Will & Will Not Miss

Here we are, the last entry. I've been trying to keep a list of my favorite and not-so favorite things about Manila since we've been here. Somehow it's not very complete--I guess I didn't do a great job. Domage. It's been a challenging few months, but in the end I've made some unforgettable memories here. Salamat po, Manila.

The Nots:
1. MBC, the vampire creepster. The appropriate people know what I'm talking about. Will not be missed.
2. Palm oil. I hate the smell of it, I hate the taste of it--if either happens, my appetite is completely destroyed.
3. Older western men with young Filipina ladies. Personal judgment call, I agree. But chances are, she's being paid as an escort, and the only reason why she has to endure it is to support her family on the income.
4. Cab drivers taking advantage. I now have no qualms about duking it out with a cab driver who refuses to take me to my destination (see No. 5) and/or quotes a fare. No, Mr. Driver. You are going to take me to where I want to go because that is your chosen profession, use the meter, and carry sufficient change.
5. "Traa-peeek". Translation: traffic. OUF. Manila traffic is horrible! Drivers refuse to go to certain parts of the city or ask you to pay extra because no one wants to deal with the parking lot rush hours.
6. Hovering salespeople. Please don't follow me around the store, offering things to me I'm not interested in. But in the rare chance that I do ask you a question, please know what I'm talking about.
7. Bad covers of American pop songs. The Filipinos can sing, no doubt about that. But does "Poker Face" really need to be covered as a slow song? By a man?

Will certainly miss:
1. My ladies! Obviously, I am going to miss Diana, Julie, and Meena like crazy! We'll always have stool sample collecting and the best Thanksgiving ever. But most importantly, we'll always have Tracy.
2. Newbies. All of Meena's warm and welcoming family, Catherine with her penchant for judgment, Julia and our epic karaoke sessions, Mackenzie and Sascha who saved the four of us from homelessness, the WHO boys club, Sr. Dulce and Kris, maybe even the security guards and doormen of our building.
3. The laundry service. You drop off your kilos, and your clothes are delivered the next day, folded and pressed neatly into a little cube of freshness, wrapped in plastic. All for a whopping $0.30/lb.
4. Dashing Diva. The perfect hour-long pedicure for $6. Ladies, I know you feel me on this one.
5. My morning oatmeal. And the two sausages I always get on the side. And the barbecue chicken. And the banana bread. I will miss the WHO cafeteria!
6. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap. Everything is a bargain. It's going to be very difficult justifying paying more than $3 for an hour-long cab ride or $6 for a new dress.

The perfect ending to this entire trip was to attend the wedding of Meena's cousin, Jorick, to his beautiful bride, Helen; two very funny, loving, thoughtful people. The bride wore a stunning green dress! Helen and Jorick, my best wishes to you both! Can't wait until there are little Helens and Joricks running around. You can finally have a proper Rock Band jam session! Jorick and Sons?

The End is Nigh

In just over two weeks, I will be leaving Manila. It's flown by, hasn't it? Especially since the start of my internship, I have no idea where the past month and a half has gone. After Manila I'll be heading to Korea until March, then back to the US to piece my life back together. In Korea I'm taking a language course at Yonsei University and tutoring to finance my wanderlust. I figure as long as I'm doing something productive, I can continue to justify my rejection of adult life and working, n'est-ce pas?

Just kidding, I'm genuinely excited about the prospect of finally beginning my career in public health. I am still overwhelmed and, at times angered and dejected, by what I see. The more I learn about global health, the more I see that there will always be a population in need; and that's what motivates me. Basic health and well-being is not difficult--it can be achieved. But far too many people in the world live without it, whether because of lack of access, financing, simple education, etc, etc. The list is too long. There is much work to be done!

