tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75956014584533669912024-03-12T22:00:53.426-07:00Peace Corps PhilippinesMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-13349608528309644522012-02-13T19:01:00.001-08:002012-02-13T19:18:59.694-08:00My Library Project: How Far Can Your Donation Go?<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6LRr4WHwGR4/TznSRPwnyvI/AAAAAAAAAA4/hiIeRMnNON0/s400/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708825196398889714" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Library Committee with all of the books.</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J3DSJgGI4ks/TznSRgL9sJI/AAAAAAAAABE/EnpiYERo73Q/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J3DSJgGI4ks/TznSRgL9sJI/AAAAAAAAABE/EnpiYERo73Q/s400/016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708825200808538258" /></a></div><div> The Library Committee showing off the books. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Some of you may have seen or received various messages from me about the library project that I have started here at my school for the students. Currently our school (of approximately 1600 students) doesn't have a library...and when I say that I don't mean a shelf of books that sits in a corner not counting as a library, I mean nothing, no library what-so-ever. The Peace Corps provides help for funding projects like these through various programs, one of which is the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), this program posts my grant online and gives people like you an opportunity to donate your money towards my project while at the same time receiving a tax break for next year. <div><br /></div><div> Our project needs about $3000 to move forward. These funds will buy shelves,books, an air con for the library, a copier for the teachers, and furnishings for the room. $3000 to help students read and escape their everyday lives. So! Just how far can your donation go? Below are some examples:</div><div><br /></div><div>$1-- 4 Books</div><div>$5-- 20 Books or 400 copies of handouts</div><div>$20-- 80 Books or 1,200 copies</div><div>$50-- 200 Books </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> If any of you would like a complete copy of my 16 page grant (with the background information, budget, and breakdown of how the project will be completed) please let me know and I would be more than happy to email it to you. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I would also like to include pictures of our library committee in this post. The Library Committee is entirely made up of students. During the past two months they have been collecting money through a Piso for the Library Drive and by holding a Valentine Gram Drive. Through these fundraising activities the committee had raised enough funds to buy 245 books for the library. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the link for the donation site: </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=492-400">https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=492-400</a> </div><div><br /></div></div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-38631165922079783582012-01-23T19:25:00.000-08:002012-01-23T19:38:05.741-08:00New PlaceSometime during the Christmas vacation I decided that I wanted to move out once and for all. After the break I started looking for a new apartment (at the time one that would accommodate Gaya) and soon found one that was way out of my price range :) The Peace Corps came and checked it last week and I will only have to pay a little out of pocket which is nice. After packing up all of my things and having one teacher and two of the fourth year students help me move I was all set. <div> I love this new place infinitely more than I can say. I forgot what it was like to be independent. To not have to worry about whether or not the gate would be locked at the seemingly normal time of 7pm. To not have to sit there as the smell of fish permeates every inch of the house. To not have to listen to two young boys fighting and then inevitably crying when one of them gets into trouble. This new place is my sanctuary. Only I get to say what happens here, when it happens, or if it even happens at all. (Well me and the ghost that I'm pretty sure I have) </div><div><br /></div><div> This new place is only two rooms but it's all tile and I have an actual shower which is invaluable here to a volunteer. I also have a remote control aircon in my room and a ceiling fan (a dangerous combination I know). It's quiet and everyone there is used to having foreigners live there for short times so they speak a little English and are friendly but at the same time respectful of independence and privacy. </div><div> The first night is the worst (as with any place). I was sleeping on the floor (having not yet traveled to the big city to buy foam) and around 3 in the morning I heard the unmistakable CRASH of glass breaking...Quickly thinking to myself, I only have one glass thing and that was on the other side of the counter tops, far away from where it could have easily fallen and broke...So either I have a ghost who likes to throw glass or someone is breaking into the apartment...and if that's the case I'm going to lay here in my bedroom and wait for them to leave (my bedroom door is solid with 3 locks and a window with steel along the outside. When I woke up though it was just the glass on the floor....I'm going to say it's a ghost instead of rat...they're less frightening. </div><div> Other than that everything is going well. I started a small fire last night by trying to make popcorn on the stove top and heating the oil too quickly....but my mom taught me never to put water on an oil fire and it quickly extinguished itself...no big deal. I'm excited to have more visitors come and hang in the wonderful wonderful nothing that is Kabankalan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let the visitation begin!