The best is yet to come

I think its about time to push out another blog post.

Yes its been a while, I am fully aware. And again I apologize. Its always hard to think of something to write about besides just an update of how I’m doing. But I’ll start with that; an update.

Its been about two months since my last post. And yes, a lot has happened. Rewinding to June, July and August… these were the projected ‘mid-service low’ we were warned about. Like many others, I thought that this time was hypothetically, a sort of myth, until I actually hit the wall. It started with the ‘loss’ of two friends. Mainly, the premature departure of my bff and site-mate Bentley. It was the summer break of the UP students, so my Miagao friends were gone too, and the closest volunteers were over an hour away.

[Sometimes I had to make the extra effort to leave site and travel way far away to visit other volunteers for birthdays and get togethers, which if you can see these pictures is obviously not a waste...]

Then I had a stressful time the month of June sorting out an issue with the underwater assessment I’d been planning for months! By the time July came around, I felt alone, lost and discouraged. These feelings took over and I feel victim to a small bout of depression. Nothing was happening at work because I had no motivation to start up a project. I felt more of an outsider in my community than ever before. August rolled and I decided to go to Manila to see a counselor, to try to figure out how I could crawl out of the pit of despair (yes that is a Princess Bride reference!) and get back to my normal self. I had thought about leaving but couldn’t bring myself to leave unfinished this thing that I had started. Clearly I stuck through my tough time, literally the toughest time of my life (which I am very blessed for considering…), and guess what? Things have just gotten better.

Here’s what’s been going on in The Happy Times! About a month ago, we had our scheduled Mid Service Training in Batangas. Before heading to Manila, though, I had a wonderful visit from another volunteer, Katie. We ferried across the Iloilo Strait to Bacolod where their annual Masskara Festival was just starting! Friday and Saturday night were spent on the streets dancing, running into friends, old (the Australian volunteers we didn’t know were there) and new (a 269 volunteer still living there and some locals), all behind the masks that hid our shame, nerves and speculation. This weekend, as fun and laid back as it was, made me appreciate something more than Filipinos’ ability to have a good time. For one of the first times since being here, I felt free. Being looked at and sticking out didn’t matter anymore: something that I’ve struggled with since day one. [I know that a lot of this had to do with being with other volunteers, not being the only foreigners there, and the large majority of people being under the influence of alcohol, but it helped me make sort of a break though with the self-consciousness that’s sky-rocketed since being here]. And the overall festival mood traveled with us to MST where we spent the good part of a week socializing, having fun and catching up (plus making pickles and riding bikes!!!).

By time Friday came around, I was ready to get back to site and see where this new attitude got me. Finally with the motivation and energy to work again, I kick it into gear. To spare you all of the details, Me and the new Community Education Team that’s forming will have our hands full for two weeks as we give an IEC (Information, Education and Communication) campaign on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to all the coastal community. Making and translating these power points, organizing activities and discussion and scheduling everything has kept me more than busy throughout the last couple of weeks. Sandwiched between these weeks of work are two weeks of excitement! Over the thanksgiving weekend, as part of the PC Philippines tradition, I’m heading up to Sagada (a much cooler region of the country) to celebrate and hike the infamous rice terraces. I’ll be back at site for one day (my birthday!!) just to leave for Cebu and the coral gardening training we have there (yes you can expect pictures)!

To top off the good vibes I’ve been having, I joined the new gym in Miagao, and its been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I was quickly swept into the family there, got puller into joining jui jitsu classes (which I absolutely love) and on a number of days have spent three hours there after work, relieving stress and building muscle (determined to lose the weight I’ve gained since being here)!

All in all, the last month has been an answer to prayers, cries, shouts of anger and frustration, and proof that you really aren’t put through anything that you can’t handle.

And just so you guys that worry about my think that I'm all alone here, here are some critters that I share my home with and keep me happy :)

 Geckos, in cute little hiding places and even those without tails.

 And the more adorable praying mantis I've ever seen

(also the first one I think I've ever seen in real life!)

