Cambodia, Part 3

Day 7 (Fri)

Another amazing day in Cambodia! Today we had another early start, getting picked up around 5:30 am for our day to Tonle Sap lake to do some birding. There were two older British couples with us who were great to talk to along the way, especially since they had just come from Laos so we could pick their brains on what we should do when we are there.

We took a van to the port and then road on a small motor boat for about an hour or so to one of the floating villages in the lake. Tonle Sap lake is pretty spectacular in that it changes size from the dry season to the wet season, from 2,500km2 to 12,500km2. During the rainy season all of the water flowing from the Mekong River going to the South China Sea backs up and flows into the Tonle Sap Lake. But during the dry season the water flows back out, leaving more land exposed. The trees that grow in the Lake are submerged during the rainy season, shedding their leaves to reduce air exchange, and then leafing again when they make it back out into sunlight during the dry season. Pretty cool actually.

Caught a great sunrise on the way.

setting out on our boat ride

We are at the end of the rainy season now so the lake is still at it's largest. SOO many birds come back as the lake is full. Right now there are a lot of cormorants, herons and pelicans (the divers and swimmers), and later in the season as the water flows out of the lake, the storks will also come (the waders). So sadly we didn't see any storks but we are glad we got to get pictures of them at the zoo outside Phnom Penh (especially the Black Necked Stork, which is extremely endangered and rare).

Like the birds, the people also migrate with the water. They live in floating houses and follow the water as it leaves for dry season. Now that the lake is full they are all living in the center where we went to see the birds. What a life! To follow the lake (and fishes) as the seasons change!

On the look out for birds!

We had an excellent time birding from the boat, though I did wish we were able to paddle as the noise from the boat engine scared away the birds as we approached them. But we were able to get some good views and pictures of the White Spotted Pelican, Asian Open Bill, herons, egrets, a kingfisher, and especially the cormorants as they are nesting now.

We stopped for lunch at a floating restaurant where we ate some fantastic Khmer soup, noodles, fried fish and rice, with fresh pineapple for dessert. There was also a small store next door where the local women weave a water plant, called water hyacinth, into different products, like bowls, hats and hammocks. The water hyacinth is an invasive species that made it here to Cambodia many years ago. It became a nuisance as it can poison some of the local fauna and impedes the floating villages when they are moving down river. But it so happen that there was local knowledge of weaving it so they woman took advantage of this invasive species and now are able to make a living from weaving it.

It was a really great day spending time on the boat in the lake watching for animals and enjoying the great outdoors. But after two days in the sun I think we will be taking it easy tomorrow and resting before heading back to the temples for a second day.

Day 8 (Sat)

Today was a day of rest for us, after the last two very active days in the sun. We enjoyed some shakes at the Blue Pumpkin (excellent ice cream and yogurt!) and then went shopping at the old market. I remember the shopping in Thailand was pretty good, but I have to say that when I walk through the markets in Siem Reap, I WANT EVERYTHING! Of course the vendors always give you a high price to start with, but unlike in Vietnam, they will bargain with you. If you are really serious about getting a good price, you can play hardball. For instance, Linds bought a dress from a vendor for $5. At a different vendor I found a dress that I liked and she wanted $15 for it, so I started bargaining her down. She got to around $6 or $8 and wouldn't budge... that is until I started to walk away saying I would just go back to the other vendor for a $5 dress. Then she let me have the dress for $5. Hell yeah.

The rest of the day we just hung around the hostel, got some laundry done and rested. Linds started not feeling well, but hopefully she will feel better by tomorrow for another day around the Angkor temples.

Day 9 (Sun)

So Linds still isn't feeling 100%. We decided she should just rest today to make sure she is OK for tomorrow since we plan on leaving Siem Reap. We both kind of want a beach day so we are changing our plans a bit and before we head to Laos we will cross into Thailand and head to one of the beaches in the south for a day or two.

