Lindsay in the Philippines

Our dive boat, ACDC

The same day I returned from Cebu I moved out of my Host Family’s home. It was a spontaneous decision; I had just received approval from Peace Corps for my new housing. There was a narrow window of availability to move in this week (my landlord was in and out of town, I was receiving my dive certification), so I decided to just do it. I am so happy that I did.
I left my office in the afternoon around 2 o’clock. I went home and packed my things and by 4:15pm everything had been loaded into my host family’s car, driven 6.3 kilometers up the road to Magaba and unloaded at my new home. The house was locked, and once everything was unloaded from the car my host family was gone.
My new home is beautiful. When I arrived, I was still waiting for my landlord so I took a walk down the beach (aka, my backyard). I spent the evening cleaning and unpacking and trying to arrange my things. The luggage I had brought to the Philippines had grown. I have accumulated books and other assorted items and I’m amazed by how much stuff I have.
My landlord is also my supervisor, Ronald Sanchez. He is great, and likes to tell people that he is my host father here. That he and his wife have adopted me as another one of their children. They are incredibly generous to let me stay in their rest house, and have gone out of their way to ensure I am comfortable and have what I need here. I’m very grateful to have them in my life here. The first night, Chet, Ronald’s wife, sat with me on the porch overlooking the mountains at the other side of the bay. In my honor, they prepared a welcome dinner after which they packed up, bid me a joyous farewell and left me to my own devices.
This is my first time actually living alone. Of course, as this is Ronald’s rest house, he and his family come here often to pass the day enjoying the sunshine and the beach, so I’m not completely on my own. However, the first day I realized how very little I learned from my host family. I texted Ashley that first day on my own, “I have zero life skills.” I had been trying to start a fire in the outdoor kitchen. Allow me to preface (and defend myself) by saying I know the basics of starting a fire… I just can’t/couldn’t do it. I burned many pages of notebooks trying to create kindling. The leaves were wet due to a recent rain, so I couldn’t use organic materials to start my fire. I burned all my paper, and only successfully got one piece of coal to glow. Dammit! I grabbed a snack bar that Tylie had brought me (THANKS!) for breakfast and rode my bike into town to the office. The ride from my house is 30 minutes, but with the Amihan winds (Northeast Monsoon) blowing hard in my face it was a tough ride. I arrived to the office soaked in sweat, tired, and hungry.
My officemates helped me pick up some items at the store that morning. I got some pots, pans, and other kitchen items. I then bought a few basic grocery items and rope to tie my hammock. I had acquired many things for my home that day and when I loaded them into my bag and tied them onto my bike, by officemates roared with laughter. I was clearly a sight with a sac full of pots hanging from my handlebars, a loaded backpack on my back. I pedaled with slightly bowed legs to compensate for the package strapped to my bike. I’ve seen people ride bikes and motorcycles with cargo significantly more curious than my own, but I received many stares as I rode past laden with my things. I was well on my way to preparing my first meal, I had pots but I still couldn’t start a fire. Dinner that night was mango and beef jerky (again, thanks Tylie). I texted Ashley again, “I’m going to starve if I can’t light a fire.”
One big obstacle I had to sort out, and am still managing, is how to dispose of my waste. The amount of plastic packaging is ridiculous. I have purchased new appliances and cleaning products, and everything is packaged at least partially with the stupid petroleum based casing. In Cebu, I unpacked most things in the hotel room to get rid of all the things I didn’t want to have to dispose of at site. I will start compost once I get some worms and I am making eco bricks with my plastics and other non-biodegradable wastes. But cutting back on waste takes some savvy. Each time I visit the market, I turn down the plastic “sando” bags they try to give me. The vendors giggle that the kana doesn’t want the plastic. I feed extra food scraps to the street dogs and I can use paper waste as kindling. I try to up-cycle if and when I can.
Ashley and I took the bus to Kalibo on Thursday. We had a list of items to purchase including rice cooker, water heater, knives, dresser, and a regulator for my gas tank so that I could use my stove. I was starving by the time we arrived in Kalibo so we started with lunch. I hate shopping hangry. Our first store was a cheap department store around the corner from the mall. I purchased mostly kitchen items; I packed them into my reusable bag, “indi gusto ko ang mga sando.” We then made our way across the street to the home improvement store in search of a regulator.
I couldn’t find a regulator to fit my Solane gas tank in Pandan and was hoping to have better luck in Kalibo. I asked one of the employees at the store and he guided me to the regulators, I was excited but when I asked if it would work on my Solane tank they said no. We returned to the mall hoping that Ace Hardware or the Department Store would carry the right regulator. No and no. Without a regulator, I was unable to connect my tank to my stove, unable to start a fire, I knew I was bound to starve. We picked up appliances and a dresser at the mall. At this point, Ash and I had a lot of stuff. We laughed at ourselves, how are we going to get this back to my place?! The last bus was scheduled to depart for Pandan at 5:00pm and it was already 4:30pm. We got some help from the employees of the department store to load the items into a tryke, which took us straight to the bus. We loaded the items onto the Ceres bus. The cargo area under the bus was filled by the time we boarded, so our boxes were loaded into the aisle, which was not ideal for a crowded bus.
We returned to Pandan and disembarked the Ceres bus outside my supervisor’s house. My office mates met us at the side of the road where we got of the Ceres. We unloaded the packages and proceeded to my supervisor’s house to celebrate his birthday. My coworkers roared with laughter when I told them I couldn’t start a fire and I was desperate to find the right regulator. At that point, Gil, my friend and coworker, offered his extra Gasul tank for which I could find a regulator locally. What a relief! I could get the tank the next day. Ashley and I got a ride back to Magaba with all our new purchases. Ash and I had anticipated more of a struggle trying to transport our purchases, but it turned out to be quite effortless, which was very lucky.

