Daily Report: Local Visitors, Lone Cows, Prom Pics

I had a slightly below-average day of work today... but just barely. On the upside though, I got the work that I did do done all at once, quickly, and enjoyed doing it.

After that, I took Tyson out to the town plaza for a run. I usually just go there, drop the leash, and let him run around the large field (but only when the place is empty of innocent and easily-scared bystanders). Then suddenly, out of all the moments, and all the strange things to have happen... right as Tyson was running loose... a lone white cow came galloping through the parade ground, having broken its tether.

All I could see in my mind's eye was this freaked out cow running terrified and amok through the central market with Tyson ("It's that Kano's dog! It's that Kano's fault!") happily nipping at its heels and barking words of encouragement while the entire town of Jasaan ran for cover. I immediately began to frantically call for Tyson to come back over to where I was standing before he recognized this incredible opportunity for some bovine fun/chaos.

Amazingly though, Tyson stopped, watched the cow gallop by, and then went back to sniffing the grass. Whew.

In the evening, an American fellow from Connecticut currently staying in Jasaan for a couple of months, came over for pizza and a visit. Drew is his name, and he just married former beauty queen Jackie. (Or is that with a "q" instead of a "k"? I don't know.) He owns a boat maintenance business in Greenwich. So we are adding yet another name to the dozens of foreigners who have found wedded bliss here in Northern Mindanao's loveliest little village. He's bought some land out in the hills behind town and plans on building a retirement home there.

Kid sister Crystal had her prom last weekend, and I failed to put photos up. Crystal is only 13 years old, but is a Junior in High School... or more accurately is one year away from graduating. I'm not sure of the details of movement up the educational ladder in The Philippines, or how it comes to pass that kids graduate from high school at the age of 14. I'll have to do some research on that. But when I think about it, the age of consent in The Philippines is only 12... so it seems this is a society geared towards making kids into adults as quickly as possible.

Actually, proms in The Philippines are quite a bit different from their American counterparts. The two major differences I noted: First, that none of the students have "dates" for the event, and instead everybody is just paired off boy-girl-boy-girl for a promenade and then go to sit in gender-segregated groups; second, the dresses that the girls wear are (with exceptions, Crystal included) straight out of the 1980s with yards of taffeta and crinoline, and the boys wear nothing more formal than baggy black slacks and an oversized (and wrinkled) dark dress shirt sans neckwear.

So anyway, here are a couple of photos of Crystal.

First, with sisters Epril on the left and Ednel on the right.

Then with friends.