some random last thoughts as I move on

• when all you have for dinner is a can of sardines and cabbage salad, a can of sardines and cabbage salad can taste pretty darned good.
• Solitude must be embraced to be enjoyed.  Otherwise it can cause madness.
• Love is the most important thing that there is in the world.
• I'm not the first to come up with this, but I have learned that poverty is only a state of mind.
• The filipino culture is, beyond doubt, the most beautiful culture I have yet to come across in my world travels. 
• Filipino’s are flawed.
• I am powerful beyond measure because God lives in me! (I’m still working on this, but it deserves mention!)
• There are certain things I will not eat, no matter what.
• There is no glamour in prostitution.  It is a horrible, deplorable and ugly business indeed.
• Waiting doesn't have to be painful if you open your eyes, look around you and speak to your neighbor.  That being said, those long bus rides were brutal.
• The satisfaction of cultural immersion, without the knowledge of local tongue, is frustratingly incomplete.
• As far as Im concerned, here in the Philippines, country living beats city living in nearly every possible way.
• Hot water and toilet paper are over-rated.  That being said, it will be nice to take hot showers again!
• I can now say that I have seen and felt the jungle.  I prefer the desert.
• In the scheme of things, six months is a drop in the bucket.
• I’ve been reminded once again in my life that the best way to remain young at heart is to hang around children.
• As much as I will miss Lagonoy, I will surely NOT miss the following:
• dogs barking incessantly outside my window
• sleeping with the “no see um” ant critters in my bed
• not so much the bite, but the deafening whine of the mosquito above my head, screaming irritation in oh so many many ways
• humidity and rain, mold and mildew
• unknown animals who have a nightly square dance on the flip side of my ceiling tile
• intermittent internet access

What will I miss the most?  Easy picking

 I will miss the sincerity, the authentic smiles and the joy that I’ve been privileged to participate in every single day I’ve lived in the Philippines!  

I will miss my friends