Move to Manila

We landed in Manila around 8 p.m. It was a day in the last week of July. The air felt warm and damp, but compared to the heat and humidity we had experienced in Tokyo prior to arriving in Manila, it felt comfortable. I always love the drive from the airport right after we arrive for the first time. Regardless of the drive being at night or during the day, everything looks new, so different and exciting. Having lived in Dakar, Senegal in West Africa, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mumbai, India, we felt home in Manila right away. Manila is modern, cleaner and welcoming. People are friendly, kind and very helpful.

When we were back in the U.S., an expat life felt so foreign to me. During the first week in Manila, it felt as though I was walking in a dream. Then all of a sudden it hit me with a realization that we had jumped right back into the familiar zone. The last 6 months we had spent preparing for this big move was played fast forward in my head like a flashback and it was over. Just like that we started our life in Manila. It was a surreal feeling to know that we had put a closure to our time in the U.S. and opened a door to a new adventure. It’s exciting and daunting all at the same time.

I have to be honest with you. Every time we move, we suffer from the exhaustion. Not only the physical part of a move, but all the thinking, planning and executing that play into the production of a move wear your mind and body. The only way out is to go through it. Yes, it is exciting to move to a new country and there are many benefits that come with an expat life, but there is also a great deal that goes into the production of moving a family. I have no other words to explain this, but exhausting. However, as soon as we get adjusted to a new environment, we all forget the hardship that we had gone through. Just like a child-birth.

I still have a long way to go to reach that point.

The Alley at Karravin

I don’t know how I got so lucky that my new friend I met in Manila took me to The Alley at Karrivin. The funny thing is that my old friend that I reconnected in Manila told me about The Alley at Karrivin and Toyo the day before. The Alley at Karrivin looks like to me a big modern building with a covered outdoor garden hallway with eateries and art galleries lined up alongside. When I got out of my car and took the first look at the place, instantly I felt exhilarated. This place is right down my alley. No pun intended. What a photogenic place, too! The Alley was all covered, and because of the rain and no direct sun light, it looked a bit dark. I wished there was more sun light for the picture’s sake, but it still looked really neat and cool.

Panaderya Toyo

It is a bakery for sourdough. As soon as you walk in, the gentle smell of sourness from the bread they are baking in the store wraps you around. You can also order some food there to eat. I just bought a loaf of sourdough brioche. It cost more than I have ever spent on a loaf of bread and I’m not a sourdough person, but it was delicious.

Casa Bella

Casa Bella is a furniture shop in the Philippines that sells furniture from Europe. I love Danish design and they do carry furniture from Denmark. Being in Casa Bella and looking at their furniture made me dream of a home filled with modern furniture.

Poison Donuts

Isn’t this a funky place? My friend and I tried a PB & J donut. It was to die for. We also tried their vanilla glazed donut. I loved it. We had them before our lunch, so we ended up not so hungry when we got to the restaurant (I will write about this restaurant soon), but they were well worth it.

That is it for now.

Now I am in Manila that I hope to spend more time writing and taking up photography. Right after we move, we do a lot of waiting around to set up our house. It’s a good time for me to stay home and work on my blog. Since my old computer crushed, I got a new one, but I don’t have a photo editing software on it yet. I have to buy one so that I can edit my photos taken on my DSLR, too. We shall see.