Blog Entry #5
1/14/15
It’s official. We’re halfway through the course and I don’t want it to end. I realize that this is common, we’re in the honeymoon period of a time abroad. 7 days in, we’ve met so many people, we’ve spoken and shared and cried numerous times. We’re straddled between comfort and that shiny new relationship feeling that has us buzzing. Yet, I haven’t yet written about my time before coming to Mindanao. The Philippines, as I have come to realize, is a vast and diverse place.
Maritza and I visited a fellow MIIS peace corps volunteer, Lindsay, to ring in the New Year in Cebu, the second biggest city in the Philippines and the biggest within the Visayas. I arrived after two days of travel (24 hours plus the time change means I lost a day!). I arrive, bemused and with a 40 pound bag of presents for Lindsay who has been assigned to a volunteer position with the local government unit in a rural area of the Visayas. I had stuffed pickles, beef jerky, nice scotch, US magazines, new dresses, energy bars and make-up into a tiny bag – hoping to surprise a volunteer who lives on very little and often doesn’t get those creature comforts we’re all used to. Jet-lagged and bleary eyed, I hauled my awkwardly packed bags through customs hoping not to be stopped by a customs official. Walking out of customs was overwhelming and the few couple of days in the Philippines were laced with comparisons and a bit of culture shock. But when heading to Mindanao – I went through a mini culture shock flying from island to island. When comparing it to the commercialized Cebu center, bustling Cebu port or beautiful coral beaches – it is just night and day. Cebu was overwhelming, at times I wondered if I had ever left the USA. Here – it’s green, lush, with rice paddies and I’m not heading to a mall so the peace corps volunteers can stock up on essentials prior to returning to site. Don’t get me wrong, I could do that too in Mindanao there are malls and shopping etc. – but the experience here is entirely different. I mean, the natural beauty alone of this island (natural beauty threatened by industrial development of mining and palm oil deforestation) is unique and tourists
The last meeting of the day in Davao.
I knew absolutely nothing about the Philippines and except for a glimpse into the education system and the conflict in Mindanao, I still have a lot to learn. And that’s how I usually do things before heading to an entirely different country – I almost purposely put on a mental block. I do minimal research on what to expect – I did this before moving to Spain for a year, I did this before heading to Scotland for undergrad and (you think I would have learned) I did this prior to my move and subsequent 3 years in Uruguay. That’s why, during pre-trip preparation weekends, I really appreciated Pushpa’s take on our preparedness for Mindanao and the Philippine in general. Don’t get me wrong, those weekend were pretty packed with information, tips, things to know, and on an on. Yet she assured us that when we got on the ground, the plethora of acronyms, names would all just make sense. I didn’t realize how comforting this was to me at the time, especially as we were in the throes of finals. I’m not sure where I’m going with all of this – except for the realization that I knew nothing before I came here and now have such an empathy, perceived connection and knowledge of the goings-on in Mindanao – that I can’t believe we’re halfway through.