CHAPTER 2: INSTANT CELEBRITY

So we finally decided that I stay in the hospital. Next question: Can I have a private room? The answer: NO. The office is already closed and I didn’t make any advanced information so I have to stay in the WARD. Of course I didn’t like that, but it’s either that or I go home. Joey’s totally convinced that I stay so to the ward I went.

The ward is like the semi-private that we have in Riverside hospital, only for 4 people. But here, each ward room consists of people with similar disease, in my case, Hepatitis. There were 2 old women in the room and 1 empty bed. I could say it was clean and we had our own toilet, but no way for me to take a bath.

I ate dinner then I was given I.V. In the Philippines, the nurses monitor your I.V. but here, each patient should monitor and notify the nurses so they can come and change or put a new one. So for my first night, I had to sleep at 12midnight because I had to stay awake and wait for each I.V. bag to run out, inform the nurses by pressing a button (like a buzzer) and let her change it. There were 4 bags and it took about 5 hours.

I didn’t have a goodnight’s rest because if someone coughs or goes to the toilet, I wake up and find it hard going back to sleep. The worst part was at 5am, someone comes in and changes all the garbage cans! So at 5am, everybody was up and my “neighbors” started chatting! At that time also the nurse came and got blood samples for my laboratory check – to confirm what kind of Hepatitis I got. After that, I went back to bed and covered myself with my blanket, wishing I could go back to sleep. Of course, I wasn’t able to. At around 7am, my doctor came and greeted me, “Good morning Maricar teacher” with a big smile on her face. That was a really nice and sincere greeting. So I got up and to my surprise, people were standing at our door looking at me!!! The doctor bought breakfast for me, NOODLES. And the funny thing was, all those “fans” at the door were all watching how I would eat the noodles! Of course I had my spoon and fork so I used those to eat. Whew! I was like an instant celebrity that day!

At around 8am, doctors and nurses from the Foreign Department came and gave me a gift – BASKET FILLED WITH FLOWERS AND FRUITS. Teacher Cathy also came. We asked for her to help me out that whole day since she’s Chinese and her English is good. Plus of course, she really cares for me. So the head nurse of the Foreign Department tried to arrange my “SEPARATE ROOM” – this is how they call the private room. We had to wait for a little while because the separate rooms were all occupied so they had to ask the patients one by one if he or she can give up her room for the foreigner! Someone did, hihi. So they cleaned the room and at around 11am, I was able to transfer to my own room. For 40RMB per night, the room is perfect! In Bacolod, a room like what I have now would probably cost around P800 already. So I’m really glad I have this room to myself.

March 23, 2008

CHAPTER 1: MY EYES ARE YELLOW!

It was a sunny Wednesday (March 19, 2008) morning, EJ and I were preparing – EJ for school and I for work. As part of my preparation, I checked my eyebrows and decided to pluck some excess hair when suddenly I noticed MY EYES WERE YELLOW! I looked closer and closer but the closer I looked, the more I saw that it was yellow. So I called Joey and told him I need to go to the hospital to have a check up.

I sent EJ to school first then off I went to the hospital with 2 friends – Imee (Filipina) and Cathy (Chinese) – both are English teachers like me. I was told to have my blood tests, urinalysis and ultrasound.

If you’re wondering how it was – well here are some things that are different from what we usually do in the Philippines:

1. BLOOD TEST – I was outside the laboratory. They have this lab – but only for workers. Those who are tested just sit outside and there’s just a small window for you to place your arm and they do the procedure. But they did it well.
2. URINE TEST – they just gave me a small container (WIDE OPEN) and asked me to go to the toilet and pee. Then from the toilet, with my urine exposed to the air, I had to bring it back to the laboratory. Then from there they transferred my BROWNISH urine to a small tube – covered one.
3. ULTRASOUND – when we reached the ultrasound station, I was supposed to be the next in line. When it was my turn to get inside, we were told to wait because they had to do the girl who came from the emergency. So I said OK. When the girl was done, I was told to wait again because there was another man from the emergency – so he had to go first. When the man was done, the ultrasound room closed and the one in-charge told us that she had to run to the emergency room for another person to have the ultrasound so we had to wait again. WHEW! I was losing my patience but there was no point getting angry. Besides, I was too hungry to get angry! But when it was my turn, the girl did it quiet well and she made me drink a porridge (which I didn’t like) and did some checking as I was drinking. She also tried to speak English to me and I really appreciated that.

