Araw 46

Up early this morning as I was off to the market at 6.00am with Shine, MJ, Ferlita and JM. The kids had their weekly shopping to do and me Shine and MJ had to buy all the food stuff for Sunday. We also needed to buy costumes for some of the kids, and slippers.

We wandered about from shop to shop, buying spaghetti, chicken, crispy fry, costumes, iced tea, DVD's (another treat for the kids) and everything we needed to make Sunday a very special day. I bought some bread for my breakfast, and some for Ferlita and JM too. The menu for lunch was seaweed, so I begged Shine to let me buy some chicken for the kids. We bought roast chicken , so they didn't have to cook it, and while they were in the shop I treated Ferlita and JM to a coke each. I love the way Pilipino's put drinks into plastic bags with a straw if you aren't going to drink them right there. Makes it all the more fun.

By the time we were heading back to Joyland it was nearly 10am, and none of us had had a decent breakfast. The kids were excited by the DVD's so we sat down to watch Despicable Me, which I'm sure the jokes went over the kids heads. Me, Kim, Christina and Ferl had lunch early, as we were eased out to the dentist, so left the kids watching the end of the movie and headed back out in the multicab. 

I think it is a Filipino custom to dress well when you are going anywhere (even to the Dentist) as Kim and Christina had their Sunday best on. It amazes me sometimes how the kids transform when they are not just playing around at Joyland, when they are seen in some of the tattiest, stained and torn clothing. (Of their own choosing!) 

The dentist was in Bacolod and we had to pick up a number of people on the way, Shines grandfather and MJ's God-daughter and Shines sister and friend etc etc. by the time we were headed Bacolod way it was getting a bit squashed in the back of the multicab! 

We were the last to be dropped off, and as Shine was going off I went with the kids to the dentist. We were half-hour late for our appt at 1.00pm, but that didn't matter as it was closed til 2pm. We sat down outside the door and Shine left us to buy some water. We were called to sit in the waiting room, which we did, and Shine brought bottles of water and then left us. She told me to text her when we were finished, but my phone was at Joyland charging, so I told her I didn't have a phone, and she left.

The dentist came back at around 2pm, and Christina was first in to the office. She soon came back crying and in shock, as she'd had a rotten tooth pulled out. Bless her. Kim next... But he came back smiling as he'd only needed a teeth cleaning. Ferl was asked to fill out some details for the kids, but she didn't know so I helped her, with their correct names and ages.

We then sat and waited for Shine to come back, with Christina spitting her bloody cotton wool into the sink every 20mins. We read magazines, and filtered the magazines the kids were reading (Cosmopolitan is hardly appropriate for a 7-year old.)

We waited and waited, and when it came to nearly 4pm, the dentist asked if we had Shines number a they were due to close. We didn't, but decided to leave the waiting room and try and find something to eat. We took the kids downstairs and crossed the road to a shop. We bought some sky flakes and headed back to the building where the dentist was. We sat on a bench just inside the entrance, and soon the dentist and receptionists headed past us on their way home. Ferlita told me that the dentist held a Christmas party for the kids every year, and last year brought Jolibee to Joyland! He also treated all the Joyland kids for free. Good for him.

Eventually, (around 4.45pm) Erwin turned up and said Shine was coming back soon. We re-located to the side of the road, and sure enough, the multi-cab could soon be seen trundling along towards us. What a relief! We'd been waiting 2.5hours after the kids were done! Shine said they kept calling me and texting, even though I'd told her I didn't have my phone!! Never mind. We went back on the pick up/drop off of various people again, and Christina fell asleep on the way home. We ha to pick up some medicine for Christina in Silay, but soon we were headed back to Joyland.

On Patag Road a load of sugarcane had obviously fallen off the back of a lorry, so the police were warning motorists and had coned it off to prevent an accident. Kim found the journey back very exciting, and when we eventually got home, he retold the story several times to anyone who would listen. I showered before dinner as I was very sticky, and as the kids were supposed to be going to bed early, we dinnered and bed, knowing tomorrow was going to be a long day.