On a hot, hot day in... April

…(name that Raffi song)  School’s out for the summer!  Has been for a while, actually, I just haven’t been here.  As many of you know, I took a two-week hiatus from the Philippines and spent some time back in the States with my friends and family.  I’ll write more about that later, but for now I just have to make an observation.  I’m writing this from outside my school building.  See, usually during the summer I just do my work from home or an air-conditioned building.  However today I decided to make an appearance so I could talk to my supervisor about our library project. 

Now, if you have been to my site before, you know that the process of getting to my school isn’t a simple one.  It’s basically in the middle of nowhere, so tricycles don’t travel here unless they are full… which means you need to wait for passengers.  There have been times that I’ve had to wait more than an hour in town for the ride to leave.  (+PCPPs “Peace Corps Patience Points” for me!)  Lucky for me today, I was the last one to fill the tricycle, so I didn’t need to wait.  Thought I got lucky!  Then I got here, ready to work, walked up to the office and… doors and windows are all closed and locked.  Nobody’s here.  I even tried climbing up the building (via the emergency exit ladder) to get to the library, where some of my work things are stored.  In retrospect, that probably wasn’t the best idea seeing as I’m wearing flip flops and not my Spidey-suit. 

So I texted my supervisor… like an hour ago… and I’m just waiting for a response to see if she’s planning on coming in today.  Sometimes she does her work at the provincial office though, so it’s a toss-up if she’ll be here.  However I don’t want to leave if she’s eventually going to come.  Is this silly of me?  Anyways you’d think I’d be reeling mad.  But it’s actually quite beautiful here.  There’s a nice breeze rustling through the trees, it’s super quiet, and all I hear are the birds and critters around me.  Every now and then I hear a motorcycle ride by and kids playing in the neighborhood, but otherwise it’s just me and the clicks of my keyboard.  Funny how a situation can completely change based on how you look at it J

Just the other day I was informed that I have been granted a year-long extension of my Peace Corps contract!  I applied about one month ago and have been waiting on pins and needles ever since, so… Yay!  Now my official Close-of-Service date is October 22, 2014 (also a certain awesome brother’s 22^nd birthday)!  The great perk of being granted a full year extension is that I get a paid month leave to go home.  So, friends and family, see you in December!!  I’m super excited for year THREE, especially because of all the work I’ll be able to get done.  Although I had a really successful year with my remedial reading students (average grade reading level of my 7^th grade students went from 7.2 to 8.6!), there’s still a lot that I want to work on, as far as the curriculum is concerned.  I’ve also been asked to hold teacher trainings in my province for remedial reading, since many teachers were never taught how to follow a remedial reading program.

Second, my grant application for our school’s library was approved last month, and we’re ready to get going on it!  From January to March, I worked with a group of students to teach them about the ins and outs of a library, and this June they will conduct our school-wide trainings!  I’ll be there to support them, but they will be in charge.  My rationale for this is that the students will be able to do this again at the beginning of every school year, even after I’m gone.  Sustainability!!  Anyways, we’re going to be doing a major HGTV-esque makeover on our library.  Fixing windows, tables, chairs, shelves, getting book donations (learning how to write thank-you notes!), cataloging the entire library collection, getting new lounge furniture, fans, and so on.  We should call up Xhibit for a “Pimp My Ride: Library Edition.”  Anyone think it’d be MTV-worthy?  Hmmm actually Teen Mom would probably win out with the ratings.  Oh well.

Just got a text from my supervisor- she’s not coming in.  Guess I’ll go home.

Awesome.  Walked inside my apartment.  Brownout.  Looks like a Solano trip!

Okay in Solano, air-conditioning it up.  That’s better.  Anyways, to continue…

THIRD awesome thing about my extension:  I’m going to be branching out and getting involved in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program in my province.  ALS is a DepEd initiative which reaches out to out of school youth and non-traditional students.  Sometimes these learners live too far from a school, cannot afford school, or are adults seeking an education (similar to what the American GED program is like).  Of course, there are many other situations ALS learners are in, but these are just some examples.  ALS teachers are completely separate from the traditional school teachers; they are often termed “mobile teachers,” meaning they move around.  Sometimes they go house-to-house, teaching.  Other times they teach in community centers, and sometimes just under trees!  It’s a really special, unique program, and I’m really excited to get involved.  Remember back in October, when I facilitated at the Tudlo Mindanao English Camp (I would’ve blogged about it in November)?  Well the participants were ALS teachers.  They really inspired me, and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity.  I’m going to meet with our provincial coordinator, so we will decide what my role will be, but for now, just the prospect is awesome to me!

Lastly, who even KNOWS what else I’ll get myself into during my last year?  I seem to always find lots of things to do at site and with Peace Corps!  This is just such a cool job.  I feel like I have so much freedom as to what I can get involved in and work on, and it’s all up to me!  For sure, there’s a certain level of structure to it all, but for the most part, being a Peace Corps Volunteer is awesome because you can mold your assignment around what YOU are interested in!  For example, one of my friends is really into music, and has started a big music program at her site with her kids.  Another friend is all about the environment and has started lots of eco-friendly initiatives in his town.  Another friend has a passion for working with children with disabilities, so she got involved in her city’s SPED program.  My love for reading and writing has turned into the remedial reading, library, and creative writing projects. 

