My September

Well it was a crazy month…I ate Mexican Food and drank draft beer in Manila, climbed Mt. Everest (ok not really but watched an IMAX on it), got my phone stolen, got my phone back, helped build a Material Recovery Facility, helped build a few Biosand Filters, rocked d’ mizike videoking with 14 fellow volunteers, swam to some waterfalls, hiked through some caves, canoed down a river, kissed a Tarsier, bought a bamboo guitar, had all you can eat pizza and drink beers in Cebu (for only p150…$3), moved into my nipa hut on the beach, and turned 25 years old…That’s the short of it, read ahead for the long version…

I left the 6th on a boat bound for Manila with fellow volunteers Tim, Scott and Erin. We had Warden Training in Cavite but were able to get a full day and night in Manila. We headed to the Mall of Asia, which apparently is the biggest mall in Asia…I’m not sure but it was definitely the biggest I’ve ever been to. Our one day goal was to find Guinness Beer and Taco Bell. Neither was available in the biggest mall of Asia so I settled for some Nachos at an ‘American Style’ restaurant and San Miguel Draft (which was actually pretty good…although I’ve probably lost all concept of what quality brew should taste like). We then went to an IMAX movie about Mt. Everest, which was nice after reading the book Into Thin Air a couple of months prior (solid read by the way). That night we hit the streets looking for an Irish Pub in our ongoing quest for a good Stout. We found a place called Harry’s that looked like a Pub but was actually a GRO bar…whoops…Tim fought off the prostitutes while Scott and I played some pool until we finished our beers (again just San Mig Draft). We were rescued by another volunteer from Northern Luzon who took us to the Hobbit House, which is a Lord of the Rings theme bar run by midgets…Awesome! Apparently it was started as a livelihood project by a volunteer in the 80’s. We headed to the second floor, which is a PCV hangout, and met up with about a dozen other volunteers who we hadn’t seen in 6 months…I’m not old enough to know what a High school reunion feels like but I’m guessing this was pretty close. People had changed dramatically. Some were skinny that used to be fat, some had big hair that had no hair, and some people who never said a word during those first couple weeks were the most talkative in the bar. We had a good time catching up with everyone and had a few Negras (the only dark beer brewed in the Philippines). I never got my Guinness but later found out it was down on the first level of the Hobbit House the whole time…next time.

The next morning everyone that was in Manila for Warden Training (about 30 of us) headed to Cavite. The training was two days and covered our responsibility as Wardens to contact the volunteers in our region if a disaster occurs. The training was alright but it was really good just to see some people and share our stories (good and bad). It is good to know that other people are out there going through similar struggles at work.

After Warden training I jumped on a plane back to Iloilo and my home island of Panay. My next training would be at Seafdec in Tigbauan which was my hub site during my initial training in country. I was actually pretty excited to get back home where I could talk to people in my language. At the airport I hopped on a jeep to Molo where I could transfer to another jeep to take me to Seafdec. As I was about to get off the jeep I felt something grabbed from my left pocket…I feel my shorts…I still got my wallet…where’s my phone!!! “Isnatcher Ikaw!” (You Thief!) I yell at the guy next to me. “Diin ang cell ko?!” (where’s my phone). As I’m searching him he tries to go out the side window and the driver grabs him around the neck. Then I notice the guy that was on my right is off the jeep running away…damn, I got the wrong guy…the cops hear the commotion and are there within seconds to cuff the guy still on the jeep but the runner is long gone. At this point I think the guy cuffed might be innocent but I know that I felt my left pocket grabbed and only he could have done it. The police search him but find nothing. They tell me I have to go to the station and fill out a report. Great…how long is that going to take?…if I go straight to the city now I can buy a new phone and still make the last jeep leaving for Seafdec. You might think I’m crazy to consider just leaving the scene of crime to buy a new phone, but volunteers lose or get their phone stolen more often than you think (one volunteer had to buy 6). The police tell me the station is close so I decide to go with them. As soon as we get there I explain what happened, where I’m from, and where I’m going. The cops do a little interrogating and find out that the guy in custody was in cahoots with the runner. The thief hears that I’m assigned in San Joaquin and feels bad because he has got an aunt there or something…I’m kind of mad at the guy and don’t really want to hear what he has to say. Then the police tell me that if I don’t press charges they can make a deal to get my phone back. I’m trying to see the justice in this deal but then remember I’m in the Philippines and what I really want is my phone back, not justice. I say deal and within an hour I’ve got my phone with all those precious numbers I would have lost (not to mention the P3000 for a new one). I get on a jeep heading to Seafdec with my hands permanently clasped to my pockets.

