Finally . . . an update

Seems that the time between my blogs just keeps getting longer and longer . . . I'm not really sure why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that life here has somehow normalized for me and not many things stand out as blog-worthy. Whatever, whyever, it doesn't really matter. But I talked to Sommer and she said, "Mom, your last blog entry was June 8. Write something already!"

So here I am. Sitting in an internet place in Baguio City. It's about 12:30 pm. Just got off a bus from Manila which only took 6 hours today. Will take a jeepney back to site at 2 pm.

I was in Manila the past week for our Mid-service Conference. The conference was a real drag, but it was really great getting to see the other volunteers. We had the opportunity to see the volunteers that were posted in the Visayas (southern islands) and we had not seen them since our first week in country. It was a pleasant surprise to find it so comfortable to reunite with people we barely knew. I guess we were able to enjoy and feel comfortable together due to this past year as PCVs in the Philippines. Even tho' we each had separate and unique experiences, the overall cultural experience has been very similar.

I will spend the next week at site and then the following week will be traveling back to the Manila area with my counterpart for another conference. It is one where we get project-design guidance and the opportunity to work side-by-side with our counterparts designing our own projects. I am taking my librarian counterpart. It should be a worthwhile conference. If nothing else, it gives my counterpart a free vacation and she will love me for that!

As far as work goes, I have begun cataloging the library. And I will start teaching the Extra Challenge English Class at the beginning of September. It really WILL be an extra challenge if it turns out the way it looks like it's going to. Instead of having 30 chosen students this year. I'll be teaching ALL (100) of the first year students. There are 50 in each section, so I will teach 50 on Monday after school and 50 on Tuesday. Well, of course they won't all show up, but it will definitely be a larger group than last year. But I'm looking forward to it. I just hope I can learn all their names before the end of the school year!

What else? . . . As far as the host family situation goes. Well, it's going. We have a new house-helper. She's a 28 year old girl from Buguias (another municipality where they speak Kankanaey). She's nice enough to me. She doesn't cook as well as Shareen did, nor is she funny like Shareen was, but she's fine. I'm paying her to do my laundry, so it's nice not to have to wash my own clothes right now.

Oh, last week while I was in Manila there was a level three typhoon at my site. No one was hurt, but school was out for three days and there was a landslide that blocked the road from Kapangan to Baguio City. How exciting! It was raining like crazy in Manila and there were floods there, but no big troubles.

Well, I can't think of anything else so I'll close for now. Take care and email when you can! Seems the less I blog, the less people write to me. I'm thinking there's probably a direct corrolation. :-) Oh well . . . we do the best we can. Love to all.