I know the next batch of volunteers has recently been invited to serve in the Philippines, and many read our blogs (as I did, before starting my service).  So here I am, just plugging Peace Corps.  Figure out what your passion(s) are, and bring them with you!  Your invitation may say you will be teaching English/literacy, but in NO way does that mean you’ll be standing in a classroom for two years.  Granted, if that’s what you love, for sure, go for it.  However, if the thought of teaching freaks you out or makes you feel bored about what you’ll be doing (I know a LOT of my batch mates felt that way at first), don’t worry.  I promise, if you make an effort at integrating into your community and making connections (Network, network, network!  Thanks, Dad!), you’ll have no problem finding things you love to do and ways to help.  Peace Corps is going to ask you to send a final resume around this time, so include some of the fun stuff you do at the bottom.  That’s how my school found out that I used to swim and dive; hence I’ve been the swim coach for two years! 

Anyways, I’m super excited for Batch 272 to come in July because I will be the lead education resource volunteer at their Initial Orientation, for their first two weeks in country!  So if you’re going to be an education volunteer, I’ll see you soon!  Get excited!

Alright, back on track.  So, my visit home.  Not gonna lie to you guys, I was having MASSIVE anxiety traveling home.  Panicking in the Manila airport, as my plane was boarding.  Part of me wanted to turn around and walk out of the building… luckily the reasonable part of me reminded myself that I paid a ridiculous amount of money for the flight and could NOT be that foolish.  Anyhow I stood at the gate with my ticket and passport, wringing my wrists, tears welling in my eyes, just COMPLETELY freaking out.  I was the last person to board.  My flight was Manila to Nagoya, Japan to Detroit to Boston.  Got to Nagoya, enjoyed my last squat toilet, had ANOTHER freak out, was again the last to board.  Stepped into the terminal in Detroit and my eyes literally bugged out of my head.  Returning to America after a 21-month exodus resulted in utter shock.  Everyone was either:

1.       Overweight

2.       Tall

3.       White

4.       All of the above

I went into the ladies’ room to brush my teeth (yuck 12 hour flight), and I was one of the shortest women in front of the mirrors!  I wasn’t the only non-black-haired person, either.  I went into the bathroom stall, and threw my TP in the wastebasket instead of the toilet (a mistake I made five other times during those two weeks).  My goodness!

As I made my way to my connecting gate, people rushed by me.  Since when am I a SLOW walker?  My mother raised me as a proud “mall walker”- one who speed walks to get to the sales first.  Then I realized that I had spent nearly two years intentionally slowing down my pace to walk at the speed my coworkers, students, and most people in my community walk!  Even on the moving walkways in the airport, people were STILL passing me!  Okay grandma, pick it up.  I got to the gate and put my bag down.  I suddenly realized how quiet it was around me.  Although I was surrounded by 100 or so people, nobody was talking!  Everyone was looking down at their touch screen phones or tablets.  WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!  I had never seen anything like it.  I looked as far as I could see, and found TWO people reading actual books.  What?  Made of PAPER?!  What is this madness?  I stood there stretching, just observing in amazement.  My last flight was pretty short, and flew (pun intended) by.  I was THERE. 

My parents and brother met me at the gate, and it was a wonderful homecoming.  As I had just returned from my vacation also, I was pretty tan.  My mom called me her “brown child.”  Mom.  Offensive.  As we walked down the hallway to our car, suddenly my best friend came bounding towards us.  “I thought I was going to miss you!  I came as fast as I could!”  She’s a riot.  I went home in her car and we stopped at McDonald’s for ice cream cones on the way… I was flabbergasted at how big it was.  I swear, I’ve never seen so much ice cream atop a cone.  Ever.  When we pulled into my driveway, two of my other girlfriends were there, jumping up and down holding WELCOME HOME! signs.  My two dogs came running up; one of them recognized me immediately, the other (not always quite as smart) took a few seconds to realize who I was… it was funny.  And so adorable J

My friends and family all seemed so tall; I had to ask all of them if they had grown.  My dogs looked OBESE!  My first comment was “Wow, they’ve chunked up, huh Mom?”  She was like, “No!  They haven’t gained a pound, either of them!  Don’t be rude to the ladies!”  I then figured it’s because I’d only been looking at mangy, starving street dogs this whole time.  My healthy fluffballs were just a stark contrast to the former. 

I spent a lot of that week with my friends, catching up on life, everything that’s been going on since I’ve been gone.  I learned that there have been A LOT of changes!  I guess that’ll happen in your mid-20s.  New jobs, new houses, new boyfriends… these girls have been BUSY!  I’m impressed, for sure.  It was fun telling them about all the things I’ve been doing and accomplishing here… definitely reaffirmed why I want to stay for a third year.  Lucky for me, my birthday was that week, also!  Since I joined Peace Corps, my brother graduated college, started his career five days later, and moved into his own place an hour away from home.  So for my birthday my parents and I met up with him and his girlfriend, who I hadn’t yet met, for dinner.  (She passed the girlfriend test, J, in case you were wondering!)  Dinner was delicious, and I ate way more than I should have.  Kind of the tone for eating I set during my entire trip home, though. 