Here are a few more memories I've collected in the past few weeks:

We went on field visits to Dumaguete and Bacolod in the Negros region with Sister Dulce Velasco. What an inspirational woman! She is a physician and nun who specializes in holistic/alternative medicine, and incredibly knowledgeable regarding community healthcare financing. For 10 days, Sr. Dulce led us around to various communities so that we could learn about how it is done in the Philippines. It was encouraging to see community members coming together to work towards improving each others' lives and care for the well-being of one another. Along with health financing and community insurance schemes, we also saw microfinance groups and alternative learning schools for child laborers who would otherwise not receive schooling.

Some friends I made on one of the visits:

  

Microfinance group:

  

Speaking of inspirational women, the Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan visited the Regional Office at the beginning of the week, to much pomp and circumstance. Smart, feisty, witty--I found myself laughing at her wry humor while simultaneously wondering how she still managed to be so open and personable.

And finally, Thanksgiving in Manila! It was, quite honestly, one of the best Thanksgivings I've ever had: Diana's friends visiting from the US, apple pie, stuffing, a cornucopia craft session, and even the Charlie Brown theme song in the background. Food holidays are the best!

I love food a little too much

When I lived in Brussels, I tore my jeans the first month I was there because I became crazed over apple pastries, warm baguettes and cheese, frites with samurai dipping sauce (spiced mayo), chocolates from Pierre Marcolini, et bien sur, la bière! Barbar is the only one I actually like. My girlish figure suffered greatly.

Anyway, I thought it was about time to discuss the food situation here. This is by no means comprehensive--we've eaten a lot, and my inner fat kid would cringe if I recounted all of our meals. It should suffice to say that there have been some amazing meals, others questionable, but most thankfully, no torn clothing to report.

Of the typically Filipino dishes, there is of course, adobo, a marinade based on soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and whatever else your heart desires. I actually haven't had too much of it, other than Meena's delish home-cooked chicken adobo back in Boston.

Breakfast will usually put you right back to sleep. It consists of garlic rice, fried eggs, and some meat. My favorite is called tocino.

Of the four tagalog words I've picked up (salamat = thank you, dito = here, Manny Pacquiao = Pacman, the Destroyer) the fourth is sinigang, my favorite soup. I tend to avoid the fish head because I don't like my food looking back at me. But stick a little rice in that bowl, maybe a little kimchee if it's in the fridge.. Lord, I am so Korean.

The Filipinos know a thing of two about the pig. Anthony Bourdain ranked Cebu lechon numero uno on the hierarchy of pork. Read about it from the lucky guy who helped make it happen on the Philippines episode of No Reservations.

Meena and I have also been pleasantly surprised by the WHO cafeteria offerings. First of all, the prices are so low that it would be more expensive to pack a lunch. For two unpaid interns, that's gold. And secondly, they serve decent food! There are some talented Keebler elves back there, churning out some bomb desserts. So far we've had brioche raisin bread, banana bread, lemon poppyseed bundt cake, and tiramisu. I have to admit, the elves aren't so talented on the Italian pastries, but someone back there sure knows how to bake.

For some of the catered morning meetings, they'll bring in coffee and a nibble or two. Last week it was black forest cake, to be washed down with Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Yes, World Health Organization. Yeah, I was wondering about that too.

Outside of the WHO, I attended a meeting at the ADB headquarters here, and we had a nice buffet lunch. When I say "nice," I mean classical pianist on the grand piano playing some Mozart to help you decide which dessert you'd like from the 6-foot long table of dessert. I hope my wedding reception is as nice as that lunch. Here we are, wishing the bride and groom a long and happy life together.

Sorry, I know this is long. I told you I love food too much. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking:

For those hedonistic foodies, here is my favorite food blog, Tastespotting. Absolutely decadent.

Feeling lazy

I've tried to keep up a weekly appearance on this blog, so sorry for not posting in awhile. Though if you also check Meena's blog, she has a good run-down of all things considered. Same same. Le fin.

