On a beautiful un-nameable island in the Philippines...



The latest craze in the Philippines is to dance to a song named Pinoy Ako (I am a Filipino). At our cousin's 18th birthday/"coming out" party, the kids danced to Pinoy Ako. Imagine the delight of the Filipinos to see white kids dancing too!



As part of the "debut" 18 relatives presented our cousin with red roses and waltzed with her...



I was able to meet a friend from Montrose, Colorado, at an orphanage in Surigao, Mindanao. These kids are amazing!



This has to be the most stunning smile I have ever seen.



This boy couldn't wait to see his picture on my camera.



So beautiful, eh? This view was from our front porch.



Kelly is posing with a group of school girls in one of the Philippines' oldest churches. The uniforms these girls wear are stunning.



We befriended a neighbor family with the most adorable kids. Kelly is comforting Nikki after hurting herself.



The kids also made fast friends with some of the neighbors.



Trisha has to be the most adorable 5-year-old in the entire world.



Back in Quezon City, I went to a puppet show for some preschool and kindergarten kids at the local barangay hall. During the setup, the sound crew played Pinoy Ako and the kids spontaneously stood up and started dancing. It is neat to see how this song has united Filipinos across all generations and typified the Pinoy spirit. These people are beautiful!



For some reason, North American culture has lost sight of the fact that boys can show affection and not mean anything other than "I'm glad you are my friend." This sight was common amongst Jackson's friends. I hope Jackson doesn't grow up constrained by North American hangups.