That weekend my parents and I went to visit my sister and other brother at their colleges, neither of which I had seen!  My brother started college just after I left for the Philippines, and my sister started a year later, so this was all new to me.  Very cool.  My sister is at a small private school and my brother is at a large public school, which is kind of a mix of my alma mater: a medium-sized public school.  It was really fun to see what their new homes away from home are now.  College feels like forever ago, although I know it really isn’t.  Just makes me realize how far I’ve come… which is weird.  I don’t think I could’ve pictured myself blogging from outside my school in the Philippines.  Kinda funny.

The following week was spring vacation week, which meant that my mom didn’t have school!  We went to see a bunch of my extended family, which was really wonderful.  Although the reunion was under sad circumstances, being around everyone made me really happy.  I am super close with my family, so all the quality time was heartwarming and much needed.  And now that I know I have my year extension, this break actually ended up being at a half-way point, which is nice.  It’s crazy to think how long I’ve been gone.  And that I’ll be home again in only seven months, and after that only another 10.  This all goes by so quickly!  The Peace Corps time-warp is strange.

Back to reality.  Back in the hot Philippines, where my hair is a permanent afro and I am constantly sweating.  Nevertheless LIFE IS GOOD!!!  May should be fun; I’m going to be down in Manila for a week working with Peace Corps on the training manual for the incoming batch.  Then we have our “Brigada Eskwela” (basically school clean-up) week, when we’ll be doing a lot of our library project.  Right after that is our freshman orientation!  Very exciting!  Sorry for the long lapse in blogs- I really need to make a note in my agenda to keep up with it at least once a month.  I’m certainly never at a loss for material!

Signing off.  Keep it real, banana peel!

This post is short... just like February

It’s a Thursday morning at 5:45… why am I up?  My landlady and I walk together in the mornings several times a week, but there happen to be many occasions when one of us accidentally sleep in.  Today was her day J  It’s okay though; it gives me some time to start functioning and enjoy a relaxing start to my day.  February’s almost over and things are crazy nuts at school, so I have very little time to chill out.

I spent last week at a friend’s site in Olongapo, Zambales.  She and another PCV organized an English/Empowerment camp for students in the Special Ed program at a local high school.  Some of the students who participated had various learning disabilities, some had cerebral palsy or downs syndrome, but the majority of students were deaf.  It was the most challenging and eye-opening experience I have ever had as a teacher.  Finding ways to non-verbally communicate was very difficult for me.  I felt badly when I couldn’t get my message across to the students, but there were Sped teachers in the classrooms (most of the time) to assist by using sign language.  Otherwise I was using a lot of impromptu/made up sign language of my own.  Hopefully none of it translated to something offensive or ridiculous!

The session that my friend and I taught was about storytelling.  We used visuals like pictures from magazines, drawings, and cartoon strips from the newspaper to demonstrate storytelling without using all five senses.  The progress that the students demonstrated over the week was incredible and very moving to me.  In addition, the reactions of the children towards their work were so special.  Smiling and laughing, showing pride in their work… It was so awesome.  They arrived every morning with enthusiasm and greetings in sign language.  I was able to learn the alphabet and a few simple phrases.  The camp was really inspiring to me, and is definitely one of the highlights of my Peace Corps service.  I am so glad I was able to be there.

The rest of February kind of disappeared.  I haven’t been so busy in… well, ever.  I’ve rambled about my projects before, so I won’t get into the nitty gritty or anything, but it’s causing me quite a bit of stress.  Good stress, but stress nonetheless.  (That rhymed!)  We have about four weeks left of school, which is SO bizarre to me.  People have started asking questions about when I finish service, and when I say September, I always received surprised looks and reactions.  My students (especially 7^th graders, who I’ve worked with the most this year in remedial reading) respond with disappointed “awwws” and frowns, as well as “Please stay, Ma’am!.”  (As much as that’s sort of sad to hear from the cute 12 year-olds, it secretly makes me feel good.)

Eek!  Just finished my pineapple and looked at the clock!  Time to run!  March is sure to be full of excitement, so look forward to my next post J

It's a Three Dog Night

...well, that might be an exaggeration.  It’s January, and normally at this point in the year I’d be getting all excited as the days got longer.  The sun would be setting later than 3:30… a little later every night.  That’s my favorite part about January.  I can’t say I sit around, longing for frigid temperatures, but I do miss the tilt of Earth’s axis affecting the amount of daylight hours.  Here the sun consistently rises and sets at the same time, year-round.  About 6am to 6pm every day.  Bo-ring. 