Against all odds

   Eleven and a half months ago, I was admitted to a hospital for the first time in my life. Against all odds, (I think) I had Dengue Fever again, a mosquito-bourne disease that mainly affects the digestive system and lowers the body’s platelet count. Symptoms include pain behind the eyes, fever, head and body aches, cold sweat, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and it makes you really weak.

   Last week, I started having flu-like symptoms. Once it didn’t get better (thinking the common flu was just passing through) and things turned to intense abdominal pain, nausea, the works, I reluctantly went to the hospital, was admitted and left in the dark as to what I had (supposedly it was dengue, again, but because the test could have just been reading the old virus, I’m still not sure).

But I don’t want to tell you about how awful all that was. It wasn’t quite as bad as last time, if you need a refresher you can go back and read D is for Dengue, my blog about that nonsense… I want to tell you what its like for an American to stay in a Filipino hospital. So here it goes.

Admission: The decision to be admitted was something that happened so fast, I was quite lost when I actually realized what was going on. I just wanted them to run the tests, tell me what was wrong and THEN decide if I should stay. But apparently things work differently here, because the decision I would stay, which was against my will, was made 5 minutes after walking into the doctor’s office. I proceeded to the ER, was asked why I was being admitted (to which I literally answered “eh.. I don’t know..?”), and to where I thought some tests would be done, but still nothing. An hour and 50 rounds of the symptom questions later, my room was ready and I got wheeled on my way.

The stupid IV: Also in the ER, which was more like a hallway lined with curtain-hidden beds, they prep an IV to stick in my arm. I didn’t love the idea of this because I had one during dengue: round 1, and, well it sucked. I also know that if I was capable of drinking enough fluid, which I definitely was, as IV shouldn’t be necessary- there’s always a risk of causing other problems- so I asked if it were necessary, said I didn’t want it, yada yada yada. To no avail. Because, as the excuse went, “If we need to give you medicine, we can administer it through the IV…” OR you could just stick another needle in my arm instead of having one there continuously to give me medicine! Anywho, got the stupid thing in and oh boy was it awful to be constantly attached to a dead, sac-of-water-like pet that provided no comfort… It also made it extremely difficult to go to the bathroom. The wheels on the stand were terrible, it barely fit through the doorway and there was a 5-inch ledge up into the bathroom, so I’d just take the bag off each time and bring it with me, holding the hook in my mouth each time I opened the bathroom door, then putting it on the towel hook in there. It was already a workout every time to pee, but the extra work was just ridiculous.

X-rays: This was pretty normal. I went before heading to my room. Wearing a tshirt and sports bra was apparently a problem for my abdominal scan, so I had to take my bra off… weak and lightheaded, with one hand, and IV, alone… After that nonsense, I just put one of those hospital gowns on that makes you look sickly even if you’re doing fine, and wore that for the next day and a half.

"Care-package”: I got this little “you’re about to be admitted to the hospital against your will and of course you didn’t bring anything with you because you thought you were going home” care pack. In it was a cup, a small neon green rag (that weirdly bled clear neon blue after washing…), a bar of soap and a bottle of rubbing alcohol (which is used to disinfect everything and as a hand sanitizer here). And that was it. It would have been nice to brush my teeth and maybe dry off after a shower, but, well no- that didn’t happen until my backpack has been packed by my friend Aileen and delivered by my counterpart, Eden. Lesson learned: always be prepared and expect to get stuck.

Identification: I got a "What is your name ma’am?” before each questioning session or drawing of blood but it wasn’t until I had to sign my bill paper at the end of my stay that I actually had to show some form of ID.

Medication: The hospital may or may not have the medication the doctor wants you to take. For me it was just pain meds because you can’t do anything but heal with a virus, and they had them there. But if they don’t, someone has to go to a pharmacy and buy them for you. This someone is your kasama.

