Lily and Loroy are staying home again today.
Sorry, the photos are reused.
We drove to a town called Depolog, which was two hours away.
Gigi, who drives every day, has become a very skilled driver.
I drive quite fast on straight roads, reaching speeds of around 80 km/h.
Immediately after talking to 'You'll get caught if you go 80 km/h on a regular road in Japan. You really need to keep an eye on your speedometer.',
I was fined 1500 pesos (3000 yen) for not having my license with me at a highway patrol checkpoint. It was a painful expense.
The children, who were noisy at first, fell fast asleep halfway through.
Gigi is taking the amateur radio exam again this year.
Business, business, business in the time before the exam starts.
When I laid out the radio equipment brochures I had brought, the people who were about to take the exam were diligently choosing from the brochures.
There are few shops in the Philippines that stock brochures like this, and in Mindanao, it's probably Gigi's.Lily Electric Appliance Supplier.only.
Gigi is taking the beginner-level exam, Class C.
Actually, I took the exam last year as well, but I failed.
After the exam, there's a Christmas party.
Even in Japan, amateur radio is a male-dominated field.
If Gigi passes the exam, she will join the ranks of the few percent of women who make up the entire amateur radio population in the Philippines.
The host introduced it as 'Special guests: Kouichi Ueno and his beautiful wife, Geraldine Ueno'. (laughs)
We can now communicate to some extent even without Gigi.
Jinny told me 'Daddy looked like he was having a great time.'.