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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Last day in Cavite

Another whirlwind of a week. Today was our last day of center based training at IIRR in Silang, Cavite. Tomorrow I depart for my training site in Sabang, Morong along with 12 other CRM (coastal resource management) and 11 education volunteers! Although I will definitely miss the hospitality here in Cavite (AC, showers, etc.), I can't wait to get to my training site, meet my first host family, and truly begin immersing myself in the Philippine culture! Our language teachers (LCFs) kept quite a bit hidden from us regarding our families, although I have been told that we will be practically living on the beach! Unfortunately, I have also heard that there is no wifi in Sabang, so my communication might be fairly limited for the next two months (there is an internet cafe in the poblacion, or town center).  

Some quick hitters for ya...Filipinos love to eat!! We typically have 5 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as 2 meriendas (snacks). The food has been quite good, particularly the fruit and fish. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to try fresh coconut water. Also, there are no knifes here. Filipinos only use forks and spoons, typically using the spoon to pull apart the meat, fish, etc. Takes some practice.

Philippine ice cream, known as "halo-halo!"

Freshly shaved coconut

The driving around here is out of control! Cars are constantly passing each other on 2 lane roads (there really aren't any major highways here). As we drove to Catalagan on Tuesday for our CRM field trip, there were countless times where I was flabbergasted by the way cars/motorcycles/jeepneys zip in and out. It also takes much longer to get from place to place around here. It's very common for random people or livestock to be crossing the road throughout your route. The Philippines collectively is only roughly the size of Nevada, but with an ever-changing terrain and 2 lane roads passing through town after town, places seem like they are much further apart.

I mentioned on Tuesday we took a trip to a current Peace Corps volunteer's (PVC) site in Calatagan, Batangas. Some current PCVs dub this area the "Beverly Hills of the Philippines." A very beautiful place. We were lucky to have a clear, sunny day to tour around a mangrove nursery and sanctuary and visit a local NGO, CAPS Ocean. It hasn't been so nice the rest of this week. Today it has been raining heavily all day because of a nearby tropical depression. If it rained this much back home, places would be severely flooded (especially Charleston!).

CRM 271 at the mangrove nursery

Nice spot for lunch

Loving life!

The next two months will definitely be intense as I have language and technical training sessions 6 days/week...but it will all be worth it come September 19th when I officially swear in as a Peace Corps volunteer!

Stay tuned for updates from Morong. Wish me luck!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Magandang hapon America!


Well it's about time...my first post from the exotic land of the Philippines! After almost a full day of flying and an hour and a half bus ride through the crowded, windy streets, I finally reached my first Filipino destination (the IIRR compound south of Manila) approx. 12:30 am Monday...12:30 pm Sunday for those of you on the east coast. After a brief snack, I settled into my single bed for a solid 5 hour snooze.  The adventure has begun!

Touched down!

Where to begin on this roller coaster week. Staging (basically 5 hours of PC overviews, paperwork, and ice breakers) took place in San Francisco, CA, my new favorite city. Finally got to experience an in-n-out burger and fisherman's wharf before meeting up with the 69 other volunteers in batch 271. A truly incredible group of people. Putting a group together that share a common purpose/goal is a great way to meet others that share your beliefs and passions. Although we are all unique and come from all over the country (Massachusetts, Florida, Kansas, Montana, and Washington to name a few), all of us have been able to find common ground in one another and mesh extremely well. It's sad to think we will all be splitting up next week as we depart for our training sites...but I will get to that later.

I have now finished initial orientation (IO) and have begun my language and technical training. IO basically consisted of more paperwork and pertinent background information on the Peace Corps and the Philippines (medical issues, safety and security, diversity, language, etc.). I have now been learning  the national language, Tagalog (or Filipino) for 2 days. After a bit more studying today, I have officially dubbed myself malaking gwapo (the big handsome)! Maybe it'll catch on with the Filipinos! I certainly stick out like a sore thumb here...we took a jeepney (old US military jeeps left over from WWII that are frequently painted and decorated) to the mall yesterday, and being a 6'8" white American in a country where the average height is ~ 5'2" - 5'4" caught me a lot of attention.

Home for the first two weeks: IIRR in Silang, Cavite

A jeepney: one of the biggest modes of transportation in the Philippines

The heat here hasn't been too bad, but that could be because I am still enjoying the luxury of air conditioning and working showers (soon I will be resorting to a bucket, or so I am told). The humidity is very intense and it often feels like I am trying to penetrate a wall. I can't say I've seen anything like the rain storms here though. We are currently in the beginning of the rainy season, which typically lasts into December. I thought Charleston was bad in terms of pop-up thunderstorms, but when it rains here, it POURS! And there doesn't seem to be a pattern to them...just 60% chance of rain in the forecast every single day.

Although this week has certainly been an adjustment, from getting over jetlag to starting the weekly malaria pills to the 6 am wake up calls and 10 pm bedtimes, I already had some unique and amazing times. We have a pool on site and a dip here and there hits the spot especially in this heat. There is also a basketball court where we've been fortunate to get a few games in (I've also learned that basketball is the primary sport in the Philippines and that every town, in addition to the town hall and church, has a basketball court!). Wednesday night we had an epic dance party organized by the one and only Magic Zac! Awesome to see ~ 40 volunteers, including some of the older folk, rocking out to "Teach Me How To Dougie" (in Tagalog) and "The Macarena." I also saw a massive black spider the size of my hand as I was walking around the IIRR grounds. When it rains, the footpaths literally come to life as insects, beetles, etc. try and find shelter. More on tap for this week, including fellow Charlestonian and PCV Laura and I working on a "Rec Room trivia night" for our batch.

This "little" guy was surprisingly hard to spot

Lots more to fill you in on but I'll save more for future posts! Next Sunday I will be leaving for my training site in Sabang, Morong, apparently right on the beach. I will try and post again before leaving since I've been told there isn't wifi there (although possibly an internet cafe nearby). I also plan on uploading some photos soon so keep an eye out here and on facebook.

Ingat ka! Paalam!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

One more day!

Well the 4th of July has arrived...ironic because it is my last day of "freedom" before taking off for San Fran tomorrow morning for staging. This month home in "Canada" (insert joke from 432 or Brody) has flown by! I'm glad I've had so much time to spend with family and friends all over the Northeast. Last hurrahs in Boston and Atlantic City were memorable! Thanks again to everyone that was able to be there! As my departure date has crept closer, my excitement and anxiety has certainly increased...but it still doesn't feel like I am leaving the country for 2 years. Maybe once I hop on that 12 hour plane ride to Tokyo (followed by a 4 hour one to Manila!) Saturday it'll actually sink in.

As I sit here at my kitchen counter typing out a few final thoughts, I can't help but think of my friends and family, the people I will miss the most. I'll try and keep this updated as much as possible and hope to have some sort of internet connection at my site(s) (otherwise I will have to resort to internet cafes). My Verizon service will be suspended as of Sunday though so any calls or texts after that will not be received. Anyone with an iPhone can still get in touch with me during my service via the apps Tango (free international calls and video calls) and Whatsapp (free international texting). I also have a Skype account that I plan on using if you're into that, but a forewarning...I will be 12 hours ahead of you so plan accordingly!

Well...gotta get back to packing. So much to cram into this last day. 24 hours from now and I'll be on my way. Can't wait to start my new adventure! Wish me luck on the other side of "the pond"!