philippines

2006-06-04T08:53:00.000+08:00

so this is it...my last blog from the phils.

its been quite a trip. i've eaten beetles and ants, ridden a caribao, swam in the south china sea, met 75 families, gotten to know mine better, eaten an average of 3 mangoes a day, been in a beauty pageant (come on, that's really what it was!), and wow! i just had a manicure and pedicure. it sounds like i had the time of my life, right?

well, there were also the rats rats rats, the scars left over from millions of mosquito, flea, and who knows what else bites, the heat stroke episode, the wasp incident, and the beauty pageant. haha, yes! it was both bad and good!

but more than anything, ive had an educational last few months. first, i got to know my family better. man, i didnt know anyone's names when i got here! like seriously, NO one's. now we're all buddies! i can understand more tagalog and gaddang now (not all, just more!), and know exactly two words in ilocano. i learned how to wash my clothes without a machine to do it for me and how to take a jeepney or a tricycle. i learned about my Gaddang peeps. i learned the history of northen luzon. i learned more about myself, too...i realized that i grew up a little bit. or at least that i want to be treated more like an adult, especially by my family:). i'm 23...and a half! i know it's still young, but i'm not a kid anymore. i guess you can never fully expect your parents to stop thinking of you as a child (because you always WILL be their child), but i think i'm understanding now what it will take for me to be a functional adult. so maybe i'll be different a different person when i get home.

ha!

no not really. just a little bit different. how can an experience like this not change someone? my world got bigger...

and that's important to me. i'm going to get social worky for a minute and encourage everyone to study abroad, or to take the chance to travel when you get it. you know, all your UW students you can study abroad and don't have to pay tuition...just your travel expenses. and you get a quarter's worth of credits. do it, my gosh. we all need a little more perspective. think of how small our daily contexts are, compared to the big, wide world. go out and connect with people whose experiences are completely different from yours. it would make our world a lot better if we tried to understand and value everyone else, not just the people who look, live, or do things just like us!

back to just aleah. i am so happy i got to come. so blessed. thank you God for letting me come here! and thank you mom and dad for sponsoring this foundation project...my vacation and graduation present. thank you everyone who emailed me or left me messages. i clung to those, you have no idea! it made me so happy to hear from you, and i cant wait to see you when i get home...

...in just about 2 days! pray i dont have troubles at the airport! my visa is supposed to be ok now, but yikes! maybe ill be held in detention for overstaying. or maybe ill just have to pay a ridiculous amount of money:). whatever happens, i'm getting on that plane, even if i have to break the law. i've had a great time here, but i'm ready to come home.

so, thank you Philippines! i'll miss your people, your mangoes, and your hospitality. i wont miss the bugs, the polution, or the line to communion at mass! so peace out ya'll. see you all again soon.

God bless us all!

aleah

2006-06-01T18:56:00.000+08:00

ok, here's the pic you get tonight! hahahaha...wedding dress? crown? sash? is this a beauty pageant? NO! it's reyna elena!

could i BE wearing any more makeup? imagine what i would have looked like if i'd let anyone else do my stuff...big bangs and blue and pink eye shadow, for sure. and a bare midriff.

the normal people are: lola cion, florence, auntie janet, haha JARIEL, some tall crazy, auntie es, and ate chato. aw, my family! shoot, sorry so dark. aires, can you please post the rest for me?:) ill bring you a present!

i promise, im not an alien. but maybe for that night the body snatchers got me. more in two days!

2006-06-01T18:36:00.000+08:00

i've been there and back, in only 4 days!

--got goosebumps and watched X-Men in Baguio. (by the way, OH MY GOSH X-MEN!!! what the...did you see the little scene after the credits? haha, we stuck around, Filipino style, to watch the movie again, and there was a surprise at the veeery end of the credits. it went something like this: "Moira...?" "Gasp! Xavier?" BOW!)

--prayed in a cathedral built in 1641 in Vigan city

--at claveria went swimming in the south china sea at dawn, watching the fisherman reel in their nets, and walked along the beach in la union. seriously got a tan in 10 minutes

--walked from the capitol to the church (over a km!) in two inch heels and a pimped out wedding dress and crown. by the way, the whole reyna elena thing is depicting the trip Queen Helena, the mother of Constantine, took to search for the true cross of Jesus Christ. my bad, dont listen to me! im just pretending to be filipino!

got to go, but pics are soon to follow...oh my, what a time i've had!

leaving in 4 days. YIKES and YAY! later:)

2006-05-28T19:33:00.000+08:00

ok...

so i lied. no, a church lady lied, which is even worse. my big event is actually taking place on wednesday, so till then, my friends, you'll have to keep guessing.

sucks, i've been thinking of all the things i wanted to write about, but now my mind is blank...so this is sort of a pointless entry. but here's what im doing for the next two days: tour of the NORTH!

