Welcome Program at my site

Arrival in Malinao proved a lovely experience.A short one hour flight from Manila to Legaspi - then about a 45 minute drive to my site. Staff and residents of the MTRC organized a program of singing, dancing and flowers for my arrival. A large banner was hung on the entrance door and the welcome of smiles and excitement filled the day. I am settling in - my room is wonderful and they went to a lot of trouble to make things very nice for me. It is large and has everything I will need including a refrigerator, water cooler, closets, my own bathroom and even a TV - wow. Bucket baths will be the mode of operations, but that's ok. I have a lovely view from outside the front of the building of Mayon Volcano. I can't wait to explore the area - I am very close to Tabaco City and that will likely be the center of my weekend activity. Internet is very slow in this rural area around the center. So updates/photos and contact will be more challenging than I expected. But I'll find a way. The first weeks are suppose to be observation and getting to know folks and my project. So I am also learning to slow down which is good for me.

Alien Registration

So I got to hang out at the Immigration office yesterday - this was fun. Especially the fingerprinting part. The not so happy guy doing it kept bending my fingers telling me to loosen up.. yeah you are bending them off and all this black goop is on them. But alas I am now 'legal' and alien ...

"Americans who plan to stay in the Philippines for 30 days or more are required to register with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and be fingerprinted."

Night view of Manila City from 27th Floor of Sky Lounge

Jeepney = Philippines public transportation

Cultural lessons of the week

Riding Jeepneys is an interesting way to get to the office. The local way of getting around and the ultimate Philippine icon – jeeps cannibalized from vehicles left behind by departing Americans at the end of World War II –have evolved to individualized ‘confections’ painted and adorned with decorations and nick names, hung with lights, and displaying cheap speakers blaring loud disco music. A ride to the office is 8 pesos (about 20 cents) – you hop on anywhere after reading the sign in the front window indicating its destination and you get off by tapping on the roof to indicate your stop. The drivers skillfully navigate the maze of traffic in Manila weaving in and out of buses as you bump toward your stop.

Electricity in the Philippines is 220 volts – oh so that is different isn’t it? Plugging my much loved hot pot in for morning tea resulted in one morning of hot water for tea and then a fizzle and pop sound that meant I had burnt out the elements of my electric appliance. Oh yeah, just because the plug and socket matches doesn’t mean you can use it safely. So now I have learned many US appliances need an adapter that helps to regulate the voltage and the hunt is on for a new hot pot. Thank goodness apparently newer laptops have a mechanism for adjusting voltage themselves.

Comfort rooms – or Where is the CR is the Philippine equivalent of US rest rooms come with a few differences, one somewhat familiar – bring your own toilet paper, throw it in the basket – but the new thing is a plastic pot that women use to clean themselves. I am still awaiting a lesson on how one does this – I can only envision trying to throw the water up towards ones private parts making a mess of oneself and the bathroom. My language teacher promised to show me how to navigate this local custom.

Eating is an art form here and five meals a day is common with two of them called merienda – snacks. So mid morning and mid afternoon we are off for our merienda. Thus far it seems everything contains some kind of meat, pork, fish or chicken –tough being a vegetarian here. And coffee is commonly found as instant – I was initially asked if I wanted some 3 in 1 - some what? It’s instant coffee in small packet which already contains the milk and sugar. They do have Starbucks and my favorite Dunkin Donuts in Manila so there is hope.

Taking showers two and three times a day is common including changing one’s clothes to go out after each. Well with all the heat and humidity and city smog seems to make some sense to me. Personal hygiene is very important to Filipinos. Americans are seen as kind of dirty in this way – and not shaving underarms is definitely a yuk!

Suggestions for my first weeks or month at my site strongly recommend avoid pushing the tasks and deadlines of the project = western work mentality and obsession with getting things done doesn’t work here. Instead say yes to every invitation to an event or a fiesta. The best way to get things done is to first build the trust and relationships. This may entail singing, dancing and just plain making a fool of myself –but this will certainly endear me to my hosts by demonstrating my good nature and willingness to make a fool of myself. Oh this the introvert is going to love huh?

New fun words I am learning in tagalong
Wala (wah-lah) – None/not.
Sige (si-gay) – Okay (although it means a number of other things depending on the context)
Hindi – No (although it is used only in certain context)
OO -yes ( but it sounds like you did something wrong – ut-oh)
Nalilito ako – I’m confused (most of the time)
Nagkakasakit ako – as in me eating meat makes me sick – I’m hoping to use this to explain my being a vegetarian

May tokwa ba kayo? Do you have any tofu


Many cultural lessons ahead I am sure – it’s great fun to learn and be open to a new culture and to have the chance to reflect on what being an American means in another country ….

