What I've Learned So Far...

* You absolutely cannot be a germaphobe in the Philippines. You just can't! The smog is terrible & leaves a black film on almost everything. It's disgusting, but what are you gonna do? You have to breathe. And, Nick is always going to put his fingers in his mouth after touching something dirty outside. Always. It never fails! I'm just hoping we are building up our immune system & it will be super strong when we return to the States.

* It rains every day here. Not always a lot of rain. (Although, it was a lot yesterdsay & today.) But, it rains some every day. That's why it's called the wet season. There are 2 seasons in the Philippines... wet & dry. The wet season runs through November. I'm just waiting for the typhoon. I hear it's coming...

* You cannot get your money back on returned items. Not even if you return it the very same day, with the tags still on & all the receipts in hand. All you can do is exchange it for another item. I bought a couple of jeans for Sydney last week, came home to let her try them on & discovered they were way too big for her. (Which reminds me of my next item...) So, a few days later (I was still within the 7 day return policy period), I attempted to take them back quickly to get my money back. No way, no how. Their policy is not to give the money back, but to exchange the item right then & there. I was furious! Nick was cranky & tired & I just wanted to get this done & get home. I argued with them & pointed out that this policy was not written or stated anywhere in the store or on the receipt. They didn't budge. The saleslady kept trying to offer me different jeans for Sydney, to which I loudly proclaimed that I thought this policy was ridiculous & I did not want to purchase clothing from their store anymore. And, then I caved. I didn't have a choice but to exchange her jeans. It took a good half hour to complete the exchange. Thank goodness Sammy was there with me so he could take Nicholas home. (Actually, after I threw my little tantrum & made a scene, I think he was very embarrassed & wanted to get as far away from me as possible.)

* The sizes here run WAY smaller than they do in the States. WAY smaller! It's very humiliating trying to shop here. I won't even tell you what size pants I finally bought tonight, but it wasn't pretty. I'll just tell you this... a size 10 in the States is considered Plus Size here!


The kids start school in the morning & after meeting their teachers today, they are VERY excited... and so am I! I really love this school & I'm thrilled that they will get the opportunity to attend here. I'll let you know how it goes.