Kasama: ‘Kasama’ is a Tagalog word (pronounced ka-sa-ma) meaning companion (its upod (oo-pode) in Hiligaynon and imaw (ee-maw) in Kinaray-a). When you’re hospitalized as a volunteer, you can have a kasama to keep you company, to go buy you medicine or in my case milk and cereal :) or other alternatives to a ‘American’ hospital diet in the Philippines. A big thanks to Sarah, for trucking across her island (a 10+ hour trip) and keeping me company with sandwich-making, bananagram-playing, movie-watching girl-talking and cereal-endulging, as not to ruin the plans we had previously made to spend the weekend together.

Food: This happened when I was hospitalized last year too but its worth re-noting. Dengue destroys your appetite for everything. The virus affects the gut in some way and anything that goes into your body upsets your stomach and intestines. So you wouldn’t want to eat right? Yea exactly. That concept is harder to understand on this side of the world. Food there started as rice and gross chicken adobo (and I like adobo!). Breakfast was bad even by non-American standards. Three pieces of white bread, three slices of processed cheese (like bad velveeta), a scoop of beef, potato and carrot something or other, and mix for a milk drink. Lunch after that, I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t eat anything. When the nurse on duty came in to check on me, she saw that I hadn’t eaten my rice and asked if I didn’t like it (in a very concerned voice). After explaining I just didn’t want to eat, which was really difficult to get across each time I reiterated myself, I also said that maybe just fruits and vegetables would be better. The following meal I get a plate of flavorless mashed potatoes, carrot slices and cucumbers. No dip, no dressing, no flavor… That night Sarah showered up and got sandwich stuff the next day, so my veggie trays just became fixings. If only ice cream, PB&Js and cereal could have been what they brought, I would have been a happy camper!

Water: You have to mix your packet of powdered milk with water

you have to take medicine, and most importantly you have to keep hydrated. But where’s the water? Weeeellllll, you have to bring your own… WHAT!? I’m stuck in the hospital and can barely walk to the bathroom, how I am I supposed to get water!?! This is where it pays to have friends. A BIG, gigantic thanks to my American friend Bruce Hall for caring to my every need (incl. driving me to the hospital, waiting with me, keeping my sanity through conversation, bringing me water, a computer, crossword puzzles, McDonald’s ice cream, pizza, fruit, bread and cereal!) But yea, no drinking water. Kind of absurd.

Ice: Once Sarah bought milk and yogurt drinks, we wanted to keep them cold (in a cooler Bruce brought). So as she left to go to the store, I told her to ask about ice… you know, a normal medical ‘tool’, right? I get a text a minute after she leaves saying, “they only have ice for ice baths. So unless you want one of those…” Luckily, 7-eleven was right across the street.

Checking my vitals: I understand that you have to ‘monitor’ me to make sure my body hadn’t spontaneously rejected all my organs overnight, but it just seemed like it was happening too often! Timing was interesting. The most notable occasion was this: Sarah got in at about 10 pm (I had already stayed there a night on my own). It was 12:30 am, we were finally winding down from our excitement and I wanted to warn her about the nurse checks throughout the night. I turn over and say, “So the nurses will come in the middle of the night to check-up on me, not really do anything (because they hadn’t the night before) and then leave, just a heads up…” 3-2-1.. cue army of nurses. A chorus of “good morning ma’am, good morning” filled the room. Holding back a smile, I let them check my blood pressure, pulse and temp. The second the door closes behind them we both burst out laughing at literally the best timing of that explanation ever. They had quite the habit of coming in when I was in the bathroom, and even came for one final check when I was ‘running an errand’ (see discharge, below) maybe an hour before I was discharged. 

   When the nurses did come, they came in a barkada (the Tagalog word for your typical, close group of friends). At least 6 nurses would enter together, one with the stethoscope for blood pressure, one taking my pulse, one sticking the thermometer into my armpit, two at the back with clipboards, probably doodling, and the last one apparently making sure whatever I was watching on tv was appropriate.