So while Linds stayed behind to rest and recoup  I rented a bike and headed to Angkor. I reallythink renting bicycle is the way to get around Siem Reap and Angkor. Most people end up renting tuk-tuk drivers but they always try to overcharge you and I have to say I really enjoy riding through the Angkor park on a bike. And besides the obvious benefit of being green, both for you and the environment, at $1 a day, it's by far the cheapest way to go. It is also nice when you can bypass the car and tuk-tuks when they get bottle-necked up at narrow roads or bridges and at the ticket booth. The ride is all flat, so it's pretty easy, but during the day it can get pretty hot. My hostel is located in the southern part of town (Angkor lies just north of town), and the ride takes me no more than 30 min (and that is including going through the ticket center). I always  make sure I take plenty of water and sunscreen though, since we are closer to the equator and the day gets hot.

So I headed to Angkor on my own this time and explored the Bayon and the temples around it. Bayon is pretty neat in that is has over 100 carved faces that stare at you from every angle!

I enjoyed the morning at Angkor and was pretty done by the afternoon time. So I biked back to check on Linds and then went up to the hostel bar for a refreshing shake. Also one of my PC friends is getting into town today so I will try to meet up with her later (HI Sarah!). Today will end our Cambodia part of the trip. It has been an amazing week here seeing all that Cambodia has to offer, which is completely exceeded my expectations. From the nice Khmer people to the amazing temples, ruins, shopping and food, Cambodia is a country that I think everyone should make an effort to visit!

So tomorrow we will take an early bus to the border and cross into Thailand. Our plan is to head to Koh Chang, which is a small island off the southern coast and from the pictures on the internet, looks like paradise. Beach here we come!

---

to be continued..

Cambodia, Part 2

Day  4 (Tuesday)

Today we set out on a bus to Siem Reap, the town by the famous Ankor Wat temples! This is the place that me and Linds have been waiting to go to. We plan on spending at least a week there, seeing all the temples, and doing some bird watching  (they have some amazing stork species that aren't found in other places of the world and the birding season has just started).

The bus was a bit grooling... the guidebook said 5-6 hours but it took us closer to 7 to get there. We reserved our tickets ahead of time at our hostel  and it was $6. When we boarded the bus, it was already pretty full. A nice older Khmer woman took our tickets and shooed the men sitting  in our seats for us. We sat next to her in the very back of the bus. I was surprised to see the bus had aircon but it had a hard time keeping up with the heat of the day and we were sweating for most of the ride.

We finally made it to Siem Reap at close to 7pm. A friend of mine that had traveled this way last year recommended us a place to stay and we shared a tuk-tuk to the hostel (and after arguing with the driver to give us a good price). Our hostel is called Garden Village and it is THE backpackers place to stay. They have beds and rooms ranging from $1 and up. It is definitely the cheapest place to stay in Siem Reap and has a great rooftop bar serving 50 cent beers.

Our room 

After settling in to our bungalow (and very native) room, we headed to the bar for food and a beer. The place was really bustling and we were pretty tired so we didn't stay long. It was the most Westerners I have been around in over 2 years so I was a little overwhelmed at first but I think it will be a great place to meet fellow travelers and share tips.

Day 5 (Wed)

Today we wanted to get a better feel for the town of Siem Reap, especially since we arrived last night and weren't able to get our bearings around town.

We woke up and headed to the rooftop bar for some coffee and breakfast. We also switched the t.v. on to CNN to watch for the election results! After breakfast they still hadn't even announced the winner for Florida and we were getting anxious to get out into town so we left to rent bikes from the hostel. Bike rentals are $1 a day and definitely the best way to get around! Tuk-tuk drivers are constantly harassing you and trying to charge you extra but when we are riding around on the bikes, no one bothers us. It's also really flat around town and perfect for biking!

