arbuhl's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member arbuhl on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/arbuhl en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:43:25 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com Native Cultural Ways — Ifugao, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121237400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121237400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121237400/tpod.html Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:43:25 -0500 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Ifugao, Philippines

About a month ago I accompanied a co-worker of mine went to a meeting and information session on SRI (System of Rice Intensification) facilitated by the Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces Movement (SITMO). It was very interesting a Professor talked about the pilot project/experiment at the Nagacadan Rice Terraces and how they conducted it. The meeting was conducted in the native language of Tuwali mixed with Tagalog luckily for me there was a brochure in English. Then we went out to the terraces and saw the harvesting of the rice along with a native harvest sacrifice to supply the people attending the session with grub. So we hiked a short distance to native Ifugao houses on the other side of the terraces where we sat on the ground amidst the natives enjoying selves talking and drinking local rice wine while waiting for lunch. The native men wore the native attire, a g-string, and began the sacrifice with a chicken. The purpose of this is to determine if the gods will provide a good harvest season by the placement and size of some of the internal organs of the chicken. So they hold the chicken upside down and slit the throat. The blood is then drained out in to a small wooden bowl and smeared all over the other wooden utensils including a bamboo instrument. All the while the other native Ifugao man is chanting in the local tongue about the elders and years past. The 'killer' then gets up and bangs the instrument on his legs producing a hollow sound and dancing the native dance around the houses and all of us. The chicken is then placed over the fire to burn off the feathers and roasted. This sacrifice is performed on many occasions and is an ancient 'pagan' practice of the natives called baké. Because of the large amount of visitors they also sacrificed a pig, which was squealing the whole time it was being butchered, well not the whole time....you know what I mean.
Last week I met a few older people through an Australian friend in Kiangan. They told us of the ways of marriage. The man gives a number of pigs to the woman of his dreams and her family. The number of pigs is determined by how much she is worth. If she is a lawyer for example he would give more pigs than if she was a farmer. To accept the proposal the family accepts the pigs. Although there has been some discrepancies among the people about if the acceptance means they are married or they are engaged. This is accepted nationally as a marriage but not internationally since no legal document signed. According to the Ifugao language packet Peace Corps issued, long ago if a woman accepted betel nut from a man than they were together. Good thing I haven't chewed betel nut with a boy! Betel nut is a nut found here that many people chews with lime. It's similar to chewing tobacco in that it makes you dizzy or something, have yet to try it. It also turns your whole mouth including your teeth red and because of this there are red spit spots all over the ground in all the province.
Another interesting thing I learned is since suing is not very common here, as opposed to in the states, people take the matters into their own hands. Years ago this meant headhunting. Meaning that if you messed with one person in the community you messed with the whole community. I think it was a similar case for the American Indians. Now that headhunting has lost its fashion appeal, the people have moved to communication including apologies and compromises. So if there is a murder or an accidental death where someone is at fault, according to some members of the community then they talk about it. Not blaming each other and yelling, like Americans would, no the families and the culprit set up a meeting with the dead man's family and apologize, even if they feel that the culprit is innocent. It isn't about being right or wrong it is about saving face and preserving the ties and friendships with each other. Amazing! They agree on a price or payment and that is the end of that. No grudges held....life goes on. There maybe talk about the truth individually amongst a family but not publicly, publicly they are civil with one another. What a system! I'm curious to know more about the details and how well the system works or fails.
]]> Take a spill take a flight.... — Manila, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1144621140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1144621140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1144621140/tpod.html Sun, 09 Apr 2006 18:45:35 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Manila, Philippines