wait i have two things to say. first, i owe an email to mom, dad, twinkle, alesia, and grandpa and grandma. sorry, i had no time! next few days, i promise. also, i went to solano to buy hannah and joyce some islanders, and the same saleslady helped me as last time. so we said hello again, la ti da, and then after i paid and was leaving, she goes "goodbye, ma'am-sir!". ok, if you're not filipino, you don't know this, but here all customer service people at the mall or at a fast food restaurant dont try to guess your gender. they say both to be safe. it just made me laugh because she even spent time joking around with me, and i've bought stuff from her twice, and STILL, she calls me ma'am-sir. i guess i cant blame her...its an automatic reply, like when you accidently answer "oh, i'm fine" when someone says "what's up?".

oh hey, and i thought of something else. you know at mass or church services in the states, when communion is happening, how people go up row by row calmy and patiently? ho ho ho...not here dude. i didn't remember that from last time, but when its time for communion, watch out! its a free for all with fist fights and hairpulling! well, at least a little gentle nudging and cutting in front of people. i've learned to be tougher and not let people push me out of line. how do you do it? you just move your body where it needs to go; who cares if you need to step into others' bubbles...they dont exist here.

so thats my difference for the day. it always makes me smile. oh, and the other day i was on the phone with aires outside the tumaliuan's house, and the neighborhood pubescent donut vendor rode by on his bike yelling "DO-NAUGHT!" and man, i know you cant hear it, but PLEASE tell me to do an impression when i get home. i laugh so hard whenever i hear it because it makes me never want to eat donuts again! he sounds like a 13 year old Gollum. poor kid. i have been dared to buy a donut next time i see him, so ill let you know if i can pull off imitating him to his face! hm..maybe....

and geez, i leave in 7 short days, so the time has come for me to have a little vacation. haha! i mean more vacation. uncle vic, uncle ted, lola fely, auntie essel, and i are driving to baguio, vigan, then around the northern coast to a place called Blue Lagoon. Did i already say that? well, im bragging because i cant WAIT to swim in the ocean (but only in the shallow part because im afraid of sharks). ill take lots and lots of pics for you:)!

soooooo...thats it. i kept it short because i dont think people like to read long bloggies! peace ya'll, hang loose and ride the waves, cowabunga! im a ninja turtle, and splinter is still my master (couldnt get rid of the squeakers). rats!

:)

2006-05-26T16:20:00.000+08:00

Dear blog,

I’m sorry I’ve been away so long. I just had so much to do, and no internet connection in Manila. Here is a breakdown of my trip to that bustling, polluted, traffic-filled, shopping mall capitol of the Phils:

NUNS

The whole purpose of visiting Manila was picking up my Lola Fely from the airport, the sister of my grandmother, Lola Ofing, and attending the 60th Jubilee Celebration of Lola Dedding/Sister Isidore. WOW WOW WEE! Can you fathom this? 60 years as a nun! That’s an entire lifetime. Lola Dedding is 84 years old; she took her vows at 24 and worked as a cook in the convent, and trained many women after her to cook like she does. If you had any of the polveron she sent home with my dad, you’d know what I’m talking about! Her polveron is for REAL. Anyway, her Jubilee was a huge celebration at St. Joseph’s College in Manila, where there is a huge convent for the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. There were many other celebrants from all over the Philippines, but only two 60th or “Diamond” Jubilee celebrants. I’d go on and on about the mass, but the important thing is that the bishop gave a great homily about the beauty and strength of saying “yes” to God, and consequently, “no” to other good things, and that the celebrating sisters never looked more beautiful to him than on that day they celebrated 25, 40, 50, or 60 years of faithful service. And oh my gosh…my favorite part was the music. Have you ever heard a bunch of nuns sing together? The regular mass songs were beautiful enough, but when they sang the song dedicated to the founder of the order, I cried! Never have I seen as many nuns in one place as I did that day, and they really TRULY sounded like angels. They all stood for the song, and took up half the auditorium. And it was so beautiful, like a renewal of all of their vows and the pride they had in dedicating themselves to religious life. I remembered why I wanted to be a nun as a little girl! I have lots of respect for them.

We spent some more time with the nuns the next evening at dinner. I tell you, nuns know how to have fun, no matter what you might think about them being silent and always in prayer. Well, some orders are like that, contemplative…but not these nuns! They were all so jolly, some quiet, some loud, some sweet, but all easygoing and kind. Sister Josephini, the reverend mother at the convent, was chowing down on fried lechon and crab the whole time, complaining that no one else was eating as much as she was. We were all watching their big arowana fish for a while too, because Sister Aloysious, Aloy for short, fed it live goldfish, like she does every day! They say it knows her voice and is happy when she comes near…how can they tell?! Fish don’t smile…or DO they?

I can’t explain how nice it was to spend time with the sisters. You can just feel the peace of the Holy Spirit when you’re with people like that, you know? And I was so proud of Lola Dedding. What a simple, dedicated woman she is. And what a great cook!

SWIM, SWIM, SWIM

I’m a fish. If I could go swimming every day, I’d go twice. We stayed in my Uncle Ezer’s and Aunt Karen’s condo on Ortigas Blvd, where they live in a condo complex and have a beautiful pool and a clubhouse, where we actually attended mass last Sunday. It’s like resort in the middle of Manila! SO I swam. I swam and swam in the early morning, and I had the place all to myself. In a half hour, from 7:30 to 8 AM, I got tan lines. Heavenly.