I am tired

My days begin at 5:45am because I need at least an hour in the morning to become coherent in time for the start of my workday at 7:00am. While most people are beginning to stir awake, the WHO busy bees are buzzing away, battling the evils of Morbidity and Mortality. It's only been a week, but I've already learned a lot and couldn't be happier with how things are going. Currently on the agenda are meetings for the post-typhoon health emergencies in the Philippines and research on future health agendas for the Dept. of Health.

The situation here is unbelievable. There are still people trapped in and around flood waters, where diseases are rampant. The worst offender is leptospirosis, mostly due to the high levels of rat urine in the stagnant water. As of October 1, there are 1963 reported cases and 148 deaths, and the figure increases daily. Compare this to 40 deaths and 640 cases between 2004 to 2006, and you see how problematic this is. The DOH has a plan to distribute prophylaxis to the most at-risk populations throughout the affected regions, but there hasn't been an outbreak to this magnitude before, so there isn't an existing plan of action. However, it's not just lepto that they have to deal with. There are also increasing cases of diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.

What do you do with the people who are in these areas, and currently displaced in evacuation centers? They can't be expected to wait out their lives in some temporary holding facility until their former homes are habitable. More often than not, they weren't even that to begin with. And the flood waters are going to be here for months--it's not as if there's a bottomless pit of funding for these medications. Then to top everything off, the typhoons keep coming--Ramil (Lupit) is expected to hit the country this weekend. Oh boy...

Change of Scenery

I'll spare you the theatrics, but long story short, we've had to re-arrange our living situation in a short amount of time. It's quite a story, however, and if you'd like to know, I'm happy to share.

Alas, we are no longer guests of the Tropicana Hotel. Our beds will not be automatically made, bathrooms no longer scrubbed, and Meena and I will not be living in the same building as our boss. Frankly, I'm a little relieved about that last one. No more chances of awkward run-ins at the pool or shared elevator rides after an especially heinous work out.

What I will miss most is the neighborhood we've been in. It's not the prettiest of places, and the ongoing construction is irritating at 8am. But we've found our niches, and I'll be sad not to be in walking distance of our usual hangouts. If we aren't home, you'll likely find us at:

• Café Adriatico, the food never disappoints, the americano is perfect, and you'll feel like you've traveled to Europe. There's a great description on the Traveler on Foot blog.

• I've already talked about the Shawarma Snack Center, but it warrants another mention. I'm pretty sure the last time we were there, the Qatar National Basketball Team was at the table next to us. Either that, or a group of neck-strainingly tall men raided a market stand that just happened to sell clothes imprinted with "QATAR" everywhere.

• We have a love/hate relationship with Robinsons Place mall. Your go-to for just about everything. We almost signed onto living there inside one of the residential towers. Wouldn't that be ridiculous? Actually living inside the mall? But there's a cafe we frequent often called MoMo!. It's gone through a renovation and it's not the same, but it'll do.

• Chinese food = Hap Chan. Ok fine, it's a chain. And more likely than not, they use MSG. But that sweet and sour pork is insane. And we just discovered their student discount, so it's only 100 pesos! ($2)

There are also the stores down the street...

• the bubble tea stand: the 20-something owners apparently open only when they want, and that's usually only on sunny days, so they are never open.

• the laundry: where everybody knows your name, but calls you, "Julie," and Julie, "Nora."

• the dvd guy and his scary wife who yells at him to charge us more.

So there it is, that's essentially where we spend our time here--in Malate, anyway. I'll post photos of our new place once we're settled. In the meantime, here's something to look forward to in the new 'hood: Hobbit House. "...[F]ormer Peace Corps volunteer and college professor Jim Turner was so inspired by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books that he founded a bar called Hobbit House entirely staffed by “little people.”"

I am not a morning person

It's been a while since I've had to wake up at an adult time, sans the once-in-a-blue early morning flight. I'm a grad student. I've just taken out an ungodly amount in loans, so if I want to sleep until 11am, I'm going to sleep until 11am.

