This last week has certainly been interesting. Monday started early. My alarm beeped wrenched me out my sleep at three am. I dressed according to precise instructions given to me by my counterpart, and was waiting out on the street for my ride by 3:45. This being the Philippines, and me having yet mastered Filipino time, I waited for a good twenty minutes in the dark. Finally, the jeepney arrived with the other teachers from my school and we were off to the capital of our province, San Jose. Our destination was the house of the province’s congressman; it was his birthday.

They have a unique tradition here in which people go to the house of someone important on their birthday early in the morning (or in my opinion, in the middle of the night), and sing songs to the person. It was a rather big affair, no surprise, it being the congressman’s birthday. The teachers of the province started out the morning serenading the congressman. Supposedly other government agencies and employees were in charge of other parts of the day of celebration.

I should mention that the congressman here was celebration his 30th birthday. Not only is he young, but also, apparently, he is single. Therefore, many people, including my host mother, have decided to try to set us up. That is probably why I was given precise instructions as to what clothing to wear.

On Tuesday, my municipality began celebrating a three-day fiesta. Tuesday was “Teacher’s Night.” All the teachers from the elementary schools performed, by school, different Filipino folk dances. Originally, I was supposed to be part of our school’s troupe, but I guess I’m freakishly tall (at not even 5’6”), and none of the other teachers were tall enough to partner with me; so I just watched from the audience. It was actually quite entertaining to see such a variety of native folk dances. I also thought my school’s teachers were the best, not that I’m biased or anything. After the performances, there was a live band, and I lived up to my new reputation for being a good dancer by dancing with various government officials, the mayor included.

Thursday was the parade for the fiesta. All teachers reported, and we all wore a blue Dept Ed shirt with a bright colored sash, and a beaded type necklace. I was expecting to walk with my teachers, sort of in the middle of the crowd, but my district supervisor had other plans. I held the Dept Ed banner and walked at the front of all the teachers from our district. Along the route, the district supervisor stopped every twenty feet to introduce me to someone new. When we finally reached the end, they forced me onstage! Although I guess it’s not really force if I acquiesce so quickly. I sat up there watching the rest of the parade, and stayed for various performances by the high school drum and lyre groups (lyres being glockenspiels in this case).

My internet project(s) have been put on a standstill. I was misled into believing it was possible to install internet at the school. My counterpart and I inquired last week, but the cable has yet to reach as far as our barangay, perhaps next month of the month after. So it will have to wait until the next school year, which starts in June (this school year ending end of March). Thanks to everyone who agreed to be an email pen pal! I’ll send out another query in a few months.

I’ve now been at my permanent site for close to two months, and Icouldn’t be happier with my placement. My host family is amazing. Ihave two host siblings; Deo (aka Bimboy)- age six, and Clarisse- agenine; there is also a niece that lives with us who is 13. My hostfather works for the governor, and my host mother works for the Dept.of Environment and Natural Resources doing a lot of agro-forestry andwatershed management projects. From what I’ve seen, it’s uncommon tohave such a complete family here in the Philippines. Usually, at leastone member is off working abroad.

My school is small, and all of the teachers are nice and have gone outof their way to make me feel welcome. Everyday someone on staff bringssome sort of Philippine delicacy for me to try. So I’ve tried allsorts of things made with very very sticky rice, and other delicioussweet pastry type things.

I have figured out my schedule, I will be teaching both sections ofgrades 4 and 5, in their English subject. I taught a couple of classesbefore the Christmas break, but I will start teaching full time thisweek. Also, I have resurrected the school’s, non-functioning, Englishclub. So twice week I’ll be teaching English club, starting tomorrow.

Celebrating Christmas here was both what I thought it would be, andalso a bit different than I was expecting. Christmas spirit had beenbuilding for months by the time December finally arrived. And then Iattended several Christmas parties throughout the month of December.The Christmas parties were not quite what I expected. There is alwaysa program, people get up and perform- either singing or dancing, andeach act is interspersed with games. And of course Christmas presentsare exchanged. There were all kinds of sales, and exchanging ofChristmas gifts, so naturally I assumed that my family would beexchanging gifts as well. So I went out, to the mall (yes there’s amall), and bought them all gifts. But alas, on Christmas, no giftgiving. But I think they appreciated it anyway that I gave them gifts.

My host family and my counterpart (who is my host mother’s sister)have been great about taking me along to birthday parties, toweddings, and to see various places of interest. I feel like I’vealready seen more of culture in the Philippines than I did in my firstyear in Kyrgyzstan. It also sort of feels like I’m going throughtraining now, because I’m doing and learning all the things I shouldhave learned during PST but didn’t get to do.

Hopefully I will have a bike sometime in the next two weeks, so I willbe able to go out and explore the area around my house a bit moreeasily. As it is right now, it’s almost impossible for me to go to thecenter of my town as there is no transportation going that way.Really, the only place I can get to is San Jose, which is the capitalof the province I am living in. This is fine most of the time, becauseI can get almost anything I would want in San Jose. This Peace Corps experience is so different than in Kyrgyzstan. First of all, as I already mentioned, there is a mall only twenty minutes from me. At thesupermarket there, yes the supermarket, I can find almost anything Iwould at an American supermarket- including spices, cranberry juice,and peanut butter. The only thing lacking is cheese. My family hascable, half of which are channels in English, many of them American channels.

That’s it for now. The internet I have access to is too slow to postpictures, so those will have to wait until this weekend when I go intothe city. Happy New Year!

Sign from our Swear- in

My language cluster at Swear-in.

My host brother (wearing sunglasses) and host cousins. We spent a day at the beach.

Rice Terraces. My host mother does a lot of agroforestry projects, this is one of them.

Sibalom River valley.

My school!

On the walk home from school- I have an entourage.

The road home from school.

They made me a sign! It's hanging in my office.