COUPLES FOR CHRIST

Cool man. I got to see where the magic happens, the CFC Manila office, right down Ortigas Blvd from the condo. What made it great were two things: seeing friends and going shopping in the FLAME store. I bought SOOO many t-shirts! And I saw Xavy, his FIANCE (aw, wow!), Vania, Ate Bianca…but the others I know were out of the office, shucks. Made me want to extend too, because the CFC 25th Anniversary is June 25th! But I got something better going on the 25th of June. The baptism of my ina anak, Daniel Carlo! I miss you Daniel!!! So it was great to stop by and see how big the place is. Throughout the Philippines, there are 150 Youth for Christ fulltime mission workers. Hard to imagine, huh? There are even more for the other ministries, and something like 25 for Singles for Christ, the ministry that I belong to. Check out my pictures of the place; the mission and vision say everything good about the ministry!

GAWAD KALINGA

It’s finally happened. I got to go to a GK site in Pasig, one of the first ever built in the Philippines. GK, Gawad Kalinga, is to “give care” and is the social ministry work of CFC. They adopt a very poor community and go through a process of profiling, interviewing, building, employment training, and lots more, and when they’re done the residents of the community have brand new homes, running water, a C.R., and community activities to be involved in. I’m not explaining it very well, but you should check it out! I think the website is www.gawadkalinga.com. My visit was good—I asked one of the ftw’s, Iris (ha, I know!), to show Lola Fely and I around. She brought us to the home of the family she stayed with during one of her immersion trainings, and we asked her tons of questions. So, how has my perception of GK changed? I always imagined the sites very particularly. Like, the model that you see if you go to a GK fundraiser is a rectangular plot of land with a basketball court in the middle, with neat rows of colorful homes all around. The colorfulness is true, but the place I saw was built in the middle of the city, so it had a much more urban kind of feel. And I assumed that the livelihood, health, and education programs were universal in GK sites, which they are not. So I was a little bit disappointed, honestly, not to see all of that, but I guess understand that the needs of each community are different. Some communities are in the middle of Manila, and some are in the countryside, some have donated lands, and some do not. Some are more in need of medical services than others, or education and employment. But the good things are that the place is run by a council of original members of the community. They run and govern the villages. And they are not forced to join CFC either…there are even villages in Mindanao, and a fulltime GK worker who is actually Muslim and belongs to a rebel group. So to me, that’s very amazing; it says something about the program, that it can bridge gaps that big. So GK? I need to see more of it. All in all, it was a good visit, especially with the family that we met; it’s always good when you can connect with someone whose life is so different from yours.

OOPS! I’ve made it too long again. I know some of you won’t have made it this far, but thanks for reading if you did! It was a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live in Manila. Sure, the shopping is great and cheap (there are miles and miles of shopping malls I didn’t get to), but I need space and fresh air, nature, and less traffic!

One thing I noticed is that people don’t look twice when they see me there. I guess they’re more used to seeing tall white ladies than they are here in Bayombong?

Cliffhanger: This Sunday I am doing something I am half honored and half embarrassed to do. It involves a white wedding gown, flower girls, and a procession. So is it:

a. my wedding
b. my first communion
c. my turn to be Reyna Elena

Check your answer on Sunday!

Peace ya’ll, and God bless you!

Aleah

2006-05-19T14:00:00.000+08:00

Installation Mass
The fish market... smells delicious?
Uncle Vic, Tan Me, Some buy in a brown shirt, and a bishop
Celestino Manglapus
the road I walk at Bangan

2006-05-17T18:36:00.000+08:00

So here's the deal. Assassin, or Sassy as I WANTED to call "her", has turned out to be a boy. Sassy no more. And it's funny; I'm actually a little allergic to cats, and I've never really like any...in fact, I usually hate them. But this one, MAN! I touched its little head ONE time, and it loves me. It follows me around and purrs and I don't know what happened to me, but I like it back. I want to pet it and feed it and give it rats to chase. So the other night I petted him and gave him a little bite of my bungus. I woke up the next morning without eyeballs! My eyes were swollen and puffy and worst of all, stuck shut by slimy sleepy bugs. That's what I call eye boogers. Sick, man! I had to pry my eyelids apart and scrub my face, and then I searched the streets of Bayombong at 6AM with Uncle Ted, hunting for some antihistamines. The things we do for love. So now I'm not allowing myself to touch him. Ha, maybe his name should be Sin for short! As in sinfully good. Sayang!

Now, on to more important things...

Yesterday I went along with my Lola Biring on her home visits to the poor, sick, and disabled. Man, social work runs in the blood! I really admire her a lot; she's 74 herself, and not that strong, but she goes every morning with two nurses to do home visits to people who are very old or are sick, bringing medicine and sometimes, food. It's a classic form of social work, something that's been around since before the Poor Laws in England! Bringing good tidings to the poor...bible-esque, isn't it? It's great! It was even better that we went to Vista Alegre, the place where I did my first interviews here...and I got to see Celestino Manglapuz again, an elderly guy who had a stroke several years ago and is confined to a wheelchair. This time I entered his house and got to see how he gets around the house.