After the tests we went home, had lunch, took a very short rest and then went back to the hospital to get the result.

BLOOD TESTS – My ALT = 1614 (SPECS: 0-54) ; AST = 723 (SPECS: 0-45) and TBIL = 147 (SPECS: 3.4-20). We were told these were main indications of hepatitis. The doctor referred us to go to another hospital to confirm the results and get the treatment.

URINE – the doctor didn’t discuss it but sure it wasn’t good, the color was rust brown!

ULTRASOUND – my gallbladder shrunk a bit. They even said it’s like a balloon that has lost a little of air.

From that hospital we went to Sydney and asked him to call Kongkong Friend, a Chinese doctor that helped EJ when he was sick. So he did and Kongkong Friend also said I need to be hospitalized as it may infect EJ.

Off we went to Jiaxing #1 Hospital and had the lab results confirmed in their HEPATITIS CLINIC. The doctor said I had to stay in the hospital, by all means. They will do series of tests to find out what type of hepatitis I have to give me the appropriate treatment.

So Joey decided that I can’t go home anymore, I have to stay in the hospital without saying goodbye to EJ, not even having to hug him mainly because he might get infected.

I cried – not because I was afraid of my sickness. I was rather sad of the thought that my baby had to sleep without me and wake up not seeing me. This is an unexpected separation so I wasn’t prepared, Joey wasn’t prepared, and EJ wasn’t either. But the best thing to do was separating from him for a while. As a mother, I would rather suffer the pain of not seeing him for several days rather than seeing him suffer because he got infected. It was a tough decision but I needed to comply to that requirement.

I thank God that all these happened in a time where I had friends here. Imee and Cathy are taking good care of EJ after his school. Joey took care of EJ at bedtime until he goes to school. Teacher Cathy took care of me the first 2 days to make sure things were put in place. God is awesome. Yes I have this hepatitis thing, but I couldn’t blame God for this. I can just thank him for providing extra hearts, extra hands and feet – to make sure things will work out smoothly. It’s times like these you get to see the beauty of God’s hand moving by bringing the right people at the right time. God is faithful – He always had been and always will be…

March 22, 2008

Don't Lose Your Smile

Sometimes life may seem unfair
the present unsure and the future unclear
but as we journey along the road called life
remember, don't lose your smile.

Sometimes we're up and sometime we're down
it's difficult to smile and easier to frown
but as we journey along each day of our lives
remember, don't lose your smile

Sometimes we're tired all we want to do is quit
our burdens get heavier bit by bit
but as we journey along the losing & winning
remember, don't lose your smile...just keep on SMILING!

A TEACHER’S CALL

It’s been quiet a while since I updated my blog. Why? It’s because I’ve been really busy with taking care of my son, my husband, myself and my work. Yes, my work. By profession I’m an Engineer but for now, I’m an English teacher to the Chinese.

When I left IMI in 2005, my husband and I decided that I won’t work as an Engineer anymore because being one will take so much of my time. I’ve been there for almost 6 years and I know the life! I thought to myself, I won’t go back to the manufacturing world because it’s just too demanding! Not when my baby is still very young.

But you see, in my blog – NOT ABOUT ME – I wrote how I opened my life to God’s leading.

Here are some lines I wrote in that blog:

“God knows what’s best, and I believe where He wants me, is where He will put me. May it be in school, at home or in anywhere else, it won’t matter. I have decided in my heart, that I will trust and obey.”