We first went to the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife to look into reserving a day of bird trekking. The treks are kinda expensive (definitely more than our $30 a day budget) but we knew before coming that it was something we had to do! (Especially Linds, since she is a photographer and bird enthusiastic - check out her facebook page: Flyway Photography! - https://www.facebook.com/FlywayPhotos)

The bird trekking is cheaper if you go with other groups and it just so happen that a couple wanted to go tomorrow and was on a waiting list to see if others could join. So we made our reservations and the center planned to pick us up at our hostel at 5:30 am for a day of birding!

Next we biked around the town, just taking it all in. It is much slower paced and sleepier town than Phnom Penh. It feels almost like a beach town due to all the tourist, tourist shops and restaurants and cafes (though there is no beach here).

Wandering the streets.

We decided to go to the Angkor Museum next since it is suppose to be a good introduction to the temples. Admission is $12 but we got a $1 off coupon at the ticket booth going to Angkor Wat (which is just a few kilometers outside the main part of Siem Reap).  It was nice to walk around in the aircon after biking in the hot day and the museum is pretty organized, though we realized that it is probably better to skip most of the reading sections  on the wall and just watch the short videos they have posted in each section of the museum. It was a great introduction to the history of Angkor Wat and the transition from Hinduism to Buddhism in Cambodia.

After the museum we headed to a place for lunch called Butterfly Gardens, which is a sustainable company that employs and trains local youth in the restaurant and tourism business. The food was fresh and delicious! I had the chicken, tomato and pineapple sweet and sour soup and Linds had the Khmer curry and our surrounding was a beautiful garden filled with butterflies (hence the name). After lunch we headed back towards the hostel. We stopped in the rooftop bar to see the election results and I won't try to make this blog in anyway political, but we were very pleasantly surprised!

After having a beer we decided to walk the three or so blocks from our hostel to get some snack foods for our day of birding the next day (it includes all our meals but it's always nice to have your own snacks!) Then we had an early dinner at the hostel. I had what is probably the Cambodian country dish, Amok - steamed chicken or fish cooked in coconut milk and herbs - VERY tasty! As we headed to bed early for an early rise, the front desk informed us that we had a call. It was the Center for Wildlife calling to inform us that the couple we were suppose to go with on the birding trek cancelled their plans... This is a bit of a bummer but we decided to just stay on a waiting list for the time being and see if there will be others wanting to go on a trek later this week (otherwise we have to pay even more for a "private" trek...)

We decided to still plan on an early day and head to the temples tomorrow. Angkor Wat here we come!

Day 6 (Thurs)

Wow what a day! We woke up around 4am to bike to Angkor Wat in time to see the sunrise, a must-do for  everyone who comes here!

Despite getting a little turned around in the dark on our bikes (thankfully we both had our headlamps!) we made it to the temple just in time for sunrise. It was a beautiful scene as the sun slowly rose over the majestic temples. Pictures are the best way to explain...

Angkor Wat at sunrise.

After getting all our pictures of the sunrise, we stopped to get a cup of coffee at one of the food stands. All of the prices of food and water are doubled in Angkor Wat so we were pretty glad we still had the snacks packed that we had planned for our birding trek. We  just snacked on those for the rest of the day but we couldn't really get around not buying the water, especially since we were getting pretty hot and sweaty from biking around Angkor.

We set out to explore the main attraction first, Angkor Wat. For those who aren't familiar with Angkor, it is a    small town of centuries old temples built by Cambodian kings of the past. Angkor Wat was the first built in the area and remains the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. Built in the early 12th century, it was originally made as a temple for worshiping the Hindu god Vishnu. Later Cambodia transitioned to Buddhism, and the temple continues to be used for Buddhism practices today.

As Linds got side-tracked into photoing local birds, I headed into the temple. I tried to steer clear of the large tourist groups and managed to find myself walking along along the long corridors. Every inch of the sandstone complex is covered in carvings, some depicting stories of Hindu gods and others just floral decoration. As I walked around the impressive temple complex, taking picture after picture of stone carving, my mind wondered what it must have been like those hundreds of years ago as it was built and used in its prime. It is so amazing to walk the corridors of a building so old and majestic.

