today is my final day of work in manila. and it feel pretty good!! i have completed everything i wanted/needed to finish and it's all good. so i guess i could write a sappy "i'm going to miss this and i'm going to miss that" but instead let's just do a few top 5 lists.
top 5 things i will miss
1. the mangoes (fresh and dried)
2. tropical rural vacations
3. warm smiles, bright eyes and the beautiful shade of bronzed golden skin of the filipinos
4. hot calamansi juice (hmmm... heaven in a mug)
5. fantastic sushi
top 5 things i will NOT miss
1. throwing toilet paper in the waste basket
2. hot, smelly, crowded trains
3. being stared at EVERYWHERE i go
4. sharing a bed with a person i can't cuddle with (no offense jen.. :))
5. airport terminal fees
so very quickly there are the lists. in actuality i don't know if i could add anymore to the "NOT miss" list but i know there is more to be added to the "miss" list. all in all it has been a wonderful experience and i feel very blessed.
tonight myself as well as two of my roommates will be headed to bangkok, thailand for a few days... another adventure i would imagine. on wednesday i will return to manila for about a day and then on thursday travel to boracay, philippines for a few days on the beach. the hope is to come home on the 9th tan and stunning. we will see how that goes. i do not know if i will have time or access to blog while i am out and about so this may be the final entry for awhile. i know i know wipe the tear.
oh but seriously... thank you for your thoughts, prayers, letters, emails, phone calls and IM chats... you all are very important to me and i thank you for your love!!
so until the 9th...
blessings.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
different, diverse, destiny.... DY-NO-MITE!!
why does it seem that once you get acclimated to new surrounds your time in that environment has nearly evaporated? i was kindly invited to dinner and other good stuff by two filipino cousins of a friend from dc. good japanese food, a scrumptious and warm krispy kreme donut, refreshing san miguels and great bands... what a recipe for an excellent night!!
so at one point i asked my new found friends to pick one word to describe the philippines. yeah i know it's hard one!! nikki said different... agreed!! jon said diverse... agreed!! and jep (to follow the 'd' description words) said destiny.... hmmm. let's play with that one a bit.
so was this experience destined for me? do i even believe in destiny? hmmm... well i know these past few months given me time to think, it has opened my eyes to the "status" of many of my relationships, it has challenged me professionally and most of all it has given me the opportunity to learn from another culture. so how will this experience affect my perspective in life? i have no idea.. that will be for my close friends and family to decipher.
so as i begin my final week of work in the philippines i predict my mind will be constant summarizing mode. fervently trying to sum up the many thoughts, feelings, experiences of these past few months in the most succinct and powerful few words or phrases in preparation of the barrage of questions upon my return.
blessings.
so at one point i asked my new found friends to pick one word to describe the philippines. yeah i know it's hard one!! nikki said different... agreed!! jon said diverse... agreed!! and jep (to follow the 'd' description words) said destiny.... hmmm. let's play with that one a bit.
so was this experience destined for me? do i even believe in destiny? hmmm... well i know these past few months given me time to think, it has opened my eyes to the "status" of many of my relationships, it has challenged me professionally and most of all it has given me the opportunity to learn from another culture. so how will this experience affect my perspective in life? i have no idea.. that will be for my close friends and family to decipher.
so as i begin my final week of work in the philippines i predict my mind will be constant summarizing mode. fervently trying to sum up the many thoughts, feelings, experiences of these past few months in the most succinct and powerful few words or phrases in preparation of the barrage of questions upon my return.
blessings.