I have trusted. I have obeyed. Funny as it may seem, the door in a manufacturing company opened for me – but this time, not as an Engineer, but as an English teacher to their management staff. Managers who have shown commitment in learning English as their second language, believing that it will help them become “global talents” – as they put it.

I really enjoy teaching them English. But my favorite part is bringing out the best in them and making them believe they can FLY. Slowly by slowly I can see them opening their wings. Some have already attempted to fly while others still need a little push. But its ok, the important thing is they’re getting there.

For me, teaching English is just a tool God has allowed me to use to bring out the best in people. As Joey put it, “you are impacting their lives more than you think.” More than the pay I receive, more than the esteem they give me as their teacher; it’s bringing out the best in them that gives me the motivation to teach in the most excellent way that I can.

To all the teachers out there, touch your student’s lives and leave footprints in their hearts. Nothing is more fulfilling than to know when you leave them, they’re better persons than when you first stepped into their lives. This is a teacher’s call.

As Francis Kong puts it,

“Your students may forget all the lessons you’ve taught them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

September 5, 2007

A TASTE OF PAIN…

It was a sunny Thursday morning, around 10 o’clock. I was ironing our clothes and EJ was watching the video. Everytime I iron clothes, my son would either be singing and dancing or coming to me and asking me to join him. He is aware that he shouldn’t come near me because mama is holding something “HOT”. But for some reason that day, which I guess was curiosity, EJ came to me and without any sign, he touched the ironing board. It was HOT, so he cried really loud, as if his hands were burned! Then he kept telling me, MAMA YAYAY (mama painful) and MAMA PO-PO (mama carry). So I carried him and comforted him.

The truth of the matter was, he didn’t get his hands burned. It was hot but not that hot to burn his tiny fragile fingers. It was painful though. After that incident, he never came near me whenever I ironed clothes. If he needed something, he would call me from a distance. My smart son learned his lesson well.

I remember my brother Charles when he was around 3 years old. I was taking care of him and he wanted so much to touch the electric fan. I was only 9 years old then but I knew it was dangerous, it might cut his fingers. You know what I did? I turned on our small plastic electric fan, then after a few minutes turned it off. But while it was slowing down, I got my brother’s fingers and inserted it so he would touch the blades. He cried of course because for his tiny fingers, it was painful. But I knew it wouldn’t cut his fingers. I just wanted to him to learn that it’s painful. So my brother, ‘til this day, never poked his fingers in the electric fan. He was smart, he learned his lesson well.

What happened to EJ and to Charles? They tasted pain…But not the damaging pain, just enough pain their teeny fingers can handle. Was it a bad experience for them? I believe NOT. EJ’s experience will spare him from being burned and Charles’ experience had spared him from getting his fingers cut. But both toddlers were SMART enough to learn their lessons early.

Many times in our lives, God allows us to go through “teeny pains” to spare us from "full-sized pains”. But we should learn our lessons after those tiny troubles because if not, we will hurt more when those giant pains come. We can’t be so STUBBORN. Let’s not wait for cut fingers or burned hands. Let’s learn our lessons now. God is just giving us a TASTE OF PAIN, to spare us from destructive and perilous ones ahead.

When Thunders Roar…

July 4th around 4pm, Joey called me and said these words: YOUR APPLICATION FOR WORK PERMIT WAS DENIED. The very first thing that came out of my mouth was, WHY?! Then he told me it was due to technical reasons. Then he asked me to ask help from some of the people we know because he was very busy at work. The moment I put down the phone, tears began to roll down my cheeks… I immediately remembered that our request for extension will expire 21st of July, which was 2 days from EJ’s birthday. If my work permit will not be approved, then we would have to go back to the Philippines.
I hugged EJ and prayed, LORD, DON’T TAKE AWAY HIS FATHER FROM HIM ON HIS BIRTHDAY. Then I looked EJ in the eyes and told him, DON’T WORRY BABY, GOD WILL MAKE SURE, YOU AND PAPA WILL BE TOGETHER ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. EJ then said, NO CRY MAMA, NO CRY. I wiped my tears and started to call people we know who could help us. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to help so I had to wait for the HR Manager’s decision.

