Two, big brown eyes peered at me through the seats of the big coach bus. They belonged to a little Filipino girl about the age of six. I wondered what she was thinking of all us white Americans sitting in the back of the bus. I wanted so badly to talk with her, but didn't even know a greeting in her language.
It was early afternoon and we were all headed down to Brooke's Point from Puerto Princessa. It had been a long couple of days filled with a lot of traveling and very little sleep. Our time in Puerto was short. Our agenda was to pick up the few necessary items we'd need to get us through the next couple weeks, grab some lunch, and be on our way. The trip from Puerto to Brooke's takes about 5 hours. We were privileged to ride with air conditioning and took advantage of the down time, some sooner than others. Eventually most of the group had nodded off and were bouncing in harmony with the pattern of the road. My body ached for sleep, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the countryside of Palawan, a place I would soon be calling home. Feeling too tired to even close my eyes, I gazed through my window soaking in all the new sights.
It's a habit of mine at the end of a year to think back on all the new experiences I had, to see how I've grown, what lessons I've learned, and how God has lead me and proven Himself faithful. Being at the very beginning of a one-year-term as a Student Missionary, I began wondering what I'll think back on come this time next year. How will I change? What will I experience? What will God reveal about Himself? Getting the feeling I was being watched, I looked over and found the same brown eyes peering through the seat again. They were such curious eyes. I wanted so badly to connect with her in some way, but how? Then suddenly I remembered. Dried Mangoes! I had just picked some up in Puerto. Everybody loves food! Maybe she'll be brave enough to eat some with me. I quickly pulled some out and to my delight, she gladly accepted.
We reached Brooke's right at Sunset. It was beautiful! Ocean on one side and mountains on the other. Everybody was eager to get some relief from all the bouncing and stretch their legs. We all filed out of the bus and began collecting all our things. As we were all standing there waiting for our ride, I felt a tug on my skirt. It was my little friend who had made a point to some say good-bye before she left with her family. She was the very first person I built a connection with here.
Later that night after getting some supper, we piled into the back of the pick-up and headed for the farm owned by the project. Awaiting us were about 20 Palawans. Some were there working on the farm and others had come down so they could start teaching us the language. We all had a sense of shyness and of course the language barrier. Since it was so late and we were all exhausted, we didn't waste any time in attempting to get our mosquito nets hung and beds set up, which was quite and experience while having to walk on a fragile bamboo floor that you were sure was going to break at any moment. All the Palawans were there watching us with eager expressions. I felt a bit like an animal in a zoo. Having learned a little bit of their language before arriving (thanks to former SM's), I tole them good evening "Menungang Gebi". They all broke out with smiles and laughter and responded with "Menungang Gasi" (the same to you), and so began the beginning of our friendship.
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