This morning after going to sleep at 2am working on school projects, I am awake at the very adult 6am to continue working on school projects (and said blog post). Why the sudden change? What happened to "we have soooo much time on our hands?" Somehow, unbeknownst to us, projects were assigned by the powers that be, and everyone decided October 12 and 13 looked good for due dates. I've had 4 papers and 3 projects to work on over the last few days and into the next few. Not all of this is because of procrastination and poor planning. Only 85%. Anyway, with this time crunch, I'm guilty of some self-neglect. I've been making meals of SkyFlakes because my visit to the grocery store is long overdue.

However, despite my griping, waking up this early is good practice for the half-way point of being in Manila. Shortly after classes are over on the 13th, Meena and I will begin our internships at the WHO. We're working with them for six weeks on various projects. That's six whole weeks of adult time awakening. I hope I'm ready for this. I am going to require lots of coffee.

Tour de Philippines

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Typhoon Ondoy. Please look at Google's list of places to help and consider donating resources.

There are also victims of the earthquake in Indonesia and tsunami in Samoa.

The Red Cross and Mercy Corps have information on how to contribute.

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Over the past few weeks, we've done some more exploring in and around Manila. Here are some highlights:

Diana invited me to a reproductive health information session that her boss held in Tondo. It's always startling to see women barely older than you with 7, 8, 12 children in tow. My grandmother married at 17 and had 9 children--a life not too unlike some of the women I meet here. I'm constantly reminded of the opportunities I've had in my life simply because I was born into the right circumstances. When I asked a 9-year old girl I met that day what she wanted to do with her life or be when she grew up, she had a blank expression on her face and no answer for me. I didn't quite know how to react to that. These children are some of the sweetest I have met since we've been in the Philippines.

This past Sunday, using Diana's birthday as an excuse to travel, we flew to Bohol for a few days. Whether good timing or bad, our flight out of Manila was after the first major storm of the typhoon, so we weren't in Manila to see most of the devastation. Luckily Bohol was spared from the storms, so we toured the island. Our day included:

1. The Blood Compact Monument

2. The plaque explaining the Blood Compact Monument

3. The Church of the Immaculate Conception (1527), the oldest church in the Philippines, and made of coral

4. Prony, the 23-foot python, with a surprise performance by this lovely lady:

5. Lunch on a floating restaurant, and a stopover at a "native" village (a completely fabricated village of people dressed in grass skirts and holding fake spears)

6. Tarsiers (Meena's blog has a creepy video of one)

7. A drive through a man-made forest, planted 38 years ago

8. The vista overlooking the Chocolate Hills, all 1776 of them

As always, food was the highlight of our trip. Bohol Bee Farm has an amazing selection of organic dishes. If you find yourself in Bohol in the near future, book your stay with them.

Finally, we've just returned today, two days early, from our field visit to Palawan because Typhoon Parma is on its way. We were there to test for malaria. For those of you who haven't already heard the BU go-to public health fact (fourteen times from the same three professors), the word mal-aria (bad air) has its root in the miasma theory of disease. Feel free to use that little gem as a conversation piece at your next party. Or is that lame and I should get out more? Anyway, as you can see, 'twas not the best time to be had.

Somehow, my master plan of spraying repellant on myself every twenty minutes on the barely-there exposed skin didn't work. Those little buggers bit through my clothes, on my face, and ear. The next day on the other ear! Ok fine, so I forgot to spray my ears. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I get malaria. Apparently though, we didn't have to worry because mosquitoes transmitting malaria are mostly active at night. Big sigh of relief, right? Nyet. Unfortunately the day biters spread dengue. Our professor contracted it once and she was in the hospital for a week with fevers, headaches, abdominal cramps, and bleeding gums. Bleeding gums. What have I gotten myself into here?

Lucky to have these ladies

Diana, Julie, Meena and I all met last year through school, and here we are now putzing around SE Asia together. When we aren't busy swimming in waterfalls or collecting stool samples, we're likely doing one of the two following activities: huddling around Julie's computer to watch past seasons of Lost or iming each other from across the table or in the next room. Don't judge.