   And then there’s what language we spoke. In the city, the dialect is different that at my site. I can kinda understand Hiligaynon, but not speak it. So some nurses would just use English because clearly we spoke that, but others would go off in Hiligaynon like I were a Filipino (and I would respond in english, or kinaray-a, which they can understand but not speak). The classic case of hilarious translation was when the Hiligaynon-speaking nurse comes in asking me about my visits to the bathroom. She asks, “Nagpoopoo ikaw?” which literally translated to “Did you poopoo?” I couldn’t believe that this was the technical term for pooping, but it was definitely what was used.

The cleaning guy: Mid morning was ‘clean the room’ time. First a sweep through, then a mopping. Simple enough. It was just funny that the cleaning guy that came through would sneak as many peeks of whatever show I was watching when he was in there. I think I would have done the same thing. If he’s anything like me, inside that room was where I’ve watched the majority of TV in the last year.

Test Results: So do I have dengue or not? Did my platelet count drop? What is it now? Do I have a fever? Oh yea, my vitals are normal again, what a surprise… These are just a few of the thoughts going through my head while in the hospital. If any of you were kinda following my posting on FB, you saw I put I had dengue, again, then called it a false alarm. After that, and listening to what the doctors and nurses were saying, I just stopped speculating… Not too happy about being a guinea pig… I still don’t even know if it was dengue for sure. 

Discharge: The most frustrating part of bring stuck in the hospital was when I was literally stuck and couldn’t leave. Here’s the comedic, and I’ll admit quite bitter and sarcastic version of what happened my last day in the hospital…

    All better, A-OK, wanting to leave and I couldn’t. First it was getting cleared by the Infectious Disease doctor. 

    She comes in, looks at me and a minute later she says "You're good to go.”

Then we wait for my normal doctor. 10 o’clock, 11, noon… nothing. 

Me: “When’s the doctor coming!?!”

Nurse: “We’ll check…”

Me: “Oh, how reassuring!"

Finally at maybe 2:30 he comes in, asks, “How are you feeling?.. You should take some meds home, and you have the green light to leave.”

Me and Sarah: "Woohoo!!" So we pack up all our stuff, and head out to the nurse’s station to ‘check out’? 

Me: (to the nurse that’s shocked to see us) “Can I ‘check-out’?"

Nurse: "Nope, can’t let you leave. You have to pay the hospital bill first, silly." 

Me: “Well... PC takes care of that.”

Nurse: “No, ma'am we insist. Pretty sure someone has to physically come here and pay it.”

Me: “Ugh, ok you’re majesty. I’ll go figure it out.” And head back to the room.

Settled on the bed, an entire movie later, and after some call exchange between PCMO (PC med. office) and the hospital, I can go sign the bill. So I do… 

Me: "Can we leave now?”

Nurse: “Haha you think getting out of here is that easy? Nope, PCMO needs copies of the test results.”

Me: “Ok, well can you make copies?”

Nurse: “Sure, that’ll be 10 pesos..” I give her 10 pesos and she leaves.

10 minutes later.

Nurse: “You have to go make copies. Our one and only copy machine in the entire hospital doesn’t work and we nurses can’t leave the hospital grounds, so you go wander the streets over there until you find the weird store that sells those Magic cards and comic books that also happens to have a copy machine (ya know, as a side business…)”

Me: “Right. ok then.” So I leave the hospital, make some copies, come back and then I can leave… right? WRONG AGAIN!

Nurse: “I have to prepare your take home medication.”

Me: “Oh ok, and you had to wait til I got back from running your errand until you could get started?” 

   Another half of a movie later (the X-Men marathon is on), I get my medication, directions and a ride. Finally, after literally waiting the entire day to leave, we get out at 6 pm.

   And that’s how we escaped the zoo.

1 down 1 to go

Here’s a random recap of new things I’ve done this last year and things that I haven’t done!