After Angkor Wat, we rode around the complex a  few kilometers away to another site I was desperate to see, Ta Prohm.  You may not know the name but you probably would recognize the structure from scenes in Tomb Raider. It is a smaller temple complex where nature seems to have taken over again. Large trees have grown over parts of the temple, their roots partly taring apart and partly keeping together the stone ruins. It is breathtakingly beautiful.

After Ta Prohm, we were pretty spent for the day. So we biked around the complex once more, planning our stops for our next day's visit (we bought the 3 day pass, which can be used over the course of a week).

As we returned to Siem Reap, we stopped for some much enjoyed ice cream at The Blue Pumpkin, where we both enjoyed some coconut ice cream cones! Yum!

After getting back to the hostel, we showered  and took a much needed nap. We awoke to some pretty good news too. The Center for Wildlife called us  back and have a group of four who are planning on going on the bird trek tomorrow! So we will be going along with them, which is even better since that means we will pay less too!

A great ending to an amazing day! I am so overwhelmed by the awesome temples and ruins of Angkor and I am excited for our bird trek tomorrow! What an amazing trip so far and there is so much more to come!

Well, my stomach is letting me know its hungry again so we will go out in search of some food and probably have another early night to prepare for our bird trek tomorrow (though probably not until we have enjoyed some 50 cent draft beers at the rooftop!)

----

to be continued....

Cambodia, Part 1

So my PC adventure has come to an end. I said my goodbyes (which were very hard to do), and I left on a boat from Guimaras Island for the last time for probably a long time. I don't think it has really hit me yet that I won't be going back. Probably it will hit me as I board the plane heading back to the US. But before I do, a last hoorah in Asia is a must!

So before heading back to the States, I planned a 5 week trip of Asia. I have been looking forward to this trip so much, partly because my friend from the States, Linds, is joining me, and partly because it promises to be the relaxing long travel that I have wanted. Apart from booking my flights and having a somewhat time scale of where I wanted to be and for how long, I really didn't make much of a plan. I wanted this trip to be flexible and a day-to-day planning kind of trip... And so far it is and has been great! The best way I can think to tell you about this trip is to share with you my daily journal. Most of the hostels have computers with internet for public use. So for the next couple weeks, while I travel around, I will be posting my journal entries of my trip. I hope you enjoy!

---

Day 1 - Getting to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

My flight to Cambodia included a 18 hour layover in Singapore. This could have been a huge headache.. however, life working out the way it does sometimes, I have a friend who just moved to Singapore for a job! And she was nice enough to offer me to stay the night with her and her cousins. When my flight got in at around midnight, I took a (rather expensive) taxi to her house (thankfully it was not too far from the airport). I am so grateful that I was able to stay with them! Otherwise I would have spend that 18 hr layover in the airport! And their house was amazing! They had an extra room and bed for me complete with comfy blankets, aircon, hot shower and completely western bathroom! What luxury to me! They also have a house helper who is from the Philippines! So I enjoyed talking with her too!

They had work and plans in the morning and their house helper offered to cook me breakfast when I woke up, but I was determined to fit in some good Singapore food while I was there! I decided to go for a walk around their part of town. After a couple of blocks I came upon one of the many food centers. While I was at the food cart trying to decipher what to eat, a nice older Singaporean man approached me and helped me order a bowl of delicious noodles with dried fish, mushrooms and greens. I sat next to him and we talked while I ate my delicious food! He even bought me a cup of coffee. I just love Asia! Where else in the world do you get treated with such hospitality just for being a foreigner?!

Yum!

My lunch spot for the day.

After going back to the house and relaxing from the heat of the day in aircon, it was time to eat again! I had lunch with my friend and her cousin at another food market, where I had fresh passion fruit juice and a fried oyster omelet, complete with spicy sauces. After lunch we went for a drive so I could see the city before dropping me off at the airport. Singapore is a very clean city, with a skyline of the most unique architecture that I have ever seen. I am glad I got to see some of Singapore but the city is a little too expensive for my travel plans. I am hoping to keep a daily budget of around $30 for this trip, though I will have some more expensive days for seeing Angkor Wat and hopefully going on an overnight bird trek.