Ok first of all, it's SOOO hard being in a wheelchair here. It's not exactly all accessible, especially in the poor neighborhood the Manglapuz family lives in. There are steep stairs leading down to the front door of their home, so to get out someone must carry him up the stairs. His wheelchair is on loan from a relgious organization, but they want him to pay 2,000 for it now, instead of 15,000. I think I mentioned him before. It's nice they lowered the price, but it's still 2,000 too much, right? Yup. So I visited with him again, while the nurses took his blood pressure and checked on his wife, who is blind at 39. He showed me how he gets around their house, by leaning against a beam that winds around the house and outside to the toilet. It's pretty amazing to watch him, because he can't even use the left side of his body. It must be sheer determination that gets him around! We spent half an hour talking, and he begged me to find him some medicine to heal him from his stroke. Man, what do you tell a man who wants to walk so badly that there isn't a pill for paralysis? I just told him I would do whatever I could to help him and his family, so I'm still thinking of ways to make his life more enjoyable. He said he needs to repair his house (his front door lets all the rain in when there's a typhoon!) but I don't know how to mix cement! I guess his experience has just given me a lot to think about, not only for my recommendations for the foundation but also just for me and my list of experiences.

We had a great moment when I was leaving. I say great, though it was also filled with sadness, but it was such a meaningful moment for me, especially as I near the end of my time here in the Philippines. I took his hand and told him I would try to visit again before I left, and he murmured "Thank you ma'am, and lease ma'am, please if you can find me some medicine..." and he brought my hand to his forehead, blessing to me (how Filipinos show respect by taking the hand of an older relative and putting it to their forehead). So I put my forehead against his hand, the one that he was blessing with, and we stood there for a few moments. And yes, I had to cry a little for him. It was such...hm. A human moment. That's exactly how I would describe it. So life is real and great and difficult here, but wonderfully human!

I'll leave you with a funny story. Yesterday, after swallowing some medication to take care of my puffy eyes, I was hanging out with Uncle Ted. He was polishing the floor with a dried coconut husk, and I told him I knew how to do it, and could do that cool little dance that people here do when they're polishing the floor. Oh man, it's great--the right foot goes back and forth, back and forth, and then midstride you switch balance and hop on your left foot to polish a different area. It's fun to watch, and I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about! Anyway, I had to show off my dancing skills, so I took off one of my socks and hopped on. Unfortunately, I left the other one on and as I went to switch my balance, the coconut husk FLEW across the room and I landed flat on my unin.

Thanks for that big chunk of humble pie. The only thing I hurt, fortunately, was my pride.

Alright! Catch you later gators...next time I blog, I'll be in Manila for Lola Dedding's Jubilee! Peace to the Northwest, ingatz!

Aleah

2006-05-12T17:43:00.000+08:00

I am the tsinellas queen!!!

Tsinellas are flip-flops, or toe-separators, as some call them. And I am their queen. I went to Solano with Auntie Essel and Xander yesterday and bought a dozen Islanders (cuuuute Philippine brand tsinellas) to bring home for my buddies. On SALE! Dang, pretty cool ya’ll. If you want some, you better tell me! How do you know if any of the ones I bought are for you?!

:)

You should have seen me. I had armloads of shoes, and the saleslady was running back and forth, bringing me different sizes and colors. By the end of my spree I was happy, the saleslady was happy (shyeah! fat commission for her!), and we won three free pairs of slippers in a raffle! Amazing. I was actually very VERY happy after buying all those shoes. It’s true, it IS therapeutic; I don’t care what anybody says!

My shoe high continued when Auntie Essel and I went to have our hair hot-oiled at a salon. Ok, I know, it sounds like I’m just on vacation, but really, I’ve accomplished a lot in the last couple of weeks! And the hot oil treatment was only 99 Pesos, a little less than 2 bucks. Yes, for a hot oil treatment, neck and back massage, a scalp massage, shampoo and styling. Can’t beat that! It made me sleepy, a warm head and a massage by a sexually ambiguous young man. Ha, what a great day!

For real now, I’m still seeing and doing new things, not just having spa treatments. Last Sunday was the first in the series of Flores de Mayo celebrations, and this Sunday I am attending the installation of Uncle Vic as the St. Joseph Parish priest in Aritao, about an hour away from Bayombong. The bishop will be there to officiate some kind of ceremony, and there will be a reception with food! I’m looking forward to meeting the bishop, because I haven’t seem him yet, and Uncle Vic told me today that he’s really emotional…like he cries often. Haha, whaaa? When I think of bishops, I don’t think of crying men. Hm, I’ll let you know how it goes! I told Uncle Vic he’ll probably get emotional while he’s installing Uncle Vic and ask for a moment to collect himself, but he just said, “Oh Aleah…”. Hehe, Uncle Vic is fun! The cool priest everyone likes. He’s coming to visit Washington in July, everyone!

After the installation I hope we get to stop at that St. Clare Monastery again. To do some more shopping!