Happened (for the first time): 

had a tropical, mosquito-borne disease

was hospitalized

swam (and dove) in the Pacific Ocean

learned a new language

was away from home for more than 6 months

ate: goat brain, blood soup, seaweed, unicornfish, balut (partially fertilized egg)

lived with another family

visited World Heritage Sites (Tubbataha Reef and Miagao Church)

saw sharks while diving

lived on a ship

downloaded torrents from the internet

taught someone how to swim

was on the radio

lived 100% on my own

traveled 6+ hours across an island on a bus

sang videoke (karaoke) without shame

climbed a coconut tree

Happens rarely or just started recently (and is always REALLY satisfying):

sitting on a toilet seat to pee and having public toilet paper to use

seeing a movie in theaters

Starbucks

cooking my own dinner

owning a fridge

getting a massage

skyping (or just having internet)

showering (like water flowing from a faucet above your head)

Hasn’t happened:

driven any mode of transportation (except a bike)

eaten: berries, homemade cake, celery, jello

painted on a canvas

used a washer and dyer to clean my clothes

taken a hot bath

felt cold

needed to wear a jacket

watched TV (for more than 1 hour/month)

played a musical instrument (except strumming a guitar)

Things you probably take advantage of, but should be SO grateful for:

picking strawberries

watching the World Cup

cold weather (haha Minnesotans)

driving a car

radio

internet, whenever and wherever you need it

family

hugs and kisses

dogs you’re not afraid to cuddle

cold water

refrigerators

eating out

Panera, Subway, Applebee’s, homemade ice cream, sandwiches, pickles, macaroni and cheese, anything baked (brownies, cookies, cakes, pies, cheesecake, muffins, cupcakes, fresh bread)

baking

snuggling

asking a friend to just come over when you’re bored

Netflix

working out without the whole world watching

carpet

raking leaves

Church service in English

easily accessible waterfalls

hiking

flushing toilets, bathtubs, hot showers and running water

campfires

bar-b-ques and cookouts

celery

drinking water from the tap

grass you can sit in

sarcasm

Publix and Cub Foods (real grocery stores)

short check-out lines

being able to enter a store without showing the content of your bag (whether its a small purse, or a stuffed to the brim-takes five minutes to open day-pack)

and ethnic equality 

My Peace Corps experience has been one in a million and has thrown me a winding road, with obstacles I never imagined to encounter. It been hard, really hard at times, but I’ve made it through, almost halfway there. I have to say that I’m so excited to go back home in 15 months and re-experience America with a whole lot more gratitude and appreciation. These lists (especially the second one) tell the things that have stuck out to the most to me, as new and absent and the last one is basically what I miss the most. So take some time and think about what you would miss if you’re whole world was changed, and what you would come to appreciate more.

            Peace!

P.S. The reason I haven't written too many posts is because I can't think of what to write about! If you have a topic suggestion, question you want answered or post idea, let me know and hopefully that'll power me to get on this a bit more :)

It's not easy being green

People come us with fantastic ideas every day. Most go unrecorded, unnoticed, and pass like the majority of our thoughts. But some, some stick. They’re written down, they’re noticed and they metamorphic into something more than an idea. One of the ideas lucky enough to have become something is a ‘newish’ technology called green charcoal. It’s a fantastic fuel source made from unused biodegradable wastes that, in the Philippines, are impractically burned. There is, in general, a large solid waste management (SWM) problem here and the problem hold true with biodegradable wastes as well.

Using these ‘green’ briquettes made from wastes instead of the usual wood charcoal leads to numerous benefits. It is locally made fuel for cooking or heating that can offer alternative to the use of firewood and charcoal (this is the main fuel source for cooking fires here; see picture). It is cheaper compared to charcoal and it can put less pressure on natural resources (which is doubly important because the removal of trees in the upland areas is causing land slides and siltation, which travels the river to the ocean and chokes out the corals and seagrass). It can help the people in the community to earn money (especially when they’re fishermen, and the rainy season means few fish to catch), lessen the rubbish in the community (and less burning which means cleaner air) and BONUS! turns it into a source of energy. Talk about killing 6 birds with one stone!

