Playing in the Rain

Week 6
09/27/09 - 10/04/09

All is well here.

It has been rather wet, though.

I case you don't watch the news (which I don't since I am TV-less), there was a massive typhoon named Penpeng that swept across the Philippines. If you looked at at weather map, it appeared as if the entire country was engulfed by it. Fortunately that was not the case. The really bad parts went up the Eastern coast of the country.

Our training region, La Union, is on the West side of the main island of Luzon. No major flooding. No major wind damage. We got lucky. I was told by someone that La Union gets lucky a lot because we have the mountains to the East and the South China Sea to the West (which supposedly is never the source of typhoons). We still get typhoons, but the super ones don't plow over us like other parts of the country. Not sure how true any of that is, but I'll take it for now and allow myself to be reassured. ;-)

We did get a heck of a lot of rain and wind, though...which leads me to another great Peace Corps experience. One of the volunteers in our cluster is having a birthday in a couple weeks. We are all supposed to be out of town that day, so her host family decided to have an early birthday party for her on Saturday (10/03). Now, Saturday night was the night that we had our worst weather from the typhoon: Signal 2 level winds and rain. I guess the birthday has to get cancelled. Wrong!

Jessie and I (accompanied by our host dad) drove over to our training site, parked the truck, and then trudged through rice fields to this other volunteers host family's house. It was awesome. Imagine Jessie and I all geared up with raincoats, headlamps (gotta see the path through the rice) and completely ineffective umbrellas, walking through a dark rice field in the wind and rain. Imagine us arriving and then shortly after that, all the other volunteers in our cluster arriving with their respective host families. It rocked. No fucking typhoon was going to cancel that birthday.

Leaving the party was even more fun because we all left together (see below picture). Raincoats, headlamps, flashlights, plastic bag ponchos. Lots of rain and wind. Did I already mention that it was awesome? Hahaha.

Stacking up experiences like this one is such a great part of this adventure.

Sadly, the typhoon caused the postponement of our supervisor's conference until next week. Still don't know our permanent site. Boo.

I should have those details the next time I blog, which may not be a couple of weeks since I will be offsite from 10/07 until 10/18.

Make sure you miss me!

Pis Out

Week 5

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

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

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

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:

Week 1

08/22/09 - 08/30/09 (or so)

Well, we have now been in the Philippines for a full week. It feels so much longer already. That is neither a good thing nor a bad thing...just and observation of how time has become weird.

This first week was Initial Orientation (IO). Oh, before I get into that, can I say that the Peace Corps LOVES acronyms. It is insane. Kind of like learning another foreign language. But, back to the IO. After flying in, the 70 trainees spent a week at a hotel in Antipolo (just West of Manila). Basically, we had meetings all day on various topics. It was pretty low key and helped us to transition to our new environment and get to know each other. I think if we had just flown in and been dropped off with our host families, my head would have exploded.

Anyway, not much exciting to report about the IO experience other than I am glad I had the chance to meet all of the other trainees in our batch. Sadly, though, at the end of the week, we all split off to our respective regions. A week doesn't seem like much, but I grew fond of so many people and wish that I could see them more often than we will.

It is funny, as I am typing this, I realize there are so many things to describe, but I am not eloquent enough to weave them into a narrative, so here is a bulleted rundown:
- 69 or so trainees
- 3 types of volunteer: 01) coastal resource management (CRM), 02) children, youth and family (CYF), 03) education
- 3 regions of training: 01) la union, 02) bataan, 03) leyte
- each region has 2 of the types of volunteer
- i am lazy!

Ok, so the week is over. We are now with our host family in the La Union region (cannot post specific town for security reasons). We will be here for the next 3 months doing Pre-Service Training (PST). It is hot. It rains in the afternoon. It is really quite beautiful here.

I will attach a few pictures of thew view from our hotel.

Not sure how often I will be able to update the blog.

Hope you are all well.

Peace Out


View of the Hotel


Another Shot of the Hotel

How Do I Post?