Oh, oh, and to pray. Yes, I love that place! It’s lovely and peaceful and their rosary bracelets are only 10 pesos, silver beaded ones with your birthstone! Jokes aside, I really do want to go back and spend some quality time in prayer. My stay here is actually winding down, if you can believe it. I have 3 weeks left. I’ll be home before you know it! And then, I graduate. Which reminds me, if anyone wants to go, please let me know! It’s on Wednesday the 7th of June, starting at 10:30 AM (the social work department grad). The English dept. graduation is at 2 PM the same day. OK! Peace out homies. There’s a typhoon heading our way (I know, it’s weird, it’s summertime), so I’m going to shut down before the power goes out!

BROWN, OUT!
Get it?

Aleah

PS: Animal Update!

Two evenings ago I sat down to make myself an egg salad sandwich (wow, I cooked!). I reached for the bag containing a fresh loaf of bread, and was shocked to feel not the plastic covering, but the bread underneath it. I looked at the bag and realized that a giant hole has been gnawed through it, and a fourth of the bread was gone. The rats are bold! They ate our food in broad daylight, when no one was in the dining room! At first Manang Susan just cut off the parts that had been eaten, but no. I couldn’t bear the thought of swallowing a piece of bread that their grubby little paws or their nasty long tails had touched, so she ran to the store for some buns. Master Splinter and Warren T., you certainly won the battle, but not the war. It’s on, boys! I went outside and brought one of the cats into the house. I’ll call her Assassin. So far she’s 0-2, but maybe we’ll get lucky. I saw her chasing a roach, so I know she has killer instinct.

Stay tuned…

2006-05-09T14:27:00.000+08:00

Sister Act 3... "Not all Habits are bad"

The old lady in the left corner isn't me...

the local nba...

the monastary gates. do you think i could jump it?

Sister Gloriosa. My Mentor in Social work and fashion

2006-05-09T12:48:00.000+08:00

It’s noon in the Philippines, and BOILING hot today. It hasn’t been like this yet! Aaaaa…I’m melting…

…and I’m also listening to the radio. It’s great man, the top 40 radio station here plays the Divine Mercy at noon, in the midst of shout-outs from teenagers and Green Day. I love how it’s ok to be Catholic here, to talk about faith even on the radio or to pray at school. The public schools even have catechism teachers! Can you imagine holding a rally to eliminate prayer in public schools here? No one would come! And maybe the one or two who would show up would throw rotten tomatoes at you! One of the most common responses in my interviews to the question “What are the strengths in your community?” was “the people here are devout” or “the people here are religious”. It’s refreshing to see that faith (esp. a Catholic or Christian faith) can be seen as a strength in a community, and not a weakness, after working in the social work field in Seattle. It’s not very friendly to organized religion or those who practice it, let me tell you! Makes me want to practice here in the Philippines!

Anyway, I’m having a nice, chill day. I walked this morning again, at 6 AM. I know! Me? Aleah Tiam? I’d usually never rise before 8 o’clock, but here even the young people wake up early. None of that sleeping stuff in, especially because the morning is so much more cool and comfortable than the rest of the day. If you sleep in, you miss the best weather of the day!

Something I really love about living in this neighborhood are the kids. I know I’ve mentioned the Aleah Nandila thing before, but when I walk down the street to my Uncle and Aunt’s house a few blocks away, I’m greeted by small children who say “Hello Aleah!” (sounds like Ah-lay-ah) or they just look up at me as they run by me and smile and say “Ate!” (sounds like ah-teeeey!). Garsh! I really appreciate them when I venture outside, because the adolescent to adult people just tend to stare, at least the ones I don’t know. Once when I went on an interview the granddaughter of the woman I spoke with pulled on my shorts as I was about to leave to get my attention, and she said very shyly, “Goodbye Ate”, and I bent down so she could give me a kiss on the cheek. Gaaaahhhh, my little heart strings went *twang* and I gave her a big hug. For the most part kids here are shy, but maybe not until they’re like 8 or 9…they’re all so curious about me, so it’s fun to talk to them with my American accent and make them giggle. It’s one of the highlights of my day.

Why mention it? I don’t know, I was in the mood for something heart-warming. But here’s something educational! It is now Flores de Mayo for the church, May being the month that Mary is honored and crowned with flowers. So here in Bayombong they have a nice tradition. They probably do it all around the Philippines, but it was my first time to experience this. Here’s how it’s celebrated: a couple barangays put together an entourage for each Sunday of May, consisting of little girls who are designated as angels or as flower girls, several virtuous and beautiful young ladies, and the MOST virtuous and beautiful young lady to represent the Virgin Mary, or Reyna Elena who has an escort and a little boy with her to represent Constantine and to carry a cross beside her. As the entourage parades down the street with Mama Mary waving like a beauty queen to the faithful who come out to greet the procession, a lively band brings up the rear with exciting, celebratory music. During the Presentation of the Gifts at mass yesterday, they invited the delegates for that Sunday to come up. Everyone was so dressed up, and the young woman playing Mama Mary had a long white gown on, with a huge silver crown ala Miss America! I thought she was supposed to crown the statue with flowers, but that didn’t happen yesterday. Anyway, it’s all very pretty and sweet to see the little girls participating. Haha, my relatives have all been threatening to suggest my name for our barangay’s Reyna Elena, but oh well! I’ll be in Manila during our turn…shucks! Besides, I don’t need to draw any more attention to myself; I think my height and my pastiness do the job already. Ha, it would have been a great experience, but I think the cutoff is like 16…that’s how old the chick looked yesterday, anyway! So I’m fine just watching the festivities like the 23 year old fart that I am. It’s funny that last year I helped put together a Flores de Mayo celebration at the Newman Center in Seattle for the Catholic students at UW, but I really had no idea what all happens…I just had everyone process in with a flower for Mary and lay it at the feet of a statue, which was nice, but geez. How do you top a full parade with a band and a beauty queen?