However the nice thing about January here is that you don’t sit around sweating all day long.  The temperature is very tolerable.  If it wasn’t for the mosquitoes, I would be sleeping without my fan on… and in the morning I have to throw on sweatpants and a sweatshirt because I’m so chilly!  It’s a really nice change from how it is, most of the year.  The strange thing about the weather in the Philippines is that it changes very drastically very fast.  Generally, December to February is “winter,” (ha) March to May is summer, and the rest is rainy season.  Not much of a transition from winter to summer, so it’s a bit of a shock when summer does hit.  I’m sure my parents remember my desperate phone calls last year, coming as I lay on the cement floor of my apartment, still sweltering.  It’ll be interesting when I get home this year (so soon!), since a New England September is quite different from a Philippines September.

I’m in school as I write this.  The day is almost over, and I have had my nose in multiple books since 7:30, working on my remedial reading curriculum.  I figure I’ve put in a solid 7 and ½ hours today (including working through lunch), so I don’t feel too guilty about turning my brain off for the remaining two hours.  Anyways it looks like I’m working diligently at my computer so whatever.  This is how my days go every now and then.  I get on a roll “like ham and swiss” and don’t stop working for anything… then I catch myself and realize that I’m being a lunatic and need a break.  I’m pretty sure my co-workers think I’m way too serious.  Little do they know, I’m actually a wild child.  (If you consider watching movies in my apartment by myself every weekend “wild,” that is.)

Although, one cool thing I did do recently was go on a trip to Palawan!  It’s an island in the southern part of the Philippines.  So beautiful.  You know when you see a recipe for Betty Crocker’s Shepherd’s Pie and it looks incredible, and then when you make it, it just looks like a pile of ingredients dumped in a dish?  And some vacation destinations look good on paper but you get there and it’s… eh?  WELL, this is 100% NOT the case.  Palawan lived up to every Google image I had seen.  The crystal clear water, teals and blues, plus white sand, colorful coral reefs, and an overall sense of serenity.  It is the most beautiful place I have been so far (although Batad is the mountain equivalent of beauty, in my opinion).

I went with a big group of my girlfriends, all fellow PCVs, and we had the most amazing time.  LOTS of girl talk J  We also went island hopping both in Puerto Princesa and then in El Nido, and snorkeling!  I think snorkeling was the highlight of my trip.  Or one of the top highlights, anyways.  I had never done it before, and just being able to putt putt around like a little motorboat while checking out all the awesome coral and fish was so cool!  The fish were so unfazed at our presence, and would just swim right next to you, below you, wherever.  And I saw pretty much everything from ‘Finding Nemo.’  I’m excited to do it again at some point!

But for now, back to Ifugao, and back to work.  It’s a good thing though.  I’m feeling productive again, and ready to dive head first into the remainder of my service.  I’ve got so much on my plate, and not sure how I’m gonna get it done.  Videbimus.

This is RMK, signing off.  You stay classy, planet Earth.

Quarterly Report

So three months, eh?  Well during the time when summer faded and the leaves fell, as you put away your flip flops and took out your winter coat, a lot has happened here in Lamut, Ifugao.  I figure I’ll give a brief overview and then ramble as usual.

September 1^st – 2^nd I had my Intercollegiate Sexual Health Awareness Seminar.  We trained 80 participants from 10 colleges and two youth organizations about sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV/AIDS, as well as domestic abuse, substance abuse and risk behavior.  The Philippines is one out of only seven countries in the world that has an HIV infection rate increasing more than 25% annually.  HIV/AIDS is a huge problem in this country, and I’m really glad I was able to organize this event with one of my fellow PCVs and our counterparts.

September 11^th – 14^th I traveled to Agoo, La Union to help a volunteer with a teacher training and youth leadership camp.  Then on the 19^th I went to my sitemate’s school (also in Ifugao) for another teacher training.  The 22^nd I gave a journalism seminar at a different sitemate’s school.  The 23^rd I traveled to Manila for a week-long planning of an English Language Camp, named Tudlo Mindanao.  After a week of hard work, I went to see The Phantom of the Opera performed in Manila with a friend of mine.  It was pretty incredible.  It was my first time to see an opera, and I’m so glad I went.  I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more in the future.

October 6^th I went to a different school to give the same journalism seminar as in September, per their request.  I felt kind of special that I was specifically asked for.  That was nice.  Then the 11^th – 13^th I traveled to Quirino State College, where another fellow volunteer teaches, to speak at a journalism press conference.  Apparently my three years of majoring in journalism is paying off!  A shout out and thank you to Sandy Marsters, my most influential journalism professor!

Lamut, my town, held our district sports competition on the 19^th & 20^th, and I was our school’s girls’ basketball coach!  When they asked if I could do it, I was like, “Well… I haven’t played since 8^th grade… but okay I guess!”  Haha typical; they have way too much faith in me.  Anyways, I was surprised at how much fun I had.  And only a few hours after it ended, I got on a bus, again to Manila!

My Peace Corps batch had our Mid-Service Training (MST) October 22^nd – 24^th in Batangas, a province just south of Manila.  It was at a nice, snazzy hotel, and we had a whole bunch of really good food.  And following Peace Corps tradition, we held the annual MST “Stache Bash”, in which all of the boys in our batch competed for the best moustache.  They planned about six weeks in advance, and vowed not to shave at all until the competition.  It was quite a variety, and a hilarious event.  The first day of MST all the guys showed up with unkempt, shaggy faces, and then the second night they crafted their facial hair into all different shapes.  One of the guys had to resort to drawing on his face, due to his inability to grow any facial hair, despite his efforts!  I’d say it was the highlight of MST.  Quite a fun time.