As it turns out, I managed to get sent home. I know what you are thinking, what a slacker she couldn't handle it, she missed her family and friends so much she had to leave. Well while the later my be partially true the former is all wrong. Not that I won't be back, to all my Filipino friends out there you can quote me 'I will be back'. As you all have seen me fall down before and even joined me in the laughing at myself..... (Cyndi that means you especially-remember that fall in the house where you called the ambulance and gave them the wrong address?!:) I have managed to do it again but this time I have a real legitimate excuse. You would have done it too.....I bet. What happened? Well as coordinated as I am I fell down the stairs...stumbled really. You see the stairs in the province are not designed by a engineer or architect they are designed (maybe) and built by people like you and me. Yes, you could design and build your own stairs here. So there are no specifications they adhere to, the spacing and height is what ever you so desire. Its funny to see stairs that start off at a low height, with ample depth then at one end they get higher and shorter. Well that's it I stumbled down a set of stairs that were built this way. I should have known it would happen eventually. I have stumbled two or three times prior to this but not put so much weight on it so it just bruised. Maybe the bone was getting weaker with every mishap. The long bone connecting the smallest 'pinky toe' now is spiral fractured and the two sections of bone are 5 mm apart. So I'm heading home for surgery. Using the Wi Fi Internet at the business class lounge now, its nice. See you all on the other side. FYI when it heals I hope to come back to the Philippines, the doctor says at least two months healing time.
]]> Its my return to fresh milk and microbrew mate! — Perth, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1139980200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1139980200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1139980200/tpod.html Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:50:21 -0500 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Perth, Australia

Ah a vacation where i could actually relax. I know what you are thinking, you relax every day and barely work, but you say that from your air con apartment with Internet, cable TV, car sitting outside ready to go when you are, and if you are my friend with a cold beer in hand that's not San Miguel. Great time although expensive comparatively but much cheaper than flying from the USA and i had a free place to stay so that also saved heaps of cash. The first day I arrived an old man came up to me at the airport, who happened to be Bec's dad. So he informed me that she was not arriving til the following morning and I could wait for her at her sister's apartment. No problem after three delays to get here and a few days confusion of whether to go or not, at least at this point I know I am here for a week. As long as she shows up all is well. And she does at around eleven am the following day. I arrived late the previous night so no problems there. Had good food including the craved steak, good beer, great fresh milk (2 liters in fact), gelato, pasta, pizza, salsa, chocolate, lemon lime and bitters (a Australia soda drink) but didn't get the famous meat pie (darn). And honestly I was a bit disappointed in the Chai at most of the million coffee shops, to milky not enough tea or sugar.
I was strongly encouraged to visit this particular week, relatively early in my service because of the largest concert in Western Australia, The Big Day Out. It was a rock concert and included well known artists like the White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand. I managed to do everything one would do at a concert but was a bit disappointed that the beer could only be drank inside the beer tent area! And unfortunately I got lost in the crowd and spent my time during the last three bands alone with people I didn't know. All is well though as I found my friend at the end (we had a meeting spot:)
I also did everything that was worth while in Western Australia; went diving on Rottnest island where we swam through cave like areas between coral, disturbing many schools of beautiful fish, and managed to swim right over a three foot wide stingray who was not at all interested in me or the other divers.
Went on a dolphin watching tour in Rockingham and learned that they only sleep for a few minutes at a time, have sex lots, dive in and out of the water so that fish can't detect they are near then use their tails to hit them on the head (sounds like a Looney Toons episode except the sex bit). Also their life is lessened by about ten years if they are held captive while the rest of their herd will die.
Also visited the Cabersheir wildlife park where you can camel ride (i did), walk amongst kangaroos and feed them, pet koalas, and hold a wombat! All of which were a lovely time.
Wine tasting made me feel rich, but its obvious we had no experience in this when Bec asked what are we supposed to look and taste for and my favorite wine was the cheapest one! Also stopped at a car show on the way which really made me nostalgic for Michigan. There were a few Chevys and GM cars but here they have their own local version of GM called Holden, and Fords are the most popular. The favorite of Bec's bro is Suburu which is made in Korea!
Where we were staying was right outside the city of Perth in a suburb so it was very easy to get around with all the public transportation available trains, bus or taxis. Perth seems to be a very clean, environmental and health conscious city, where people are encouraged to take the public transportation and exercise. Everyone there was super nice and really tall! Maybe its just because I am used to the Filipinos but it seemed that they were even taller that most Americans! After missing my flight last Thursdays and being forced to stay til Tuesday (darn) I did some exploring on my own, as Bec had to leave Sunday to fly home to work. I visited Valley of the Giants, in Walpole, a national park area, which is home to the last Eucalyptus trees in the world. There is a foot path above them where you can walk and one is pegged for climbing, it was previously a watch tower for forest fires. I was amazed at how many trees we passed on the long bus ride that had black burnt areas on their trunks. I asked the driver and he said they do control burns every year to divide the forest up so if a fire did start in this dry desert place it wouldn't destroy everything.
Then monday I went to the beach in Cottlesloe, beautiful and went for a hour and a half bike ride around Swan river. The bike path had stops where you could lift weights and exercise, but since I rented the bike for only one and a half hours, and I'm cheap I didn't try. Their are a lot more animals here than I thought. All around the river right next to the city there are cockatoos, white and yellow, white and pink, black and red (I think?), and swans both black and white in the river. It is obvious that this town cares about their environment and is doing a decent job of it.
]]> Munbaki — Kiangan, Ifugao, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1125282840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1125282840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1125282840/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jan 2006 22:52:56 -0500 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Kiangan, Ifugao, Philippines

