the BER months

They have been preparing for Christmas since September. Seriously. I used to think seeing Christmas decorations in the mall before Halloween was ridiculous, but we've got nothing on these premature revelers. In early October I got my first "Merry Christmas!". Around the same time I started noticing (by noticing I mean jumping out of my skin and then cursing) fireworks going off just outside my apartment. I remember pop rocks as a kid (isn't that what they were called?) Those little white nuggets of fun, gunpowder wrapped in white tissue paper, perfect for tormenting one's older sister with. My brothers loved them. I mean, who doesn't? There's nothing like throwing a near-invisible explosive at someone's feet while their back is turned. Hilarious! The pop rocks here apparently aren't regulated. Which means they are insanely loud, industrial-strength, kids-probably-shouldnt-be-playing-with-them-unsupervised, fireworks. But they love them. I asked my landlord what the deal was. "It's the BER months!", Kuya Esmer replied. "Umm....what?" "You, know, SeptemBER, OctoBER..."
Right.
See, here's the thing: Filipinos are very early risers. The barangay is up and at 'em before the sun has come up. I understand this; it gets too hot within a couple more hours so people like to get going early. Here's another thing: There are ALOT of kids here. Probably more kids per square kilometer than Disneyland. I'm still trying to figure out whether this is lack of education about birth control or superstitions regarding birth control. I think it's a little of both. At any rate, 5am is wake up time, whether you like it or not. Don't have to work today? Wanna sleep in on Saturday morning?HAHA, sucker!! No chance!
These loud kids running about, staring in my windows and setting off fireworks outside my front door are also the reason I am not lonely and have rarely felt homesick here. They see me coming from far away and start running towards me, "Ate Carrie!!" I don't know a single one of their names. But they know me. Quite the little spirit-lifters if I am having a bad day. So, the BER months will be coming to a close here shortly. Hard to believe. I've become habituated to the crowing of the roosters my neighbors raise to fight (cockfighting is huge here). I don't know about these fireworks, though. Maybe I'll get used to them just as DecemBER wraps up.