Journey to the Philippines

"Life is never easy," my mother has always said... The night before my departure I discovered that the name on my ticket did not match the name on my passport.  After a few tears, many grey hairs and three hours on the phone, the problem was solved.  Solved or not, I could not relax until I was on the plane.  I have come to enjoy the long flights as I would watch movie after movie.

Now in the Philippines, I am staying at the most luxurious of hotels with a gorgeous pool. Our first day has been packed full of lectures broken up by delicious meals.

Shout out to Jay:  the Philippines has been an independent country since 1946.  Prior to this date at different times in history, Filipinos were occupied by the United States, Japan, and Spain.
Shout out to Candace:  English is the official language, not Spanish.  This is because the Spanish feared that if the Filipinos learned Spanish, then the Spanish would not be able to maintain control of the local population.  The Spanish wanted to keep the locals ignorant.