1 month ago I arrived here in Tabaco City. After spending last weekend in Naga (my first
time away from site) relaxing with other volunteers from the Bicol region,
including volunteers from Australia and Spain, I returned to Tabaco City on a
high. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep
from the weekend, but my spirits were soon deflated when the work week
began. This week was Fish Conservation
Week in my province and activities had been planned at Bicol University Tabaco
Campus (BUTC). My office asked me to
give a short presentation and show two environmental documentaries to the
students on Tuesday morning. The lack of
planning that went into the exhibit placed me in a very uncomfortable and
embarrassing position. Everything worked
out fine, but still I left feeling frustrated about the way things had
gone. The day brightened as my
basketball team won our first tournament, and I finally hit up a Tabaco City
resto bar (with live music and dancing) afterwards with my teammates. However, my irritation continued later in the
week when I was asked to begin working on updating the CRM plan for the city, a
project I have excited about, but one that typically takes months to
accomplish as it involves collecting data and involving the local community in
the planning process. The
miscommunication and misunderstanding of languages coupled with the lack of
planning (something that is critical to me) was stretching my limits. I am very good at adapting to unique and uncomfortable
situations, but for the first time since arriving here in the Philippines, I
was feeling the stress and anxiety of being alone in a new environment where
English is understood but rarely spoken, where time is NOT of the essence, and
where common Western goods are often luxuries. But…it is also a place that emphasizes the importance of family and
hospitality, a place where you will never go hungry (especially during Fiesta),
and a place where buying load for your cell phone can ultimately lead you to a
new group of friends. Which of these two
groups is more important in the grand scheme of life?
I am trying to continually “accept the things I cannot
change,” while also remembering the common PC phrase “the toughest job you will
ever love.” Each day brings a new set of
surprises, and learning to embrace them allows one to lose the stress or anxiety
that often grips him/her. It’s important
to remember where you came from, but just as important not to worry where you
are going. Slow down. Take things one day at a time. Bahala na!
