do 2...

For real, y'all... I knew we were moving. Didn't come as much of a surprise. I mean, I had to get gazillion shots (actually 6, I think). We've all gotten complete physicals, passports, made living arrangements, and everything else that goes along with a move. But today, as the movers are here packing up our stuff, it's finally real. We're moving to the other side of the world.........Manila. In our expatriate orientation classes last week we learned what to expect, about culture differences, how to act and dress, about safety issues, and most importantly about the profile of adaptation. This was most beneficial as I realized there is a name for the highs and lows of moving to another place, another culture, a new set of friends. When I left home for college, I don't remember feeling sad or anything. Maybe it's because I was only a 2 1/2 hour drive away. The only thing that bothered me was that my family just dropped me off and left. Didn't even take me o...

Las Vegas was great! We stayed with Dwayne's aunt and uncle. They live about 10 minutes away from the strip which was perfect. Dwayne's dad also came out so we were able to leave the kids and enjoy time alone. Here's what we did: Sunday - arrived in Vegas around 10 pm. Monday - went to Silverton Casino. They have a small aquarium and Danae got to see them feed the stingrays and sharks. We also rode down the Strip and past Fremont Street. Also went to the Fashion Show Mall. Dwayne's dad arrived Monday evening. Tuesday - went to Mandalay Bay and enjoyed their aquarium. It was very, very nice. We saw all kinds of animals...except the turtles because they were removed for their feeding. The kids had a blast! We ate at Green Valley Ranch Casino. Dwayne and I watch "Hell's Kitchen". This year's winner, Rock, got a job there. But, we went to the wrong side and his dad really wanted to eat at the buffet instead. Plus, the buffet was cheaper and you get more fo...

This is both good and bad. Good because he's a little more independent and won't have to be carried around. He can follow his sis around the house easier. Bad because he already gets into everything so now it's only going to be worse.

...to my and my husband. We made it to 7 years today. What are we doing today to celebrate? Nothing. He's out of town on a business trip. When we got married, we decided that instead of giving gifts, we would go on a trip every year to celebrate another year of survival as Mr and Mrs. Here's what we've done so far: Honeymoon - The Poconos in Pennsylvania. We had a fabulous time there and said we would go back for our 5th...butta...we didn't. 1st Anniv - Orlando, Fl. We went to Wet n' Wild and Universal Studios. My husband and I love water parks so this was perfect. We stayed in a resort for a week and had a ball. 2nd Anniv - We had just moved to Texas so we went to San Antonio for an extended weekend. We took the riverboat cruise, went to Natural Bridge Caverns and a wildlife park. We fell in love with San Antonio during that time. 3rd Anniv - We went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico a couple of weeks before the big day with friends so that served as our trip that year. On...

The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is the best children's museum I've ever been to. Now, I don't have a whole lot of experience here but I enjoyed it. My daughter and I had a girls day out on Sunday and that's where we went. It was wonderful. I already knew this but my daughter is a trip. In one area, she was playing with a little girl. That girl's mom was amazed at how well Danae talks and that she's potty trained (I guess she could see her panties to tell that). So, the lady kept asking us both questions. My girl said "can you stop asking questions". I was a little embarrassed and reprimanded her for talking that way to an adult. But, the Lord knows I was thinking the same thing. Later, in the bubble area, a little Asian boy tried to take the bubble wand that she was playing with. Actually, he did snatch it out of her hand but she grabbed his arm and squeezed it until he let go. At the same time, she said "don't take it from me,...

I knew our stay in Cali was going to be brief. I knew we would endure another life-changing move. We found out on Friday that we'll be heading to Manila, Philippines in mid-September or a little later. I am trying to find out everything I can about this place. We are very excited!!! Now, we can visit so many places close to the Philippines like China, Japan, Australia, Thailand.

