October 13, 2000
Hey all. It's time for that update on the happenings in my crazy life as a Peace Corps volunteer. Actually, since I last wrote an update, a lot has happened. In May, I went to the States for a 3 week vacation. After arriving back in the Philippines, I attended fiesta(s) and went to Palawan. Unfortunately, I have also been warding off various medical problems, such as amoebiosis, bacterial infections, and foot infections (who knew that a blister could land me in the hospital for 4 days?). If it seems like the majority of my time has been spent dealing with random illnesses, you are not mistaken. However, because of my medical experiences, I now feel like a true Peace Corps volunteer. Things like amoebas, bacterial infections, and other internal parasites are lovingly referred to as "stomach kwans." As Peace Corps volunteers, we freely talk about stomach kwans and what medicines we are on to get rid of parasites. This just goes to show you how we have all become a little warped both mentally and physically by our time in the Peace Corps. The one good thing about parasites is that weight loss is effortless (albeit not a pleasant way to lose weight). Weight Watchers could make lots of money if they just gave their clients bad food and water.
Okay, off the stomach kwan subject. I know that normal humans are not as interested in parasites as Peace Corps volunteers are. What else can I say? Life here remains good and relaxing. In fact, I think that I have forgotten what life outside of the Philippines is like. I am so used to the way of life here now that things that I see or experience rarely fazes me. So what have I been doing? Still working on environmental education. We actually just launched a waste management program at my school on Monday. My youth environmental club continues to strengthen its efforts and have been very active this school year in tree planting, conservation work at Mt. Palaypalay, and the establishment of our waste management program. In September, I took 2 students and a teacher with me to a Peace Corps sponsored camp on the island of Palawan. The camp was for one week and covered issues like coastal management, youth leadership, and how to translate education into action. It was an amazing, amazing experience. Although it was my third time to the island of Palawan, many of the Filipino participants had never been there before. Palawan really is a magical place. I can't even begin to describe the energy that I derive from being there. After 2 months of working hard and being sick, I welcomed the opportunity to be very dirty, smelly, muddy, and wet at the camp in Palawan.
Other interesting tidbits, we had out town fiesta on August 15th-totally fun, though an exhausting experience. My family was preparing for days-cooking, cleaning the house, killing baboy (that's pig in Tagalog). I spent most of the day wandering back and forth between my family's home and the homes of at least 7 other people who invited me to eat with them. Basically fiesta is like this-from morning until night, you walk from house to house eating and eating and eating some more. Because of my previous fiesta experiences, I have become somewhat of an expert in the field of fiesta eating. The key is to pace oneself, to only take a little at each house. It is rude to refuse food, thus one must not eat too much food at any given house. Believe me, I have learned my lesson the hard way. Too much, too soon = a day of feeling stuffed and miserable.
Lots of people have roasted pig for fiesta. (On the day before fiesta, I passed people who were slaughtering and preparing the baboy). But things like mixed stir-fry vegetables (known as chop suey), ube (a purple root crop) that is mixed with milk and then chilled, leche flan, chicken, and sometimes fish are also served. Probably the most memorable part of fiesta for me was having my host dad tease me because I don't like to eat baboy. He kept picking up a plate with a pig's head on it, saying, "Meg, you eat baboy. Baboy is good for you." Besides eating 7 times, I also participated in the karokol, which is a street dance/parade. There is a particular type of music that is played and a dance that people do as they parade around town.
The next few months are going to be busy for me. I have been nominated to serve on the
committee that plans the annual Peace Corps environmental education conference. We
start meeting in November to prepare for the conference, which will be held in March or April. I am also helping out with an in-service training for another group of volunteers. The training will be held in Los Banos (like ours was last year). I will be spending Christmas in the northern city of Baguio (also know as the City of Pines). My friends and I are hoping that the cool mountain air and the pine trees will get us in the Christmas spirit. For New Years, we are traveling to Pagudpud (the most northwestern place on the island of Luzon) in the province of Illocos Norte. The theme is glamour and sophistication-dressing up and bringing wine are requirements.