By request, and so that you can appreciate them too, I've decided to dedicate a blog post to these ladies.

To start, there's Julie "Googlie" D., the baby of the group. Want to find a video clip of Tyra Banks going crazy over Vaseline? Need ideas for what to do in Manila? Julie D.'s got it. She's a googling machine. We met while trying to help a drunk girl zip her pants back up. Long story short, that girl was a hot mess. But that night I found my hand size and eye prescription twin. Come on, how rare is that? -7.5 R, -7.0 L with a little astigmatism thrown in there? She may or may not be dyslexic, but as she says, "don't worry 'bout it." We think she missed her calling as an Olympic gymnast.

Name: Julie D.

Where were you born: Springfield, MO! (Home town of Brad Pitt, Bass Pro Shops, and Cashew Chicken--believe it)

What's the last thing you crossed off on your "before I die" list: To have a picture taken of me in 9 different pairs of shades posted on the most frequented web page since Google.

The last song you listened to on iTunes: I'm not sure if I listened to it on iTunes, but it's been in my head for days... "everyyboddayyy..yeah yeah..rock your bodayyy..yeah yeah..everybody rock your body right (da dum dum dum da) backstreets back ALRIGHT"

If you could have an endless supply of one food for the rest of your life what would it be: I scream...you scream...I think we all know where this is going..I would have an endless supply of the one food that everyone screams for: ICE CREAM..every flavorful flavor of that cold creamy deliciousness, and topping for days.

Best memory from this trip so far: Discovering Nora's old x account, quote: "dayams, eminem is fine. NAH, he's FOINE"--priceless.

Something you should throw out but never will: My Tootsie Roll Halloween costume. Size: "ages 5-6"..you never know when I might want to wear that again..let me see that Tootsie roll

Next karaoke song: Meatloaf: I would do anything for love, anything you've been dreaming of, I would do anything for love, but I won't do THAT (techno remix ideally). If the techno remix isn't available, I may have to revisit my ol' go-to: Celine Dion. "It's all coming back it's all coming back to me now. There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light. There were things I'd never do again but then they always seemed right. There were nights of endless pleasure, more than any laws allowed.. BABY BABY.."

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Diana is our resident foodie. That girl will sit and gnaw on a chicken bone long after the shreds of meat are gone, enjoying the hell out of that thing. We met in front of flour bakery at the beginning of the school year, talking about how sick we were of the "get to know you" conversations, and that we just wanted to meet our would-be friends already. Fitting that two people who love food so much would meet in front of a bakery, no? She's probably the most well-traveled person I have ever met in my life. How many people can say they've been on a trek through the Galapagos? Diana wears her heart of gold on her sleeve, which is how she's always been. She's still the same sweet girl I hosted dinner parties with, and who walked home with me after class in the dead of Boston winter wearing flip-flops. You're the lambiest of all, D.

Name: Diana P./D money/D-mmmm

Where were you born: Chi-town

What's the last thing you crossed off on your "before I die" list: Fist a water buffalo

The last song you listened to on iTunes: Three is the magic number!

If you could have an endless supply of one food for the rest of your life what would it be: Avocado, duh

Best memory from this trip so far: When our boat broke down in the middle of the night in the middle of the ocean on the way to Guimaras, it was replaced with a dingy, and Nora taught us Korean hymns to keep our mind off of the sketchiness

Something you should throw out but never will: The stuffed dragonfly I got for ordering a fruit shake at the all-you-can-eat buffet last week

Next karaoke song: "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire... ba dee yaaa say do you remember, ba dee yaaa dancing in september, ba dee yaa never was a cloudy dayyy

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I met my favorite Filipindian (Indipino?) on BU's Accepted Students Day. Meena and I quickly realized that we're kindred spirits so we decided to look for housing together. Unfortunately "that b, Sarah C." screwed it all up so she ended up with Stompers and I got 'Bama. But thanks to Manila, our dream of being roommates has finally come true! We share the uncanny ability to judge people exactly the same way, so all we need is a little eye contact and that knowing glance to confirm. "Meena, did you see.." Uh huh, she saw. "Riiight?" This lady spends healthy amounts of time lurking on Facebook, cooing over the Obamas, and staying on top of the latest gossip. Watch out for this one--if you spend time walking aimlessly in traffic, she will mow you down.

