On Firsts...

I'm beginning to feel at home here. And it is wonderful!
The city is beginning to make sense in my head. Most of the time I know where I am. I am now picking out a few words in most Visayan conversations... So I know I'm getting somewhere with the language. Monday I will start a huge project, so I know I am making progress with learning. These are happy, happy days for me.

Today was a day worth a post all on its own. We had our introduction to Filipino culture with some of the people we will be working with regularly at the clinic. There were many firsts.

My first time trying balut:
              Balut is duck egg that has been incubated for some time. This was 16 day balut. It is then hardboiled. Read about Balut here.  I am not a fan. I did, however, eat and keep down about half of an egg. I think I got yolk, some veins, and maybe the stomach region of the duck fetus. Pictures will follow.

My first time to do videoke: Same basic principle as kerioke.

My first time to try fresh durian:
               Durian is a fruit that Davao City is famous for. On the outside, it is poky, stinky, and large. On the inside it has the texture of mayonnaise, and tastes like a mix between cantaloupe and rotten onions. I liked one kind, but the other wasn't my favorite. The fruit is so strong that it can raise blood pressure, and bring on contractions for a pregnant woman. Read more about Durian here.

My first Filipino all-you-can-eat buffet:
          Just like a regular all-you-can-eat, but with fried fish, pig parts in gravy, raw fish chunks, seaweed, and gelatin in condensed milk as some of the interesting options. I tried everything, though some were much tastier than others.

My Heart's first roots here:
          This one is harder to explain. I felt today, growing in my heart, the little infant roots of love for these people. As we drove on the windy roads, crazy traffic, and through all sorts of small towns, I felt my heart lurch. It was the type of feeling that means you will never, ever forget a place. The feeling that says these people begin to hold a piece of your heart. The feeling that you are growing a little bit of God's love in you.
          It's not that I haven't loved the people and the culture before now... but this is different. This is something new and deep. I want to give myself for these people. Until they know Jesus.
    These were a few of today's firsts. I expect many more in the weeks and years to come. How thankful I am that God is allowing me to experience a part of His creativity in the form of people who are unlike myself.