</div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-1483571461615164352012-01-06T17:41:00.000-08:002012-01-06T17:53:25.328-08:00R.I.P. GayaI came home from vacation excited to see my dog. When I got to my counterparts house to get her she was kind of lethargic and they told me that she didn't eat her breakfast that morning..probably because of her skin disease...what skin disease? I took her home and she started to vomit and have LBM so I took her to the vet the next day. The vet said she had hook worms again (despite being de-wormed at the beginning of December) and a bacterial infection. So I got antibiotics and anti diarrhea medications for her. <div><br /></div><div>Next Day: Still not better, okay. Sometimes it takes meds a little while to work. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two Days Ago: Still not better. So I took her back to the vet. She got an I.V. for dehydration and I.V. antibiotics. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday I went back to the vet to get a refill for her I.V. Fluids and went to work. I came back two hours later to give her her medication and sad to say she was dead. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a very heart breaking experience because I had to go to my school in tears and ask one of the few teachers who I consider to be my friend to help me get rid of her. He asked me what I wanted to do and, being in tears, I said I had no idea. What did they do with dead animals in this country? </div><div><br /></div><div>He told me I could bury her in the school and I said that would be great. </div><div>So he took two students to my house and got her and then they buried her in the math garden at my school while a little ceremony from my other friend teachers. One of the students is painting a sign now that says "Gaya's Garden".</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all it was a surreal experience. The teachers at my school went like this - (Friend teachers)- Oh Megan I'm so sorry, I'll get you another dog, one of my neighbors have them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Non- Friend Teachers- Oh she died because you (insert excuse here). For example, you left her in your room so she suffocated. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of my FT also "sponsored" me for five beers last night :) Leanna also came down to spend the day with me and help me house shop. </div><div><br /></div><div>SO all in all of course I still feel horrible, I had the dog for a little over a month and she's dead, how do you expect me to feel? But this experience really solidified what I've observed about the Filipino culture and how they treat animals in this country. I'm going to try to get over it in the next few months by throwing myself into moving, the Sinulog festival, my library, and my mom's visit. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you all though for your well wishes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meg</div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-67631167764952569692012-01-06T17:40:00.000-08:002012-01-06T17:41:51.564-08:00New Years Eve<p class="MsoNormal">Written on January 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2011</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> This year’s New Years Eve was a fun event all around. Our Christmas group went up to El Nido to visit another volunteer’s site and house. It was really really nice. Our activities included island hopping in beautiful water, SCUBA Diving (which admittedly wasn’t as great as Apo Island) and TONS of fireworks. No. Seriously. It was what I would expect a warzone to be like. The streets were dark and smoky from the fireworks. You couldn’t walk anywhere without having to thoroughly search the area for a lit fuse, children ran screaming in every direction, and even then you had the occasional lit firecracker fly your way. The climactic event of the night was when we were all sitting on some steps on the beach waiting for the countdown to end. These two men came up with a string of firecrackers….no big deal. And by string I mean a four-foot long string connected together…which they lit…still no big deal. And then it happened… some tourists sitting next to us had a big box of fireworks that they lit… you know the ones I’m talking about. About the size of a small moving box, they shoot lights up into the air about fifteen feet and go on for 3-4 minutes…well they lit that ( in front of the crowded restaurant where they were sitting) and it went off….and then fell….and starting shooting EVERYWHERE! Into the restaurant, into the beach, and most especially at us. Poor Matt actually was hit dead on by one of the lights; luckily he wasn’t hurt at all. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Now I’m sitting the airport writing this and looking up activities for when my mom comes to visit. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">ALSO! I’ve decided to move into a place of my own. Being at Leah’s house just reminded me that I really do love having my own independence and I’ve been missing it. Now that I have Gaya I have a legitimate excuse to tell my host family I want to move out. I didn’t realize how unhappy I was living with my host family until I started thinking about what I would need to get for the house and it made me extremely happy. Weird huh?