Before we left for our recent 4-month stay in Canada, we packed up our whole apartment in Manila and put everything in storage (and dealt with a very unwelcomed case of bed bugs. Terrible!!). While we were home, countless people asked me where we’d be moving to when we returned to the Philippines. But we didn’t really know. And the closer the time came to leave our comfortable 4-month home in my sister’s basement suite, the more I worried. It felt like we were starting all over again, finding a home and figuring out our neighbourhood, just like we did 3 years ago, this time with one more kid. And while 3 years in the Philippines has brought us many friends, an understanding of the language, and other familiarities that made the return easier, we’re also now familiar with the difficulties of living here. We know that it often takes an hour to drive a few kilometers. We know that it’s very hard to find greenspace. And we know that when you’re told the internet will be hooked up within the week, it may very well mean 4 weeks. To say I dreaded returning to the polluted cement jungle I’m to call home is too harsh, but let’s just say I wasn’t looking forward to the transition. I was excited to see friends here and set up home again, but the fact that I couldn’t picture what that home would look like scared me a lot.
During our first week back in Manila, tired with jet lag (its hard to start the day at 4:30am for 5 days in a row!) Darnell and I set out to find a house. On the way to the first house, Darnell took a video of me, asking me what I wanted in this house. And after I listed a few things (like 4 bedrooms, a yard, semi-furnished, and a playground and pool within walking distance), I said that there’s no chance we’ll get all of it (within our budget), so now its just a matter of what things are the most important. But on the second day of searching- you guessed it- we found exactly what we wanted.
I could not be happier with the space we found. Out our front porch there’s a big patch of grass and tall trees, shared with the townhouses surrounding us. There’s a playground and pool within walking distance and because it’s a gated village, the kids can bike and it feels safe. We have 3 big rooms plus a great office for Darnell, a super spacious family room and kitchen and its all been recently renovated. The place is 2.5 times bigger than what we had (our apartment was TINY before!) and cheaper. The downside is there’s nothing much within walking distance, but I am figuring out how to get around with the kids using uber and I may even try driving here. The kids love it and all our guests so far have been in awe of this gem of a place we found. Our internet may not be set up yet and it took us nearly half an hour to get to the Starbucks just down the street, but our couches came ahead of schedule (total shocker!) and I see green out my kitchen window.
So, needless to say, we are very thankful. I am blown away by what God has provided for us. And I honestly don’t know why I ever worried so much.
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| The boys' room is so spacious and they love it! So does Teyah! |
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| Our family room... needs some decor on the wall but in the meantime, movies! |
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| Grass. Out our front door. Priceless. |
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| The kitchen has so much cupboard space that most of them are empty! |