That night, I felt very sad, but I made sure Joey and EJ didn’t feel it because I don’t want them to feel I’ve lost hope. So that night went just like the normal night we’ve always had. But in my heart, I was praying and asking God not to take away the joy EJ & Joey feels when they’re together. Not now, not ever. Separation is NOT AN OPTION anymore.

I woke up early the next morning, inspite the fact that I slept nearly 2am. The moment I opened my eyes, there was this song in my thoughts: I WILL BE STILL KNOW YOU ARE GOD. I heard that song lately from one of Joel Osteen’s service, but I didn’t know the other lyrics of that song. So the moment Joey went to work, I got up and had my quiet time. I looked for that song and I found it.

The lyrics go like this:

WHEN THE OCEANS RISE
AND THUNDERS ROAR
I WILL SOAR WITH YOU
ABOVE THE STORM
FATHER YOU ARE KING
OVER THE FLOOD
I WILL BE STILL
KNOW YOU ARE GOD.

Over and over I sang those lines to myself and I felt an unexplainable peace. It’s a peace KNOWING in my heart that God will make a way when there seems to be no way. It’s the kind of peace that tells me with God, nothing is impossible. It’s the kind of peace that I was able to KNOW in my heart, that no matter what happens, EJ will have his father with him on his birthday. I worshipped God and I know the battle was won, even if at that time, I held nothing in my hands. I just know in my heart, everything’s going to be alright!

To make the long story short, my WORK PERMIT was approved and just today, our RESIDENCE VISA was released and APPROVED!!! This means we can be a FAMILY for the WHOOOOLE YEAR!!! God works in mysterious ways. Miracles happen to those who believe.

But through this experience, this is what I learned:
PRAISE IS SPONTANEOUS WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT
BUT IT IS PRECIOUS WHEN OCEANS RISE AND THUNDERS ROAR.

July 18, 2007

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord...

March 3, 2005, my husband and I had a little “lover’s quarrel”. The topic? Hmm... When I go back to Bacolod City, where will I stay? With my parents or with his parents? Big question. Hard to answer.

Joey was hired to work in China and with that, we have decided we both needed to leave Laguna. Yes, he’s the one going to China but I too need to resign, because I was pregnant with our first baby. All our families are in Bacolod so for my safety and his peace of mind, somebody has to make sure I’ll be fine while he’s away. Now the hardest decision we needed to settle on was “WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF MARICAR? MARICAR’S PARENTS OR JOEY’S PARENTS?” Had I not been pregnant that time, I would have gone fasting while praying! But since I were, I decided to take one day leave from work, pray and resolve this issue.

My husband and I have always made compromises whenever we face conflicting ideas. We try to meet half way or just agree to disagree if there’s no middle ground. But this time, there seems to be neither half-way nor can we agree to disagree. It’s either I stay with HIS parents or MY parents. Joey is Chinese and as such, it is their culture that the woman stays with the husband’s family, so his stand is – JOEY’S PARENTS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF MARICAR AND THE BABY WHILE HE’S AWAY. But you see, I’m a Filipina and as such, it is my culture that I stay with my biological parents while my husband is away, so my stand – MARICAR’S PARENTS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF HER AND THE BABY WHILE JOEY’S AWAY.

Strong-willed as I may be, I’ve always desired submitting to my husband because I know he loves me very much. And somehow my guiding principle was, if his will crosses my will and we can’t agree, I’ll submit. But this time, it’s just so hard to bend. Not because I dislike his parents. But it’s because I never had the chance to know them when we were boyfriends and even after we got married. From the time we graduated college until we became husband and wife, we were in Laguna. Aside from that, I wasn’t born yesterday. Stories about wife and mother-in-law or wife and sister-in-law are never exciting. There’s always that “scary” part.