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Song of the Day: La-Da-Di by the Beatles. </p>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-42730654803666931022011-12-27T03:12:00.000-08:002011-12-27T03:46:58.255-08:00The Holidays in the Philippines<div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><br />The holiday season in the Philippines start on September 1st. Yes you read that right, a full three months before Christmas...Not a day later. You can be sure that all of the shopping venues throughout the country will be putting up their Christmas decorations and begin playing Pasko Na Naman as soon as the doors open that day. <div><br /></div><div>Last year Christmas wasn't that fantastic for me....matter of fact...it blew...hard. I spent Christmas last year by myself at a little resort in Sipalay because my host family went to their own families homes in various locations on our island. The being alone coupled with being away from my family at Christmas for the first time in my life was just a miserable experience that I never ever ever wanted to repeat. I'm glad to say that this year's Christmas was so very much better. </div><div><br /></div><div> Leanna and I began our Christmas by coming to the island of Palawan to help our friend Krystal do a training for some of the education students from the college that she teaches at. That training went very smoothly and was a rewarding experience unto itself; but the trip continues to get better. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day we went to house sit for friends of Matt and Krystal's in the city where they live. It made me feel "in the holiday spirit". I'm to sure if it was the house or just being surrounded by other Americans. Either way, it was nice. We went to the beach (Nagtabon) one day and just spent it relaxing in the crystal waters. And when I say crystal, I mean crystal. You could see through ten feet of water to the bottom from the beach. </div><div><br /></div><div>Christmas Eve we all banded together to make as close to a dinner from home as we could. Here was the menu:</div><div><br /></div><div>Appetizers:</div><div>Baba gnoush with Pita Chips made from scratch</div><div>Crispy Pata - A Filipino dish</div><div><br /></div><div>Main Dishes:</div><div>Ham</div><div>Mashed Potatoes</div><div>Pasta Salad</div><div>Salad</div><div>Rolls</div><div>Green Bean Casserole</div><div><br /></div><div>Dessert:</div><div>Apple Pies ( I made those :) ALSO FROM SCRATCH)</div><div>Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies</div><div>Rum Balls</div><div>Mango Float ( Another Filipino Favorite. It consists of fresh mango with graham crackers, pudding, and dulce de leche layered together and frozen) </div><div><br /></div><div>It was all fantastic. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow we're heading up to El Nido to meet up with some more people to celebrate New Year's Eve. </div><div><br /></div><div>As always, I'll try to be more diligent with my posting. Maybe I'll make the posts shorter but more frequent. Would you like that one person who follows my blog?</div><div><br /></div><div>In other other news! My mom is coming to visit me in February! And I got a puppy! Her name is Gaya! </div><div><br /></div><div>To all others..... Merry Christmas! Happy New Years! See you all before the next one comes around!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Pictures Below: </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Gaya @ 3 months old</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyq7d_4pIzY/TvmvFlWAPHI/AAAAAAAAAAU/y_q2sy9vCf8/s1600/388690_330451160317430_100000576452437_1177371_1540845084_n.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyq7d_4pIzY/TvmvFlWAPHI/AAAAAAAAAAU/y_q2sy9vCf8/s400/388690_330451160317430_100000576452437_1177371_1540845084_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690772114617941106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Our Christmas Dinner</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3E1HS-Drgs/Tvmv2qi8hFI/AAAAAAAAAAs/NLPIVcO82Lw/s1600/325931_10100930619133640_4903664_65684049_1635695324_o%2B%25281%2529.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3E1HS-Drgs/Tvmv2qi8hFI/AAAAAAAAAAs/NLPIVcO82Lw/s400/325931_10100930619133640_4903664_65684049_1635695324_o%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690772957827990610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-82845311176282148742011-04-05T04:12:00.001-07:002011-04-05T04:21:46.418-07:00You Can't Get This in AmericaYes I know it's been forever since my last post, but I believe that if you were really all that interested in what I've been up to then you'd already know. So there!<div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to give <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ya'll</span> a play by play of what has been going on here because frankly that would take too long and be pretty impossible.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bottom line: I'm fine, Peace Corps volunteers are dropping like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">flys</span>, and school is almost over for the year. In fact, graduation is tomorrow. So my days are mostly filled with two protein shakes from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GNC</span> and a lunch meal, broken up by endless hours of watching TV shows on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sidereel</span>.com and some form of exercise. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was on my jog tonight and almost came to tears. I walked through my neighborhood to the city plaza where they have music playing for anyone who is there, mainly exercising people, and answered all of the "Good Evenings" and "Hello, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ma'am's</span>" that I received ( Filipinos are very polite this way, everyone you pass gets a greeting, whether you know them or not) and proceeded to begin jogging. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The music that plays at the plaza is a very eclectic mixture, sometimes all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Beiber</span> all the time, sometimes AC/DC, tonight it was Big Band Era; fine by me. I jogged past the soccer field and said hello to 10-12 of my males students, and kept on going..then I reacted the basketball courts. From this standing position you can see the basketball courts and beyond to a fountain and small playground for the children. And all at once it hit me. It might of been Bing Crosby crooning in my ear, it might of been the sight of all the city coming together to play sports, or it might have been the simple elegance of the fountain...but I was instantly thrown back into 1950's American culture. I mean, you can't find this in America anymore, the simple act of being a community and enjoying company outdoors without the constant drone of cell phones or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Xbox</span>...and it's so nice to just..be.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can't get this in America, at least, not where I'm from. </div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-66964181759186802942010-10-26T03:28:00.000-07:002010-10-26T03:45:55.784-07:00I Warned You All I Was Bad At BloggingSince it has been so long since my last blog post I figured that I needed to give <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ya'll</span> an update. Things have been quiet busy here in the past few weeks so this is a highly condensed version. <div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Masskara</span>:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The Filipino version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mardi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Gras</span>. This a huge festival that our clusters attended through the kind invitation of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">DepED</span> department in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bacolud</span>. The festival itself dates back to the "Filipino Depression" times when the sugarcane industry was in tatters, so the people put on smiling masks in defiance and went out and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">party'd</span> it up in the streets. All of the schools in the area create elaborate dance routines and masks in hopes of joining in the final dance performance, alas only 11 schools were chosen, 7 elementary schools and 4 high schools. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because we were invited guests, and we're American, we were given awesome seats to watch the performances from, and the performances were equally as awesome. I don't think I've ever seen a dance that well choreographed from 6-15 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">olds</span>, or ever for that matter. The costumes were beautiful and the enthusiasm the dancers had for the festival was blatantly obvious. The only downside to this whole experience was that the judges wanted to rule out the chance that the music choices for the dance might affect their scores, so we listened to the same song being played for 6 hours straight. Now don't get me wrong, the song was catchy the first or second time you heard it, maybe even the third, but after the 50<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> time it started to grate on my nerves. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the dancing ended we ate at a street restaurant and enjoyed some truly spectacular chicken <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">inasal</span> and spent the remainder of the night visiting with our own cluster mates, and all of the current volunteers who came for the festival. It was an event that I look forward to coming to again in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mail: </div><div><br /></div><div>My cluster mate Andrew recently received a package from back home, in this magical box of wonders was miniature electric fans for everyone in our cluster..with Florida Gator logos on them; thus (even if I don't watch football) he has made me a Gator Fan, score a point for Andrew!</div><div><br /></div><div>I Also received a letter from my old roommate in college, Leslie, shout out to Leslie everyone, she's the only letter I've received so far!</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I found out that my parents sent me two packages containing much needed supplies...what could those be I wonder......books and yarn! duh! Very much looking forward to those!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I want to take a moment to encourage everyone reading this to send their Peace Corps volunteer a letter from home, emails and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Facebook</span> are nice, but there's nothing quiet like opening a handwritten letter from home, and boy does it notch the enthusiasm and happiness over here up a few levels!</div><div> </div><div>Our training is starting to come to a close now with our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">LPI</span> ( Language Test) next week, and then our counterparts conference the week after that. So with that we're starting to pack our things and say goodbye to our current host families. I will really miss my family here, they have been nothing but kind and generous by having me here. I know without a doubt that I will be visiting them in the future and hope to repay their kindness in anyway that I can. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now folks!</div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-78298040982259287682010-10-03T04:15:00.000-07:002010-10-03T04:51:35.656-07:00And so the smiles continueLast week we headed to Bacolud for our Supervisors Conference, in which we would meet our supervisors for the next two years and find out where we would be living for the next two years. Continuing the Peace Corps tradition secrecy, we were not told what our eventual site would be until the end of the day, and even then only by hearing out names one by one and then going up to find out picture on a giant white board and placing it on an equally giant map of the Philippines. <div>Throughout the rest of the conference we listened to endless talks and speeches, given by both the current PCVs and staff. Finally when we were done with the bureaucracy that is a government agency we ventured forth unto our sites. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our drive to Kabankalan was uneventful but full of questions about both myself and my site mate Kelsey. When we arrived we were swiftly taken to our respective schools and greeted with full fanfare. I found myself exiting the car to the sounds of a band playing their drums, and looked to see the baton corps twirling away. I walked past them to through the school and throngs of screaming teens to continue onto the basketball court and in between a line of ROTC like students on either side of me standing at attention. What a feeling! And the smiling continues.</div><div><br /></div><div>The school had a wonderful welcome program for me which included performances by the students in their traditional folk dances and the senior boys break dancing to the song "Solo". I was then asked to get up in front of the school and say a few words....ooookay..and I did..and they screamed...honestly i'm not sure that they understood a word that I said. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the program the school had a welcome luncheon with the other teachers and members of the PTA. The luncheon was just as wonderful as the program..and filled with just as many questions...and so the smiling continues. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whisked away after that we performed our courtesy calls to the superintendent and mayor's office, and so on and so forth. </div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't until around 7pm that I met my host family and saw my future house, 8 hours after my initial arrival into the city. My family consists of my mother (Geralynn, 34), father (Ricky, 39), brother (Karl,9), and younger brother (Clark, 6). Armed to the teeth with gifts for the family I distributed them soon after my arrival. The two yo-yos that I brought for the boys went over extremely well, Twister and Uno, not so much. I learned that the father and Karl live in one house during the week because there are no boarders so the house sits empty, while my host mother, Clark and I will live in another. The house itself is very nice, and my room is double that of my room back in California! </div><div><br /></div><div>We ate dinner and the typical questions we discussed, and my host mother learned that I don't eat fish, quickly told me that if I ate fish I would lose more weight, and that I would learn to love it. And the smiles continue...</div><div><br /></div><div>After dinner we had a brown out and the house was pitch black. Poor Clark was just sitting at the table with his head on his arms waiting for something to do. So I gave him my Ipod Touch to play on, figuring that because he and Logen are only weeks apart in age they would like the same game, boy was I right.He played until he had almost drained my battery and I had to pry it from his hands to go to bed. Early the next morning he barged into my room, just in the nick of time because I had barely finished dressing, and we had an exchange:</div><div><br /></div><div>Clark: (Hiligaynon)</div><div>Me: Indi ako inchiyendi, hini hini lang ( I don't understand, slower)</div><div>Clark: ( Hiligaynon)</div><div>Me: English!</div><div>Clark: (points with his hands like he has the ipod) "screech, vroom, crash crash"</div><div>Me: Oh! you want to play light bike? the game?</div><div>Clark: yes!</div><div>Me: Okay</div><div><br /></div><div> On Saturday we went to the beautiful Mag-Asa falls that the city is known for, and beautiful they were. The water was so blue that you could see to the bottom. Both my supervisor and counterparts were so excited when they heard that my dad had gone to Mag-Asa while he was in the Philippines, they insisted that I take dozens of pictures to show him, and so we did, and the smiles continued. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later at dinner with Kelsey's family we discussed my lack of want for fish and my weight and Kelsey's weight, and how they are all going to find us boyfriends so that we will be more mindful of our weight, and so the smiles continued, they all meant well really. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later that evening I found out that Clark likes to play chess so we sat down and played a few games. Again the conversation went as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>Me: Ikaw (you)</div><div>Clark: (moves)</div><div>Me: You can't do that with the horse! Isalang kag duwalang ( one and two)</div><div>Clark: Si pwede ( yes I can)</div><div>Me: Wala (no)</div><div>Clark: Indi pwede ka-on (no you'll eat it)</div><div>Me: Huo pwede ka-on (yes I can)</div><div>Clark: (Hiligaynon with gestures)</div><div>Me : ( English with gestures)</div><div><br /></div><div>and so we would continue arguing in Hiligaynish until one of us eventually moved :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Upon our departure Clark was very sad to see me go and I received a phone call earlier tonight with a sobbing Clark on the other end asking when I would be back, if only he knew how my family stateside must feel.....but in six weeks I'll be back to arguing with him in two languages, watching Dora and Yu-gi-oh and unsuccessfully teaching him to play Twister. </div><div><br /></div><div>Six weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>* For pictures see my facebook page</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-43975494025568460062010-08-23T03:17:00.000-07:002010-08-23T03:32:00.717-07:00Ma'am survives a minor heart attackWe ended staging with a group activity and the appointment of group leaders, and as any of you who know me already have guessed, I volunteered for the job. Yay me! We got up at the brisk hour of 4 to pack everyone in the bus and be on our way to JFK. I can now honestly say that I have driven through the heart of New York City, right past Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building. <div>As we arrived at the airport it was my job as the group leader in charge of checking in to determine how 81 people were going to check their luggage in an orderly fashion;and after much confusion involving kiosks that wouldn't work and broken baggage, everyone was checked in and we made our way. Off we go! We boarded the plane after getting our seat assignments and I settled into my seat for the international flight. Very plush I might add, I had emergency row seating right next to a window for 12 hours! what more could I ask for! And then it happened. My heart attack began.