Guess who's wearing panties now??? That's right. My baby girl is now completely out of diapers or pull ups or anything else. She has completed her second week and I'm so excited! Why does she wear a 4T panty? Because she has a "big ole dooby". Those are her words to describe her rear end. The 2T/3T panties are always getting sucked in. Okay, okay...TMI. But seriously, why do they have "low-rise" and "bikini cut" panties for a toddler? For real...

Moving around can definitely be an enlightening experience. Not only do you learn more about the world in which you live; but you can also learn more about yourself in the process. At 18, I moved to Tallahassee. It was at Florida A & M University that I was realized I was a "country girl". I met two girls from Brooklyn and they would remind me of that fact every time we hung out. I can't even remember their names. Years later, I moved to Houston, TX. It was there that I grew into being a woman. It's where my marriage grew and was tested most. It's where I became a mom. Now, that I'm in the East Bay of California.....oh boy. I'm in a very Caucasian area. Even the very few black folks I've run into are little more than dark-skinned white folks. Here, I've learned I just might be a racist. At the least, I have some strong prejudices. It's weird because, technically, I'm half-white. But, being raised by a black family in a black neighborho...

I really need to write on this blog a little more frequently. My birthday was June 29th and I'm just writing about it. Anyway, I asked for a very memorable 30th birthday, you know, something to set it apart from all the others. Sometimes, you get just what you ask for. Since we live in Cali now and can't really drop the kids off with family or friends, this birthday thing was a little more difficult. My husband asked what I wanted to do but I wasn't sure. So, he asked how I felt about a hot air balloon ride. I am very afraid of flying in an airplane. But then I thought I would give it a try. I flew with Balloons Above the Valley out of Napa. We were supposed to fly over Napa's vineyards and come back to Napa afterwards for a champagne brunch. Morning of June 29th: I had to meet the other riders at the Napa General Store at 5:30....YES 5:30!!! I am so not a morning person but I was looking forward to this adventure so it wasn't too bad. When I got there, I was told t...

So, why is it that my two year old daughter had box seats at the San Francisco Giants game last night? Where was I? At home with the baby boy driving me crazy. Seriously, Dwayne's job took them to the game and they could bring one person with them. Our dilemma...we don't know many people here and therefore don't trust anyone to watch the kids. The solution...Danae went to the game. Actually it was a nice break and a chance for them to spend time together. But, I must say I was hating...a little. I've never enjoyed the luxury of box seats at any sporting event. Oh well! Like I said it was a welcome break even though her little brother crawled around the house looking for her and screaming "na na na". I think that's his way of saying her name but of course he can't talk yet. Anyway, once he was asleep it was wonderful. She came home very excited from her night out and apparently ate like a pig while there.....chicken sandwich, chips, ice cream sundae, po...

I went to the dentist on Friday and was again reminded of the importance of flossing. I know that already but admitted to the dentist that I rarely do. What's up with that? Anyway, going there made me think about something. I had braces as a child but rarely went for checkups after they removed. Why on earth would my parents spend all the money for braces but not make me go back for checkups? As a result, my dental care was lacking for many years. As a result of that, a few years ago, I had to get a few fillings in my mouth and had a root canal done. One thing that I will definitely do differently for my children is insist on good dental care, both at home and during checkups. On another note, we may be moving temporarily to Singapore. I'm so excited! From what I hear, it's very beautiful and there is very little crime. The thing that I dread for now is the 19 hour plane ride. I don't like flying anyway but to make that trip with a 2 1/2 year old and 9 month old...pure ...

I'll be 30 at the end of the month and I can't think of how I want to celebrate this milestone. I was all full of ideas for Ayana's birthday but now I can't think of anything for my own. I think it's because I always wanted to have a semi-big party for it but now that I'm in Cali where I don't know many people that has changed. What should I do?