My flight from Singapore was about an hour and a half before I finally arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia! After settling in to the room I went to a Chinese restaurant near the hostel and had really amazing fried noodles with seafood! Oh the food here is so amazing and I have just begun!

The next morning I got up and decided to go for a walk around the city and also look for a different hostel to stay at. The one I stayed at the night before was too hotel like for me. I wanted a more hostel-like place where it's easy to meet fellow travelers. After walking around for a bit, I found a hostel called Tat Guesthouse. It has an upstairs outside porch area for eating and lounging about and its also a great place to meet new people. It's also owned by a Khmer family who lives there so it feels more comfortable and safe.

The view from my hostel.

I love fried noodles! Makes for a great breakfast :)

After settling into the new place and eating lunch (another meal of fried noodles and veggies - I just can't get enough!) I decided to explore the town more and walked to a local market place. It was a bustle of activity! There were floors and floors of stalls with people selling cookware, plastic ware, food, clothing and more; there were also seamstresses making clothes and people doing nails and hair. Quite the place to be!

After that I decided to go across town to find this shop called Tabitha. It is run by a NGO that supports local women, especially widows, by giving them a job making silk handicrafts. My motorcycle driver had a hard time navigating but with my guidebook in hand (thank you Lonely Planet maps!) I navigated him to the place (he also spoke no English so it was a real success when we found the place!) 

It was a neat place where you could watch the women hand weaving and making the products. I ended up buying a really cute bag and some small bracelets. It's really great to see somewhere that is safely employing women so they can care for their families and send their kids to school, especially in a country that is so poor and seen such hard times!

It was a great first day in Cambodia and I look forward to tonight when I will take a tuk-tuk to the airport to pick up my friend, Linds! After spending most of the last two days by myself I am really looking forward to having Linds here to talk to and travel with!

Day 2 (Sunday) - Getting to know Cambodia

So Linds and I are reunited after 2 years! and I am so glad for it! 
Today we went to the killing fields. It was quite sad and depressing but we both thought we should go to show respect for the people here and try to understand their very tragic past that really wasn't so long ago. From 1975-1979, Cambodia was ruled by the Kmer Rouge, who believed in a type of revolution that included performing genocide on their own people, arresting, torturing and eventually killing over 3 million. Yet today the Cambodian people are so happy, smiling and friendly! They have embraced tourism as a part of their economy, and apart from the tuk-tuk and motor drivers who constantly ask if I want a ride, the people have shown us nothing but kindness and hospitality. They are truly an amazing people!

Crazy traffic but our tuk-tuk driver knew how to handle it.

At the Killing Fields.

 After the killing fields we went to the palace and silver pagoda. It was a lot like the palace that I visited in Bangkok, with lots of gold Buddhas and elephants and monkeys but also some birds showing the Hinduism influence too. After that we walked along the river boardwalk and stopped for some food and local beer before coming back to the guesthouse for a nap. Later we went to this Vietnam restaurant for dinner and it was sooo good: pho noodles and Vietnamese pancake, yum! 

A local beer after a long day!

 P.S. While we were at the palace today I overheard some ladies speaking Filipino, so without even thinking I asked them in Tagalog where they were from. They were so surprised and told me they are from Iloilo! So I started talking to them in Ilonggo (which even further surprised them!) What are the odds I run into Filipinas who are from Iloilo and speak my dialect!! Amazing planet we live on!

Day 3 (Monday) - Last day in PP

Today was our last day in Phnom Penh. After having coffee and breakfast out on the porch at the hostel, we set out for the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary (which they also call a "zoo" here). We bargained with a tuk-tuk driver to take us there and back for $20. Everything in Cambodia is costing us a bit more than we are expecting but I guess it's because there is a lot of tourist traffic here. But today we set out to stay to my $30 a day budget (though I am beginning to realize that when we get to Siem Reap, this will be a hard budget to keep.)

