Thursday: Thanksgiving
Most Filipinos have never heard of the American Thanksgiving holiday so it's just another day in the Philippines. We drove to Penancia for an Apartment Check and then to San Leanardo to make some repairs. Then we joined the San Leanardo Elders for a birthday lunch of a new member.
Along the way we stopped at a lady who makes items out of pop bottles. We bought a Christmas Star and ordered a custom palm tree. The tree went through the internal missionary handout from one elder to another and then got caught in transfer. We have no idea which apartment is enjoying our pop bottle palm tree.
The birthday gentleman's extended family lives in 3 dwellings on a small farm where they grow beans, okra, papaya and rice. They cook outdoors in a shared cooking area. The roof overhead is perfect for shorter Filipinos but Sister Dansie and I had to watch our heads as we walked around.
When we arrived, there was a table set with tablecloth, their finest dishes and a row of silver warming dishes like you would see on a buffet. The table was set for we four guests. The rest of the family was already eating on other tables spread around the compound.
The meal was great, especially the deep fried spring rolls. The drink was RC Cola. Have you had any RC Cola lately? They sent a huge papapya with us fresh off the tree. We enjoyed it along with all the other fresh fruit we buy at the market or roadside stands.
After we went with the Missionaries to teach another family. It was a daughters birthday the following day and the extended family was making coconut flan in an outdoor cooking area. The flan was super tasting.
Then we were off to visit another Sister and her daughter. The people we visited didn't know it was Thanksgiving but we were Thankful for them and their hospitality.
Friday: After Thanksgiving
The day after Thanksgiving all of the Senior Couples were invited to the Mission home for Thanksgiving. We were asked to bring our favorite side dish. The problem is that we couldn't find the ingredient for the things we wanted to fix like Yams. We ended up making a fresh fruit salad mixing yogurt with a super thick cream that comes in a box. It's the closest thing we could find to whipping cream. It was delicious. Sister Clark surprised us with real turkey and ham. And for desert, R&S in San Fernando (Costco affiliate) had some pies and so we all enjoyed pumpkin and pecan pie. Locals have never heard of "Pie" and you would never find a pie tin to bake one for yourself.
We took a shortcut to save 40 minutes of driving, only the road through the little community was under repair so we had to detour down a picturesque farm road following a tractor. There was only one major mud hole but our trusty little corolla made it through. The sunsets on the rice fields are beautiful everywhere we drive.
