09/20/09 - 09/27/09
All is well here.
Week 5 kind of blew, though. I lost my wallet and was dumb enough to have my new Peace Corp issued atm card with the pin number in it. I am normally not a moron like that, but I had just gotten it and thought I would be hitting an atm soon to change the pin number to something memorized. So, whoever found my wallet also found an atm and cleaned out my account. Fortunately, it wasn't tied to my U.S. accounts. Just the money that Peace Corps gives us was lost. Still, it was really upsetting.
Then, on Wednesday (10/23/09), I had a day-long flu. It came and went quick...body aches, digestive problems, fatigue. Then Thursday, I woke up and felt just fine. Weird.
Things got much better on Friday. A bunch of Peace Corps Trainees from the various clusters in my area met up and went to a resort to have a few drinks by the beach. It is really nice to be able to connect with other trainees on a semi-regular basis. It is a good way to decompress from the week.
Sunday (09/27/09) may have been my best day since arriving here. My host dad's family owns land with a fishing pond (like a mini fishery) not too far from us. He coordinated with all the host parents and set up a day for the volunteers to fish. They made us all fishing poles for us, cleaned and prepared the fish we caught, and made other food for us. We had tons of neighborhood kids hanging around us, playing and practicing their English. I am really not doing the event justice with this description. It was awesome though. I posted pictures on Facebook. Check them out.
Okay, I am being lazy about writing, so that is all.
We find out our permanent site this Sunday (10/04/09). Can't wait!
Pis Out
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Week 4
09/13/09 - 09/20/09
All is well here.
I was trying to think of a theme for this week's post, and I drew a blank. It's not that there is nothing to write about. There is plenty. It is just the problem of trying to focus my thoughts on things people might find interesting.
I could talk about food, but I haven't been keeping good notes on the dishes I have been eating. Or taking pictures of the food I have been eating. Bad Scott!!!
Maybe weather. I can always talk about the weather.
It is hot as hell here! I don't know what the temperature is (you can use weather.com for that), but I sweat a lot. If you look at pictures, you can see how hot I am. The word in Ilokano is napudot (nah-poo-dote).
Some people bath a few times a day and change their shirts often. The Filipinos in my town (not sure about elsewhere) think that have a wet back will give you pneumonia. If that were true, I would always have it. Ha! I also don't bother with the shirt changing because that just makes for more laundry. I do take a second bath in the evening sometimes, though.
It was a good idea getting synthetic tech-type shirts. They, at least, dry really quickly. The couple times I have worn cotton t-shirts, I have been drenched for the entire time I had the shirt on.
In the afternoon and night, it usually rains. This is rainy season, after all. It cools the air a little bit, but also adds plenty to the humidity. I fear for my electronics. Who wants to mail me some silica gel packets?
Actually, who wants to mail me packages in general? They have flat rate boxes. I'll give you the address if you email me. Come on!!
Oh, one more thing about the rain. It makes the spiders come inside. They are huge and fast. They don't bite, but that doesn't make them any less horrifying.
Okay, this post was weak. Sorry.
Peace Out
All is well here.
I was trying to think of a theme for this week's post, and I drew a blank. It's not that there is nothing to write about. There is plenty. It is just the problem of trying to focus my thoughts on things people might find interesting.
I could talk about food, but I haven't been keeping good notes on the dishes I have been eating. Or taking pictures of the food I have been eating. Bad Scott!!!
Maybe weather. I can always talk about the weather.
It is hot as hell here! I don't know what the temperature is (you can use weather.com for that), but I sweat a lot. If you look at pictures, you can see how hot I am. The word in Ilokano is napudot (nah-poo-dote).
Some people bath a few times a day and change their shirts often. The Filipinos in my town (not sure about elsewhere) think that have a wet back will give you pneumonia. If that were true, I would always have it. Ha! I also don't bother with the shirt changing because that just makes for more laundry. I do take a second bath in the evening sometimes, though.
It was a good idea getting synthetic tech-type shirts. They, at least, dry really quickly. The couple times I have worn cotton t-shirts, I have been drenched for the entire time I had the shirt on.
In the afternoon and night, it usually rains. This is rainy season, after all. It cools the air a little bit, but also adds plenty to the humidity. I fear for my electronics. Who wants to mail me some silica gel packets?
Actually, who wants to mail me packages in general? They have flat rate boxes. I'll give you the address if you email me. Come on!!
Oh, one more thing about the rain. It makes the spiders come inside. They are huge and fast. They don't bite, but that doesn't make them any less horrifying.