Photo caption : These are the sample charcoal briquettes produced by CPUCA. (Source: http://devcomconvergence.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/briqutte-the-green-charcoal/)

So… with such a fantastic idea with so many benefits, why oh why in the world hasn’t the entire country started making green charcoal? I know this technology is fairly new, but what’s keeping the rapid spread it deserves? I actually don’t know the answer to these questions, but I plan on lighting a new spark of enthusiasm for this in Miagao. And my fellow Miagaowanons should  be proud to adopt this idea because the process of development was not only started by a Filipino, but began at Central Philippine University in Iloilo City, the capital of our Province! Unfortunately, the coolest, most difficult and of course most expensive way to do it is using a giant machine, like this.

Not too much initiation has happened yet (I want to figure out the best technology [that is appropriate for the Philippines] first and see what will actually go into the whole process), but once I organize my thoughts, get some enthusiastic people on board with me, and find a barangay that wants to pilot the project, I’ll be sure to update everyone on how its going (with lots of pictures, of course). And chance may have it that I’ll be asking for donations  down the road to fund the project (lack of funding could daily be the answer to my previous question).

If anyone has personal experience with alternative fuel sources, starting up a new business/alternative livelihood project, how to market the project/convince the community to make the switch, or knows a connection to someone, and wants to share any of that information, please let me know (gulbranson.jessica@gmail.com)!! Because I could always use help, especially this area outside my expertise.

Yolanda

I know it would be interesting for you to know exactly what I went though when the typhoon came through the Philippines, but I think now I'd rather tell you about what's now happening in the Philippines- because the coverage has basically stopped even though life has changed.

It’s been two month since the biggest storm in the history of my life. Typhoon Yolanda blew over the Philippines one day and was gone the next, leaving nothing but destruction, brokenness, and death in its path. To be honest, the initial recovery was kinda shocking for me and other volunteers. There wasn’t too much destruction in our city, or even that I saw, but two days after it was business as usual. It brings to mind the song ‘Funny the Way It Is’ by Dave Matthews Band, because of how ironic two people’s situations can be not an hour apart from each other. One is at the store buying a new pair of shows because their others got water damaged, and the other person is trying to figure out how they’re going to support his family without the income-generating sari-sari store that was destroyed along with his house.

Looking back on it now, it’s hard for me to focus on all the bad that resulted though, because there is so much good coming from it.  People are slowly rebuilding their lives, but it’s happening with more speed and ease because of the plethora of international aid being offered.

As early as a week after the storm, there were members of the Canadian army here in Iloilo, my province, helping deliver food and medical relief to the northern part of our island. Since then, non-profits and NGOs have popped up all over the Visayas working to help local affected families rebuild homes and businesses, to deliver school supplies to the kids that have managed to resume their education, to construct power lines so the city finally has power. One of my close Filipino friends has been working for an American NGO called Mercy Corps based out of Cebu. Their main goal has been the first of the three listed above- by assessing communities, scouting households in need, and distributing financial aid to get them back on their feet. The immediate aid that comes from all over the world is absolutely wonderful, but the long-term help is necessary to rebuilding the lives and economy that were destroyed. So if you’re reading this and never got a chance to donate to help the victims here, it’s not too late. Check out more about what Mercy Corps, ICAN (International Children’s Action Network), and other organizations are still doing in the Philippines!

We had volunteers that had to be evacuated from their sites and send on Administrative leave to America for the holidays. I’m happy to say that most of them are coming back and have already started the migration back to the tropics. I believe all but 4 volunteers are returning to their original sites.

Malipayon Paskwa!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Philippines!

This last year definitely has its fair share of surprises in store, but the path I took got me to where I am now, and I couldn’t be happier with the destination.

<<This here is my bff, Aileen, a student at University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) that has become somewhat of a 'little' sister.

A tropical country is a bizarre place to spend your first Christmas away from home. I couldn’t expect snow, the attempt at making Christmas cookies for coworkers failed miserably (due to the lack of facilities and ingredients, like butter), and the spirit of Christmas was actually hard for me to muster without my family.  But being here did give me a whole new experience. I shared my day doing many, many things I had never done before. Enjoying a feast of seafood (incl. unicornfish, tuna, steamed clams, sea urchin gonads, and deep-fried crabs –which I hope were soft-shell because I ate the whole thing-, and freshly gathered seaweeds) with a group of people I had never met before,

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the internet to work well enough to skype with my family so I spent my favorite holiday without them. The bright side in that misfortune, though, was the appreciation for them that became really, really apparent. I didn’t realize how much I missed everyone until Christmas came and went without them.

