Floating holidays

This morning, our chapel service was a thanksgiving service. It lasted quite a bit longer than a normal chapel with lots of special songs, instrumentals, testimonies, etc. I missed most of the sermon because Tiffany was sick and I had to try to get Elijah to take his morning nap. I did get back in time for the announcements at the end of the service, though.

November 30 is Bonifacio Day in the Philippines. The President has decided that it will not be celebrated on the 30th this year, however. Instead, it will be on Monday, December 5. But our students didn't need a day off on December 5. They have a variety show to prepare for Friday night. So our academic dean moved the holiday back to the afternoon of December 1 and the morning of December 2. This has been our experience with holidays here. It's not a holiday until the President says it is, and she doesn't usually announce it until the day of the holiday or the day before.

Even when we first arrived in the Philippines, the people we talked to weren't sure if there would be a day off for their Independence Day or not. They were waiting on the President's announcement. If I recall correctly, there was no Independence Day holiday this year.