Friday, July 20, 2007
and i'm spent
okay it's about 1 pm on friday. i have gotten about 2 hours of sleep in the past 30 hours due to a crazy schedule involving the presentation of my symposium paper. for all who wonder the presentation went well... i think. i am not quite sure given the fact i have never presented a paper before. but what i do know is i am tired, i am heading home for some shut eye, it is friday and i feel like i have accomplished something. is there a better feeling??
have a good weekend.
blessings.
have a good weekend.
blessings.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
mennonite and justice
so a few know that i struggled with the decision to come to the philippines. this struggle was not due to fear or the lack of desire to travel but instead due to a prior commitment to an academic symposium sponsors by the north american association of social workers. earlier in the year i submitted a proposal to research and explore the connection between the historical and biblical underpinnings of mennonite faith and how those factors have shaped the faith's perspective on social justice. it was fascinating research that opened my eyes further to experiences of my ancestors and also allowed me to visit good ol' indiana an extra time this year. (the mennonite historical library, the location of the vast majority of my research, is located on goshen college's campus in goshen, indiana. shout out to my aunt regina who also spends significiant time in the "little" rooms in the MHL)
anyways... so around march or so i needed to make a decision. i couldn't do both... i couldn't be in both places at the same time. it was either the philippines experience which would last from mid-may until early- august or the symposium taking place during the 3rd week of july. what to do what to do? of course i sought the wise counsel of friends and family. most, if not all, told me to head to the philippines yet i did not want to "punk-out" on my agreed upon commitment of attending the symposium. plus i was excited to be apart of the symposium. anyways after much prayer i decided to head to the philippines and by pass my involvement with the symposium. so i thought....
as i wrote my letter explaining my decision to pursue the experience in the philippines i wondered if there was still a way to submit the paper for review even if i was not physically able to attend. the powers that be agreed to allow me to participate even though i was half way around the world. wonderful... all set. and i flew to the philippines.
upon my arrival at CFSI i quickly figured out i had been "googled" and my new coworkers were aware of my symposium involvement thanks to catholic university's website. they were very concerned about my participation in the symposium thus strongly encouraged me to use internet based service to present my paper via the computer. hmmm.... good idea all expect for the 11 hour difference.
so folks to make a long story short early friday morning, like around 2am, i will be presenting my paper via skype. it should be interesting and i hope that my brain is engaged. anyone who has had the experience of talking to me when i am either partly asleep or not completely awake should be grinning right now imagining me trying to sound smart in the middle of the night. hmmm.. should be interesting... :)
blessings.
if you are interested in my paper, "Mennonite Faith and Social Justice", just let me know i would be more than happy to share it with you. it's GREAT napping material. :)
anyways... so around march or so i needed to make a decision. i couldn't do both... i couldn't be in both places at the same time. it was either the philippines experience which would last from mid-may until early- august or the symposium taking place during the 3rd week of july. what to do what to do? of course i sought the wise counsel of friends and family. most, if not all, told me to head to the philippines yet i did not want to "punk-out" on my agreed upon commitment of attending the symposium. plus i was excited to be apart of the symposium. anyways after much prayer i decided to head to the philippines and by pass my involvement with the symposium. so i thought....
as i wrote my letter explaining my decision to pursue the experience in the philippines i wondered if there was still a way to submit the paper for review even if i was not physically able to attend. the powers that be agreed to allow me to participate even though i was half way around the world. wonderful... all set. and i flew to the philippines.
upon my arrival at CFSI i quickly figured out i had been "googled" and my new coworkers were aware of my symposium involvement thanks to catholic university's website. they were very concerned about my participation in the symposium thus strongly encouraged me to use internet based service to present my paper via the computer. hmmm.... good idea all expect for the 11 hour difference.
so folks to make a long story short early friday morning, like around 2am, i will be presenting my paper via skype. it should be interesting and i hope that my brain is engaged. anyone who has had the experience of talking to me when i am either partly asleep or not completely awake should be grinning right now imagining me trying to sound smart in the middle of the night. hmmm.. should be interesting... :)
blessings.
if you are interested in my paper, "Mennonite Faith and Social Justice", just let me know i would be more than happy to share it with you. it's GREAT napping material. :)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
sucker for the country
so folks it seems like a long time since i have updated my blog. my apologies... my apologies... this past weekend was the final official group trip....a blessing and a curse. a blessing in that the time for me to see friends and family is rapidly approaching yet a curse to realize that my time with new friends and my home in the philippines is approaching its end date. anyways onto this weekend.