It was nice to venture out of the city today, though a lot of the road was dusty. It took us about an hour to get to the sanctuary. We walked through parts of the park and our tuk-tuk driver drove us through the rest. The animals at this sanctuary are there because they were either confiscated from illegal poachers or from owners that were treating them poorly. The road leading to the park was lined with beggars and even when we arrived we were immediately approached by locals trying to sell us bananas and potatoes to feed the animals. They were friendly but we don't believe it's proper to give the animals food so we didn't buy anything. We were able to see a lot of animals that we probably won't be able to see in the wild: elephants, sun bears, tigers, crocodiles, gibbons and TONS of birds. Linds is a super bird nerd (more than me) and an excellent photographer so we totally geeked out watching for birds and taking pictures. I saw the most beautiful stork as well as a few other rare bird species. The black necked stork is the biggest and most beautiful bird I think I have ever seen and there was one who was more than willing to pose for us as we took picture after picture.

Black necked stork

After we finished taking all the animal and bird pictures our hearts desired, we left the park. But no adventure in SE Asia would be complete without.... a flat tire. On the way out of the park our tuk got a flat. We had to continue 5k down the dirt road until we reached the highway so it could be fixed. Linds and I sat in the shade and looked on to see how they repaired the flat and soon enough we were on our way back to the city.

Flat tire on our tuk-tuk!

Our driver is a pro at fixing his tuk-tuk.

We asked our driver to drop us off at the central market so we could get some good street food and buy some fruits. A friend of mine who lives in PP (but was out of town at the time of our visit) had recommended some good food stops. One such recommendation was this: "look for a food vendor in the central market. They will be two older, attractive looking women, with gray hair cut into boyish cuts and wearing aprons - their fried noodles with vegetables is amazing!" So we set out to look for them. We found what we think was the right place and set down for some food, and the noodles were delicious (of course!)

"dinner service"

After filling our stomachs, we visited the fruit vendors. Linds really wanted to try some native fruits and I wanted to have a last chance to eat my favorites since I am leaving Asia so soon. We bought a variety of my favorites that are in season: rambutan, lanzones, dragon fruit, pomelo, and my favorite - atis. When we got back to the hostel we gorged ourselves again on fruit. Delicious!

In the market.

At the fruit stand.

Thus ended our last day in PP. Tomorrow morning we will catch a bus to Siem Reap and start our much awaited week exploring Angkor Wat!

---
to be continued!

Weird for awhile

Wow. I can't believe this is my last week at site. Sunday I head to Manila to end my PC service. It's been an amazing two years filled with so many new experiences and friends and I'm sure it will take awhile to process. I have been thinking a lot lately about what it might be like for me when I get back to the States and I keep thinking of a story that an already returned PCV (we call them RPCVs) told us via video clip during our end of service conference. It goes something like this..

This volunteer had just arrived in the States and was standing inline at the airport. She was eating a pack of gummy bears and couldn't help but notice the sweet American kid standing in front of her and eyeing her candy snack. Without a second thought she offered the boy a gummy bear and he promptly put it in his mouth to enjoy............. ok so at this point you might know where this story is going. But for the record I would like to explain that this is a perfectly acceptable social interaction in the Philippines (and I would bet most of Asia). Here everyone looks after children. It is not unusual for perfect strangers to give candy to, help onto a jeepney or even hold a child. After over two years of living here, we have become so accustomed to these types of social interactions that we may forget that things are different in the States.

So back to the story (though I am sure you probably already know what comes next). The mother of the child started yelling at this volunteer and made her kid spit out the candy immediately. The volunteer tried to explain to the woman that she just came from the Philippines where this was ok and she didn't mean any harm to the woman's kid. Of course this woman wouldn't listen to anything the volunteer was saying and kept yelling at her about not giving candy to her child.