I guess the answer is, you don’t. Good luck putting this year’s together, Jules! I want to see pictures of the parade! Hehe. I wish I could be there.

Animal story of the day:

I rounded the corner to the upstairs bathroom last night to find a MONSTER cockroach sitting on the sink. Gasp, panic, what do i do? As my skinned crawled I looked around and saw a book sitting on a box nearby, so I threw it at the roach but it dodged and scuttled down the wall. So I ran away! A few hours later, I was hopping around, delaying my trip to the CR. But man...nature calls! So I braved the bathroom again, and GAH! There he was, with his looong skinny antennae fluttering around, and his big long shiny brown body. EEEEEEEEEEE! EEE EEE EEE!!! Go away cockroach! So I picked up a toy my mom sent to give to one of the kids here (I know, sorry), and swatted it onto the floor and away from the bathroom. I know, I should have tried to kill it, right? But I was afraid it would jump on me or fly into my face (even though they don't have flying cockroaches here, only in Manila!). It's not even the fact that it's a roach. At home I've been known to throw my shoes at spiders on the wall in the middle of the night, just to avoid getting close enough to kill them with a tissue. But yeah, I don't think my fearful little hand a baby kleenex would have killed the vehemoth last night. I hate cockroaches!!!

Oh my, anyway! I have a date with a shuttlecock and destiny. Catch you later! Ingat~

A-lay-ah

2006-05-05T20:03:00.000+08:00

What a week!

Oh my, oh my. Get ready for some crazy new experiences everyone! It’s been a too long, and I have a few things to say.

Last Friday I was a guest on a local radio show. HAHA! For REAL! (There are pics below!) Of course, it was Uncle Vic’s idea, as he is the host of the radio show. And he is the director of the local station run by the Archdiocese…yup, it was only connections that got me on the airwaves, but it was fun to bask in the glow of my Uncle Vic’s celebrity for a while. He’s a superstar in Nueva Vizcaya! He asked me questions about my experiences here so far, what Holy Week was like for me, the poverty I’ve witnessed, my studies in social work, the differences between the Philippines and the USA. I am SUCH a dork. “Good morning, hehe” was the first thing I could utter, sounding like a 10 year old girl, but after a while it felt just fine, like a normal conversation between Uncle Vic and me. And then at the end I said “Salamat Po” and I sounded SO American. Haha, oh well, I guess that’s what I am!

That same day, returning to work after my mysterious illness (that was brought on by the 95 degree heat, I’ve decided, and not by a witch), I went to Baringin, a barrio of Bayombong. It’s so far from the central part of the town, and some of the homes are still nipa and bamboo. And when we got out of the car, I heard Gaddang being spoken all around me, so I interviewed some girls outside a sari sari store (little convenience store on the street). It’s pretty cool actually, to hear little kids and everyone around speaking Gaddang, because in the rest of the city it’s only a mix of Ilocano and Tagalog spoken by the younger people. I also spoke to a very nice man named Antolino, and I hate to say it, but when he smiled he looked just like Smeagal/Gollum from Lord of the Rings! Hahaha! I’d post a picture, but that’s too mean! But like I said…he was a very nice man.

Haha, anyway, I have another food story. Probably what you all will think is the “grossest” so far. But I did it! And it wasn’t terrible. In fact here, it’s a delicacy, available only once a year, after it rains, like the ant eggs. This special food is abal abal in Ilocano, afal in Gaddang (how fitting!), and BEETLE in English. S’right, I ate a bug. A big ol’ cockroach looking bug! I was getting revenge for the one that crawled onto my foot and got stuck on my slipper in the kitchen the other day. Auntie Essel had to teach me how to eat it; you grab the head and the body and separate them with your hands…dispose of the head! Then you squeeze some thick yellow stuff out of the body section of the critter. The outside is a crunchy shell, but (thankfully) you don’t eat that part! You suck out the yellow part, and after watching Auntie Essel scarf it, I took a deep breath and ate it up…chewed it just a little…and swallowed. At first I was pleasantly surprised; it tasted like egg! I said as much, and Auntie Norma goes “It IS egg!”

Whoa.

By then it didn’t matter, but I’m sure if I’d known that, it would have been harder for me to eat it!

So I’m chalking it up to another good experience; it’s weird to many of us Americanos, but it’s a treat to taste the local grub (no pun intended). Didn’t I say it before? When in the Philippines, do as the Filipinos do.

Another cool thing: I finished the interviewing portion of my project this week! Hurrayyyy!!! I have spoken with 77 people, 77 families, listened to 77 important perspectives and experiences. They were great, welcoming, and so obliging to a big tall American woman working on her thesis. I love the Philippines!