Name: Meena L.

Where were you born: Downey, CA

What's the last thing you crossed off on your "before I die" list: Go to Africa

The last song you listened to on iTunes: Skinny Love by Bon Iver

If you could have an endless supply of one food for the rest of your life what would it be: Manchego cheese

Best memory from this trip so far: Meeting Malaysian Snoop Dogg (that shit is hot!)

Something you should throw out but never will: UVA tshirt from 1st year when I could fit into child-size clothing, can barely get an arm in now

Next karaoke song: Tupac-Changes

This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands...

We're at varying levels of productivity here at the apartment. Diana's leading the way, already interning for an NGO called EnGendeRights. She's drafting legislation, working on advocacy campaigns, writing press releases... Meanwhile, my greatest achievement yesterday was level 18 of Tetris on an old-school Gameboy. I almost scored 300,000 points. Either that or learning how to dive into the pool. (D, where's my drumstick?)

To pass the time here, we've gotten a little more inventive (aka, desperate for entertainment). Here's a sampling:

We've discovered that Julie has the perfect face for any pair of sunglasses. Somehow we've amassed 9 pairs of sunglasses between the 4 of us, so we had a little photog sesh.

Then there are the Facebook games. Who knows the most awkward person on Facebook? We had to decide on two categories: most awkward picture and most overall awkward person. Julie won most awkward picture with a bizarre series of nude his-and-hers pregnancy photos. As for the most overall awkward person, the jury is still out. Round two will be who knows the most beautiful person on Facebook. Nominations accepted.

On a day trip to get to Zambales for a little beach and surfing, Julie and I took a 3.5 hour bus ride to Olongapo, only to find out that Zambales was another hour-long bus ride away. Plan B, we settled for a closer beach that unfortunately looked like this:

How many oil tankers do you see? So after 20 minutes of standing there and talking to the two other people on the beach, we decide to get on the next bus back to Manila. Compare it to taking the Chinatown bus from Boston to NY, getting off in Harlem, standing on a street corner for 20 minutes, then heading back to Boston. What a day.

It hasn't all been so depressing. We went on a fantastic tour about Imelda Marcos in the Cultural Center of the Philippines, led by Carlos Celdran. He has a few different offerings of topics/locales, so if you're in the area, one of his tours is a must. Julie also bought a fabulous green guitar, so we're having a few sing-a-longs and rehearsing our upcoming variety show. Finally, we've been catching up on past seasons of Lost. Jin's korean is pretty horrendous.

Btw, we just had a staring competition to see who has to turn on the a/c.

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day..." (Macbeth, Act V, Sc. 5)

This entire week has been one big rainy puddle. Our area has lots of flooding (knee-high) from the non-stop rain, and apparently there are people in the street with make-shift plywood bridges, asking for a crossing fare. For a country that has seasonal monsoons, you would think it'd make sense to build some infrastructure to handle the runoff.

On the one day of brief respite, Julie found a Middle Eastern place called Shawarma Snack Center to quell our shisha cravings. It was like being transported from Manila for a few hours to a cafe in the Middle East. One of my favorites was the offering of dried dates on the table--delicious. While we were enjoying our rose and strawberry shisha (delightful combo), people began filtering in to break fast for Ramadan. I felt a little guilty enjoying the plate of hummus while everyone was patiently awaiting the sun to set. But as soon as that meal began, full of sound and fury, I looked away for two minutes, and it was all over. Everyone ate then went upstairs for prayer.

