My Last Full Week in the Philippines Day 1

 Finally some good news. I've been waiting for this since July, and since then, so many things have happened.

It's been a while since I've posted on here. A lot has changed. I've gotten some new interests and hobbies, and there have also been a few major differences in my life.

First off: My entire family got Covid. Yes we are now fully vaccinated, though we never had any qualms about getting it. It started out with us thinking we just got a really bad cold, until we passed out. We never actually lost our sense of smell and taste so we didn't really suspect the virus until we had a teleconsultation and the doctor recommended that we get tested. Surprise, surprise, it was positive. Not gonna lie, it was pretty rough. I later found out that I got pneumonia, but during the worst of it I really thought I was gonna die. At this point I already had my first dose of the vaccine (sinovac, if you were curious), and I forced myself to think of the statistics and how statistically, vaccinated patients were more likely to survive. And that's the thing. My mom and I had gotten vaccinated just before experiencing symptoms, and we managed to recover. 

My dad who wasn't vaccinated, didn't. 

I've had a strained relationship with my father ever since he went to work in NCR. Mostly stilted silences, and the occasional quiet anger. I didn't really expect to feel the way I felt when he died. My mom and I had to work through many complex emotions and worked our way through the entire grief cycle. Some familial relationships were even broken beyond repair. It is what it is.

Through this experience I've learned to rely a lot on God. My mom and I always said, "in our time of need, our family didn't help us. Friends, acquaintances, and strangers were the ones that did." And it was true. We got monetary donations far beyond our expectations, messages of comfort, and countless prayers. To this day we experience the generosity and providence of God, who never abandoned us.

SO! Good news. After all the tragedy that happened above, can you believe it, more came to pass. More relatives and friends met the Creator between then and now, and we experienced hardship when we went home to Davao for a month. I applied to a Language Assistants Program in Spain last year, and since then I've been waiting to get my Carta de Nombramiento and my Visa. SUPPOSEDLY, it should have arrived in July as is customary. But July and all its challenges came and went, as did August, and then September. I must admit, I was beginning to accept that God did not want me to go to Spain. What with my mother having to stay in the Philippines by herself after the death of her husband, I was content with the Lord's plan. BUT LO AND BEHOLD. The embassy called about a specially scheduled Visa appointment for us applicants, and even my Carta decided to show up! What's more, I was assigned to a school smack dab in the middle of Madrid, at the most convenient location. Praise God! He only took so long because he had to find the best place for me :P

My friends and I decided that we were gonna book a flight on the 19th. I didn't want to travel alone, and I especially didn't want to travel without people who could speak Spanish (I was told that even the airport in Spain wasn't non-Spanish speakers friendly). So in accordance to that, Today is the start of my last full week in the Philippines before I jet off to Spain! Well, technically it was supposed to be yesterday, but I only thought of this today so. 

Anyway, I still have A LOT of things to do. I still have to register to vote (#LetLeniLead), get my International Certificate of Vaccination, shop for a few more toiletries, etc. A LOT. But today, the embassy finally emailed that I can go and get my Visa on Thursday, HOORAY!!! Also, the money exchanger texted and said the reserved euros were ready, so I am so pumped and ready for Spain!!! We also shopped for a bit but the shopping is not yet over. We also planned the last few errands and then--

SPAIN!!!!