Crooks? Or VIPs?

I may have mentioned that part of our responsibilities include dealing with problems the missionaries are having in their apartments, often at the assignment of the Sister Stucki. Some of the things on our list for the last two weeks:

• Elder needs new sheets; get some from storage and take them to him
• Sisters need a blender
• Elders' toilet isn't flushing; fix
• Sisters need a screen door on their apartment going to their laundry room, so they can leave the door open and get air circulation
• Sisters' door broke off hinge
• Elders having terrible problem with rats, including, the rats ran right over the sticky rat-traps, and tracked the glue all over the floor
• These need a fan
• These need an extension cord
• Sisters need bars on their windows; go pay 1/2 to the owner so he'll get it done.
• Sisters are being charged for garbage collection; it's not in their contract and they've never been charged before
• Sisters' charge for water has jumped tenfold; find out why

Besides approving new apartments, getting them into the Church system and getting the contracts made, signed, and notarized, and coordinating with Brother Base to get the new ones set up with the standard furniture, etc., and shopping for replacements to all that, the above are the things that fill our days. Today we thought the toilet was a pretty high priority, so we drove up to Santa Cruz, which turns out to be pretty much the farthest north of the mission. It took us over an hour to get there and when we turned down the street, we learned that it is a giant palengke or market, which allows vehicles through but with barely space to move, and certainly not to turn down any side streets. We finally got through and called the elders, and they came to get us (on foot) and took us back several blocks by another route.  We fixed their toilet, and left fifteen minutes late for our next appointment which was for signing a contract and getting all the paperwork for the new apartment.  What we didn't understand completely was that this was at the extreme opposite end of the mission, and took us another hour and 3/4 to get there, including time for some drama on the way.

You must understand that in the Philippines, there are lane stripes painted on the roads, but no one pays any attention to them. You will daily have someone turn left from the far right lane, etc., as well as have five or six lanes when there should be three or four. People basically do as they please.  IF THEY ARE FILIPINO. When a white guy finds himself in a left turn lane, and moves over to the straight lane, he is pulled over by a cop. In the Philippines when they give you a ticket, they take your driver's license and you have to go pick it up at the station house, often very far away.  We had been warned about this, and it was suggested we carry a photocopy of our drivers' license so we could present that, instead. However, when you are going into gated communities, your must surrender your drivers' license at the gate, and paper won't work.  So, when the pulis asked for David's license, I gave him the real one.  Oops.  He didn't speak much English, and we understood virtually none of what he said, except pick up driver's license at the station.  We didn't really have to play dumb--we were.  We kept asking him if he couldn't just let us pay the fine to him, and keep our license.  We probably corrupted the poor guy, because I doubt if that money ever sees the light of a government office, but we did finally talk him into taking the fine--Php2000! That's $50 US. But we were grateful, and headed on down the road.  He stopped us again a little bit later and moved some cones so that we could get into a different lane, and asked us where we were going.  David told him, and he gave us directions which we could not understand.  We subsequently missed the turn and ended up going about five miles further because we were on a causeway and there was nowhere to turn around. We finally got to the end and found a place to make a U-turn---and were met by the same cop, who pulled up beside us on his motorcycle and basically said, "I thought you were going to Las Pinas." David told him we had missed the turn, so he said, "I will escort you," and led us all the way to the turn-off. That was very nice because we were still unsure, but it was also creepy because we wondered if we were ever going to be rid of him!

Got the apartment signed and got back up to the office after 3.  We ate our lunch then, worked on paperwork, and then were invited by the APs to attend a teaching appointment with them tonight at 7, at the church by the office.  We decided it was too much driving to go home and come back, so went to a mall and did a little shopping.  We weren't really hungry since we had just eaten, so we each had a chocolate shake from a place called Cali Burgers, and got some pastries from a bakery.  Went back to the Church where David practiced the piano--he's been called as the Primary Pianist--only to be called by the APs (Assistants to the President)that the appointment had been cancelled.  It then took us an hour to drive home because everyone comes out at night.