What I am trying to say here is this, it might take awhile for me to get used to American culture again. At first I was a little nervous about it, but more and more I am beginning to accept the idea that I might just be different for awhile. I am sure there will be some American culture and social graces that I quickly slip back into, but there might also be things that take me awhile to readjust to.

So fare warning to anyone that I might/will interact with when I get back stateside - I will probably be weird for awhile. Just bare with me!

For now I am just trying to get all of my things packed up or given away, and spending time with my friends and coworkers here. I am also looking forward to and preparing for my last trip before I return home. I will be travelling the next month around Cambodia, Laos and Thailand for a bit. I am really excited to see some more of Asia before I leave. Big shout out to Linds, my travelling companion - we are going to have an epic time!

Halong! (Take care)

COS

So with less than a month left in the Philippines I’m feeling a little crazy... I just got back from COS (close of service conference, that is) and boy was that a whirlwind of emotions! COS is something PC does to help volunteers prepare for our departure from the Philippines and to help us start thinking about whatever our next step is. They had sessions for us on resume writing, interviewing, and tips for job hunting. They also had a panel of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are working in and around the Philippines. They were able to share their experiences with leaving Peace Corps and moving on to grad school or careers. But the most important aspect of COS for us volunteers was the opportunity to be with each other.

Our batch 269 of Peace Corps Volunteers in the Philippines started out with 144 in August of 2010 when we arrived in-country and started our training. Today as we get ready to end our service, our number is around 102. Some were sent home for medical reasons, some for breaking rules (i.e. riding motorcycles) and some decided this experience was not for them and left early of their own accord.

But the 102 of us that remain share a common bond: We made it.

And when we return it might be somewhat difficult for us as we experience what is referred to as “reverse culture-shock” and try to decide what our next steps in life is. Grad school? Looking for a job? Or just bumming at our parents’ house as we try to figure things out..? Wherever we end up we know there are 101 others going through the same mental anxiety and are only a phone call away.

So COS was a bit emotional as we said good-bye to many of our fellow volunteers, not knowing when we would see each other again and in what country it might be.

PC Phil Batch 269 (photo courtesy of L. Heil)

But now I am back at site and I have 3 weeks left in Guimaras before I leave again for the last time. After an emotional week and a half with fellow Americans and then having to leave them I was feeling a bit down. But my Filipina friends are amazing people…

Manang Susan, one of my office coworkers, had invited me to her house that Saturday after I returned from Manila to have dinner with her and her family. Manang Susan has 6 children, the four youngest are 2 sets of twins. They are ages 26, 22, 20, and 16. They are all incredibly smart and hard-working, a truly amazing family. They remind me a lot of my own family at home, a big and close family, sitting around the dinner table together. And when nang Susan yelled at the younger boys to turn off the TV and come to dinner, I could almost hear my own mother’s voice yelling the same phrase (but in a different language!)

I assumed they would be preparing typical Filipino food, maybe some of my favorites. But imagine my surprise to walk in and see a table full of pesto pasta and salad, along with some Filipino lumpia and monok! They had prepared an American meal they had heard me talk about before and it was delicious! Each family member was responsible for a different aspect of the meal and later on Sam, the eldest, admitted to me that he looked up the pesto pasta recipe online!

After eating they brought out some red horse beer and we talked into the night, laughing and sharing stories and culture!  They asked me questions about American culture, what I was looking forward to and what I would miss about the Philippines. We made jokes about our own cultural differences, speaking in English mostly and sometimes Ilonggo. It was a perfect night that I didn’t want to end. These are the moments that I will never forget and that I will think of when I think back on my time in the Philippines…

me with Manang Susan and her kids (slight height difference haha)

My first kill

I have done it. My first kill. I am now a man…. er woman. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Everyone has different ideas of what Peace Corps is or what PC service might be like. When I first thought about my PC service I imagined myself living rurally, maybe no running water or electricity, walking or riding a bicycle as my only means of transportation, having a garden and, of course, killing my own food. When we first arrived to Manila for our initial orientation, it became apparent to me that my PC service would be quite different from this, what with the SM City Malls, McDonalds, lots of city pollution, and even the fancy hotels I would stay at during PC conferences. Don’t get me wrong, I love my PC service in the Philippines, and I do live quite rurally (and at the writing of this blog I don’t have running water) but I am also not living is some hut in the middle of nowhere... Everyone’s PC service is different and mine has been and continues to be a great one!

