Hello friends and family! I just wanted to send out a quick blog update to let you all know we are safe in Dumaguete. We made it to the bus station this morning at 415am and were on our way shortly after. Despite rumors we had heard on the ferry, the bus ride only ended up being a little over 5 hours long… thank God!
So we arrived in Dumaguete at just after 930am this morning. My first stop was obviously the bathroom, and as I crossed the street to go at the gas station, I saw a couple of white folk’ standing around. I looked at them and smiled, not wanting to assume that they were Americans or that they spoke English, and instead of a smile in return I was greeted with “Christie, right?” Of course I was a little shocked and inquired as to who they were. Upon hearing their names I realized that they were the American missionaries that we would be staying with for this month. Not only do they know our names–from the world race website, but they also made a sign for us and know details about us by reading our blogs. They know all our names, they know who likes coffee, and they know I have a heart for children. Now this showed two things to me. One, how cool is the website and the purpose it serves. Two, how amazing are our hosts who took the time to get to know us before even meeting us. Thanks Lo Lo Lloyd and Sherry… you guys are awesome! I look forward to living alongside you this month.
Now onto something completely unrelated… I wanted to give an update about Christmas packages. If you read my blog where i posted the address for where we can receive Christmas packages, you probably saw that we need to be cautious about how many packages we receive. If every world racer gets 2 packages, that will be over 100 packages in one P.O. Box. A little much. So I was reading some of my fellow racer’s blogs, and Mark had a good point. If you did want to send a package, you might want to consider an alternative. The cost of sending a package will usually run about $20-$40. This money can go a lot further than just on packing. Also, I don’t have any weight to spare in my pack so I can’t really bring anything new with me. Here are some alternatives. One, I still need more financial support to finish out the year. You can donate to that cause by clicking on Support Me! on the upper left of this page. Two, I need to have $150-$200 to visit the Great Wall, so if you want to donate to that cause, send money to my parents and they can put it in my checking account. Three, if you just want to donate any money at all, I can buy a lot more goodies here rather than wasting it on the mail. And four, I would always love getting a card, and you can send as many of those as you would like! Thank you SO much!
Love you and MIss you,
Christie