So how about this trip to Borneo? Just perfect. A great mix of international city with access to beaches and nature. Unfortunately we didn't realize a trek up Mt. Kinabalu was more involved than planned, so we didn't see it. However, we did enjoy a little rafting session--oh, just a class 4. We only capsized once and I floated downriver for only a few minutes, enjoying plenty of that refreshing muddy river water. No biggie. I would go back to Borneo any day. If anyone wants to go up Mt. Kinabalu, I'm there.

The only downside to the trip was the flight back, which was delayed for 6 hours b/c of mechanical problems. We got back to Manila at 4am in time for our 8am class. My airplane karma is just all kinds of whack. (There was that one Christmas I left Reagan on the 23rd, was routed through Newark, and finally got to O'Hare at 6pm on the 25th. And to all a good night.) However, because of that little delay, we received an email from the airline entitling us to some travel vouchers! After some rampant high-fiving and screaming, we settled down and immediately started looking into flights to Japan. I am SO excited! I didn't think I'd make it to Japan during this trip. Domo arigato, Cebu Pacific.

"With a cockroach from hell"

I vaguely remember a scene from Bird on a Wire where Goldie Hawn's character is taking a shower and a cockroach falls onto her, so she screams bloody murder. "I just took a shower with a cockroach from hell! He's in the bathroom right now doing his hair!"

Life imitates art. This morning I was in the bathroom about to wipe my face with the hand towel and I noticed a brown spot. Very close up (because I'm horribly nearsighted) it was a HUGE cockroach. HUGE. I screamed like hell and dropped the entire towel into the sink and half crushed the bugger with the drain pull. It was still wiggling its disgusting legs after a few minutes so one of the girls grabbed a wad of toilet paper and chucked it down the toilet.

HolymotherofallthingsgoodandpureIcan'tbelieveIalmostmadeoutwithacockroachfromhell.

There hasn't been much of anything to report lately. The stressful question each morning is "what should we do today?" Tomorrow, however, we leave for Kota Kinabalu in Borneo! It's close to Mount Kinabalu on the northern tip of the island. Stories and photos to come.

The Good, the Bad, and the I-Can't-Believe-I-Did-That

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A treat for the eyes and ears: Diana's Phils: Part 1

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I don't even know where to begin. With all sincerity, words fail me. These past few days have been crammed with more adventure and memories than I could have ever imagined. Sure, I went skydiving a few weeks ago, but that pales in comparison. I was on the verge of death. Twice. Possibly three times because I'm pretty sure I've contracted schistosomiasis.

Guimaras:

The journey began on Thursday. Two cabs, a plane, another cab, a pump boat, a jeepney, a second pump boat, and a dingy later (total 7 hours) we arrived in darkness to the Baras Beach Resort. Nevermind having to switch rides 8 times. In any normal situation I would have griped just about that. But friends, I had bigger things to worry about.

Verge of death 1: the second pump boat, after some clanging on the engine with a hammer, was kaput. We sat under an incredible blanket of stars and waited for rescue. Luckily it came without too long of a wait. Unluckily it was the sorriest looking dingy I have ever seen. Unluckily there were no life jackets for the 7 passengers. Unluckily the water was not calm, and water kept crashing into the boat. Did I mention I can't tread water? My sisters and I took swimming lessons, yes. But I missed day one: how to avoid drowning. I sang old choir hymns to distract myself from the realization that, in fact, a wave just might hit at the same moment that the driver guns the engine and flips us. A little melodramatic? You would be too if you were there.

Scared and soaked (some of these are Diana's photos)

The dingy

How can you hold a grudge though when you wake up to this?

As we were swimming, another boat pulled into the resort and a group of Koreans joined us in all their FOB (fresh off the boat) glory. Is it normal in Korea to swim wearing goggles, shorts, shirts, hats/visors, and hoodies on your head? Anyway, they had no idea that I understood what they were saying because as we were enjoying our fresh coconuts, the kids swarmed around us talking about how they wanted to try them too. I eventually went to the parents to offer them up, and they were shocked that I spoke Korean! They blinked a few times before realizing that I was, yes, addressing them. We made fast friends though--they were so sweet during the rest of our time together.