When I was in the States I was not a big meat eater. I ate mostly vegetarian meals at home and when I did eat meat it was only poultry or seafood. This is not out of a dislike of killing animals (we are omnivores after all), but rather out of dislike for how our farms are run in the US. Here in the Philippines there are no CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) and most of the livestock are allowed to graze. Even though this is more sustainable method of farming I still do not eat much meat, out of trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Add to the fact that most of us PCVs usually live more vegetarian lifestyles just because of our living situations. Not having access to a refrigerator and not knowing what to do with the parts of the animal you don’t eat means that few of us venture to cook meat at home and end up eating mostly veggies and rice.  So although I occasionally bring home a whole fish to fry up, I usually don’t buy meat and even if I did, the animal I would be buying is already dead and bought at the open market nearby.

But I digress….

The other day I was hanging out with some of my volunteer friends. Rob had just been on a trip to visit another volunteer and while he was there he killed and prepared a goat for dinner, cooking it a multitude of ways including one in which he ate the brain. This of course brought up discussion about the times Jensen killed a chicken and Elliott killed a pig. And that made me realize my lack of killing experience.. so although the thought of killing a live animal intimidated me a little, I realized it was time to achieve a PC milestone (at least in my book) and kill myself some dinner. So we talked to our Filipino friends and Jensen’s counterpart offered to donate a chicken to me.

It was a beautiful white, native Filipino chicken. And it was dinner time.

say hello to my little friend

Now there are different ways to kill a chicken but since our Filipino host wanted to make adobo (a native and very delicious Filipino meal) and they wanted to be able to fry up the blood to eat afterwards (it taste rather iron-like), death by bleeding was chosen. Jensen’s counterpart, Jolie, held the chicken for me and even plucked a few feathers on the neck to clear a spot for the cut. With knife in one hand and the chicken’s head held outstretched in the other, I ended the chicken’s life. Or at least attempted to…. I thought I could make it a quick slice. But after two tries I realized not only was the knife a tad dull, but there were virtually no marks on the chicken, who seemed to look at me like “really?” So I mustered up some strength and cut true.

We held the chicken tight as the warm blood drained into a bowl on the table. Once the deed was done we boiled a pot of water and dipped the chicken’s body into it to help with plucking. Plucking was not so bad, the hot water makes it very easy for the feathers to slide out. Though apparently I was a slow plucker since Jolie decided to “help” me and then just told me “I will finish” as he took the chicken away from me…

So that’s the story of my first kill. And it really wasn’t that bad. After all if I’m gonna eat the animal, I should probably know how it got to my table. I’m not saying I will be killing a lot more chickens in the future, but when I get back to the States and go to the grocery store to pick out some organic, cage-free chicken breast, I will have a better understanding of the life that was taken so that I could cook up a delicious meal.

.............And that chicken adobo sure was delicious!

taste even better when you kill the chicken yourself!

Until next time!

Halong! 

A rainy day poem

My 1st attempt at poetry (and perhaps my last )....

Rain rain

Comes abound,

No more will percolate

The ground.

Everything comes to a halt,

As water pools

And people gawk.

The rainy season,

True to its name,

Has come to the Pilipinas again.

It reminds us we

Are not in control

As roads fill

And buildings float.

But perhaps tomorrow it will subside

And people will return to stride.

Until our next reminder comes

By way of flood, quake or storm

That Mother Earth is in control

And deserve respect in truest form.

                             - S