Flu, Family, and Joke of the Day

Nantrancasa ak ci dua ay agew! Translation: I had the flu for two days! On Monday, I went to school even though I had a headache all day. I just kept popping Ibuprofen. But Tuesday morning I woke up with chills and I felt like my head was going to explode. I took my temp with one of the little Tempa-DOT thermometer strips in my med kit. It was 102. I called the PC Dr. and was told to take Tylenol every 4 hrs. and watch for any rashes (a sign of denge fever). Luckily, by Wednesday afternoon I was feeling better and was able to get cleaned up and dressed. My host sister wouldn’t let me take a cold bath. She heated water for me on the stove (how wheeet :-). Went back to school today.

Did I mention that I really enjoy this amalgamated host family? Assunta, Benson, Anne Furnee, BinBin, Shareen, and now me. It’s cool, because they seem to be the perfect match for me. Assunta and Benson are both 42. They didn’t marry until they were 35. They didn’t get pregnant so they adopted Anne Furnee (who is now 2 yrs. old). BinBin (who is 12 yrs. old) is from La Trinidad, but his family situation was abusive so he’s come here to live. His younger brother is staying with Benson’s sister. Shareen (who is 15 yrs. old) is from Ifugao, near the Banaue rice terraces. She takes care of Anne Furnee, cleans, and cooks. She and I have really hit it off. I seem to have a soft spot for teenage girls. Last weekend she asked me to pick up a few things for her when I went to Baguio. She gave me money and a list. When I got home she had totally cleaned and organized my room and put fresh flowers on my desk. Today, when I came home for lunch, she had fixed me a fresh flower arrangement and left me a note that said:

:-) To make your day wonderful start your day with a smile :-)
The way to 2 make people smile is like this . . . read my joke baby!!!

“People says that you must to face ur problem but how can you face your problem if ur problem is ur face . . .
Ha! …. Ha! … Ha! … Ha! :-)
funny or not – this is the joke 4 2day”

Needless to say, it worked. I smiled. And I giggled. And I told it to the teachers, who all knew it already, but thought it was funny that I was so amused by it. And still, I laughed some more.

Life just feels better with laughter. (Especially when you’ve been flu-sick and homesick all in the same week.) Hope you are laughing everyday and remembering not to sweat the small stuff. Take care. And grins and giggles to you all!

Slow Week

This week was a slow, rainy week with not much excitement. Friday was Cordillera Day, so we didn't have classes. I came into Baguio City to get mail and do internet. Ended up going to a movie with my friend, Jody. She is posted in La Trinidad, the neighboring city to Baguio. We went and saw "War of the Worlds" - woohoo. The funny thing about going to the movies here is that you can enter the movie theater 30-40 minutes before the movie begins and they are already playing previews of upcoming movies. What's even funnier is that we watch them - and are entertained! Guess that's what happens when you live without television for a few months.

My big mission for today is to find a new umbrella. I found out this week that the umbrella that I bought in Nueva Vizcaya isn't really for the rain - it's only meant to be used to keep the sun off. Apparently, all Filipinos know that the small umbrellas are for sun and the large umbrellas are for rain. It's the little things that I find out as I go that keep me shaking my head. Just makes me wonder how many other things I am unaware of doing that entertain my Filipino counterparts. I'm beginning to think that I'm not paranoid . . . they really ARE laughing at me most of the time! :-)

My host sister and I had a conversation this week that was pretty amusing to me. I was asking her how to say things in Kenkane-ey and I asked her how to say "How was your day?" She said, "We really don't ask that."
You don't? Why not?
Mostly because we really don't care.
You don't care?
No, not really. Only if someone did something special like go to a wedding.
But don't you ask just to make small talk and to connect with your husband when he gets home?
No.
No?
Oh, then what do you think when I ask you how your day was?
Why is she asking me that?
I guess I ask because it's what I do in America. It's a way of making a connection with someone I care about when we come together at the end of the day.
Oh, we just say, let's eat.

So everyday I am discovering more cultural differences - and discovering just how truly American I am. And that's been pretty interesting. Okay, enough for now. Have a great week! Later.

