Hellobee

It has been hectic here with things changing daily, hourly even, and Mr. Bee and I running news groups to keep locals up to date on all the changing regulations. The Philippines has declared a state of calamity for up to six months because it is not prepared to handle an outbreak the magnitude of Italy. Our remaining guests left this morning on the last outbound flight from our island, and incoming flights were already banned 4 days ago. We have been preparing for at least 3 months of isolating ourselves,  stocking up on food and necessities. Living on a remote island with no flights and supplies only coming in by ship (which take a month) means supplies could run out soon.

There are seven in our family – 4 in our immediate family, my cousin who lives here as well, and his parents who are visiting from Korea but are stranded here for the time being. Luckily we had been moving towards growing more of our own food last year, so we have 70 hens, 2 beehives, a lot of fruit trees, and we recently started a raised bed garden for greens and vegetables. I had also been planning on opening a children’s playspace next month, so we have lots of books, games and toys to keep the kids occupied.

Most of the island depends on tourism, and everyone is preparing for the industry to be completely dead for a very long time. On the plus side, we are living on an empty beach since there are no more tourists here.

I’ll be sharing what our lives are like during this crazy time for us all, as well as recipes, homeschooling, kids’ activities, gardening/farming tips and more. Hope you are staying safe and sane!