this past weekend we went to cebu (say-boo) and bohol (bo-hole) and had a fantastic time. i have discovered as much as i try to flee from my dairy farm upbringing i seem to gravitate towards the country. i think there is a universal language among farmers. the language in the worth of dedicated hard manual labor, in patience of caring for fields and animals and the acceptance and expectation to get down and dirty. i am definitely not fluent in the language but i think i can speak it better than most...;). this weekend my rural world in indiana collided with rural life in the philippines. as we toured via our 3 person motorbike through the chocolate hills i was amazed how on one side of the bumpy dirt road were newly planted rice paddies while the other side was field of corn. not wimpy, short or sickly looking corn but good healthy nearly to the
calibre of my family's corn. yet what back dropped the corn fields were palm trees. it was beautiful and made me grin.
as were were touring through these huge mounds of dirt... seriously they look like huge ant hills... we came across a farmer with his caribou (or ox). of course in grand fashion he was sitting a top of his beastly friend and of course you guessed it i wanted to do the same. so we stopped our motor bike and i "gracefully" attempted to mount the dried mud matted ox. i finally succeeded and it was glorious.
as i think back on the memories i have made on this trip what tops the list are the interactions i have had with "country folk". perhaps they remind me of my childhood. i don't have tangible reasons for my rural attraction other than the special equation for an excellent vacation is beautiful rural scenery, away from the city and close to the smell of animals.
oh i did other stuff but you can check out the pictures for that.
blessings.
this past weekend we went to cebu (say-boo) and bohol (bo-hole) and had a fantastic time. i have discovered as much as i try to flee from my dairy farm upbringing i seem to gravitate towards the country. i think there is a universal language among farmers. the language in the worth of dedicated hard manual labor, in patience of caring for fields and animals and the acceptance and expectation to get down and dirty. i am definitely not fluent in the language but i think i can speak it better than most...;). this weekend my rural world in indiana collided with rural life in the philippines. as we toured via our 3 person motorbike through the chocolate hills i was amazed how on one side of the bumpy dirt road were newly planted rice paddies while the other side was field of corn. not wimpy, short or sickly looking corn but good healthy nearly to the
calibre of my family's corn. yet what back dropped the corn fields were palm trees. it was beautiful and made me grin.as were were touring through these huge mounds of dirt... seriously they look like huge ant hills... we came across a farmer with his caribou (or ox). of course in grand fashion he was sitting a top of his beastly friend and of course you guessed it i wanted to do the same. so we stopped our motor bike and i "gracefully" attempted to mount the dried mud matted ox. i finally succeeded and it was glorious.
as i think back on the memories i have made on this trip what tops the list are the interactions i have had with "country folk". perhaps they remind me of my childhood. i don't have tangible reasons for my rural attraction other than the special equation for an excellent vacation is beautiful rural scenery, away from the city and close to the smell of animals.
oh i did other stuff but you can check out the pictures for that.
blessings.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
wade in the water
so it is the raining season in the philippines. since our arrival we have been told time and time again how much it rains and floods during rainy season. of course i had no reason not to believe them but i have been here for over 2 months and hello i must be an expert and i had yet to see this rain and floods.... YET being the keyword.
last evening my roommate jen and i ventured to the mall of asia to pick up some IMAX tickets and have dinner. (side note on the dinner... wonton soup with siopao eaten entirely with chopsticks!!! yes be impressed...:)) anyways i digress... so while we were eating a thunderstorm rolled into manila and it was raining hard. after dinner we wander over to the taxi stand and jump in a taxi to head home. on the way home there was a bit of flooding but our expert taxi driver was unfazed hence we didn't think anything of it. THEN about a block away from our apartment building we were stopped by a traffic jam. now traffic jams are old hat in manila so jen and i didn't even think twice about it but then the driver turns around and says...."ummm.. i can't go any further because the street is flooded and the cars can't get through." i look out through the windshield and find kids playing in the street that had quickly become a knee deep lake. ha. so jen and i jumped out of the taxi and waded through the shallow part of the lake (only mid calf depth) through the floating plastic bags, cockroaches and any other trash that was caught on the street when the rains started. we were laughing. we were giggling but best of all it created a good memory.
