Oh man how do I begin to explain whats been going on over the past few weeks? It's been a long time since I last wrote (at least it feels like a long time). I have been pretty busy between learning the language, observing in classes my weekdays are more packed then ever and getting more interesting. Next week we will have a PACA workshop (no logistics since I dont even know what it is) and the week after that Supervisors conference!! Which means I will FINALLY be finding out where I am going to be placed for the next two years. At which point I will be half way done with training and a little closer to the start of my two year stay. Well I have dinner to attend plus I am ridiculously tired after walking up early for class (5:30am) but its not like I can sleep past 7am anymore so its not as bad as it sounds. I will write with more info another day I just didnt want the blog to feel neglected!
much <3
p.s. I went to the beach again with my host mom and this time it was a much more peaceful experience. It felt nice to just be able to swim. Plus I was surrounded by people, the whole town was fishing and it was an awesome sight to see. Pics to be uploaded soon!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Cebuano, Grandmas, and Beaches, oh my.
It has been a full week since I arrived and I feel like its been months. Our lives are planned out for the next 10 weeks and pretty much the whole day is spent in class. So much is stuffed into my brain on a daily basis it’s hard to remember what my name is (but not really). The good part is I really like my cluster and the one we link with. Everyday at 2:30pm (sometimes earlier or the whole day) without fail we will go temporarily insane and find everything funny. The giggle fits do exist. Somehow laughing puts everything into perspective. 2:30pm is a godsend. Don't get me wrong class is pretty interesting; between learning how to say, "I'm still beautiful" and how to say poo in slang (its oo-oo), how to greet and get home are I would say second most important (just kidding).
I have groupies, and no I am not kidding. They are awesome too. They offer me red wine (I politely decline), they overfeed me and they think I am funny. Who are they you may ask? The lovely ladies are about the same age as my HM (mid 70s?), which is nearly impossible to figure out given everyone here looks at least 5 years younger then their real age. But anyways, they are wonderful women who are very interested in my well being and seem to love the fact that I am Mexican, from California, and a volunteer. One in particular whose name I (sadly) can’t remember is my absolute favorite. I met her at the previous dinner party I attended and she is a sweetheart. She talks to me in Spanish sometimes and also translates for me when other people are speaking in Cebuano. To top it off when she laughs she giggles like a little girl and it is incredibly endearing. Maybe ill record it, but that might be weird, no promises.
I went to the beach this Sunday with my host mom. Her daughter owns a house on a beach in a nearby town so we took off after lunch to go swim a few hours. Upon getting there I found out I would be swimming on a gorgeous beach, alone. My host mom politely declined so off I go to swim by myself for 4 hours... the joy. I have had my pains of homesickness since I arrived but Sunday was rough. I started thinking of all the beach vacations I’ve had over the years with my family and all I wanted was for them to pop out and keep me company. Then I started thinking of all my wonderful friends and how much I wish I could experience this with them and needless to say it was a very vast solitary ocean. The good part? I took pictures. Caution, the pictures will cause you to want to visit me. (yay!)
P.S. I went to a 75th Birthday party this weekend and it had the best theme ever... Boxing. The birthday boy had on a red (To the Highest High) Manny Pacquio shirt signed by him and they had a poster up of the Bboy (pretend) knocking out Mayweather. They also had the clip of the Marquez vs. Mayweather fight when Marquez (almost) knocked him out. It was brilliant and lots of fun. It's times like those that remind me how lucky I am to be here.
I have groupies, and no I am not kidding. They are awesome too. They offer me red wine (I politely decline), they overfeed me and they think I am funny. Who are they you may ask? The lovely ladies are about the same age as my HM (mid 70s?), which is nearly impossible to figure out given everyone here looks at least 5 years younger then their real age. But anyways, they are wonderful women who are very interested in my well being and seem to love the fact that I am Mexican, from California, and a volunteer. One in particular whose name I (sadly) can’t remember is my absolute favorite. I met her at the previous dinner party I attended and she is a sweetheart. She talks to me in Spanish sometimes and also translates for me when other people are speaking in Cebuano. To top it off when she laughs she giggles like a little girl and it is incredibly endearing. Maybe ill record it, but that might be weird, no promises.
I went to the beach this Sunday with my host mom. Her daughter owns a house on a beach in a nearby town so we took off after lunch to go swim a few hours. Upon getting there I found out I would be swimming on a gorgeous beach, alone. My host mom politely declined so off I go to swim by myself for 4 hours... the joy. I have had my pains of homesickness since I arrived but Sunday was rough. I started thinking of all the beach vacations I’ve had over the years with my family and all I wanted was for them to pop out and keep me company. Then I started thinking of all my wonderful friends and how much I wish I could experience this with them and needless to say it was a very vast solitary ocean. The good part? I took pictures. Caution, the pictures will cause you to want to visit me. (yay!)
P.S. I went to a 75th Birthday party this weekend and it had the best theme ever... Boxing. The birthday boy had on a red (To the Highest High) Manny Pacquio shirt signed by him and they had a poster up of the Bboy (pretend) knocking out Mayweather. They also had the clip of the Marquez vs. Mayweather fight when Marquez (almost) knocked him out. It was brilliant and lots of fun. It's times like those that remind me how lucky I am to be here.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Things I have not talked about yet...
