International Day

Last Friday was International Day at ISB. Kids and parents went to school wearing their countries' national costumes. There were song and dance numbers, a mini parade of nations, and booths selling food from different countries.

Big Girl has a Baro't Saya (the Philippine costume for girls), which I bought  at SM before we came here. Unfortunately, it's still too long for her so we decided on something more casual but actually more appropriate for the Filipino-Canadian that she is. A black cap that says CANADA, a black shirt that says PHILIPPINES, plus a Philippine and Canadian flag!



Proudly Filipino-Canadian



Mr. Big wearing his TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS shirt. He had this for years now, but hadn't worn it in public until that day. Big Boy is wearing a shirt that says CANADA. I wore a shirt that says BORACAY PHILIPPINES.



The Pinoy booth selling puto, kutchinta, pansit, bibingka, cassava cake, and banana cues (from me----I didn't make them though, I ordered them from a manang)




A nice lady from Australia looking sooo cute in her pink robe and rollers while selling some yummy treats.

It was a fun but tiring day for our "international" family. We all fell asleep as soon as we got home. I woke up around 3 pm finding myself still on the couch, feeling like I slept forever, and the kids and Mr. Big sleeping on the carpet, looking like refugees!

A Very Late Hari Raya Post

The majority of people in the Philippines are Christians, and I was raised as one, so really, I never had to immerse myself in Muslim practices and celebrations first-hand. Before we came, I thought that being here wouldn't bring a lot of new experiences and surprises, but I was wrong.

Experiencing Ramadan, for example. No, we didn't join the fasting, but we learned to be very careful not to eat or drink in public. Just common courtesy, and consideration, really, but it's one of those things that we can only fully understand if we are out of our comfort zones.

And Hari Raya celebrations. Honestly, it's a shame that I had no idea how they were going to celebrate it considering how many Muslim friends/classmates I had when I was growing up.

I was very surprised to learn that it felt a lot like having Christmas in the Philippines----minus Santa and the christmas tees, of course. Colorful lights, visiting people's houses, buffet-styled feasts, sharing gifts, giving money to children, wearing new clothes...it was very nice.



Big Girl in a Baju Kurung, her Open House uniform




Above and Below: Big Girl together with her dad and his students during their school's Open House



I am already looking forward to next year's celebrations. Next time, I will get myself a nice Baju Kurung, as well!

Halloween Party

No trick or treating this time, that tradition is not commonly done here in Brunei. Fortunately, my new-found Filipina friends here has an annual Halloween potluck party, and we were invited to join.



Tinkerbell and Bumblebee




The finished pumpkins





sweet loot




Do we look good together?



Her very first pumpkin

We had a nice dinner, some parlor games, and  lots of sweets to give and share. Plus, each kid carved or got helped to carve his/her own pumpkin.

It was a fun night!

Sandflies

The kids and I went to Muara beach last Thursday. We had a nice time playing in the sand, chasing after small crabs, and playing at the playground, totally oblivious of these very small blood suckers.

Well, we learned about them the hard way. The small red bumps came out yesterday, but I was not bothered because they weren't any worse than mosquito bites, and we felt fine.

But today the bumps look angrier. Worse, they're really, really itchy. Poor kids!

I just found out that these bugs breed in swampy or estuarine conditions. It's just strange that I've been to numerous beaches in the Philippines, Korea, even Hawaii, but I've never experienced being bitten by these damn sandflies.

Note to self: Thou shall not forget thy Off lotion!

Facebook update copied and pasted

Ugh. Clean up. Shower. Pack/buy lunch. Pick up Feliz. Send her to art class. Go to parent-teacher meeting. Pick up the car at the repair shop. Buy costume for school event tomorrow...while taking care of my 1 year old boy. Super crazy day today!

Seriously, how do moms with a dozen kids do it???

Yay!!!

I passed my driving test yesterday! I can finally drive around!

I was a bit nervous before the test. Fortunately, the test officer chatted with me about the Philippines and my life in Brunei and that helped me a lot to calm down.

Getting a Bruneian driver's license if you're a beginner isn't easy. First you have to apply for a Provisional License at the Land Transport building in Sungai Akar. Bring your passport and IC card, fill-up the form, and pay 5 dollars.

The provisional license is only a learner's permit, you are not legally allowed to drive without a licensed instructor. There are not many instructors, and only some can teach in English.

After deciding on an instructor, you will need at least 10 hours of sit-down lecture about safety, road signs, etc. This cost 150 dollars.Then, you have to take the written test.

The test had multiple choices. There were two parts. First part was about road signs and the second part had questions regarding safety and road knowledge. You have to answer all the questions on the first part correctly or you will fail. The second part allows a maximum of 6 mistakes. Most of the questions were common sense, but you must read them carefully because some of the questions were deliberately tricky.

You can schedule a re-test after a week in case you fail.

After you pass the written test, then you can start having actual driving lessons. The lessons cost 15 dollars per hour. You need at least 10 hours of lessons before you can take the actual driving test. The driving test only allows manual transmission, so of course, learning on automatic was not an option.

On my first day, the teacher and I went straight to the road. I had never driven in my life before that, so that was really nerve-wrecking for me. The learner cars (the white small cars with green roof) have an extra brake and clutch pedal on the teacher's side though, so that was a bit comforting. 

Then you have to practice 2 round courses inside the Sungai Akar practice area. This is where you learn how to drive on a slope, how to make a 3-point turn, how to make U-turns, how to drive around tight angles and S-roads, and how to make very precise reversing and turning in order to parallel park and rear-in park.

Basically, if you slide down the slope, hit any curve or parking pole during the test, you will fail. If you pass these, however, then you will be tested on how well you drive out on the main roads.

The instuctor will teach you 6 routes near Sungai Akar, although the test officer will only choose 1 during the test.

If you pass, then you can finally apply for a Driver's License! If you don't, then you have to wait at least 2 months before you can take the test again.

Fortunately, I passed! I am so happy and relieved. Public transportation (even taxis) is almost non-existent here in Brunei. It 's quite inconvenient if you don't drive or if you don't have a car, unlike in Korea. As it is, we've been paying a lot for a driving amah to bring/pick-up Big Girl to/from school and to drive me to places whenever Mr. Big is at work. On the plus side, I was forced to finally learn how to drive.

Next thing to do: Find an inexpensive used car that is not too old and  in excellent condition. Wish me luck!