In Ifugao indigenous culture when a family member is sick, the healthy family members open the tomb of the dead relatives and clean the remains to show they still remember and care for them. This was the second time lola's tomb was opened and her remains were cleaned. The first time since her death they separated her bones and 'polished them', but because there is oxygen in the large tomb (sized for an American, not a Filipino) her bones remain brownish black not white as I had imagined even with polishing. So the end of the tomb was chiseled away and a man went into the tomb to bring her out for fresh air. That was a bit freaky, I would never want to enter a tomb. Her remains were in a neat pile covered with a rotted blanket and a lone cockroach next to her pearly white dentures. They were left to dry for the day and insecticide was sprayed inside the tomb. The whole family gathered nearby and ate lunch and later dinner of native pig boiled with salt and rice with rice wine to drink of course. This meal is the same when any big party happens although sometimes it also is combined with pansit (noodles). A trail of ants had found there way into the tomb indicating that someone in the family is sick according to the native culture. After eating Franks burgers we proceeded to the Munbaki's bale (native priest's house). There I was informed we would pray for lola and my host sister's dead husband. Originally I was told that both of them were very shy and so I shouldn't be there since they did not know me, so I was prepared to hang out somewhere else. But in the end I was waved in, palm down of course, and sat in silence in a chair opposite the Munbaki, outside of the group of relatives. We closed our eyes and the woman recited a chant in the native Ifugao language, which I have not mastered, for about five minutes. All of a sudden she cries out and her body stiffens with her mouth open causing both me and my little host brother to practically jump out of four chairs. After her mind returns to her body she picks up a glass of coke and walks outside intently. She came back in and the whole thing was repeated. Come to find out she was trying to get the late husband to use her body to talk to my sister. In the end he was too shy and she was told to return with his family not his in laws. We then returned to the family for dinner and didn't return home until about eight at night. Family affairs are very long, and relaxed in this country since we left to go there at nine am. I'll tell you all about funerals later when I attend one and get the whole scoop on them.
]]> You know your in the Philippines when... — Ifugao, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1133498580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1133498580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1133498580/tpod.html Tue, 03 Jan 2006 02:17:25 -0500 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Ifugao, Philippines

1. Your mind escapes thanks to Hollywood for a few hours only to find you never really left the when you see the shadows of people standing up and overtaking the credits in the video. Pirated movies ahh the beauty.

2. A person can remove a peso from their ear and no one considers it magic. Pesos are stored in ears of men/boys, maybe because their pockets are full of moma. Moma: beetle nut, leaves, and lime powder simultaneously placed in the mouth and chewed over and over kind of like tobacco but much more messy and spit requiring. It goes in brown, white, and green and comes out bright red! All over Ifugao the streets are littered with grainy red stains. I've tried it once, better than tobacco I imagine (never tried), but luckily for me it isn't chewed as regularly in the capital town as in the barrios (rural villages).

