Trader Joe’s Spokane store opened last Friday, October 28th. It was, and still is, a mad house.
For those of you not familiar with Trader Joe’s (no it’s not run by “Hey Joe”), it’s a specialty grocery store that has a lot of unique items, quite a bit of organic, low prices and many items branded especially for them. Actually they are kind of difficult to explain, if you’ve not been to one. This is exactly the kind of place that I will miss when living in the Philippines.
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It’s Autumn aka Fall here in Spokane. Depending upon your viewpoint we are blessed or cursed with four seasons in this part of the United States. I find good and bad in all of them.
Autumn is probably my favorite time of the year in terms of the beauty of the city. The turning of the leaves is really breathtaking. Unfortunately that means the majority of those leaves will be “falling” to the ground soon. Having three VERY large trees in my yard means many hours of raking and bagging. That is of course if I can get them up before the coming snow buries them for the winter that is ever approaching.
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A couple of my goals during my last visit to the Philippines were to see much more of the Davao region, and to try to experience things as though I were living there, instead of as a tourist. Those two goals may sound as though they are conflicting, and to some degree I suppose that’s true. Regardless, one of the ways I tried to combine the two was to take local transportation, whenever possible, to these various sties and attractions, instead of the taxis that I’ve grown accustomed to in the past.
I did get in my share of trike, jeepney and bus rides. I may not be a pro yet, but I certainly got the flavor of the system. I learned that I need to add a little meat and/or some callouses to my back end. It was often quite sore after a day out.
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Like most of the tourist visitors to Samal Island I usually take one of the passenger ferries from Davao to get there. I was aware of the two main ferry ports on Samal, and the existence of one further down the island near Kaputian. It wasn’t until just recently that I happened to learn there are quite a few more.
I’m always amazed at how difficult it can be for people to find the RORO wharf in Davao. I’ve had both private drivers and taxis get confused as to where it is. I’m afraid I’ve not been a big help because it seems the landmarks I use only add to the confusion. Part of this confusion comes from the fact that there is separate passenger ferry going to Barangay Villarica, Babak District, than the main RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off) that ends up in Kinawitnon, Barangay Caliclic, Babak District. They both leave Davao from Sasa Wharf, Km. 11 Sasa Public Market and Km. 10 Mae Wess Ferry Terminal respectively.
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Communication deficiencies can, more often than not, be the cause of many misunderstandings. It is difficult enough when two people (supposedly) speak the same language, it is even a greater challenge when native languages are different.
If the words spoken were all that mattered, it would be a much simpler affair, but the meaning behind those words is not always necessarily comprehended in the manner intended. Believing that because your words were understood, but not knowing that the message wasn’t, can compound the problem even further.
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