To eat, or not to eat...? And more news from the Philippines

Just a little update while I have some internet time...

First, let me apologize in advance for any Filipino spelling that I have already or am going to spell incorrectly... it's really not that easy you know :)

Second, a couple more observances while in the Philippines:
- honking the car horn is second nature to these people, and a sign of warning, not rudeness.... I can only imagine the havoc such vicious noise to such an extent would cause in North America
- there are dogs and cats absolutely everywhere... and apparently also rats the size of cats, although I have yet to see such ROUS's.... (see the Princess Bride)
- an umbrella is your lifeline. During rainy season, it keeps you dry, during dry season, it keeps you cool from the sun. Never in my life have I seen so many umbrellas

And finally, for the most exciting news of all... I have eaten balot, a WHOLE balot. Karlynn, one of the SMP team members, had a birthday yesterday, so the rest of us all came to a party that her host famliy held. And there.... only there... were we offered this Filipino delicacy of half-grown duck cooked in the egg shell. I have pictures, oh I have pictures... but such does not give it justice. And just so you know, there is quite the process for how you eat it: First, you tap the top of the shell, just enough so that you can suck out the fluids (FLUIDS!). Then, after peeling the rest of the shell, you just... well... dig in. And don't be fooled, you can TOTALLY tell that what you are putting in your mouth is a baby duck. Of course, some are more developed than others, but I refused to look down while eating it, so I can't tell you how far along my own was. As for the taste... ok, so it wasn't terrible. Just tastes like some sort of meat and egg, since you can't really taste the baby feathers, but... while it may just be "all in the head", it is VERY much stuck in there, and can create quite the visuals as you munch on....

I also had some pig ear and some "innards", but such seems lacking compared to the balot...

ANYWAY... today I will be helping out at a Christian school for a little bit of a different experience. And for the next few days, I think I'll stick with mangoes, pineapple, and an abundance of rice.