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another Peace Corps volunteer came up to me as I finished settling into my seat and said " you're in my seat"</div><div>"No, I'm in my seat"</div><div>"See, my boarding pass has this number"</div><div>" See, so does mine"</div><div>At this point the flight attendant was asked to come over and we looked at the boarding passes, only to determine that they had the same name on them, and it wasn't mine.</div><div><br /></div><div>I walked off of the plane nd to the front desk to be told that I hadn't even been check in for the lfight in the first place, somehow I was checked in under another name. I could feel my heart seize under my shirt. "I'm not going to get on this plane" I thought "I'm not going to make it to the Philippines, all of this work will have been for nothing". </div><div><br /></div><div>My guess is that upon seeing my face turn a nice shade of milky white the gentleman at the counter assured me that I would indeed be checked in and make it on the flight. Thank God. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was placed in the bulkhead seating with nobody else in my row, maybe the fiasco was a miracle in disguise. </div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived in the Philippines to a nice crowd of Peace Corps volunteers and taken to our hotel for the week. This hotel is beautiful and the weather is humid. One thing that I cannot seem to get over though is the idea that every pinoy calls everyone else Ma'am or Sir. "Please Ma'am" the gentleman says as he reaches for my water glass in the morning, "Good morning Ma'am" the lady walking down the hall says, "how are you Ma'am" the man says as he opens the doors for me. Ma'am?? I'm too young to be a Ma'am! My mom says she's even too young to be a Ma'am. Ma'am?</div><div><br /></div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595601458453366991.post-64139380223115942802010-08-18T18:52:00.000-07:002010-08-18T19:06:28.418-07:00And we're off!And so, ladies and gentleman, begins my epic adventure that is sure to be the Peace Corps. <div><br /></div><div>I said my goodbyes to my family at the early hour of 7 am this morning while trying to stifle both the upwelling tears as I realized that I would not simply be going away to college within driving distance, and the nausea rising from an eclectic mixture of fear and excitement. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I was about to board the plane, not knowing a single fact about who I would be serving with or what they would look like, I hear a conversation in front of my that remarkably resembled the subject matter of many of the emails I have received recently from the Peace Corps. Gathering all of the courage that I had left in my body I asked " Excuse me, are you guys part of the Peace Corps?" and as if the heavens broke open with a choir of angels; their answer was yes. I had met my first friends in the Peace Corps, Thank God! </div><div> </div><div>As we were getting ready to depart the terminal one of the ladies very kindly came back to my seat and asked if i would like to sit next to them, as nobody was occupying that seat, and while i meekly responded that I was fine where I was, my fear and anxiousness about this trip began to trickle away one drop at a time. " Okay" I thought, "this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">isn't</span> going to be as bad as I thought it was going to be". </div><div><br /></div><div>We landed and my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">new found</span> friends were nowhere to be seen until they found me at the baggage <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">carousel</span>, and my nerves were back. But as quickly as they came, they were gone. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Suddenly</span> I was surrounded not just by two, but five other peace corps volunteers! "Hey! Are you a volunteer??? Yes! I didn't know anyone else!" and so on. I quickly realized that I was not the only volunteer who was nervous and hadn't slept at all the night before, but somehow we formed an odd group of somehow sure but not so sure volunteers. </div><div><br /></div><div>After we all checked into our hotel we left for dinner and spent a busy 2.5 hours at a nearby restaurant talking about a plethora of subjects. I no longer feel as though I am the only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">quirky</span> volunteer left out of the loop, just a member of a far larger group. </div><div><br /></div><div>These kind people who have accepted each other will surely be one of the most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">fascinating</span> adventures of my life....let it begin. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>* Anything expressed herein does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of the United States Peace Corps, they are my own. </div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992803143394924936noreply@blogger.com1