Our batch left the morning of the 25^th, but three of us stayed behind for another six days in which we were the facilitators of the first Tudlo Mindanao Alternative Learning System English Language Camp!  Tudlo Mindanao is a 10 year-old Peace Corps program partnered with USAID, in which PCVs work with Mindanaoan counterparts to train the teachers of Mindanao, an area of the Philippines that we are not allowed to go because of safety and security issues.  This was, undoubtedly, my favorite experience of my service so far.  I had more conversations, laughs, and special moments with the Filipino participants than I have had in a whole 17 months in this country.  

The way that the camp works is that a month in advance (as I mentioned above), the PCVs and Mindanaoan counterparts meet and plan their lessons together.  Then during the camp, they train teachers for several days, spend all day together, have late-night activities, and after the closing ceremonies on the last night, there is a cultural presentation.  They taught us a traditional Mindanao dance and we taught them a “traditional American dance” (aka Cotton-Eyed Joe).  The unique aspect of this camp was that it was the last of Tudlo Mindanao, and its focus was not training on English teachers, but instead ALS teachers.  ALS (Alternative Learning System) is an educational program in the Philippines geared towards non-traditional students.  These may be out of school youth, dropouts, adults, or anyone else not in the regular school system but still seeking an education.  

I am so, so glad that I was selected to facilitate at this training.  It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

Tudlo ended the 30^th, and the morning of the 31^st I got on a bus, a taxi, another bus, and a jeep to make my way north to San Juan, La Union for a music festival.  Ten of us PCVs came together for four nights on the beach to listen to a whole variety of music, from reggae to pop, and even metal (although I think most American metal fans would agree it was verrrry tame “metal”).  It was really refreshing to see Filipinos creating their own music and not just covering songs.  We stayed up late and slept on the beach, and spent our days in the ocean, playing volleyball and Frisbee, and watching the surfers.  It was a much needed relaxing weekend, after a few hectic weeks.  I returned home the afternoon of November 4^th, and PASSED OUT until the next morning.

I was about to call in sick to school, when I got a text message from our regional warden, saying that we had a consolidation.  A PC consolidation is basically a drill to see if the emergency action plan is working (slash, unofficially, if volunteers are traveling “under the radar” without PC knowing about it).  So the group of us in our area had to report to a hotel in Solano for the day and stay overnight, as a drill to practice in case there was an actual emergency.  I was glad to have a day to catch up on my rest before returning to school.  I would have been a ZOMBIE otherwise, completely braindead and useless.

The next three weeks were pretty tame and uneventful, which I was glad for.  I was going through a bit of a rough patch, and staying in one place was good for me, I think.  Plus, I had to get ready for Thanksgiving in Sagada!  Since 2003, PCVs have been traveling up to Sagada, Mountain Province to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  We carried on the tradition for the 10^th year in a row on November 30^th.  I know, I know, it wasn’t the real Thanksgiving.  But that day was a Filipino holiday, so none of us had work.   Anyways, it was amazing.  26 of us came together, and were joined by two other American volunteers and a few stray travelers met along the way.  We had EVERYTHING, and it was incredible.

We had mac and cheese, salad, cheese curds, stuffing, green bean casserole, American-style chopsuey, veggie quiche, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes, potato wedges (about 15 kilos of potatoes, thanks to one of our PCV’s students), baked beans, smoothies, cocktails, fruit salad, “apple” (sayote) turnovers, pecan pie, fudge, s’mores around the campfire, and chicken!  ~Okay, to explain, despite multiple volunteers’ valiant efforts to catch a turkey, we did have to settle for chicken.  BUT a bird, nonetheless.  Besides, we had to make sure to ghetto-up Thanksgiving a little bit so it wasn’t TOTALLY the same!

The next day, a group of volunteers went on to hike in Banaue, while most of us remained in Sagada to see the hanging coffins and go caving!  Ten of us went on a three-hour caving trek, and a smaller group did an eight-hour route to see the crystal caves!  I definitely want to do that at some point next year, but after the previous tiring day of preparing food and all, I was good with the shorter route.  Anyways, it was still awesome, and SO much fun!

I arrived home the afternoon of December 2^nd, exhausted and happy to be back, belly full!  The following day I went back to coaching the swimmers for our provincial meet.  I had done so the previous week before going to Sagada, and returning to some enthusiastic swimmers who had been practicing what I had taught them.  The provincial meet parade was on the 5^th, when all of the student athletes of the entire province marched together to mark the opening of the event.  We had our competition the 6^th and 7^th, and placed 2^nd out of eight teams!  This is only our town’s third year participating in the swimming competition (second with an American coach from Massachusetts!), so it was really exciting for us to do so well!

