We are in Manila, Ila, Ila Hey Hey

Yeah for Asia!! With our very first adventure in this part of the world, we are so excited to be in the muggy paradise of the Philippines. We were are little nervous about getting everyone to this
point though as we had some snags on our way to the airport:

* First, we had a couple of students with severe intestinal issues (read as...the runs) and they needed to see doctors before we left to make sure they could fly
* When we went to get our vans out of the parking garage, we found the gate stuck in the down position, which made it impossible to get them out. Yikes!! Fortunately they called about 3 support trucks and we got them out in time to get to the airport.

Fortunately, we all made the flight and they airline was not as restrictive as they made themselves out to be. Our things arrived with us and we were welcomed by our Sponsor, Zesto (owners of RC Cola) and a bunch of media outlets. The cast had been great and we are getting adjusted to our new timezone (although I have to admit that I have no idea what time it is at home right now).

I am staying with a delightful host family who has two young boys. They also have their own driver and two "helpers" in the house. This came as a shock to me, but I came to understand that this is common here. We even have one cast member where there are 25 "helpers" in the home. We are definitely staying with wealthier families here, which will make for an interesting contrast when we start to do our Community Impact.

Transportation here is a trip. The driving is enough to make you want to walk everywhere, but because the city is so huge, it is impossible. One cast member noticed that there is a sign on the back of most vehicles saying, "How is my driving?" We all laughed at this because the only sane response is "TERRIBLE!!" But you would be dialing the phone all day if you took this attitude, we are definitely all in on this new adventure.