And yet…

I miss home! I do, I really do. I miss my family and my friends and yes, I miss my favorite foods. So that’s why I cooked a celebratory pasta lunch on Tuesday, to mark the completion of my interviews and to eat some noodles! I bought bowtie pasta (P58 for a big bag, or $1.16), some tomater paste, fresh french bread at Breads and Bites (wow!), olive oil, and some Magnolia brand manufactured cheese! I’m not really sure what the ingredients in that kind of cheese are. It’s like Velveeta, but actually tasted much better! Uncle Ted shredded it for me, while I pounded garlic for my simple sauce. But in the end, it all turned out great. The one thing though, that was both the worst part of the meal AND the best, was the garlic. I have never used so much garlic in a meal in my entire life, but I of course, loved it. It was almost too much, and yet, just right. Yum yum yum! I smelled like amfut for 2 days.

Another celebratory event: I’ve been shopping! Wahoo, I got pretty excited, let me tell you. I actually don’t shop that much, especially compared to how I used to be, in the Apt 202 days (right Ades?), but I’ve picked up a few things here, two of them borderline too short on my long torso. But ANYWAY, back to the real business. The other, more important shopping I did, was last Sunday, when Auntie Es, Uncle Ted, and I went to visit Uncle Vic at his new parish in Aritao. It’s a nice church, but during communion I got scared because the old Immaculata ladies seemed to be angry that I was trying to get to the front of the line before them. Aaaa, a bunch of little mad church ladies is scary! After mass we visited the St. Clare Monastery, where several nuns live lovely lives, mostly contemplative, I think. The sister who took us around was very sweet, and even though I can’t remember her name (oops!), I’m glad I met her. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a nun! Haha, I don’t really think that’s in the cards (unless God has a surprise for us all!), but I so love the beauty of religious life. The place felt full of grace and peace, and Auntie Essel and I bought some souvenirs and pasalubong! Very cheap ones!

That’s really where my shopping spree began, and it ended today, several hundred pesos later, in Santiago. I could really talk a LOT about what I did just today, but this is already plenty long. And if I become boring in the next week, I’ll just recap today’s adventures.

Sister Gloriosa (who I met with today, the MSW who is acting as my mentor here through this whole experience), is also wonderful. Maybe this week was about appreciating nuns. Because I also saw Lola Deding today, Sister Isidore, and I love visiting her too. I love being surrounded by these strong, prayerful women. Yes, I feel the love!

So have a happy day everyone—I’m doing great, still enjoying every moment to the fullest, and missing home a little more each day…by the time June rolls around, I’ll be ready to come back!

Oh! One more cool thing. I attended a basketball game the other night! San Nicolas (the family barangay) against Bonfal, a nearby neighborhood. Oh man! I was cheering and so proud of the boys, who won by 12. They are actually all close to my age, but I still felt proud and glad to be here, glad to be Gaddang, and glad to be watching some good ball. They wore sneaks too, not the usual flip flops! (And one of them was a Gurat—it said so on the back of his jersey!)

Alrighty then, ingat everyone! Till next time, this is Aleah signing off from 90 Quezon St, San Nicolas, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Ha, I just gave you my address! What a lame dj. Catch you on the flip side~

Peace!

2006-04-29T14:58:00.000+08:00

Darryl is so cute! she's the one in the middle!
Declicious Ant eggs! Bon Appetit!
DJ Uncle Vic, live and on the air straight to your radio dial...
I'm trying to speak that gaddang language!
I'm with the DJ! I carry records for spintronics!

2006-04-26T16:44:00.000+08:00

hahaha...well!

i didn't make it to the beauty pageant (which im SURE would have featured lovely "ladies" looking like t-bone, ate gi), but over the last few days i've had some interesting adventures!

man! i wish i could put videos on this thing, but just imagine it: Sunday afternoon, me, white ant eggs, and a spoon. scrumptious! they actually werent bad, since auntie norma cooked them in a tomato and onion sauce...but besides the little tic-tac looking eggs there were big full-grown flying ants in the mix too! with wings! haha, ca-razy! and a little bit squishy.

so i've finished almost ALL of my interviews now! wow, i have 10 more to go out of 60...been thinking about making it 65 or 75, but we'll see if i have time. I have to compile everything now, and it's going to be a HUGE job, but really cool...i feel like i'm helping!

the last two interviews i did on Monday were with an aunt and her niece, and they just happened to be related to me! Auntie Pacita is a retired catechist, and a firm believer in the indigenous witchcraft practices that still exist here in the province. Wow! The dualism is crazy...a catechist AND a belivier in animism? But that's how it is here...Catholicism is a lot younger here than the indigenous beliefs. They've all intertwined in some ways. She also told me that every time she sweeps under the mango tree in front of their house she must say "bade bade" to protect herself from the spirit the dwells inside it. With me so far? I know for many of you Americans reading this, it's new stuff. then, as i was leaving her house, an old woman came in and she was introduced as another auntie, but a faith healer also, who was about to make some medicine! Wow again. And then I passed under the mango tree...and shrugged off the whole conversation.

