August Holidays

I love the month of August because aside from being the birth month of my Dad, It also has a lot of holidays. Ther e is a holiday every week in August and what a great gift to have the opportunity to enjoy more free time with our loved ones.

The following holidays are as follows:

August 9                                              Eidul-Fitar

August 16                                            Kadayawan Festival

August 21                                            Ninoy Aquino Day

August 25 (moved to 26)              National Heroes Day

Our schedule is packed with plans. I’m not sure of the execution though. We are planning to go to the beach with our 6 month old. We are also planning to have an overnight stay at Eden Mountain Resort.  Those are just plans and hoping that they will push through. So many times, our nap cravings just screams so loud that when we are at home, we just want to hang out and be lazy. LolJ

Cambodia

Two more weeks to go and I'm off to Cambodia. It will be my first time to visit the place and I am so excited to see new places, different culture, listen to different languages, and most of all, meeting fellow Christians from other Asian countries. I have been receiving emails from the organizers reminding us of what to bring, our schedules, and the do's and don't in their country. It surprised me that touching other people's head and showing the bottom of the foot are considered unethical for them. So, as a person who loves to touch and is unconscious whether the bottom of my feet is showing or not, I have to practice doing it as early as now so that I will not have to adjust so much when I get there. There should also be no touching of the opposite sex. Coming from a country who has been influenced so much by the western culture, I also have to adjust to that. I am comfortable shaking hands with the opposite sex. Sometimes, I also hug Christian brothers when greeting them. It is really interesting knowing the cultures of other countries. That is why I love to travel because it opens our minds to other ways. It helps us not to judge other countries. Each culture has its own beliefs and it is valuable that we respect and honor their practices especially if we are there just to visit. So, before visiting another country, make sure that you research their culture to make your visit more memorable.

Dead Sea

The dead sea is five times saltier than the ocean. Bathers can actually sit and read a book because of its high salt concentration. Though the dead sea is rich in minerals such as potassium and chloride, no living creature resides in it. Why? Because it has no outlet. When water gets in, it cannot get out leaving its minerals baking in the sun. We can say that the dead sea is a selfish body of water because it does not give out what it receives.

We can relate it to our own lives. We cannot really grow when we do not give back what has been given us. We will end up having unfruitful and empty lives. There is a time for everything. There is time for receiving and a time for giving.

I think the dead sea exists for us to know what happens if we do not share our blessings. I hope all of us will have the opportunity to visit the dead sea and see for ourselves that what we read in our books is really true.