We also went exploring on the different islands. We rowed around in the dingy, laid out on more beaches, rode into caves, visited a trappiste monastery, and saw a sea turtle sanctuary.

Here comes Verge of Death 2. Remember the "can't tread water" remark? After scaling the side of a cliff in wet flip flops we found ourselves face-t0-face with a 50-foot waterfall. The "don't listen to me" voice in my head and my friends told me I couldn't let the opportunity to swim under a waterfall pass me by, so in I went. I loved every minute of it!

Right after that little jog in the park we climbed down another hill to swim in a spring.

The rest of the time at Baras was pleasant, save for the room. Let's just say there were creatures abound sharing the room with us. But that's what you get for $7/night, right? The staff was so helpful and sweet. Baby, Boy Boy, S Boy, Nonoy, you are all missed!

Baras Beach Resort at sunset

Sorsogon:

Oh Lord. The morning after we got back from Guimaras, we went right back out at 4:30am for our first class trip where we were told we'd be collecting snails. Oh right. They forgot to mention we'd also be taking a little side trip to collect blood and stool samples from "carabao". First of all, we were all scratching our heads wondering how a bunch of tundra-loving caribou ended up on a tropical island. Carabao are water buffalo.

These pictures can speak for themselves. BTW, the school neglected to bring the long gloves, so we made do with short ones. I have to stick my hand in further for the stool? No thanks.

The day ended in smiles when the school kids swarmed around our group to check out what these foreigners were doing in their barangay. Now I know how Bono feels.

"We just stuck our hands inside a buffalo's ass! We're amazing! I can do anything! Bring on those stupid snails, I can do that with my eyes closed."

I would gladly have pooped scooped another twenty buffalo if that meant I didn't have to strain my eyes, back, and legs crouched over in the rankest mud pits/swamps looking for the smallest snails in the world. Imagine looking for dirt. In a big pile of dirt. With all kinds of insects and rodents swarming around you.

This is why I'm sure I've contracted schisto. My school-provided ankle-high boots were no match for the quick-sand mud pits, so mud oozed right in. Good thing I had open cuts on my leg! No worries though, as we were knee-deep in mud, we were assured that, of course, we're all having blood tests in 55 days to make sure we will receive medication if we've contracted schisto. No problem!

Needless to say, I am quite skeptical about our week-long jaunt in Palawan: malaria studies. You know me and mosquitoes--I'm a magnet for those suckers. Schisto and malaria within months of each other does not sound like a good time.

Comings and Goings

In a few hours we're off to the airport for our first trip! The destination is an island in the Western Visayas called Guimaras. They are renowned for their mangoes, "sweetest in the world", reportedly served at the White House and Buckingham Palace.

I remember the first time I ever had a mango was on a family vacation in Florida. I was maybe 4 or 5? (Also the same vacation when we went to Disney World and I had to be that kid on a leash. I have the pictures with Minnie to prove it.) We happened to come across a mango festival and I was in heaven. Imagine being eye-level with tables dripping with everything mango. I remember just grabbing things off the tables and shoving bits of mango into my mouth. I probably shouldn't have done that, but I guess the purveyors didn't want to mess with a child who had to be leashed.

Anyway, I'm sure there will be some lovely photos to share with you when we get back from our trip. When we return we have to head right back out for our first school trip. We are going to Sorsogon, a province in the Bicol Region. Whale shark capital of the world! Yikes, I doubt I'll get over my fear of "big things that swim" in time to jump into the water. I don't think we'll have any free time though. We're there to collect snails to test for schistosomiasis. Send me good vibes so that I don't end up contracting those little buggers!

What post is complete without the mention of a mall? We made it to the Mall of Asia, an endless maze of stores upon stores. There was a fantastic photo exhibit of incredible press photos. The 2009 World Press Photo exhibition is touring globally, but unfortunately the US dates have already passed. Visit the site--a must see!