Mom's First Week

Before the arrival of any of my guests, I had a general idea that each group would be different, but I did not anticipate the great difference in each group's stay even when doing similar activities. My first group of friends were extremely active and we seemingly ran from fun outdoor activity to fun outdoor activity. Andy was much more laid back and was more interested in accompanying me in my daily life. Megan was a mixture or relaxing on the beach and water activities.

My mother's first week was yet again different. In her first week before my father arrived she wanted to spend time at the beach and read. Once Megan left, we settled into a routine where I would go to work and she would stay at my apartment in the morning reading or writing. I went home for lunch and we usually stayed there and ate. She packed up things and I drover her out to PPR for her to spend the afternoon on the beach reading. After work I joined her at PPR and we stayed a few hours until sunset. While she did not have too much variance in her schedule, spending four to five straight days on a tropical beach reading is many people's vision of paradise. She really liked PPR and got comfortable with their facilities and enjoyed reading and people watching on the beach. She even tried a little snorkeling.

In the evenings we went to a variety of dinners. One night I cooked tuna and pasta and we watched The Departed on DVD. Other nights we went out, first top Penthouse for wahoo and then the next night for fish sandwiches at Rock Island Cafe. The following night, Mom came and walked the track at PCC while I played ultimate frisbee. Afterwards, we joined Christy and the Kregenows at Bandidos for dinner. Mom enjoyed getting to know them and hearing someone else's opinions of Palau for a change. After her first week, my Mom was adjusted to the time and pace of life. Besides normal driving around town, I took her on a driving tour of Koror and she was familiar enough with town that she felt comfortable enough to drive.

At the end of my mother's first week, my father arrived. After Mom's travel difficulties, my father, who had a similar itinerary, was worried a similar fate would befall him. However, his trip went very smoothly and he arrived here safely. He had the same glazed over look all my guests have on their arrival so we got him home to bed.

The next morning we went to church. The catholic church has both a mass in Palauan and one in English. However, at the English mass the portion of in English is only the portions spoken by the Palauan priest. The rest is in Filipino because the vast majority of the attendees are Filipinos. Luckily, they distribute a paper with the readings in English to help us follow along when they speak in tongues. After church, we went to PPR for the afternoon to allow Dad to get over the jet lag. We had a nice quick meal at Rock Island Cafe for dinner before returning home.

The following day, Dad joined Mom in her routine and they went to PPR for the afternoon. For dinner, we went to Happy Fish Market and I selected a white snapper and a grouper and had them filleted. They really enjoyed the authenticity of the market and Mom did her best to embarrass me as she took pictures of me selecting the fish. Back home I cleaned the fish and sauteed them with potatoes. The parents enjoyed the fresh fish dinner and then it was off to bed.