so does it rain in the philippines... most definitely. it rains like it's not going to rain tomorrow but then it rains again tomorrow. :)
blessings.
last evening my roommate jen and i ventured to the mall of asia to pick up some IMAX tickets and have dinner. (side note on the dinner... wonton soup with siopao eaten entirely with chopsticks!!! yes be impressed...:)) anyways i digress... so while we were eating a thunderstorm rolled into manila and it was raining hard. after dinner we wander over to the taxi stand and jump in a taxi to head home. on the way home there was a bit of flooding but our expert taxi driver was unfazed hence we didn't think anything of it. THEN about a block away from our apartment building we were stopped by a traffic jam. now traffic jams are old hat in manila so jen and i didn't even think twice about it but then the driver turns around and says...."ummm.. i can't go any further because the street is flooded and the cars can't get through." i look out through the windshield and find kids playing in the street that had quickly become a knee deep lake. ha. so jen and i jumped out of the taxi and waded through the shallow part of the lake (only mid calf depth) through the floating plastic bags, cockroaches and any other trash that was caught on the street when the rains started. we were laughing. we were giggling but best of all it created a good memory.
so does it rain in the philippines... most definitely. it rains like it's not going to rain tomorrow but then it rains again tomorrow. :)
blessings.
Friday, July 6, 2007
a close of another week
so it is the close of another week. it seems as though the weeks are fleeting by and before i know it i will be walking through national airport towards a familiar face and into familiar surroundings. but as the days speed by i have to admit a part of me is not looking forward to my departure from the philippines. it's a weird balance i have going on. the desire to see people i love yet the desire to continue to stretch and grow personally and professionally which i have experienced since my arrival.
as i get closer to finishing my tasks for my time at CFSI i wonder... is the organization gaining or benefiting from my presence as much as i am benefiting from being here? i have the proverbial question nagging me... is what i am doing actually doing something? will it be useful? or was it a task that simply kept a perceived well-intentioned recent grad busy for a few weeks? of course i hope that what i am doing is not in vain and completely worthless. but even if it is worthless... was it worth the trip?
today i was able to explore the neighborhood of CFSI. i believe i have shared this before but pasay city (where CFSI is located) is the hub of the sex industry in manila. to an untrained eye it is a place of filth both physically and morally. however, after a second look it is a place of hope and potential. everyday i walk two blocks from the LRT station (kinda like the metro) to the office. on this daily journey i walk past a few friendly faces, who always say good morning and remind me how beautiful i am :), and a market. now the market has all the good stuff....bananas, mangoes, calamansies, carrots, pineapples and the list goes on but the market also is home to vendors who do not have a place to call home other than their vending space, a place where children hang out all night hoping to make a few pesos on selling plastic bags and a hub for the workers of the sex industry.
as i explored the neighborhood i was taken to countless "drive-in" motels. these are establishments people can go, park their car in conspicuous garages and inhabit a room for 3 to 12 hours depending on their desires and "needs". it doesn't take a genius to figure out they are not renting the rooms to play nintendo. i think on my exploration i was introduced to around 10 or so "drive-in" motels. granted this is within the span of 2 or 3 dc blocks. and the truly disheartening part is that the majority of the motels are staffed by girls, as young as 11 or 12, who live around my office. girls or women who believe there is no other options in life. girls in danger of transmitting diseases, being trafficked and raped.