3. A person will pick their nose in public but they won't pick food from their teeth with a toothpick. This they cover with their hand. Nose picking everywhere though whether you are walking by a busy mall with your friend or sitting on a jeepney.

4. Some guys keep one fingernail long to show they are not laborers. This is also true in other Asian communities like China I've heard.

5. There are ants in your peanut butter and you eat it anyway because its American peanut butter damn it not that cheap sugary stuff they make here. What's a bit of added protein anyway considering you probably don't get enough anyway. This has also happened with cereal and other various foods. Where will the ant-eating stop!

6. There are always cockroaches in your apartment and you don't think it's dirty or complain, instead you conspire a super sting operation with your best feline friend to trap and torment them all. And are extremely entertained...but don't tell anyone.

7. You wake up at 5:00 am to videoke singers next door singing Christmas songs (NOEL actually)......in the beginning of November! Some people also leave the décor up all year round, and the music begins in September.

8. One mosquito lives in your apartment, yes only one because you have screens yet every night you use off and have a mosquito net but still wake up with twenty new bites every morning. You should see the white scares on the back of my arms, the only response I get from Filipino friends is 'well at least its white and not brown! Everyone wants to be white around here. I saw on National Geographic that mosquitos like white skin blondes better.... How lucky I am!

9. In one-week time I saw more animal's reproducing then I have in my whole life even on NG!

10. You've lost sixteen pounds with no exercise or diet! Gotta love the viruses/amoebas/or other unknown sicknesses you get! The Peace Corps weight loss program its great!

a. Your mom says wow your butt got bigger. How are you supposed to respond to that? I enrolled at the gym the next day and have been going ever since!

11. You are walking home from a friends house at night and a man standing in a row of four interrupts his urination to turn and say hello to you, and you don't think anything of it. This is normal. I'm not sure if I knew him or he just knows my name because I am the only white person living here, but what was I gonna do go talk to him and find out? I ignored him and walked on.

12. Tatang (father) has and wears a hat that says I'm with stupid bitch but doesn't know a lick of English. Similar situation with the marijuana clothing articles, kids and adults wear them. The best was at the girl scout camp they were selling purses with a pot leaf and it was not a big deal.

13. You go to the CR (restroom, comfort room actually) only to find what appears to be a dead crab on the floor only to find out by poking that it is real, and hope that is not where your dinner came from.
]]> Batad My home away from home from home — Batad, Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1126689720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1126689720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1126689720/tpod.html Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:49:34 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Batad, Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines

About one month ago, I went to this wonderful place called Batad, with the Aussie friend co-site-r. Once we arrived it was fabulous. This location is extremely recommended for anyone traveling to the Philippines, but is a bit hard to get to. There is no transportation directly there. You can get dropped off by a jeepney at the junction about a 2 hour hike up and over the mountain or it could drop you off at the top of the mountain (much fewer trips) and you could then hike down to the village, about forty-five minutes. That is what makes it so beautiful. Another reason getting there via Banaue is a pain in the butt, is that in Banaue all white people are treated as tourists. This means you are expected to be rich and are asked to pay rediculous fare to locations where the locals pay one-fourth of the price you are told to pay. Sometimes this even happens after you were already quoted a resonable fare. I was travelling to the view point in Banaue, and my Filipino host family was quoted sixty pesos for the whole group. When the driver saw that I was going to pay he said, 'No the fare is eighty pesos'. I was so mad, getting ripped off and not knowing it is one thing but getting ripped off when it is known and stated one price first is totally different and unacceptable. For this reason and hearing other similar stories I would not recommend going there to any foriegner. One our way to Batad a similar instance happened and we were told the fare was much more than it was. We refused to pay it and moved on a bit frightened that we would not have a ride back the next day. Luckly we soon learned there were many different drivers on this route and we were probably safe. Anyway Batad can be reached via the bus that goes from Lagawe to Mayoyao.
No electricity or sound of tricycles, drunk people singing videoke, etc... It gives the same relaxing feel as being upnorth in Michigan. We stayed in a hotel called Rita's with a spectacular view of the terraces below and the nicest people I have met thus far. The Aussie attempted to 'guide' us down to the farming village below, but once we were officially lost we decided to pay a local boy to walk us there. The kid made out, but I felt bad for his brothers standing there with a jealous look in their eyes. I'm glad we didn't ruin any of the terraces this trip because we had the guide and the terraces walls are perfectly formed with cut rock and mud support. The last trip I allowed the Aussie to navigate we got lost admist the terraces and had to walk along the top of the vertical mud structure with the fear of destroying them all with our huge american/australian weight. We managed with only one spill into the terrace, none for me though.
While chillin' at the hotel watching the farmers below and contimplating the meaning of life, a group of two foriegners and a Filipino woman arrived sweat, t-shirts, hiking pack and all. These people make me sad to see, because they arrive at a beautiful place like this and hike in for one hour then stand there for ten minutes take their picture to prove they were there and hike out. They never get to experience the culture or understand anything about the people who live here. I also feel its a bit degrading to the people who do live here. Even worse though is the old couple in Banaue who wear the native g-string and sit in the tourist shops waiting for their picture to be taken to charge the unknowing tourist a small fee. Their original livilihood is diminishing as the watershed changes, due to slash and burn practices, el nino triggered droughts, and giant earth worms. What are they to do? The area must evolve with the times and possibly change the crop they grow in this cool highland where they are only currently getting a maximum of two harvestings per year as is and in the lowlands they get three or more. The growing tourism in the area is also threatening the terraces watershed because current practices of cutting trees to create the beautiful native wood carvings. Another influence to the degrading terraces is that the young people are becoming more educated and getting jobs elsewhere meaning soon there will less people to maintain them.
Batad is less influenced than Banaue in terms of tourism because it is enough off the beaten track so to speak. There has been some talk of building a road to the town, which some feel will only degrade their lives. It doesn't need the tourism to survive as banaue has developed a passion for, it does exist yet it is unnessassary. It is because it is less touched that it is so beautiful.
]]> The big polluted capital-Manila — Manila, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1123658460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1123658460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1123658460/tpod.html Wed, 10 Aug 2005 03:32:42 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Manila, Philippines

Ah the busy, busy city life, everyone in a hurry bustling around with people to meet and things to do. In this particular city though, it is hard to miss those who are not so busy-the homeless. No shelters here just homeless children, elders and whole families sleeping on cardboard on the sidewalks. Dirty mass polluted people both in body and spirit. One memorable child was lying in the dead mans float position on a covered stairway napping- I hope. He was barefoot, barely clothed, yet covered in black grease, dirt and smog. No one bothered to check his pulse, I'm sure not even the many nursed that are trying to go abroad to make enough money to support their families. Currently even Filipino doctors, engineers, etc,.. are going back to school to get a nursing degree to go abroad to the USA or Europe. My host sister just told me that Bush signed an agreement with the Philippines accepting 4,000 more Filipino nurses into the USA this next year.
The children and adults beg for money of course. But I could not bring myself to give money for fear it would end up in someone else's hands or purchase of illegal goods. Saturday Night in fact, Another PCV and I were chilling at a street cafe having a San Migel (The only Filipino beer company) and enjoying our chicken and pork on a stick. Four homeless (looking) kids approached us and asked for money. The other PCV started talking with the eldest and asked if she was hungry with an offering of pork. She shook her head no as the youngest opened her mouth. Thus began the feeding which lasted about half an hour until the police drove by pausing to disperse the kids. The other PCV informed me it was his 2nd or 3rd trip to manila and he has learned that most kids have a 'pimp' who they beg money for, so if he/she sees the kids eating they might get in trouble for not spending the time getting cash.
Many people come to Manila in search of a better job, if from the visayas where it is very expensive to return home, they sometimes get stuck in Manila and once they run out of money with no job they end up on the street because they have no family to help them in the city or credit opportunities. They end up with not even enough cash to make it home. A lot less money is made in the provinces of the visayas apparently. It seems, even though credit is a small speck of a difference it creates a much larger window for job opportunities.
]]> Baguio nightmare — Baguio, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121928600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121928600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1121928600/tpod.html Thu, 21 Jul 2005 02:54:20 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Baguio, Philippines