Okay, this post was weak. Sorry.
Peace Out
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week 3
09/06/09 - 09/13/09
All is well here.
Let's talking about grooming and hygiene...
On Taking Baths
Jessie and I take what are known as Bucket Baths. It is exactly what it sounds like...well, unless you are imagining us sitting in a bucket. That would be weird. Basically, we have a few gallon bucket and then a large ladle called a tabo. The bucket is filled with water out of the faucet (for some they have to fill it at a water pump). The water is not warm. It is actually quite chilly. That is usually a good thing because it is so hot here, though that first splash of water over the back is usually terrible.
My technique...the bucket is full, the tabo is floating in the bucket, and I am squatting down in the shower in front of it. I then take a tabo full of water and splash it over me. Repeat, until completely wet. After that, I soap and shampoo up. I usually do this standing because my legs fall asleep if I squat too long and there is nothing more awkward turtle than being naked, soapy and unable to stand back up. When I am feeling all nice and clean, I crouch back down and begin rinsing off.
So, how does this rate compared to a normal shower. Well, it is quick and efficient. I feel good about not wasting water. The cold water certainly wakes you up in the morning. That said, there is something special about standing under a streaming of piping hot water and daydreaming (I do lots of thinking in the shower). No daydreaming in front of the bucket. Maybe when I get home, I will be more water conscious...limit myself to a water wasting dream shower only once in a while.
On Haircuts and Facial Hair
I haven't done either since getting here. I am debating just letting it grow until Swearing-In in November. That might make me look like a gross hairy man, though. Maybe you all can tell me as you see pictures posted. :-)
On Pooping
They do, in fact, have toilet paper here. I use it. I plan on using it for the foreseeable future. The plumbing in this country wasn't designed for flushing toilet paper, though. You have to throw it all in the garbage. They generally don't supply toilet paper in public toilets (or you have to pay for some). I also bring some with me. Also, a lot of toilets here, while being normal toilets with tanks, don't have plumbing to fill the tank. You have to flush the toilet by filling a bucket of water and pouring it down into the bowl. That is no big deal.
Okay, so why am I talking about this? Well, there is another cleaning yourself technique that I am very scared of. Lots of volunteers have tried it and don't seem to mind it. It involves using the tabo (ladle, see above), and even some soap, to basically give yourself a butt bath after using the toilet. I am primarily afraid of it because I did an already-clean simulation of the technique before using the bucket bath one day and I can't manage it without getting water everywhere. Imagine being in public and walking about with wet pants, feet and maybe even the back of your shirt. That is not a problem that anyone in this country seems to have...but I am apparently a disaster like that. Haha.
Alright, you now know more about my self-cleaning habits than you probably wanted. Sorry.
Anyway, I hope all is well in the States.
Peace Out
Scott
All is well here.
Let's talking about grooming and hygiene...
On Taking Baths
Jessie and I take what are known as Bucket Baths. It is exactly what it sounds like...well, unless you are imagining us sitting in a bucket. That would be weird. Basically, we have a few gallon bucket and then a large ladle called a tabo. The bucket is filled with water out of the faucet (for some they have to fill it at a water pump). The water is not warm. It is actually quite chilly. That is usually a good thing because it is so hot here, though that first splash of water over the back is usually terrible.
My technique...the bucket is full, the tabo is floating in the bucket, and I am squatting down in the shower in front of it. I then take a tabo full of water and splash it over me. Repeat, until completely wet. After that, I soap and shampoo up. I usually do this standing because my legs fall asleep if I squat too long and there is nothing more awkward turtle than being naked, soapy and unable to stand back up. When I am feeling all nice and clean, I crouch back down and begin rinsing off.
So, how does this rate compared to a normal shower. Well, it is quick and efficient. I feel good about not wasting water. The cold water certainly wakes you up in the morning. That said, there is something special about standing under a streaming of piping hot water and daydreaming (I do lots of thinking in the shower). No daydreaming in front of the bucket. Maybe when I get home, I will be more water conscious...limit myself to a water wasting dream shower only once in a while.
On Haircuts and Facial Hair
I haven't done either since getting here. I am debating just letting it grow until Swearing-In in November. That might make me look like a gross hairy man, though. Maybe you all can tell me as you see pictures posted. :-)
On Pooping
They do, in fact, have toilet paper here. I use it. I plan on using it for the foreseeable future. The plumbing in this country wasn't designed for flushing toilet paper, though. You have to throw it all in the garbage. They generally don't supply toilet paper in public toilets (or you have to pay for some). I also bring some with me. Also, a lot of toilets here, while being normal toilets with tanks, don't have plumbing to fill the tank. You have to flush the toilet by filling a bucket of water and pouring it down into the bowl. That is no big deal.
