Last Tuesday, Crocs (Mindanao) launched their latest collection evoking the trends for fall/winter which are plaids, bows, and colorful palletes. A scruptious spread was prepared by Candy's Cafe for the invited guests privileged enough to get a sneak peek at the latest designs for Crocs. As guests milled around to try out the collections, prizes were raffled off to a lucky few who won limited crocs items.

Baby Fever

On Sept. 25, Rene and i will celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary. Since then, we have not had any luck in conceiving a baby. Stress, busy schedules, different sleep patterns, and a polycystic ovary are cited as known culprits. Rene being Dutch only makes matters worse as people would say "sayang naman ang lahi niyo, maganda yung combination (What a pity! You have a great gene pool!)." Which leads me to wonder whether the opposite is true, ok lang ba na pag panget kayong mag-asawa, wag na kayong manganak? On some days, I turn philosophical and reason that maybe it will come when it comes.But sometimes Mother Nature is a bitch, and you need to gingerly nudge it in the right direction.

So it has come to pass that last Tuesday, a trio of pregnant women wanted to schedule a photoshoot with us. The girls are colleagues at work who attended a Family Planning seminar together. One of them is married for 4 years now and has not conceived until after attending said seminar. They invited me to join the program, held every friday for free. I was so inspired by their success stories that i decided to go and check it out for myself.

The Servelife office is located in a non-descript part of Cogon Market. It's on the second floor of a storage facility for rice and palay. But once you step inside their office, you are at once greeted by a warm and cheerful vibe of yellows and greens, and the welcoming faces of its staff and volunteers. I was quite nervous and expected a class-room type seminar. Happily, the atmosphere was relaxed and congenial. It turned out to be a one-on-one type of discussion on a first come first serve basis. Their main facilitators are Ate Mimi and Ate Dolly. They are very helpful, non-judgmental, and knowledgeable. I was also glad to know that my husband could participate in this activity since it doesn't have to be conducted in the Visayan dialect.

Ate Mimi started me off with the basics, giving me a starter kit containing all the basic info and some fertility charts based on the Billings Ovulation Method. Servelife is lucky to have someone like Ate Mimi as she got ther training from Dr. Billings himself! So wish us luck guys and I promise to log-on my thoughts and observations in this excting journey we're undertaking...

Here are the photos from last Sunday's affair. First photo is of the City Tourism office with Mr. Lee Carlos of the Dutch Expats Society; 2) The Dutch contingent w/ their wives/partners and the City Mayor; 3) Standing: Lee Carlos, Moi, seated: Nomi Schellevis, Vangie and Henk van Keulen, Arno van Vugt with wife Ging and daughter Liz.

Fogrgive me for the separate post, I wasnt able to figure out the image option right away! silly old me! All Photos taken by Rene Katuin (the hubby) for Reno Digital Photography & Design.

1st International Night in CDO

The Cagayan de Oro gov't under the administration of Mayor Constantino Jaraula has spearheaded this gathering of all Expats residing and doing business in Cagayan de Oro as a way of thanking them for making Cagayan de Oro their second home and for bringing in much needed capital to the city coffers.

Incidentally, a few months ago we formed The Dutch Expats Society to foster brotherhood and provide assistance to our fellow Dutch expats in Cagayan de Oro. Because of this previous meeting, it was easier for us to organize and inform everyone of this impending event. Althoughit was not a 100% attendance we were quite pleased with the results, infact we were surprisingly the largest group present.

Arno Van Vugt, a columnist for a local daily and a long-time resident here surprised everyone with his fluency of the Visayan dialect, as he gave a speech in behalf of the Dutch Community. I can only hope that our small community continue to be a positive presence in the city's business and social development. Kudos to Mayor Jaraula, City Councilors, and City Tourism Office for mounting ths succesful event. We hope to see you again next year!