So, what can I say? Time is flying by so quickly. We have our end of service conference in April and we are officially done on June 9, 2001. But for now I am here and this truly is my home. I have my routines, my work, my friends, and my host families- a life here. I have found that it is harder and harder to treat my time here as an experience. It has become difficult to view things objectively. My life here is not characterized by the what's and the everyday happenings, but by the relationships that I have formed and the personal growth that I have been experiencing. Although life in the US is filled with conveniences and things that are designed to simplify our lives, life here is of a different breed of simplicity. I definitely prefer biking to the palengke (market) every morning to get my fruits, vegetables, and ingredients for my ulam (term used to describe what is eaten with rice at a meal) over going to a grocery store. Obviously there are certain aspects of my life here that will not transfer to life back in the US. However I am pretty sure that my time in the Philippines has impacted me greatly and that the lessons that I am learning here will not be easily forgotten.
June 2001
I am in the midst of removing all of the decorations from my walls. Yep, it is time to pack up. 2 years (and a month or two) have passed by really fast. I am preparing to leave here in one month, July 4, 2001. 2 years, yet more than just 2 years-a trip into the core of who I am, an eye-opening experience, a test of my strengths. 2 years of personal challenges, times of extreme frustration, loneliness, and burn out. But, also 2 incredible years of euphoric happiness, cultural immersion, inside jokes, and laughter. As the past 2 years have passed, I have found my home to be Maragondon, Cavite, Philippines. My language is Tagalog. My food- mongo, papaya, sinigang isda, inihaw, kinilaw, etc. My music, Eraserheads, Sandwich, Imago, Radioactive Sago Project. The Ramirez family is my family. We watch "Pangako Sa'yo" (Promise to you) and "Sa Dulo ng Walang Hangan" (literally to the end of no end) on TV. We laugh over small things and they say "Filipina ka na" (You are a Filipina now). In short, this is the life that I have come to know.
Thoughts of leaving can make me sick to my stomach and my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I wonder how we will function in the US. This is after we have spent 2 years deprogramming ourselves. We've seen each other grow and evolve, become more in tune with ourselves, more open, more relaxed, more accepting. And those observations make us realized how much we have been impacted by our time in the Philippines.
I have had 2 phenomenal years here. I have traveled to some beautiful places, seen parts of the Philippines that many Filipinos have not seen. Yet, the best journey has been inside of myself, knowing myself inside and out, up and down. Liking myself, persevering through challenges, and finding a happiness that had never existed before.
I'm not sure what life in the States will be like, how I will be when I return. Maybe I will be mellower, happier, more confused, and more perceptive. I worry that I will seem like a freak-so in awe of traffic lanes, washing machines, microwaves, and the accessibility to food. I'm already anticipating that readjustment will be hard. I dread the thought of 9-5 work schedules, no 2-hour lunches, and no days off for birthdays and fiestas.
So, as they say, I'm leaving on a jet plane (it's a very popular song here) on July 4. But before I head home on Sept. 1, I'm going to do some traveling first (Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos).
People keep asking me which was harder-leaving the US to come here or leaving here to go home. I choose the latter. I've always known that I would be returning to the US. I need to save up money before I can come back here. Saying goodbyes have been hard and I bet that that is going to get worse. My final despideda (going away party) is on July 1. But, I know within my heart that I will return to the Philippines. I feel as if I am part Filipina now, like the Philippines is my second home. You can take the girl out of the Philippines, but you can't take the Philippines out of the girl.
My two years in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer were the most incredible and rewarding two years of my life. I strongly recommend the Peace Corps to people who are open minded and who are willing to commit two years of their lives becoming immersed in another culture. I was able to not only learn a new language and experience a new culture, but also met incredible Filipinos whom will always be a part of my life.
Farewell to the Philippines
Peace Corps
Philippines
1999 - 2001