Then yesterday I attended a “first haircut” celebration at a colleague’s family’s home in my town.  For Ifugaos, it is a tradition to let your son’s hair grow out, and celebrate the first haircut.  When I was told about this, I was expecting the child to be like 1 or 2 years old.  It ends up… he was 7!  Unfortunately I missed the actual cutting so I didn’t get to see the before and after, but I can only guess how drastic it must have been!  But anyways it’s a huge deal; they slaughter pigs and caribao, feed the entire community… you know, your typical Filipino celebration.  So despite how tired I was from the swim meet and all, I’m glad I went.  It was certainly unique.

Now I’m back at school… the first time in 17 days!  (Hey it’s not my fault I’m an in-demand swim coach).  I’m working on writing a grant for our library, and I did a whole bunch of work on it back in November.  Went to open it this morning to find it was GONE.  I swear I saved it, but it is NOWHERE.  So I had a bit of a short-circuit brain moment, and had to step away and switch gears for a while.  Hence why I’m sitting here typing out pages and pages about the randomness of life here.  Of course, when I came in this morning, I was informed that we are celebrating “International Education Week” (which I think is made-up.  I’ve never heard of it before.), and that all afternoon classes are cancelled so we can play games.  So yes, I will be spending the afternoon facilitating English games.  The students are getting in groups and rotating from one class to the next, each based on a different subject.  I have one game about syllables and one about adverbs.  I hope they’re fun.  

I’m really excited for next week; the PCVs in our region have been invited to the US Ambassador’s residence in Baguio on the 18^th for a holiday party!  So we get all dressed up and snazzy, and get to hang out together and schmooze with all sorts of important people!  Plus I’m getting a haircut, the first since last December, thank goodness.  My poor hair feels like straw and looks insane.  Then Christmas vacation starts the 22^nd, and the following day I travel to my friend’s site in Isabela, where we will go caving and spend Christmas together.  I return home the 26^th, unpack, relax for a day, repack, and leave the night of the 28^th for Manila, because on the 30^th, my friends and I fly to Palawan!  It’s a really long island in the western Visayas.  There’s a lot of beautiful places to go there, and lots to see.  I’m sooo excited!  We’ll spend New Year’s there, and actually stay until January 9^th!  Cool, because it’s a nice extended break before a long stretch of time at site.  

Not to say that I don’t like being at site; I really do!  But it’s mentally exhausting.  I think many PCVs would agree that being in our situation poses so many daily challenges, that taking breaks is really important to maintaining your sanity and happiness.  But it’s weird to think that once I’m back in January, I’m really approaching the home stretch of my service!  I’ll be finishing either in August or September, depending on my projects at work.  And I know once the new year is here (assuming the world doesn’t end in 2012), time is going to just start flyyyyying by.  Per usual, I have many plans in the works, and time flies when you’re busy!

I hope I’m not such a dodo and don’t leave you hanging for another 3+ months until my next blog.  I’ll do my best to post soon after I return from Palawan.  Hope all is well on the other side of the globe, merry Christmahannukwanzakah, and happy new year!

God Bless America

Although this blog is intended to follow my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, I have found that living here has not only taught me about this country, but quite a bit about my "motherland," as well.

My parents recently returned home after a wonderful two-week visit here, which is undoubtedly one of the top highlights of my service so far.  Not only because I had missed my family so much, but just being able to share with them what my life is like here.  It was a really fun adventure-- seeing the Philippines through new eyes.  I forgot what my first jeepney ride was like; when the conductor keeps saying "Maysa laeng!  Maysa lang!" (Just one more!  Just one more!) and shoves additional passengers inside, when you thought it would have been physically impossible to fit another body on that tiny bench.

Or how about the surprise that finding diet soda is nearly impossible outside of big cities?  In a country where obesity is quite rare, there isn't much demand for it.  I forgot about my repugnant reaction to drinking syrup-y regular coke, after being an exclusive diet soda drinker for years.  Now it's my norm-- although ask my Ifugao PCVs, and they'll assure you that our lunches at Mrs. Baker's and McDo always include a good Coke Zero on my part :)

I suppose I just never realized how many little adjustments I've had to make living here.  Things that come second nature, that I don't even think about.  Preferring to drink out of a bag, instead of a bottle while on-the-go (that's classy Philippines for you!), ALWAYS bringing an umbrella with me even if it's a beautiful, sunny day...

I think the thing I gained the most from their visit was seeing my school through those new eyes.  It's really difficult to explain it, but after talking with my parents for hours and hours - GOOD hours and hours :)  - it clarified a lot of the things I've been thinking and feeling about my service here, and the culture surrounding English language learning.  My mom and dad both brought up a lot of valid and interesting points that I hadn't even thought of, and suggestions on how I can cope with the difficulties I have as an English teacher here.  The day my parents left, I spent the day working at the Peace Corps office in Manila, and had two long talks with my Regional Manager and another member of the PC staff, to get their feedback on the insight I had just gained.  It helped a lot, and I left Manila feeling rejuvinated and positive from realizing all of the professional and personal support I have in my life. 