So I went to Baguio a few weekends ago. Baguio is known as the summer capital of the Philippines, because it is cooler than most areas. There are also many pine trees there and all the American amenities like McDonalds and Starbucks. Another volunteer and I went by bus which took six hours to get there and a surprising ten to get back to Lagawe. Before we got on the bus to return to site I was very worried. It could have been from the huge coffee I drank (I don't normally drink coffee) or the lack of sleep the night before. We got on the bus at 7:30 pm Sunday night and the bus was scheduled to leave at 8 pm. I rearranged all my things including the cheap backpack that I bought at the market for only one hundred and twenty pesos that was broken (go figure) and so held together by tape. I kept thinking all these worrying thoughts about arriving at 2 am in Lagawe, the bus trip, the number of people on the bus...etc...etc..
So a few hours later I am lying across the seats in a pseudo sleep when all of a sudden I was flung forward and hit my face on the seat in front of me. I split my lip open and oddly enough the ball to my upper ear piercing came out too. Since I was practically asleep at the time when it happened I yelled, 'Oh my god' about 10+ times. Here in the Philippines generally people are pretty religious so it would have been better for me to yell American swear words. All of my things were also scattered all over the bus and it was the death of my cracker nuts. The driver fell asleep, I suspect, and we hit these concrete blocks about 2x2x4 that line the roads o protect someone from going off the road. Luckily we were not in the mountainous region yet, where there would have been a strong possibility that we would have drove off a cliff to our death.
A few days ago I met the owner of the bus line and he apologized and said that that night there was only one driver as oppose to the usual two that would take turns driving. Today I was greeted by a woman on the street who said she was also on that bus when it happened and she hit her legs on the seats in front of her and showed me the bruises. She also informed me that she was unable to walk for one week! I thought I was hurt the most with two large bruises on my side and a split lip.
Once the jeepney arrived to take us to the nearest bus station we exited the bus through the pried open door and saw the damage to the vehicle. It was raining hard and the driver had crashed, actually ran straight through the concrete blocks into a small tree that stopped us. We all got into the jeepney and I felt like we were riding in a sardine tin can on bald tires which caused my heart to drop each time we fish-tailed around the curves. I thought we were destined to take another spill although twice in one night is very improbable.
The jeepneys here have a small one foot by three foot windshield which the driver has to look out around the stickers and dangling Jesus charms to navigate the road. Surprisingly the drivers here are much better at driving than most people in the states. I would guess that if a sudden snow storm hit they would freak though.
When we arrived at the station there was an overcrowded bus to take the ten of us o our destination. There are no vehicle safety standards here or even speed limits, stop signs etc... So a truck with only three seatbelts can have as many as ten people if the driver can manage. This particular bus had folding chairs that were placed in the aisle ways to seat the excess passengers. After all this I arrived at home at 5:30 am happy to be alive but sore and exhausted.
]]> Finishing training and moving to the real world — Solano, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1118036460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1118036460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1118036460/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jun 2005 02:18:00 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Solano, Philippines

