Day 59: When to Cancel an Exotic Resort

Is there ever a bad time to vacation at an exotic resort? Yes. There are two actually. One is when it's the rainy season. The other is when you've just met your boy for the first time. When we went to the Philippines to get Rex, we were planning to spend the majority of the trip at a resort. We would meet Rex, receive custody, and then drive to the resort. We would stay there for four days, swimming and frolicking in the hot Philippines sun, and at the end of our stay, I would fill out the guest evaluation card by saying, "Excellent service, boy now part of family, thank you."

But oops, it was the rainy season and oops we did just meet our boy for the first time. We discussed the resort idea with our dear friend Pat. She's an American missionary who has lived in the Philippines for 20 years. She operates a boarding school, children's home, social ministry, sustainable farm and international training center, along with starting over 200 schools. She kindly informed us that the resort might not be the best idea, due to the afore mentioned reasons. She offered to let us stay at her property for our first days with Rex.

We're so glad we did. At the children's home, Rex got to play with kids his age while he got used to us. He communicated with people who knew what he was saying. He hung out with folks who looked like him. This was a more delicate transition than if we shot over to the resort. He'd be with us non-stop with no relief from his countrymen. He'd want to catch his breath with some Filipinos but only have the huffing of us Americans. He'd want someone to understand him. So for these reasons, it's good we canceled the resort, even if it was exotic. Pat--excellent service, boy now part of family, thank you.