Rainey's Adventure: Still Young

Lately I feel as if I spend a lot of time waiting here. Waiting for Zach to come, then waiting for our Christmas trip, then waiting for my mom to visit, then waiting till I go home, waiting for the doctor to arrive, waiting for January to start, waiting for Monday, for Tuesday, for Sabbath, for the next week to begin....

Isn't it funny how that works? I have wished time and time again that I could just live in the present, enjoying every moment that passes. My time here is so short, and yet it feels like it will last a thousand more years. Time is a funny thing, and since I have lived in the Philippines it has felt even more funny. Ah, the waiting game. My least favorite game, yet the one that I play the most often.

Earlier this week we took a day off and went with the Adventist Youth to the Burgos Lighthouse, the Rock Formations, and Kaangrian Falls. They were all fun, but Kaangrian was absolutely beautiful. Pool after pool cascade into more pools, creating this beautiful layer of waterfalls. We clamored up and down the falls, jumping off cliffs and climbing up the jungle vines. Then we swam down the river, climbing down the next falls and letting the cool, blue water rush over us. Leaves would fall into the river and the sunlight would filter through the tropical trees, and I felt like I was in Colorado mixed with the place that Timon and Pumba live in The Lion King.

We have spent a lot of time this week with the AY; they helped us out with VBS and spent the night almost every night. We had a popcorn party and played Sardines around the church, running and tripping over hospital construction supplies. There are several AYs: Rhea, (Rizal's daughter and the one we see the most) Krystel and Karan (sisters who are 18 and 20; Karan has an adorable little daughter named Sum-Sum) Carina (the quietest one, she lives across the street), Dave, Zernon, (two jokester guys), and Cliff (a nurse who helps out in the clinic). They are all our age and quite fun to hang out with. The other day we were playing with our new kitten (named Sundae; she got shook by a dog a couple days ago and has been a little special since...) and Krystel smiled at her and goes, "that is a cat." Katelyn and I burst out laughing at the random, obvious statement. It's statements like these that make me love hanging out with them. We have met so many nice, fun people these last few weeks; especially the kids. We have a new gaggle of girls 11-14 years old who have nicknamed me "graduation" because my birthday falls during graduation time for them (March).

Sometimes when we go visiting, people ask me how old I am. When I tell them that I am 20 years old, they almost always say, "Ah, still young." It always makes me smile a little bit. Sometimes I forget that I am still so young. I like the sound of it, though. "Still young." It reminds me of being at Kaangrian, jumping over rocks and climbing up the vines, I felt like my body could do anything and go anywhere. I wish that were always the case!

In other news, I am going to start teaching piano lessons once everyone gets back from Christmas break. I have eleven students signed up and am anxious to see how it will go. Heather, Emily, and I leave for Manila on the 23rd and will be there until the first of January. We hope to find some fun stuff to do. After that, January will hit and we will start the downhill slope towards home. Our doctor arrives on the 12th of January and we are all very anxious for him to come and to get some medical experience.