So training has now come to a close and we all had to say goodbye to our first host families. It was so sad. The whole Vista Hill group had dinners together the last three nights and the final night we had a despideda (party) complete with rented videoke machine. It was fun. I sang many songs and might just might after two years be ready to face kareoke in the states alone (without shanna's help). We ate like kings and queens trying to enjoy each others company as much as possible since we knew we were soon to be separated. The day we were all scheduled to leave I went to bayombong with my host family and got my hair chopped, the shortest cut I had ever had. Don't worry I can still pull it into a ponytail-barely. I was going to try for a shorter cut, but got scared last minute. So my host mom saved the hair to put in a scrap book I assume another memento of me. We all meet at the sari-sari store and left with tears in our eyes and again at NVSU we cried because the host mothers insisted on traveling there with us. It was said and we promised to return for Christmas as a group.
Before I left I failed to mention that I assisted in the birth of 7 piglets. Erlinda, the host mother of another volunteer-Rachel, owns the mother pig and needed help with it so I volunteered. I got to her house at 9:30 at night during a rain storm and brown out. From then till midnight we cut umbilical cords and sniped incisors. Piglets are born with 1/2 cm incisors and so we cut them with wire cutters to protect the mother. It was fun and I learned a bit about pigs. I was surprised to see how fast the actual birth was yet the whole process of 7 piglets coming into this world took approximately 12 hours. It was a great experience.
So here I am at the internet cafe in the largest town near my permanent site. All the supervisors are at the hotel learning about what peace corps is and what they can do to help us here. Tomorrow we will be creating a action plan for our projects and discussing our goals and objectives. So I should find out a lot more about what exactly I will be doing at my site and in what time frame. I will be leaving with her to go to Ifugao province on Wednesday where I will be living with the rats again, for a short time until I find a host family with people.
I miss you all, hope everything is well in the US and feel free to drop me a line.
Amber
]]> You know you're not in America when.... — Bayombong, Philippines http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1117260360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1117260360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arbuhl/philippinespc/1117260360/tpod.html Sat, 28 May 2005 02:54:49 -0400 The Philippine Islands are only the beginning, who knows where the end will be?
Bayombong, Philippines

1. You see a tric coming up the mountain with a pig in the side car. A tric is a motorcycle with a side car for passengers its really a small public transportation vehicle.
2. When a child does something like throws fop at the dinner table and the parents just say 'Oh that baby' rather than disciplining them. I think since the community where we are staying is mostly just mothers and kids because the husbands went to Saudi Arabia to work. This is the case in a lot of Filipino families. They get paid a lot more mo9ney over seas and send back cash to support the family.
3. You make pseudo tacos for dinner (can't find lettuce used Chinese cabbage, taco shells used bite size tortilla chips or cheese used processed eden cheese food). The family gets out the white rice. When you explain that tacos don't include rice you realize that you are serving a mierienda not a dinner. Mierienda is the snack between both breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. It usually consists of pansit (noodles) and some sauce or cookies and juice. Lots of sugar and starches here. Atkins would never fly. Any meal with out rice is not considered a meal. The next day at breakfast my host brother, JoPhil said we skipped dinner the night before!
4. You haven't seen a butter knife the entire stay and wonder if you even remember how to use one. A large spoon and fork are used to eat everything here even to cut meat! Or sometimes in some areas just the hands are used, it especially makes it easy to separate the fish meat from the bones.
5. A sandwich: 2 pieces of bread with butter or mayo spread-no caked in between.
6. When a cashier at the grocery store asks 'YOu want to marry a Filipino?' Every one asks this and says it will make the most beautiful skin tone. Another friend of ours said we should marry a Filipino and upgrade their height.
7. Every kid you pass asks where are you going and what is your name. In English but when you respond with what is your name they just laugh and get all shy.
8. You take a drink of Red Horse and you wonder if the newest ingredient is fish to add to the already delicious combo of gin and beer. The Red horse was stored, I assume next to the fish in the frig....not really sure though.
9. While at the Internet cafe you 'accidently glance over the cubicle wall and see two Filipinos making out in complete silence. PDA is looked down upon here so it the young and old people have to show affection in private only even if married!
10. You're stuck in traffic behind a herd of cattle. Well actually this could happen in the states some places...but not where I am from!
11. You see a lalaki (boy) carrying a hello kitty bag and it ain't no thing.
12. Everyone's pinky toe hangs over the edge of their sandal! Not sure exactly why maybe arch problems.
13. Your meeting with the barangay (city) officials gets cancelled because there are free circumsions that day. National circumsion month was last month and local doctors provide this service free of charge to the people. Mostly younger boys. I didn't go though so IU really don't know.
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