Reunited!
It truly amazes me how fast time has gone since I've arrived in Southeast Asia. When I look back at some of the events or activities I've been involved with during my time here, they feel like yesterday. Halloween. Mangrove plantings in Sorsogon. A weekend medical mission. New Years in Boracay. Solid Waste Management (SWM) IEC work with local university students. SCUBA certification. Aquaponics construction. Time has a different meaning to me each day though. Days can drag on, but the weeks usually fly by. As I type this, I am trying to fathom how 1 week of June is already over. It takes on a new meaning when I hear about the life of those of you back in the States (something I greatly appreciate as it helps me stay connected). Some of you are still in school, some maybe working part or full-time, balancing activities with family and friends, or a combination. All things I considered part of my life before, and to some extent still are..just in different ways. But now my calendar has a different structure, much different from the educational-based one I was used to. It is one I am continuously altering, but one that I am extremely content with because despite the "planner" in me, I am enjoying the freedom of not knowing what each day holds for me. It's those days that drive our greatest curiosity, surprise, laughter, adventure, and even heartache. But most importantly, they allow us to be real.
Time takes on a third meaning here in the Philippines. As I discussed in my last post, if its noon its lunchtime. If it's 5 pm at my host family's, its merienda time. That means drop what you are doing and eat. But this is not the case with everything. Many things here start much later (or not at all...). "Filipino time." A commonality most Filipinos would agree with but some take offense to. The reality that I have faced though is that if a meeting is schedule for 1 pm, it probably won't start until 2. If a basketball game is scheduled for 8 pm, tipoff will be at 9:30. Things are naturally pushed back, particularly those with an informal structure to begin with. I have even seen larger conferences starting an hour or two late because of participant or speaker delays. Punctuality is something we highly value in America, but often being "on time" in the Philippines means you're sitting around for an hour reading, texting, or sleeping. Still, meeting agendas and presentations usually manage to be accomplished within their allotted times. Alternative time management skills at their finest. The hardest part about "setbacks" like delays is the tendency to judge rather than to observe. Getting frustrated at the little things without seeing the bigger picture. This is a daily struggle.
A quick work update: election season concluded May 14 with my current mayor losing in a very close race. Her loss means that a majority of my office at the LGU will likely be terminated come July since they are job orders and not permanent positions. This includes my primary counterpart. Quite a few things are in limbo right now with the current mayor on her way out and the new mayor effective next month. Unfortunately, these changes have forced a sudden halt to some of the positive work we were doing at the Agriculture Office. I'm taking things in stride right now and thankful for my secondary work at Bicol University Tabaco Campus (BUTC), Tabaco National High School (TNHS), etc. keeping me active while our LGU changes take place.
And lastly, since I now have a computer again (thanks Mom and Dad), I thought I'd share a few more photos from the past few months:
Photo courtesy of PCV Kim
Photo courtesy of PCV Kim
SCUBA certification in Bohol (L-R: PCVs Laura, Josh, Russ, and me); photo courtesy of our dive instructor Jeremy
My counterpart Mark and I at Peace Corps PDM Training
Ali and I presenting some of our local work at a local CRM conference
Women's basketball clinic put on by Russ in Tinambac, Cam Sur
After Day 1 of aquaponics construction (ongoing)