I've done quite a bit of reflection since my parents left, and I've made some decisions on how to better focus my service.  My school had wanted me to work on this construction project, and since I wanted to be cooperative and helpful, I was going along with it.  But it wasn't until just before my parents visit that I realized I couldn't morally support this project (for numerous reasons that I won't get into here).  And after talking it out, I felt more sure of myself and decided that I needed to do what's right.  So when I returned to school this past week, I had a really positive talk with my counterpart about it, and we are going to switch to a library improvement project.  I'm so excited, and feel so proud of myself and happy that I managed not to offend anyone in suggesting this change.

As far as the title of this blog post goes, God bless America.  Another thing that has become SO clear to me during my service here, is that although our country can be kind of screwed up (pardon my lack of a better term- my linguistics can only be so good while sitting in McDonald's, as the satiating aroma of saturated fat wafts by...), we do A LOT of things right.

I think this comment comes at a somewhat significant (yet delayed) time, shortly after the recent movie theater shooting.  Yes, we have crime.  Yes, we have corruption.  Greed.  Gluttony.  Whatever the seven deadly sins are.  But that is everywhere in the world, to some extent.  However, our country is pretty special.  We are efficient.  We make progress.  We are forward-thinking.  We are hard-working.  We are creative.  We embrace our differences.  We value everyones' opinions.  Ahhhh I could go on and on.

I am POSITIVE that there are many of you reading this, thinking, "Oh Becky.  Silly girl.  25 years isn't exactly the age of wisdom.  You've only voted for one president so far in your life.  You don't know what _______, _______, or ________ is like.  But nice attempt at being philosophical."

I am here to say to you, "Thank you for your concern of my naivete."  All I am trying to express here, is that, for the things that I DO know about life, living in the Philippines has amplified my perspective ten times over.  Take the educational system here.  Learning about it, and the culture around education itself.  Then when I compare it to that of the United States, I see each in a much clearer way, perhaps because of the stark contrasts between the two.  For example, if you grew up thinking that Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream was the only flavor (you'd be very lucky), you would understand the ways that the chunks of dark chocolate pair wonderfully with the whole cherries mixed in.  You would know that there's only one way to eat it-- one pint in a sitting.  Preferably while watching reality TV.

But then one day your friend brought over a gallon of Edy's Girl Scout Samoa Cookie ice cream.  A can of whipped cream, a jar of sprinkles and a bottle of chocolate syrup.  (Sorry; fantasizing here)  Something so drastically different, yet it's the same concept.  It's sometimes hard to understand one thing without knowing its complete opposite, or at least something else.  Arggggg I can't explain this!  (In the case of education in the Philippines, ice cream #2 would be store brand coffee- gross.  However I try to stay positive in this blog, so I'll leave my comments at that.)

So I just would like to let you all know, at a mournful time for many Americans, please know that there is hope for us, and know that we ARE very lucky to live where we do.  I can't possibly explain what certain aspects of life are like here, but just please appreciate what we DO have in the States.  It's easy to feel sorry for ourselves; it's really easy for PCVs to feel sorry for OURselves (shout out to y'all!)... I think what I've learned is that I need to continually remind myself of how fortunate I am to have my knowledge, work-ethic and values. 

Just something to think about, my friends.  Anyways it's time for me to get some work done here.  I have an HIV/AIDS workshop this weekend, Sept 1-2.  Super excited for it.  My fellow PCV and I have been planning and organizing it since May, and were given a very large grant from Peace Corps to run the event.  It's going to be really great, and I can't wait!  But for now, adios amigos!  Hope all is well on the other side of the world  :)

"Thank you ma'am! Enjoy your meals!"

Yawn…

This is the first time I’ve been able to take a break at work in… well, since the school year started June 4^th, really.  Ay apo!  (roughly translates to “Dios mio!”, “Oh my God!”)  I’ve been super busy with 100 things, and on the weekends I’m so tired that I just lie in my hammock all day long and read or sleep.  Sheesh.

My friend and I are organizing an HIV/AIDS Awareness workshop September 1-2, and have been in the planning phases for the past month or so.  We just finished writing and submitting our grant proposal for funding.  It’s pretty sweet; USAID has partnered with Peace Corps for an HIV/AIDS prevention and education initiative.  For the participants who attended the PC training in May, we can avail of the funds.  And it’s a very generous amount.  So it’s very exciting, and our event is going to be pretty awesome.  We are inviting 100 student leaders from every college in Ifugao (my province) and Nueva Vizcaya (her province).  There will be guest speakers, activities, leadership training, and project planning.  It’s been taking a lot of time, and there is still a ton of work to do, but it’s very much worth it.

                My counterpart and I began our remedial reading program three weeks ago, and everything is going swimmingly!  We have four groups of eight students, and it’s really nice to get to know them a little better in a small group environment.  We have fun.  So far I’ve been working just on paper, but I want to incorporate multimedia as well, to keep things interesting.  Also to address those multiple intelligences (for all you teachers out there…).  If any of you know of good teaching resources via video/music/etc, let me know.  I’d really appreciate it!