but at the same time i listen to the kids that come into CFSI and their hopes and dreams. their smiles which almost convince me they will not fall a vicitim to their surroundings. what happens to the young girl who just KNOWS she will become a doctor someday and the same girl 5 years later who is working in the local hotel victoria? i have no idea. and is there room to "save" those little girls from their potential fate of a career in a "drive in" motel? once again i don't know but here has to be something that can be done!!
today once again i am humbled... truly humbled. what is my role, what is my responsiblity in responding to social problems? oh to have a magic wand... hmmmm
anyways it was a good week and i hope you all had a fantastic holiday and a great weekend.
blessings.
as i get closer to finishing my tasks for my time at CFSI i wonder... is the organization gaining or benefiting from my presence as much as i am benefiting from being here? i have the proverbial question nagging me... is what i am doing actually doing something? will it be useful? or was it a task that simply kept a perceived well-intentioned recent grad busy for a few weeks? of course i hope that what i am doing is not in vain and completely worthless. but even if it is worthless... was it worth the trip?
today i was able to explore the neighborhood of CFSI. i believe i have shared this before but pasay city (where CFSI is located) is the hub of the sex industry in manila. to an untrained eye it is a place of filth both physically and morally. however, after a second look it is a place of hope and potential. everyday i walk two blocks from the LRT station (kinda like the metro) to the office. on this daily journey i walk past a few friendly faces, who always say good morning and remind me how beautiful i am :), and a market. now the market has all the good stuff....bananas, mangoes, calamansies, carrots, pineapples and the list goes on but the market also is home to vendors who do not have a place to call home other than their vending space, a place where children hang out all night hoping to make a few pesos on selling plastic bags and a hub for the workers of the sex industry.
as i explored the neighborhood i was taken to countless "drive-in" motels. these are establishments people can go, park their car in conspicuous garages and inhabit a room for 3 to 12 hours depending on their desires and "needs". it doesn't take a genius to figure out they are not renting the rooms to play nintendo. i think on my exploration i was introduced to around 10 or so "drive-in" motels. granted this is within the span of 2 or 3 dc blocks. and the truly disheartening part is that the majority of the motels are staffed by girls, as young as 11 or 12, who live around my office. girls or women who believe there is no other options in life. girls in danger of transmitting diseases, being trafficked and raped.
but at the same time i listen to the kids that come into CFSI and their hopes and dreams. their smiles which almost convince me they will not fall a vicitim to their surroundings. what happens to the young girl who just KNOWS she will become a doctor someday and the same girl 5 years later who is working in the local hotel victoria? i have no idea. and is there room to "save" those little girls from their potential fate of a career in a "drive in" motel? once again i don't know but here has to be something that can be done!!
today once again i am humbled... truly humbled. what is my role, what is my responsiblity in responding to social problems? oh to have a magic wand... hmmmm
anyways it was a good week and i hope you all had a fantastic holiday and a great weekend.
blessings.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
and then
and then i went to puerto galera for the weekend. oh and was it a weekend. i think this weekend can only be explained using the phrase "and then" because so many activities were crammed into 36 hours of fun. so here goes....
at 2:45 am our alarm went off and we were out the door with maybe 3 hours of sleep under our belts. so jen, kate, fatoumata and i staggered out to hail a cab for the bus terminal. and then around 3:30 am we boarded the "4 o'clock" bus headed for batangas. and then around 3:35 am the "4 o'clock" bus leaves. lucky for us we had a fearless driver that stopped for no one and swerved all potholes with precision. and then we arrived at batangas pier around 5:15 am and purchased tickets for a boat leaving in "10 minutes". and then the 10 minutes actually stretched for 45 minutes. and then we boarded the boat for a hour and half journey to white beach in mindoro oriental.
and then the beauty of the sea was surrounding us. and then i fell asleep. and then we arrived... groggy but we arrived. and then we were MOBBED by merchants, hotel representatives, restaurant people and any other person wanting to sell use things or massage us. yeah yeah yeah i should be complaining but this mob scene followed us the entire weekend. and then we had BREAKFAST. yeah that's right. all this excitement with no food in our bellies. and then we decided where to rest our head for the evening.