Since arriving, it has been difficult for me to determine what I should post and what I shouldn't post about this experience. I am not talking about what is "appropriate" to post in a blog about the Peace Corps. We discussed blogs and Peace Corps policy during staging and it seemed pretty obvious: don't be an insensitive asshole and save your frustrations for personal conversation. Maybe that isn't obvious for some people in the Internet Age, but either way, that isn't what I am talking about. My problem is: what do people want to hear about? Of course, you could be sarcastic and say, "we don't care what you have to say, Scott." I am sure that is true for a lot of you, but hey, you don't have to read this blog, so that problem is easily solved. My problem is, with all the information and experience that I am taking in right now, how do I pick out the things to write about?

I don't know.

Should I write about really unique experiences that make for funny/interesting stories? Should I share random details of the process for people who are interested in the Peace Corps? Should I just wait until I am inspired to write? I really don't know.

So, after all that, I will share a little story.

Last night I took my first malaria pill. The medicine we are on is supposed to be taken once a week. We take them Mondays because it is easy to remember "Malaria Mondays." The possible side effects include gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, diarrhea, vivid dreams, and psychosis!! How horrifying is that? You won't get malaria, but you could go insane!!

Fortunately, I took mine before bed last night and woke up feeling ok. I also preemptively took immodium for my stomach, so maybe that helped. We are supposed to go to the Mall of Asia today to get cell phones, and I didn't want to feel sick on the bus. Too soon for embarrassing stomach problems.

Okay, that is my one random story.

Everything else is going well. I like my fellow trainees. Jessie and I are excited to find out what our training region will be. I think it will be ok to post about it when we know. If not, you will get a personal email from me about it.

Until then. Peace Out.

We Made It!

After months of anticipation and preparation (in the form of buying supplies and packing and saying goodbyes), we have finally made it to the Philippines!!

On Thursday, August 20 we flew from Chicago to San Francisco for staging. The Facebook group that Kris started came in handy because Jessie and I (mostly me because I am a Facebook stalker) were able to identify fellow trainees who were also flying through Chicago. It was amusing to me...hopefully not creepy to everyone else.

We arrived in San Fran after a 4 hour flight and had staging. Really, not much exciting to report about that. It gave us a chance to meet the other trainees (note, we are not volunteers until after our 3 months of training).

On the 21st (which feels like is yesterday in our time-traveling minds), we flew from San Francisco to Tokyo. It was about an 11.5 hour flight, but it wasn't bad at all. The plane felt pretty roomy. There were lots of movies on demand and a trivia game that was designed for people much smarter than me. Jessie slept almost the entire flight, but doesn't actually remember sleeping.

We spent 2 hours at the airport in Tokyo. It was pretty entertaining. The women's toilets (I'm told) have a fake flushing sound so that you can be discreet in your bathroom-ing. Both the men's and women's toilets have built in robot bidet's that they call "showers." I didn't not try them, but apparently they were very powerful. I also took a couple pictures of the McDonald's menu, which had a couple random burgers. I will try to post them later...

We then flew for 4.5 hours to Manila. It was a good flight because I was out cold the entire time.

We arrived in the Philippines at about 11:30, or so, at night on the 21st because of the time change. We basically lost all of August 21 to flying and time changes.

Comments on arriving in the Philippines? None yet. I am still processing.

It is really hot and sweaty. I don't mind it so far, but we are still in excited mode.

Alright, I am losing the ability to form coherent thought...

Peace Out

Wrapping Up Our Lives

Here I am all awesome about counting down my departure from work, and I can't even make time to post about staging...

Well, staging is coming up on August 20 in California (not sure if I am supposed to name the city on a public blog?). We were notified by email of this information with directions to call SATO travel to get our tickets. We also received a .pdf agenda for the day's activities that last from 2:00 - 7:00 pm.

Then, on August 21, we all fly out to the Philippines together!

Jessie and I really can't believe that it is coming up so soon. I have had no time to be nervous at all...completely in excited mode right now.

The past couple weeks have been weird for me. I wrapped up work on July 24. After 5 years as a public defender, I wasn't sad to leave. The job wasn't bad; I was just ready to get on with this new adventure. It has been a process that has gone on for a year, so it's not like I haven't had time to think about my "retirement" from the practice of law. I suppose it might hit me in a few months when all the excitement of leaving, meeting new people and training has worn off.