Okay, so why am I talking about this? Well, there is another cleaning yourself technique that I am very scared of. Lots of volunteers have tried it and don't seem to mind it. It involves using the tabo (ladle, see above), and even some soap, to basically give yourself a butt bath after using the toilet. I am primarily afraid of it because I did an already-clean simulation of the technique before using the bucket bath one day and I can't manage it without getting water everywhere. Imagine being in public and walking about with wet pants, feet and maybe even the back of your shirt. That is not a problem that anyone in this country seems to have...but I am apparently a disaster like that. Haha.
Alright, you now know more about my self-cleaning habits than you probably wanted. Sorry.
Anyway, I hope all is well in the States.
Peace Out
Scott
Monday, September 7, 2009
Week 2
08/30/09 - 09/06/09
All is well here. We have now been living with our host family for a week. It feels like longer. That is not a bad thing. It's just that time is so different during this whole experience.
I am going to try and limit the focus of this week's blog. Today, I will be talking about my daily schedule.
My cluster (5 CYF trainees) has training Monday through Saturday. Jessie's schedule is not much different. We have language training in the morning. The language in the region we are in is called Ilokano. We are told that it is nothing like Tagalog. I didn't learn enough Tagalog from Rosetta Stone to make any really strong comparisons between the two. There are some Spanish words (really only nouns) that have made there way into most of the languages in this country. That is kind of nice for learning. We have only been at it for a week, so I don't know much. It is certainly daunting, but ultimately our instructors are all very capable and will do a great job with us.
After language training, we have about an hour for lunch. The other 4 trainees in my cluster go to their respective host family homes for lunch. My host family is about a 25 minute walk away from our training site, so I either bring a lunch or go and visit them at the store they own, which is only a 10 minute walk.
In the afternoon, we have our technical training. This has included lessons on the theory behind what we are doing, documentary and video watching (to see what issues Filipino children face), and visiting our "practicum" site. The practicum site is the facility that we go to once a week to do hands on work with children. Our first visit was last Friday. The kids there are seem really great. They are all boys (young men) who have gotten into some trouble with the law. The facility allows them to get life skills training, counseling, school, and other services. When they have completed enough, they are released and their record is cleared. That is not really the whole story, but should give you a slight sense of the program.
Okay, so that is what my days are going to be like for the next 3 months.
If you want daily updates, check out my twitter page here.
We also went on a pretty awesome hike on Sunday. Here is a picture from the top of the mountain we hiked up:
All is well here. We have now been living with our host family for a week. It feels like longer. That is not a bad thing. It's just that time is so different during this whole experience.
I am going to try and limit the focus of this week's blog. Today, I will be talking about my daily schedule.
My cluster (5 CYF trainees) has training Monday through Saturday. Jessie's schedule is not much different. We have language training in the morning. The language in the region we are in is called Ilokano. We are told that it is nothing like Tagalog. I didn't learn enough Tagalog from Rosetta Stone to make any really strong comparisons between the two. There are some Spanish words (really only nouns) that have made there way into most of the languages in this country. That is kind of nice for learning. We have only been at it for a week, so I don't know much. It is certainly daunting, but ultimately our instructors are all very capable and will do a great job with us.
After language training, we have about an hour for lunch. The other 4 trainees in my cluster go to their respective host family homes for lunch. My host family is about a 25 minute walk away from our training site, so I either bring a lunch or go and visit them at the store they own, which is only a 10 minute walk.
In the afternoon, we have our technical training. This has included lessons on the theory behind what we are doing, documentary and video watching (to see what issues Filipino children face), and visiting our "practicum" site. The practicum site is the facility that we go to once a week to do hands on work with children. Our first visit was last Friday. The kids there are seem really great. They are all boys (young men) who have gotten into some trouble with the law. The facility allows them to get life skills training, counseling, school, and other services. When they have completed enough, they are released and their record is cleared. That is not really the whole story, but should give you a slight sense of the program.
Okay, so that is what my days are going to be like for the next 3 months.
If you want daily updates, check out my twitter page here.
We also went on a pretty awesome hike on Sunday. Here is a picture from the top of the mountain we hiked up:
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