Halo-Halo
Where There Is No Doctor
Pedi Cab Drivers
Sunday Mass
Avocado Ice Cream
Sleeping Soundtrack
Let us begin:
Halo-Halo is a dessert, to say the least. It is served in a big cup like those you would find in your corner soda shop (the big sundae ones). It is made up of milk (?), shaved ice, corn flakes, huge jellybean looking things, mangoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and topped with purple ice cream (ubi). It is quite tasty once you get over the fact that there is corn in your dessert and the cornflakes give it a nice texture. Oh and the best part has to be that it is served with a (relatively) large packet of sugar just in case it isn't sweet enough (which it is). Not sure I'm going to make a habit of eating it but for a once in a while treat it's quite delicious..
Where There Is No Doctor is a book I received from my LCF Yasmin. Since you probably have no idea what it is I shall explain. This book was written a long time ago in Spanish for villagers to reference when they were sick. It's brilliant. While it does not seek to undermine or substitute the validity of doctors it has well-written and practical explanations to many illnesses and health predicaments. Like how to cure dehydration, make and put on a cast or how to deliver a baby (only in an extreme case). While I doubt I will ever be in a situation that requires me to deliver a baby it is nice to know I am prepared. Better safe then sorry (just saying).
I had a lovely experience with a Pedi Cab driver (which by the way are these trike things attached to a motorcycle) who upon figuring out that I did not speak Visayas/Cebuano proceed to ask me in English what I was doing there, where I was from and how long I would be staying. When I finished telling him my life story he was very pleased to know I was there to teach English and I was staying for an extended period of time. Needless to say it made my day.
This Sunday I attended mass at the local Catholic Church. It was quite the experience.
1. The entire mass was in English
2. I only know how to pray in Spanish
3. Everything was in English
I'm not sure why that surprised me so much but it did. I would think that it would be only natural for it to be in Cebuano. Guess not.
Avocado Ice Cream is quite tasty and refreshing. It looks like frozen guacamole but tastes nothing like that. I have to say I liked it. Filipinos are onto something. Like my host mom said, "always in dessert, seldom in salad."
Sleeping Soundtrack. Since I have been here I have found that I wake up 3 times a night. It's always something. Early in the evening all the neighborhood dogs like to bark at each other. Then the music from the boulevard starts Thursday to Sunday (probably all week but I haven’t found out yet) and sometimes fireworks. Then the various creatures outside my window will start and lastly at about 3am the roosters will start crowing every half hour. This is the real city of no sleep, New York you have met your match.
Where There Is No Doctor
Pedi Cab Drivers
Sunday Mass
Avocado Ice Cream
Sleeping Soundtrack
Let us begin:
Halo-Halo is a dessert, to say the least. It is served in a big cup like those you would find in your corner soda shop (the big sundae ones). It is made up of milk (?), shaved ice, corn flakes, huge jellybean looking things, mangoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and topped with purple ice cream (ubi). It is quite tasty once you get over the fact that there is corn in your dessert and the cornflakes give it a nice texture. Oh and the best part has to be that it is served with a (relatively) large packet of sugar just in case it isn't sweet enough (which it is). Not sure I'm going to make a habit of eating it but for a once in a while treat it's quite delicious..
Where There Is No Doctor is a book I received from my LCF Yasmin. Since you probably have no idea what it is I shall explain. This book was written a long time ago in Spanish for villagers to reference when they were sick. It's brilliant. While it does not seek to undermine or substitute the validity of doctors it has well-written and practical explanations to many illnesses and health predicaments. Like how to cure dehydration, make and put on a cast or how to deliver a baby (only in an extreme case). While I doubt I will ever be in a situation that requires me to deliver a baby it is nice to know I am prepared. Better safe then sorry (just saying).
I had a lovely experience with a Pedi Cab driver (which by the way are these trike things attached to a motorcycle) who upon figuring out that I did not speak Visayas/Cebuano proceed to ask me in English what I was doing there, where I was from and how long I would be staying. When I finished telling him my life story he was very pleased to know I was there to teach English and I was staying for an extended period of time. Needless to say it made my day.
This Sunday I attended mass at the local Catholic Church. It was quite the experience.
1. The entire mass was in English
2. I only know how to pray in Spanish
3. Everything was in English
I'm not sure why that surprised me so much but it did. I would think that it would be only natural for it to be in Cebuano. Guess not.
Avocado Ice Cream is quite tasty and refreshing. It looks like frozen guacamole but tastes nothing like that. I have to say I liked it. Filipinos are onto something. Like my host mom said, "always in dessert, seldom in salad."
Sleeping Soundtrack. Since I have been here I have found that I wake up 3 times a night. It's always something. Early in the evening all the neighborhood dogs like to bark at each other. Then the music from the boulevard starts Thursday to Sunday (probably all week but I haven’t found out yet) and sometimes fireworks. Then the various creatures outside my window will start and lastly at about 3am the roosters will start crowing every half hour. This is the real city of no sleep, New York you have met your match.
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