Dan's Trip to Pineapple Country

I got a chance last week to visit some of our translators who are working in the southern part of the Philippines. To get there, I flew a standard commercial airline to a small airport, where I was picked up by one of SIL's pilots. I was fortunate to be able to sit up front with him and ask him some questions as we approached the grass airstrip. He told me a little bit of his history as a pilot, while also pointing out some major landmarks, like the pineapple plantations owned by Del Monte.

After we landed, we unloaded our gear and got in an old pick-up truck for the final leg of the trip. As we bounced along on the dirt roads, we passed through some banana orchards that were maintained by Chiquita, and I asked the pilot (who had now become our driver) about the small pointy bushes that we were passing by.

"What are those?" I asked, pointing off to my right.

"Pineapple plants."

It was at this moment that I had one of those epiphanic, slap-in-the-face realizations: Pineapples don't grow on trees.

I don't know why I had ever thought this, but there they were--real pineapples, just like you would buy in the store, except that they were attached to a plant. (And the Del Monte sticker had not yet been affixed to them.)

So, even though I knew that I would be risking ridicual from the my co-workers (specifically J.C.), I let my igorance be known.

"Huh?! Pineapples don't grow on trees?!"

Then the pilot stopped the truck. He said that it was so that I could get a closer look, but I think it was so that he could stop laughing.

After getting to the center, I was able to unwind from the day of travelling, and began preparing my presentation to the translators. I was actually talking to them about the possibilities of involving interns with their language projects, something that would be greatly beneficial for them, and for the intern. It went well. Actually, it was one of the first times that I delivered a presentation without being totally freaked out. (If you've seen me speak in church, then you know what I'm getting at.)

The trip finished up well. I was actually able to meet up with some old friends that Ellen and I got to know at Training Camp last year. We had a great time catching up, and comparing notes on life in the Philippines. They were even cool enough to mention me on their blog: http://jessicanatebecker.blogspot.com/2005/11/highlight-to-busy-day.html. Thanks Nate and Jessica!