Woops!

Yesterday, the last hour of the day I was sitting in the library with three teachers. They were teaching me how to say some different things in Kenkane-ey and laughing at my pronunciation. Finally, it was time to go home so I told them goodbye and left. As I was walking toward the office, I passed two other teachers. I thought "I'll practice my Kenkane-ey". So I said what I thought was "we'll see each other tomorrow". "Oman ilo ta sibigot!" I said (with heart and enthusiasm). Immediately they burst into laughter. "What's so funny?" I asked. The female teacher said, " You meant to say 'Oman illa ta sibigot'". Turns out, I had just told them "We'll wipe our bottoms tomorrow!" pretty funny, huh? :-) I thought so -and so did they!

Life is still good. Not much new going on in Kapangan. I'm in Baguio today because my supervisor and I made courtesy calls to the Provincial Superintendent and to the Governor today, but the Governor wasn't in. It's interesting to me how it is not customary in this country to make appointments. Never. People don't call ahead. They just show up. That is standard practice. I suppose it goes along with the idea that time is abundant and if we don't get it done today, there is always tomorrow - or next week - or whenever. Oh well.

Hope all of you had a happy Independence Day. Here , the fourth was U.S. - Philippine Friendship Day. But no celebrations. Business as usual. So, no holiday for me. No problem. Life is good.

Well, gonna cut out of here. Take care and God bless.

Brighter Days

Tuesday, 28 June 05. I realized today that I am feeling better –not so lonely or blue. School this week has been pretty uneventful. I’ve just been working in the library, going through boxes and counting books. In one of the boxes yesterday I encountered the biggest cockroach I have ever seen. I had taken all the books out of the box and then I noticed this roach that was probably an inch and a half long in the corner of the box. I was looking at it in, amazed, when it flew out of the box and toward me! I squealed and jumped and hopped around. The librarian laughed, but I’m not sure she understood why I was so freaked.

Random Thoughts

01July05
Today is “Flyday”. That’s what all the teachers here call Friday. I just say “Thank God”.

Kinda funny when I’m lying in bed at night, listening to all the crowing and barking in the dark and I look up and see fireflies flying overhead – inside my room!

Saturday, 02July05
Yesterday the science teacher wanted to know if I know “The Microscope Rap”.
What?
Yes, it was written by an American! Do you know it?
Uhhhh, not that I can recall.
I will show it to you – it’s in my book.
Okay. Yep, there it is, big as day. So, it’s a rap about how to use microscopes. Hmmm.
So, do you know it? You will perform it for my classes on Monday. Yes?
Uhhh. I will?
Yes, you will.
Okay, sure.
Yes, and you will teach all the students to do it with you.
Okay, sure . . . would be happy to . . .

And so it goes. What kind of American am I anyway? Didn’t even know the Microscope Rap! Shameful. Shameful I tell you. And shameless. Shameless is what I’ll be on Monday. Hehe!

A Few Things . . .

A few things that tickle me . . .
Tree covered mountains behind my school
A nice walk to work
Yummy food cooked by someone else
Someone to wash my laundry (for pay, of course)
My own room in a clean house
A view of rice terraces out my window
Passing carabaos on the way to school
Eating fruits and veggies I’ve never seen before
Remembering how to say something in Kenkane-ay
Smiles with lots of missing teeth

A few things I could live without . . .
Roosters crowing at all hours
Dogs barking at all hours
Flying insects in my room

A few things I miss . . .
Showers (and not rain showers – we get plenty of those!)
Ice
Diet Coke
Brownies
Paper towels
Convenient internet access
Being listened to (by someone who gets me)

Of course I miss my grandson and my kids like crazy – if I ponder all that I’m missing I feel terribly sad. And I miss my soul friends and loved ones – incredibly.

Life here is different. It’s pleasing in many unique ways, but it feels oh so very foreign. Most of the time I feel like I’m living inside someone else’s life – just borrowing it while I try it on for a while. And at the same time I’m distanced from life back home – the combination makes for a very surreal experience. Sometimes exciting. Sometimes boring. Sometimes, just plain lonely.
And still, I feel thankful for it all.