Settling into Manila & Peace Corps orientation

Monday morning started orientation – and it was a full day – meeting people at the PC office, finding out who does what, getting a sense of the space which includes a nice volunteer office with computers a library, private spaces to Skype and the first of 5 medical training sessions, a trip to the Philippines National volunteer center for an overview and signing some more papers. Orientation is a little slow and basic – and though I understand they spent considerable time developing the plan for the 2 weeks – there are things days away that I would have really liked to know earlier and logistical stuff that seems to be coming in a slow stream vs. having a chance to really get my questions answered right up front. I am sure though in the end I’ll be glad to have the background and will have had the time and luxury to focus on learning the ropes before I have to get to ‘work’. The orientation days are a mix of sessions on safety and security, medical issues and general logistical stuff for functioning in the bureaucracy of PC. Started Tagalog language sessions yesterday – kind of fun – but of course I worry I will not remember any of it and am as most folks learning a language self –conscious about saying it wrong. Manila itself is a kind of strange mix – at first it is intimidating, noisy, smog filled, and unkempt with appalling traffic. One sees the juxtaposition of high rise buildings, fancy hotels and mansions across from shantytowns built along railroad tracks. You see poor people likely from the provinces squatting probably illegally on some spare scrap of land amidst a clear fight for space intensified by the city’s apparent insatiable appetite for shopping malls – they are everywhere including a gigantic Mall of Asia bigger than many we have in the states. The nightlife and ‘red light’ district a few blocks away reveals a bustling economy of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Apparently a favorite hotel is the SOGO – so good, so clean – which has a thriving hourly business. The weather thus far has been cloudy and mostly bearable. We’ve had nights with wonderful breezes, probably the remnants of the recent typhoon that traveled through – one of many expected for this wet season. I haven’t seen much sun yet, although days don’t always have rain – just a mix of clouds and smog. So though I’ve had glimpses of the humidity – it’s much better than I expected and was prepared for so far. I’m kind of eager to get to my site – I really am curious about what it will be like and how different from Manila it will be. Seems it will be much more rural – which I will like and yet I’ll have a couple of towns – one about 3 miles away and the other maybe 20 miles away. Word is I’ll be able to take buses or van type transportation to get to them and I am on the coast – so the Philippine Sea and oceans should be visible from nearby. I leave Manila on Friday June 29 – a short flight to Legaspi and the program director will pick me up and we drive to Malinao. I’ll probably spend that day with her just getting some orientation and then hopefully I’ll have the weekend to get myself settled in to my room and to find my way around – go to the grocery store there etc. It all feels quite unreal still at this point and the reality of 6 months is mostly illusive. I remain excited, curious and optimistic. I’m sure they’ll be some bumps and challenges ahead but for now just taking it a day at a time and enjoying taking in all the newness and the absorbing that I am actually living one of my dreams – pretty cool.

Departure Count Down

Well it is finally happening. I am leaving for the Peace Corps and 6 months of service in Philippines. My flight is June 15 - 2012 In one way it seems it took forever to get here. And in another it is all working out perfectly. I actually looked back and realized I submitted my original application to the regular Peace Corps program in December 2010 – talk about a process and a ton of paperwork. Delays included a medical deferral having to wait the 6 months for another mammogram result. (They didn’t like what they saw on the first one) Things shifted in February 2012 when I submitted my application for the new Peace Corps Response program – that has gone a little quicker – but still had its bumps – phone interview and invitation in March with a leave date suggested as early May. My last day at work was May 4 – expected to leave on May 18 – even had a ticket and an itinerary – then 2 days later I was told my departure was delayed until June 15 so I could travel with another PCRV. As of June 6 after my return from 10 days in Guatemala I had no details – So I contacted my recruiter in DC and things have moved smoothly since then. I even had a conference call with the recruiter and ‘Milo’ the Philippines Response Program Coordinator yesterday. The person I was going to travel with is ending up not going at this time – she has a medical deferral – so I am going solo, but expect I will be meeting up with other Peace Corps folks once I arrive. I am even going to get to go to a couple sites during my orientation to meet up with some folks already doing projects. My Visa was one last piece that needed to come in – and looks like that will be picked up tomorrow and mailed overnight to me on Thursday. I also found out this week that I am only the second – yes second person to be assigned to a Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV) assignment. The other is a 73 year old woman who is working in Jamaica since May – so nothing like making history while I’m at it – or is it being a guinea pig for the Federal Government? I’ll let you know in 6 months which I think it ended up being. (http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=2023) So now that it is really happening I am still excited, a little more anxious with the reality settling in and all the things one has to do to unravel one’s life for being away for 6 months, but given I’ve actually had like 2 months to be getting ready I am feeling pretty good about it at this point. Leaving the house and my world at the Cliffs feels a little hard – but its part of the deal for doing this. A friend is going to be staying at the house – so basically things are covered. I’ve loved, loved, loved being ‘retired’ – it’s a major stress lifted off your shoulders and the weather has been lovely in Richmond. So I did a number of projects around the house, visited with friends and got myself organized to leave – but it’s been great to stay up late, sleep late, be totally unaware of time – do just what I feel like doing. Of course I knew there was an end to it – because I imagine endless do nothing would get to me after awhile – but it’s been GREAT while it lasted. So the adventure begins… I’ll keep you posted - more to come….

Departure: June 15 - 2012 Richmond - Newark - Hong Kong - Manila. Yikes 24 hours for flying and somewhere over Alaska I lose a day. 12 hours difference in the Philippines. I spend 2 weeks in Manila for orientation and then I am off to my assignment for 6 months in the Philippines a small area called Malinao, Albay. "Peace Corps Response provides qualified professionals the opportunity to serve in rewarding, short-term assignments, in various programs around the world. Peace Corps Response is different from the traditional 27-month Peace Corps program in that assignments are highly technical, and are shorter term placements—three months to one year—in specific countries.” more to come....