Thursday, December 15, 2005

Naragsak ay Paskua en kayo (Happy Holidays to you all)

So . . . this week I am here in LaTrinidad for language training camp. I'm pretty sure I have been learning some stuff, but right now I can't remember what any of it is. My language teacher here at the camp is a co-teacher at my school who I meet with most Sunday afternoons for language tutoring sessions. She is a sweety, but hasn't taught language before so we are both learning as we go.

We are staying on the campus of Benguet State University in dorms. I feel really fortunate to have a double room (2 twin beds) but no room mate and a private CR. Woohoo! It's the little things . . .

Tomorrow is the last day of language training. On Saturday morning I will be traveling about 7 hours by bus back to Nueva Vizcaya to visit my first host family. They are leaving for Manila on the 18th, so it will be a short visit with them. After that, I think I will be going to Ifugao and onto Mt. Province to visit some other volunteers. Teri (and possibly Tom) -- volunteers who were in my cluster during training-- will be coming with me back to my site for Christmas. That will be a good thing.

Everyone in Kapangan says that they don't have a big Christmas celebration, but "we have a very nice New Year's celebration". So . . . I will be staying in Kapangan for the New Year's festivities. I'll let you know how it goes.

Well, I really don't have much to say . . . I just wanted to write and wish you all happy holidays and say that I miss home. I miss my family and my friends and I really, really, really wish I was going to be there for Christmas.

But I'm not - and I will survive. Actually, I will do better than survive. I will continue counting my blessings and thanking God for my life. And I totally look forward to seeing you all when the time comes.

Love yourselves and each other. Have a happy christmas and a beautiful and safe new year's. Hugs and kisses to you all xoxo :-)

Saturday, December 10, 2005

A Typical Day

Hello everyone. I really haven't had many opportunities to update this blog lately -and when I have, I have felt totally uninspired.

In case some of you are wondering what my day-to-day life is like, I thought I'd give you a little peek into my new "normal". The weather here is currently pretty mild. The temperature during the day ranges from 55 - 80. It still rains somedays, but rainy season will be over soon. I still sleep with my window open at night, but the blanket feels good.

On weekdays I wake up to my cell phone alarm going off at 5:25am. That is if I'm not already awake due to roosters, crying kids, singing kids, barking dogs, brooms sweeping, Kankane-ey chatter, Christmas songs or other various tunes coming from the stereo. Most mornings, however, I wake up to the alarm. I usually lay there for about five minutes and then get up, get my shampoo, soap, and towel and go downstairs for my morning bath. Shareen, our 15-year old housekeeper/nanny/ and my friend, is always in the kitchen chopping veggies or doing other various morning activities, like heating water for our instant coffee. I always bump into her and she always makes some funny gesture at me (I don't like to talk that early in the day, so we just make some physical communication). Then I go into the bathroom, which is in the kitchen.

In the bathroom, I take the little dipper and pour icy cold water on my left leg, then right leg, then left arm, then right arm, then torso, then back. It works wonders for waking me up! By the time I wash my hair, I am numb and don't mind the cold water on my head at all. It's really pretty amazing!

After the bath, I fix a cup of instant coffee with instant creamer and go back to my room. In the solitude of my room, I drink my coffee, write in my journal, and do my morning thing. After I'm dressed, I go downstairs for breakfast. There is always rice and usually whatever we had for dinner the night before (reheated), and sometimes eggs mixed with veggies or potatoes. Or there may be little fish (which I don't love :-/)

Around 7:15 I put my laptop and water bottle in my backpack and walk to school. I live about 1/4 mile from the school, so it's a short walk. Sometimes some of the kids on their way to the elementary school across the street will talk to me along the way. They get tickled when I try to talk to them in Kenkane-ey. Actually, so do I. It's pretty funny just how bad I am at speaking their language!

The schoolday begins at 7:30 with the opening ceremony. All the students and teachers gather in the yard for the flag raising. We sing the national anthem (Biyang Magilew) and another song, which varies depending on the day of the week. Sometimes the principal makes announcements. Sometimes they just clang the bell (by beating a metal rod against a hanging wheel) and the students go to class.

I go to the faculty room and begin working on whatever I've got going for the day at that point. Sometimes I make visual aids. Sometimes I read /research to figure out what activities I'm going to write into the next module. Sometimes I do stuff for my principal. Sometimes I write on my computer. It just all depends on the day.

Many times throughout the day teachers on their off period will talk to me. I always just turn my attention to them (because one of the biggest parts of this job is forming and maintaining relationships). So I do a lot of chatting -about not really much of anything, it seems. But it feels like a good thing to do -so I do.

At around 11:30 or 11:45 I walk home for lunch. Shareen always cooks lunch and we eat around noon. Then I go to my room and read for a while. Sometimes I fall asleep (no wonder I'm getting chubby -I remind myself of my grandpa, who always took a nap after lunch!)

I walk back to school around 1:00 and continue to work on projects. School is over at 4pm, but teachers all stay til at least 4:30. On Mondays and Tuesdays I teach my remediation class from 4-5pm. So, around 3:30 I go to the room and prepare for class. I put out the snacks for the students and write whatever I need to write on the board, etc. I totally enjoy those classes. The students are great. They usually run to class (which makes me feel good) and seem happy to be there. We have a good time and they seem to be learning (at least I hope they are).

After school, I walk home -usually alone. When I get home, I change clothes and drink a cup of coffee. Sometimes I go sit on the poarch with my host sister. Sometimes I sit in the kitchen with Shareen. After coffee, I either stay downstairs and visit with my host family (if they are around) and play with Anne Furnee (the two-year old). Or, I go to my room and hang out reading, watching a movie, playing computer games, listening to music, coloring, writing, etc. until someone knocks on my door and says "mangan tako!" (let's eat).

I go downstairs and eat dinner with the host fam - Assunta, Benson, Anne Furnee, Shareen, and Bin-Bin. Usually Assunta and Benson eat in shifts because Anne Furnee can be a little bit of a pain at the dinner table, so they take turns.

After dinner, I either sit downstairs and visit with the host fam, or go upstairs and sit in the TV room with them while they watch Tagalog news on TV, or just go to my room and do my thing. It's sad to say that most times I just want to go to my room, but I make an effort to spend time with the family on somewhat of a regular basis. It's just always a challenge with the language barrier. My host sister speaks pretty fluent English, but her husband doesn't, so they speak Kankana-ey in the house.

I usually go to my room for good by around 7:30pm. I do any of the aforementioned activities for my evening entertainment and go to sleep anywhere from 9pm - midnight. Usually it's somewhere around 10ish.

Then the alarm goes off at 5:25 and do it all again. Exciting, huh? Yeah . . . I feel ya.

On the weekends I usually go into Baguio and do some shopping and internet and maybe see a movie or something.

Life in Kapangan is very slow-paced and laid back. There's not a whole lot of anything except people and chickens and dogs and a few carabao and cows and lots of rice fields, mountains, flowers, flowering trees, and various other natural resources.

If you feel bored after reading this blog . . . well . . . hehe . . . welcome to my world!