Saturday January 3rd

Saturday we woke up around 6:30 and had breakfast here at the school. We left for the day around 8:00 am but returned shortly to the school after our bus broke down. We didn't get on the road till about 9:30 am with a new bus. We drove about an hour until we stopped at Starbucks and had a bathroom break. It is still hard to get used to public bathrooms with no toilet paper, no soap, and no flushing. After another hour of driving we arrived in Tanauan Batangas where we met Dr. Opulencia. We visited his ancestral home, which is also a museum, cafe, and a ENT clinic. He was very welcoming and showed up his tools and helped Lindsay decongest her nose with a suction and nasal spray. He let us see in Lindsay's nose and ears through his camera scope. He also looked in Alison's throat, and showed us her larynx and airway. Then he showed us all around his home, where he literally collects everything and anything! It was very organized and included things like cameras, T.Vs, microphones, computers, paintings, books, records, irons, beer, license plates, and animal fur. These items dated back years and he had a lot of all of them. After the tour, he served us an amazing lunch which was prepared in his home cafe. We enjoyed shrimp, pork egg rolls, noodles, rice, pickled egg, water buffalo cheese, and casava cake.

After leaving his place around 2:30 we ventured deep into the rain forest! Our resort was beautiful and very secluded. We all stayed in little huts or cottages. We all were anxious to go swimming in the hot springs. There were about 7 different swimming areas with different temperatures. We all goofed around and played swimming games like marco polo, hand-stand contests, and made a natural whirl pool. After swimming for a few hours, we all got ready for dinner. Dinner was a buffet style, and most everyone enjoyed the pasta, meat, fruit, salad, and desserts. Dinner was outside with lights hanging in the trees and pretty candles on the table. After, we debriefed as a whole group about the trip so far, and how it was affecting everyone. It was an overall feeling that we are all grateful for what we have, and how appreciative we are for our parents and those who gave us this opportunity. Most of us turned in early after that around 9-10 pm. The day was long and eventful!

Love, Kelsey Braatz and Ashley Derynck