I have returned from a three week stay in Houston, TX. It was so nice to be there. We attended a beautiful wedding for Jenise and Andy (Danae's godparents). I got to meet three new babies (Boston, Caleb, Ciera). Too bad we had to return to Cali. Finally got to go the Chocolate Bar in Houston. My new favorite chocolate delight is chocolate covered apples. That's a healthy snack, right? One disgusting thing that happened the day we left Houston. We had a little time to kill before heading to the airport so we stopped by Willowbrook Mall. We allowed Danae and Brayden to play in the indoor playground. Guess what we saw on the floor? POOP, a little brown TURD with some more smeared into the carpet. That was so disgusting...NASTY. I can't believe it was there. Not even in Cali for 72 hours and I was reminded of one of the reasons I don't want to live here permanently. An Asian lady in the grocery store hit me with her cart. Apparently, she needed to get by me. But instead of ...

Sometimes, around this time of the year I start feeling sorry for myself. Sorry that my own mom isn't alive to celebrate. Sorry about all the things I wish we could have done together. Sorry about the missed experiences. This year I decided to focus on the four mothers God has allowed to shape my life. Around September 1976, a baby was conceived to an unmarried interracial couple. Apparently, they didn't want to or couldn't raise the baby. But, the blessing is that they allowed me to be born anyway. I will always love the biological parents that I have never known. Their blood runs in my veins. Their DNA has shaped me and my children. I don't know what happened to my mother; don't know if she's alive; don't know if she married or had more children. But, I hope she had a wonderful mother's day yesterday and I hope she feels in her own heart the love that I will always have for her. September 15, 1977 is the day I was legally adopted by my mama. I was allo...

When we were in Florida, someone said (in my hearing but not to me): "Danae has some serious nigga hair. When yall gone start perming it?" I was a little annoyed to say the least. Danae is only 2 years old so no chemicals will be touching her hair ANY TIME SOON. But, I was also annoyed for another reason. Is something wrong with her hair texture? Yes, it's thicker than my hair and kinkier too. But, in my opinion, it's absolutely gorgeous. Her hair can do so many things: ponytails, afro puffs, cornrows, twist outs. I want to raise my daughter to have a healthy self image. I want her to know that she is beautiful in her natural state, needing no changes or enhancements. I want her to know that her thick mop of curls are just as pretty as my curls and someone else's bone-straight hair. I don't want her to think that anything about her is a mistake or unmanageable. Now, this is not my way of saying there is anything wrong with relaxing your hair. I just want to c...

Perhaps my daughter will grow up to be a veterinarian because she keeps thinking people are animals (i.e. do you see the monkey?). Anyway, while we were in Florida, Danae said "mommy is that a bear?" Who was she talking about? Aunt Debbie from Atlanta!!! That girl is crazy. Lesson learned: lay off the animal/nature lessons a little. Why does She.ryl.Crow think we can use one square of tissue when we go to the bathroom? Lesson learned: she is nasty and in the off chance that I ever meet her we will not shake hands. Why did my son, Brayden, almost kill himself by choking on a piece of his sister's toy? Why did I not think it would be a hazard to him? Because that piece can barely fit in my mouth (not that I've tried) but it's sorta large. He couldn't close his mouth once he jammed it in so he started crying with a muffled sound. That's when we noticed what happened. One of my friends has a daughter and son also. She told me that if she had her son first, she...

This is my view outside my bedroom window every day. Nice, huh? Well, the trip to Angola was postponed so the kids and I didn't get to have our Florida tour. It's messed up because I was actually looking forward to seeing friends and family during that time. Supposedly, he's leaving this Sunday instead but that's only if the Visa applications are granted by then. So, we'll see... I went to two weddings while in Fl. Dwayne's cousin got married on Saturday and we got to see a lot of his family there. Then, my brother-in-law's wedding was at noon on Sunday. Hands down...the funniest wedding I've ever attended. He is such a clown but everyone had so much fun!! Danae enjoyed seeing her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. And, she got to meet even more family. We went to San Francisco yesterday...enjoyed Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown. We went on a bay cruise to view Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. All in all, life is good.