Nothing quite as exciting as that story happened at my technical training but I did learn a lot. The Wat/Sans covered aspects of water distribution systems, sanitation systems and solid waste management. This was kind of a lot to go over in a week and we felt a bit short changed since the batch last year got a 2 week PST2 and the year before that got close to a month. During the week, we helped build a Material Recovery Facility and compost bins for the Seafdec Campus. We were stressed for time and only managed to get in a day of proper solid waste management education to the employees of Seafdec. Since I’m the closest volunteer to the campus I am planning on following up on the progress starting next week.
I think the most important aspect I got out of my technical training was the practical advice on water distribution systems from our trainer Kiwi. Kiwi was a former PC volunteer who built a level II distribution system that involved laying more than 5km of pipe. Projects like his were what drew me to the Peace Corps in the first place. He is currently creating his own NGO here in the Philippines that he hopes to hand over after two years. I’m thankful that he will be around for awhile in case I need to pick his brain some more.

After PST2 I had one more training regarding how to make a biosand filter. I had read about sand filters before and had my doubts since they usually require a lot of maintenance. However, this filter required little work and its sustainability and effectiveness has been proven worldwide with over 500,000 operating in 37 developing countries. They remove more than 99% of protozoa, helminthes, and other bacteria that cause water borne diseases. There are regions that have had the same filter in use for 15 years. They are capable of producing 200 liters of drinking water a day. We built four of them for our training and installed one at the local school and cafeteria of Seafdec. I’m also planning on checking up on these when I swing by for the MRF and compost visit.
When I got back to San Joaquin I talked with the local Doctor about the filter and he seemed pretty excited about the possibility of implementation. Our water quality is not as bad as some areas of the Philippines but he says there are barangays that experience water borne diseases every rainy season. As soon as I receive the materials from training I plan on giving a presentation to the Municipal Health Workers and anyone else interested. I am pretty excited about the possibilities of this filter but I will have to wait and see if people from the town share my enthusiasm.

As busy as we were that week and a half I still got in some quality good times with other volunteers. The highlights included a Reggae Party at a bar in Iloilo with some pretty good bands, a Sunday at the beach in Guimbal, and our last night together videoking in Iloilo. Videoke is extremely popular in the Philippines but the Pinoys really love to sing slow love songs the majority of the time. That is why it is a special time when you can get together with just Americans and really ROCK OUT! We went to a place where we could rent an air-con room with leather couches, plenty of beer, two microphones, and a big TV all to ourselves…good times.

After being away from home for 15 days I was ready to get back but I had already planned a little vacation with my fellow wat/san volunteer Lee. The following day we took the overnight boat to Cebu and then hopped on the fast boat to Bohol Island. We stayed at a place called Nuts Huts along the Loboc River in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived we decided to swim up the river to some waterfalls. The locals assured us there were no snakes or crocs in the water, but neither of us spoke Cebuano so we weren’t a 100% positive if the words we were using were the same. We built up our courage, took the plunge, and were rewarded with a refreshing swim and some beautiful falls. The next morning we hired a guide and hiked up to some caves loaded with bats. Then that night we canoed down the river to see some captive (approved by the government) Tarsiers. They kind of reminded me of a cross between Gremlins and Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. We left the next morning to head back to our sites but before we left the island we had one more stop, which was the real reason we had come in the first place. We had both ordered handmade bamboo guitars from June- “The Guitar Guy”- Reputana. It cost me P7250 (only $145) with the hard case, which is close to a month’s living allowance but it was worth every piso and definitely the nicest birthday gift I’ve ever spent on myself. As good as the day was going it got better with phone calls from home including my sister Quinn who had just turned 20. Her birthday is the day before mine but since I’m a day ahead on this side of the world we shared ours at the same time. We thought that was kind of cool. Once we arrived in Cebu, Lee and I headed to a place that serves all you can eat pizza and all you can drink beer from 2 to 6 PM everyday for only a 150 pisos ($3). I was skeptical at first but there really is no catch all, which meant I was eating and drinking for two and half straight hours until I was forced to leave in order to catch my boat back to Iloilo. The two of us decided that if they were to play football on the TVs it could be the greatest place on the planet for 4 hours everyday. If you ever find yourself in Cebu City the place is called Regasta’s (or something close to that) and it’s in the Ayala Mall.
I’ve been back in San Joaquin for about two weeks now and I am all moved into my nipa hut on the beach in barangay Balabago. Things are going pretty well so far. My new landlord has been nice enough to provide me with a gas stove and an electric fan. He also built me a table and some shelves in my bedroom. I am still buying things as I need them but as of now my two big purchases have been my rice cooker and foam mattress. I spent the first week sleeping on just the bamboo bed and decided I wasn’t hardcore enough to handle that for 2 years…I love my bed now. There have been typhoons passing since I moved in so I don’t really have any breathtaking photos of my place yet, but here is a nice shot of my new guitar and rice cooker looking out from my living room. That’s all I got for now. Keep on Rockin wherever you may be!