How did we resolve the matter? I PRAYED, really PRAYED. When we got married, one line in my marriage vow that I said was “I shall submit to you as to the Lord. I shall respect your authority as the head of our family”. God brought me to that day I made my vow and so with that, I surrendered my will. Not because I felt Joey was right, but because I trusted the authority that God gave him as the head of our household.

That night when Joey came home from work, I hugged him and told him that I’m staying with his parents. I only requested for one thing, that my in-laws will allow my mother to stay with me for 2 weeks after I give birth. He said yes. Then we called his parents and told them I’m staying with them.

Now here I am, after 2 years of being with my in-laws… I’m glad to tell you that my husband made a wise decision. My in-laws have really been a blessing to my son Elisha and me. I not only have extra hands when I’m tired, but my son gets extra love, and that’s what I’m really thankful for. My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law have somehow become my best companions in raising EJ. They’ve become my best friends. My father-in-law and brothers-in-law stood as Elisha's male role models in the absence of Joey. I’m sure glad I chose to submit to my husband, even when I didn’t feel like it. You should too.

MARCH 19, 2007

NOT ABOUT ME…

It was around 6:00pm yesterday while I was washing EJ’s bottle, when I saw the Chinese in their long sleeves and tie (men) and high-heeled shoes (women) walking home from work. Then suddenly a thought came into my mind… “Good for them, their day’s already over…Here I am, still working – as a full time homemaker, working 24 / 7.” Then I asked myself, “Is this really the kind of life I want?” To my surprise, that familiar still small voice whispered inside of me with these lines,

“Up to this point, do you still think it’s all about YOU? Do you still think you matter more than what you’re purposed to do? Is it what you want that really matters or is it what you will leave behind?

Those lines woke me up and reminded me that it’s not about me but it’s what I’m called to do, what I’m purposed to do. It’s hard to surrender, it’s difficult to trust, it’s not easy to let go of the steering wheel…but I will.

When I received Jesus into my life, He didn’t come in just as my savior, He came in as my LORD too, and as such, He deserves to be in the driver’s seat. He deserves to be the President of my heart and not just a resident. So with this, let me rephrase my question…

“Lord, is this the kind of life you want for me?”

If the answer is YES, I would gladly be a fulltime homemaker, in a strange land (China) and it won’t matter if I work round-the-clock, as long as I’m doing what He has called me to do. I will raise up a great son, who will be His ambassador.

And allow me to answer the questions that I believe God is asking me…

“Forgive me Lord for thinking it’s about ME… What I’m purposed to do and what I will leave behind is more important than what I want to do.”

God knows what’s best, and I believe where He wants me, is where He will put me. May it be in school, at home or in anywhere else, it won’t matter. I have decided in my heart, that I will trust and obey.

I want to leave behind a legacy to my son – a legacy of obedience to the call of the FATHER; a legacy of trusting an unknown future to a known God; a legacy that declares: IT’S NOT ABOUT ME, IT’S ABOUT HIM.


It’s all about YOU, Jesus
And all this is for YOU
For YOUR glory and YOUR fame
It’s not about me, as if you should do things my way
YOU alone are God and I surrender
To YOUR WILL.

June 5, 2007

Life Worth Remembering

"I will make my MARK in this generation. I will impact people around me. I will make a difference."

"You’re not everyone, but you are one
You may not do everything, but you can do something"

"You may be a stay at home mom, and you’re calling is to raise a child that may influence millions"

"A 100 years from now, will it be any significant that I lived on this planet? Make it a goal to leave this earth better of than before you came in."

These are some of the thoughts that I picked up while listening to Joel Osteen's preaching one sunday regarding "Living a Life Worth Remembering." The message struck me and it made me realize that I am not just here to exist, but that I am here to leave a footprint in the hearts of people I love, a mark in the places I've been and a life worth remembering...

This blog is dedicated to people like me who aren't here on this planet just for the sake of existing but rather to make sure that the world will become a better place because once in it's existence, someone like you and me, set foot on it.

Join me in this cause... I may touch one who someday will touch millions.