The reef at Apo Island!

One of 5 sea turtles I saw. This one's a green!

Apo Island, the first of our two beautiful dive sites!

Needless to say, I survived 2013 and ended the year with maybe the best vacation I’ve ever been on.  Our planned dive trip to some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the Philippines (Apo Island and Siquijor), if not the world, was extended to a stay on Siquijor that included circling the island, relaxing under picture-perfect waterfalls and very willingly jumping from cliffs into the sea. I also, very classily, enjoyed fresh coconut water (called buko juice here) right out of the fruit-- looks something like that >>

My accidental artistic shot. These are the very venomous spines of a lionfish!

A moray eel

Another underwater scene, this time from Siquijor. There were so many awesome fish and tons or coral that never fail to make it worth traveling into the world underwater.

Brain coral!

And after living in the water for two days straight, some of decided to transform out of mermaid mode and use, what do you call them again? Oh feet.

Clearly staying out of the water didn't last for very long. Actually I don't think there was a day my entire vacation that I wasn't at some point fully submerged in some body of water :) I really was born to be a fish!

And this was my favorite way to reenter the water!

And the view wasn't too shabby either!

DISCLAIMER: Being a Peace Corps volunteer really is difficult and challenging work. Please know that this was vacation and not how every day life is. In reality, the waterfalls are four hours away and diving only happens every other month ;)

Before returning to Dumaguete, where 20 some volunteers were going to be for New Year’s Eve, Sarah (who will further be referred to as ‘Bunso’) and I took a short ferry over to the southern tip of Cebu. There, our extreme and dream vacation continued with exploring another waterfall (this time high up in the mountains), snorkeling around Sumilon, making, eating and thoroughly enjoying mango float, and for our first time ever climbing a coconut palm to pull down our own buko! The work that goes into climbing, pulling and machete-ing, makes the sweet flesh just that much sweeter. Then it was back to Duma for a night filled with fireworks and fun!

The second waterfall of the trip!

Snorkeling around Sumilon, a small island off the coast of southern Cebu. Has stunning, healthy reefs where we saw a hawksbill sea turtle, a rare Napoleon wrasse (the largest of as wrasses and an endangered species!), three cuttlefish, and these little guys- razor fish!

After sleeping on the beach under the stars, Bunso and I voluntarily hunted down breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed fresh buko and the rest of our mango float (which of course was followed by a real breakfast with our Filipino friends- who wouldn't let us leave without having another bite to eat)

Before returning back to site, I managed to bike to more falls, hike 10 kilometers (6 miles) and back, up and down a mountain to a lake with- you guessed it- another waterfall! And after about 9 hours of travel (by bus, tricycle, ferry and jeepney), I made it back to site.

Things here in Miagao are still lying low. Preparations have started for our annual fiesta that will go from January 31^st to February 9^th! It’s also our municipality’s 300^th year anniversary, so this is going to be a big one! Therefore, not too much gets done around the office and I finally have time to write another blog!!! So hooray for fiestas!

    I think that’s it for now. I’m going to leave it here and get to work on the hurricane post I promised last time.

I hope that wherever you were this holiday season, you found a way to be happy and enjoy your time with whoever was lucky enough to be around you! Have a super year and try not to give up on those resolutions just yet.

Peace on Earth,

          from the Peace Corps!

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For those of you praying or keeping tabs on how the not-so-exciting part of life is going, I'm in a big pickle with my housing situation. After going through a tough situation with my first host family and a miscommunication on the second place I moved, I'm finding myself frantically looking for somewhere else to live. The kicker is that there's a university and a small college in my municipality and very little available space, making it extremely difficult to find somewhere I can live comfortably and call home. Just keep my situation in your prayers and thoughts so I don't have to feel so homeless and miserable anymore! Thanks! Love you all.