It has also been odd being mildly homeless. Jessie and I had been casually packing up stuff all Summer. After the 24th, though, we had 5 days to wrap everything up and either throw it away or move it into one of our parents' basements. We actually wish we had thrown more away (or given or sold). Two years seems like a long time to keep an IKEA bedroom set in storage. Maybe we will email directions back home for our stuff to be given away. Haha.

After moving out of our apartment, we moved into my little sister's apartment and have been staying here since. She has been kind enough to stay with her boyfriend during this stretch, so we have the place to ourselves. Still, it isn't ours. We have our Peace Corps bags (and a few other things) just laying around the apartment. We spend our days and nights either further organizing, hanging out with friends and family, or just enjoying some lazy time (and watching our new favorite show, Eureka).

In a couple of days, we are going to move out again and spend our last few days in the burbs with our families (sleeping at my parents'). It is supposed to be sad, but I am not quite there yet...still blinded by the excitement of leaving. Again, I think it will hit me later.

Hopefully when we get to the Philippines, I will have more exciting things to write about.

Until then...

The Saddest Robot in the World

Two Weeks!!

I can't believe that I am going to be done with work two weeks from today. After that, it is just a matter of weeks before we go to the Philippines!

If only those stupid staging documents would arrive.

Peace Corps Application Process - Part 12

Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of our Peace Corps interview! I can't believe how fast this past 12 months has gone by.

I can't believe that in another 6 weeks, or so, we are going to be departing for the Philippines for 27 months.

I am so excited!

I Love Robots!

Travel Guitar and Solar Charger

I got my travel guitar yesterday. It is a Little Martin Acoustic-Electric. Here is a picture of it next to my regular acoustic guitar.





We also got our Solio Magnesium Edition solar charger. Solar chargers seem to be a controversial topic amongst Peace Corps Volunteers. A lot of message board posts that I have read say that they are useless if you have electricity. My logic, though, is that, hey, you never know when you may be without power. I have read stories about people losing electricity to their town for weeks on end. If that happens, we want to be able to charge a cell phone, or an iPod, or any other gadget we may want to use to keep us connected or make us feel at home. We also want to have that extra juice for long trips or plane rides. Once the solar battery is full, it is good for up to a year without additional charge.

Okay, I think I just became an ad for solar chargers...

I'll let you all know how often I actually use it once we get to the Philippines.

Same goes for the guitar.

Latah.

8 Weeks/12 Weeks to Go

I am going to be done working at my current job in 8 weeks. I can't describe how exciting to me that is right now. I love the work that I do. I love the people that I work with. But after almost 5 years as a public defender, I am ready for a change...

Which leads me to the more exciting countdown. Jessie and I will be leaving for the Philippines in about 12 weeks!!! The time has been moving much faster than I expected, but that is a good thing. When I am not busy and can sit down and think about it, I start to get antsy to leave and 12 weeks seems like forever.

So, what are we doing to get ready for this awesome experience? Well, we have a shopping list of gear/clothing that we need to get. We are trying to balance the things that we actually need with the things we want to bring. For example, I need decent, nice-looking, warm weather clothing. I have lots of t-shirts and shorts, but still need the nicer stuff that I will wear to work. On the other side of things, I also bought a travel guitar (Little Martin). I know I don't need it, but I really want to have something musical with me. Either way, it is fun to go shopping.

Jessie and I have also been working on Rosetta Stone for Tagalog. After not having actively learned a language in over a decade, it actually doesn't seem so bad...but then again I am still only learning to count and say "the boy jumps" so things could get a lot more complicated and soon.

Jessie is leaving for Phoenix in a week to help lead Teach For America training for new teachers. It will be good experience for her and a bit of extra money for us, which is nice. It is also good for me because I have to study for the MCAT, which I am hoping to take at the beginning of August before we leave.

So, we are looking at a very busy and crazy summer. Hopefully some fun will be had too!

Oh, and we still have to pack up all of our belongings and deposit them in our parents basements. Fun...