and then we changed into our bathing suits and headed snorkeling. and then we went snorkeling in the strongest current i have ever had to swim in. there were times i thought i was swimming forward only to realize i hadn't moved. but the fish were a plenty and the corral were vibrant colors of blue, purple, green, reds and orange. and then we got back into the boat to be taken to sabang. and then i got sick.. i think the combination of no sleep, little food and the rocking motion of the boat was lethal. and then i felt better. :)
and then we realized that sabang was a diving paradise and unfortunately none of us knew how to dive. and then we went shopping and found fantastic fan/hats/pure style and took great pictures. (a shameless plug for my album) and then we jumped on a jeepney headed towards puerto galera. and then we went shopping again and ate lunch. yummy lunch...
and then our tricycle driver allowed jen to drive the tric back to white beach. and then i almost bounced out of the sidecar from some of the hit potholes. and then we safely arrived in white beach and went shopping once again. and then had dinner!!! and then we had massages on the beach. it was great but my masseuse really worked me my neck and shoulder are still a bit stiff from the massage. hmmmm...
and then we slept. and then we had breakfast, hung out on the beach, went to lunch, boarded our return trip boat and bus and then i crashed in my bed to wake up and realize it's time for work.
so that's the weekend. i think i need another weekend to recover from this weekend. good thing this next weekend we have nothing planned. yeah that's what i like to hear.
blessings.
at 2:45 am our alarm went off and we were out the door with maybe 3 hours of sleep under our belts. so jen, kate, fatoumata and i staggered out to hail a cab for the bus terminal. and then around 3:30 am we boarded the "4 o'clock" bus headed for batangas. and then around 3:35 am the "4 o'clock" bus leaves. lucky for us we had a fearless driver that stopped for no one and swerved all potholes with precision. and then we arrived at batangas pier around 5:15 am and purchased tickets for a boat leaving in "10 minutes". and then the 10 minutes actually stretched for 45 minutes. and then we boarded the boat for a hour and half journey to white beach in mindoro oriental.
and then the beauty of the sea was surrounding us. and then i fell asleep. and then we arrived... groggy but we arrived. and then we were MOBBED by merchants, hotel representatives, restaurant people and any other person wanting to sell use things or massage us. yeah yeah yeah i should be complaining but this mob scene followed us the entire weekend. and then we had BREAKFAST. yeah that's right. all this excitement with no food in our bellies. and then we decided where to rest our head for the evening.
and then we changed into our bathing suits and headed snorkeling. and then we went snorkeling in the strongest current i have ever had to swim in. there were times i thought i was swimming forward only to realize i hadn't moved. but the fish were a plenty and the corral were vibrant colors of blue, purple, green, reds and orange. and then we got back into the boat to be taken to sabang. and then i got sick.. i think the combination of no sleep, little food and the rocking motion of the boat was lethal. and then i felt better. :)
and then we realized that sabang was a diving paradise and unfortunately none of us knew how to dive. and then we went shopping and found fantastic fan/hats/pure style and took great pictures. (a shameless plug for my album) and then we jumped on a jeepney headed towards puerto galera. and then we went shopping again and ate lunch. yummy lunch...
and then our tricycle driver allowed jen to drive the tric back to white beach. and then i almost bounced out of the sidecar from some of the hit potholes. and then we safely arrived in white beach and went shopping once again. and then had dinner!!! and then we had massages on the beach. it was great but my masseuse really worked me my neck and shoulder are still a bit stiff from the massage. hmmmm...
and then we slept. and then we had breakfast, hung out on the beach, went to lunch, boarded our return trip boat and bus and then i crashed in my bed to wake up and realize it's time for work.
so that's the weekend. i think i need another weekend to recover from this weekend. good thing this next weekend we have nothing planned. yeah that's what i like to hear.
blessings.
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