                I also just sent off an application for book donations for our library.  99% of our books are textbooks.  There is one shelf of pleasure reading books, maybe 20 or 30 total.  However they are really advanced, like American college-level books, as well as a few Shakespeare, Austen, etc novels with old English/confusing words that I don’t even understand.  C’mon guys.  And then our teachers wonder why students don’t ever read for pleasure.  Well, there’s no town library, and there are maybe two books worth reading and at their reading level, so… Anyways I requested a variety of popular fiction and non-fiction, biographies, and such, plus some National Geographic magazines.  This organization, Books for Peace, seems really great.  A lot of volunteers have had success with asking for donations.  I’m excited.

                In addition to that, my counterpart, supervisor, and I have been working hard on planning our big school project.  It’s construction; I will talk about it later, once we get some details squared away here, but it’s going to require some grant writing as well.  My goal is to have it done by the end of the school year in March.  I am being American realistic.  I haven’t told them that yet.  I’ve learned that people here always want a quick fix… for everything.  Instant gratification.  So it’s kind of my little secret, knowing the reality of this project’s timeline.  The earliest I think it could be completed is late December, but if that happened, I would be flabbergasted.  I’m not being pessimistic, and it doesn’t bother me that this is how they think here; I just listen to them when they talk and nod my head in agreement.  I play along as if I believe the same way.  It’s not worth arguing about it, because we simply have inherited different trains of thought and lived in very different worlds, when it comes to making progress.  Anyhow, we’re waiting on the architect to complete drawings for now, so it’s actually a good thing because I’ve been able to focus my energy on all the other things going on.

                The project coming up soonest is an echo training of our Peace Corps Project Design and Management workshop, which we attended in March.  One of the volunteers here in Ifugao was not able to attend, so my counterpart and I are organizing the event, and another PCV will join us at the event to help facilitate.  I have got to say, I don’t think I’ve collaborated with so many people SO many times as I have in the past year.  It’s pretty great.  We have such a good support system, and it makes such a difference when it comes to being successful in our projects and whatnot.  Two heads, three, four, five, or 20 heads are most certainly better than one.  I’m definitely learning a ton of teamwork skills.  And if I thought I had people skills before… pshhhh. 

                It’s funny; a friend of mine and I were talking recently, and said that next September when we complete our service, we are going to hold a “Graduation” ceremony.  Each volunteer will say what degree they completed service with.  I said that I will have graduated with a Doctorate in Cranial Sedation (aka dealing with difficult people while not letting my head explode) and a double masters in Pageant Studies (with a focus on Judgementalism) and Lizard Linguistics. 

                Finally, a project that I am so incredibly pumped about is the creation of a BOOK!  My friend and I are compiling a ton of resources regarding remedial reading and are going to organize them into a remedial reading manual!  We’re going to write a grant and make it into a legit book, bound and all like you’d find in a library.  We are going to write about how to assess students, begin a remedial reading program, and then different units that can be covered.  We will also include sample readings and guided lesson plans with questions and everything.  It’s going to be BOMB DIGGITY (when was the last time you heard that phrase?)!  We are starting this weekend, when she comes up for my party.

                Yes, party.  I’ve invited some of my batch-mates up to my place to celebrate our ONE YEAR in the Philippines!  We’re also including it as a US Independence Day celebration, so we’re only serving American food.  It’s going to be glorious.  However, we’re incorporating some of the Philippines, by renting a videoke machine again.  Gotta do it.  My apartment is going to be packed!  I’m super excited to see everyone, and to party like it’s 1999!  (Where are all these dated phrases coming from?  I was 12 in 1999.)  Plus, my landlady’s husband is home to visit for a month.  He’s an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker), and he’s been away for almost a year.  I’m so happy for her; I can’t imagine how hard it must be to have a family member away for that long.  Although I guess that’s kind of me right now… Hm I never thought of it that way.  It’s definitely hard being away this long, but time moves at a very strange pace here.  Slow but fast at the same time.

                There is an incredibly large population of overseas workers in the Philippines.  There is at least one student in all of my classes with an OFW parent, sometimes with two.  It is seen as a very noble thing, to leave home and make money to send home to your family.  However there are so many children that grow up without one parent or the other.  But sometimes the jobs simply aren’t here.  So families often can’t find a job that will be able to support their family here in the Philippines.  It seems really sad to me, but perhaps it is just such a reality and such a common practice here, that people don’t see it as a big deal.  I don’t know; it’s certainly a very different dynamic than what we know in the US.  American parents go overseas for a business trip, and if they take a job overseas it usually means they’re taking their family with them.  Many of their companies will pay to move the family over.  But it’s not like that with OFWs.  I guess that’s why there is a Western Union on every corner in this country, like Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts.  People are constantly wiring money around the world.

                Okay I’m exhausted.  Just got amazing news that my parents have FINALLY booked their tickets to come and visit!!!!  Yayyyyyy!  Anyways, here’s the funny anecdote of the day:

                There’s a very friendly man who is the bagger at this small grocery store near me.  Every time I leave, he recites his token farewell.  Today I went there to get toilet paper for the party (if you knew this group of friends, you’d agree we’ll need a few rolls).  I shamefully purchased the toilet paper (how embarrassing is it when that’s ALL you’re buying?), and strolled out.  He called out to me with what he says everytime: “Thank you ma’am!  Enjoy your meals!”