I woke up this morning to a quiet house. Only the sound of the air conditioners and the twittering of the birds outside, punctuated by a car honking or motorcycle driving by. The house is empty while suitcases lie open waiting for the last few bits to be crammed in. There is no TV. There are no cats. This laptop along with some cards and small travel games are our only in-home diversions. Ian and the kids are all sleeping while the sun slowly rises into the hazy sky.

Today is Wednesday, 16 February 2005. Our last day in Manila.

Saying "I can't wait to go home" or "We're sad to leave" simplifies the turmoil of emotions in each one of us. I'll need to wait a bit before writing it out because otherwise I'd be attempting to put into script a chaotic whirl of thoughts that don't translate to the written page. Suffice to say that today will be both an exhilirating and heartwrenching 12 hours.