Good afternoon and welcome back to VibePinas! Today has been a day of unexpected wins and a lot of forward planning. We’re still in that stressful "waiting room" phase for my health results, but we decided to take control of what we can. We went down to town in Ginatilan today with two goals: pick up some packages I’d ordered before all this health drama started, and see if we could finally get our COVID-19 vaccinations.
I’ll be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be easy. I thought we’d need piles of paperwork, medical certificates, and maybe even a confirmed diagnosis to get priority. But Ginatilan surprised us! We walked into the vaccination center just to ask how the process worked, and within minutes, they had us signed up and ready to go. No appointments, no long queues—just straight to the front. It was zero effort, and I’m so impressed with how smoothly things are run in this small town.
The biggest surprise, though, was the vaccine itself. I was expecting a different brand, but they’re giving out Pfizer! I’m really happy about that. Even though I’m not a citizen yet, the Philippines provided it for free, which makes navigating this medical situation and our potential future travel so much easier. If we do have to head to Norway for my treatment, being vaccinated is one major box we can already check off the list.
Now, Jessa was a different story. She was absolutely terrified of the needle! I couldn't help but tease her a little bit, telling her that Pfizer has the biggest, most painful needles because the fluid is so thick. She was so upset with me, but she was such a brave girl when it actually happened. She didn't even cry, and she walked away with a "Hello Kitty" bandage, which I think helped a little!
Getting vaccinated isn't just about us, though. It’s about protecting our family and the people around us. We’re planning to bring Dayan and Jessa’s parents down tomorrow to get theirs too. Up in the mountains, there’s a lot of misinformation on social media that makes people scared of the vaccine, but I really believe it’s the right thing to do—especially for Liam’s sake.
With our first shot done, our second dose is scheduled for three weeks from now. That timeline fits perfectly with our other plans, like getting Liam’s passport sorted and waiting for my final medical results. My big hope is that by next week, we’ll be celebrating with a big dinner because the results came back clear, and this was all just a small scare. But for now, we’re taking it one step at a time.
We finished the day with some practical shopping—buying wood for the house, food, and some supplies for our dog. It’s the simple life, even with the big stuff hanging over our heads.
If you want to see the "unfiltered" footage of Jessa’s brave face at the clinic or watch our quick trip through Ginatilan, come join us.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one!