Setting up my hammock!

My room is bright! Wooden floors and a nice big bed.

Plenty of storage and a private CR

My native hammock on the terrace

On my terrace, an outdoor living room.

Front yard and gate to the beach

The following day, Eli and Lauren arrived in Magaba to start our Scuba Diving Course. We spent the day going over skills and taking our tests. After day one of the scuba course, we went to town for dinner. While in town we collected the Gasul tank from my office, filled it at the gas station, carried it across the Poblacion back to the restaurant and purchased a regulator. Ashley and I carried the tank together, stopping to rotate and switch arms every so often due to the heavy weight of the tank. After dinner, our tryke driver hoisted the heavy tank to the top of the sidecar (effortlessly I might add), brought us to my house in Magaba, and carried the tank inside. Finally I had a working stove, I could eat! I could feed my guests!
I was surprised at how quickly I was able to move and get settled in my new place. My friends have been a great help! On Sunday, Melani and Cecil, my two friends at the office, came by to visit with their husbands. They brought me Squid Pancit and their husbands hung my hammock on the porch.

wacky! i said, “everyone make your scuba face!”

This is Niki, my neighbor and dive instructor.

Last week was a whirlwind. I moved, I got PADI certified, I hosted my first guests in my new home… I couldn’t be happier. My home is comfortable, I have an outdoor living room, I can see the stars on a clear night, the sun rises over the mountains on the other side of the bay and sets over the peninsula, my new neighbors are friendly, and my days are full.
I still cannot light a fire, but I am determined to learn. Living independently in the Philippines will pose challenges, but I am confident I can find the solutions. And when I cannot figure out problems for myself, I know that I have friends here who will assist me.
I have included pictures of my new home. Unfortunately, Ashley and I forgot to bring our cameras to capture the shopping extravaganza in Kalibo. I did include a shot of my barangay Fish Warden, Romy. We went fishing yesterday morning. He uses an Lupa lupa trap, we swam out to the trap and swam inside to find a squid and a few small fish. I hope you enjoy the morning silhouette of Romy in the Lupa lupa.

Early morning fishing