the next morning i woke up in a cold sweat, nauseous, and very weak. and sure enough, as soon as i went downstairs and smelled breakfast i ran to the bathroom to "exorcise the demons" if you will. so was it a coincidence? or something darker at work? hm...as much as i want to say i don't believe in supertition, sometimes you have to wonder, especially after hearing so many stories from my own family members about illnesses and strange things happening to them. i had a great uncle who was a faith healer, i think...and probably also a devout Catholic:). i also had an aunt to whom something very serious happened concerning the jealousy of a certain neighborhood crazy...hmmm!!!!!

so it was either a witch or heat exhaustion, but im fine today! feelin' good in the neighborhood. but here's what i'm looking forward to, at the midway point of my time in the Philippines:

--being finished with my project so i can play!
--seeing the Northern Philippines, including Bagio City, Vigan (old Spanish city), crusing through the mountains, ending up at Blue Lagoon (yes! like the movie!) on the coast, eating lobster, and watching the sunrise over the ocean...ooooo!
--hanging out with my family more, so we can play badminton
--the taco seasoning and taco shells Auntie Lea is sending me in a care package. Mexi-night in the Philippines, anyone? YES! im making fresh pico de gallo, GF:)
--Lola Dedding's Jubilee and hanging out in Manila like a gangsta...a gangsta who is staying in a convent with her Lola Fely. I'm so excited!

So I have a lot more in store. Come along with me on my adventures, friends! I'll be sure to keep giving you pictures too. I miss you all, and wish you were here. Really, I do!

Ingat, God bless:)

2006-04-25T07:51:00.000+08:00

In the pool, havin a splash with the cousins!

Romans invade Philippines! Stations of the Cross!

The Carabao and me.

Uncle Vic hugs a tree

Crisel and me!

Good crowd on good friday

Wash your rice! my feet were in its paddys!

2006-04-22T15:49:00.000+08:00

You know what I love about the Philippines? The music. I love the acoustic guitar love songs…it’s been a while since it was super popular in the US, right? Like the days of John Mayer were 3 or 4 years ago…so right now I’m listening to “Especially for You” on repeat. Manang Susan and I just eat dinner or relax and enjoy the radio…she often gets sentimental about her husband when the songs are playing (he died many years ago when their children were just babies, from a sudden heart attack). I love singing songs with her and speaking Gaddang with her! She’s really teaching me, trying only to speak in Gaddang…I’m not so good, but I’m trying hard, Tiam family! Get ready to speak to me in Gaddang when I get home! My new favorite word for one of the best foods: amfut!

Garlic!

I played badminton today, and sweated buckets. But I love it now. Baseball is to America as badminton is to the Philippines. Except seriously EVERYONE plays it. I hope all this sweating pays off and detoxifies my skin! Otherwise, it’s just gross. I stick out so much, the tall sweaty white girl walking down the street! It’s funny though, what people think of me when they see me. They usually guess that I am 16. For real, 16? Add 7 years… The other day some kids were playing with Uncle Ted’s dogs (he raises the pit bulls) as we were walking them and they asked Auntie Essel if we were sisters. Haha, of course I couldn’t understand the kids, but my Uncle Ted goes, “Yes, manang” and points at me. Meaning he told them I was their big sister! Haha. I was glad they thought I was actually Filipino though! People say I don’t really look it, so that little kid made me feel good. I’m trying to post pictures still, but I want to show you a picture of Auntie Essel and myself, the twins. She is a few years older than me, shorter than me, and browner. I’m the larger white version of her!

Yesterday we returned from Kayapa, the mountain town where my Auntie Nina and my cousin Vincent built a house. It’s so pretty there, and malamig (cold), too! Just like Bagio, without the tourists. We went hiking up and down the mountains, Uncle Vic, Auntie Essel, and me. That two hour hike was crazy! There were times that we were seriously scrambling up steep, steep hillsides, or holding onto the grass and shrubs as we slid down the mountain. It was great! I think I lost 2 kilos. I took some great pictures, and saw wonderful views of valleys, rice terraces, and beautiful mountain ranges. The land there is so untouched, no electricity, people who don’t speak Tagalog or even Ilocano. I really like the remoteness of it, and the simplicity. I can’t imagine living there though. You have to hike miles up and down the mountain ridges to get to the nearest market! But I understand why people want to live there. It’s peaceful and clean, tucked away from the rest of the world. Haha, on the way back though, Uncle Vic ran over a stupid chicken who didn’t get out of the way quick enough. He felt terrible afterward, and I asked him who he felt worse for, the chicken or the people who owned the chicken. He said the chicken! I felt bad for it too, because one of my biggest fears is running over animals, but I think Uncle Vic is half hippy, half priest. He’s a vegetarian, not only because it’s healthier but because he feels bad eating animals. And my most memorable quote from him so far? On our hike he stopped to hug a pine tree. He also said, “Oh, my darling tree”. He is a vegetarian tree-hugging priest. Amazing! I don’t think there’s anyone like him. I love that about Uncle Vic.

And TODAY! Drum roll, please! The surprise you’ve all been waiting for. Today is Saturday, and this morning at 7:00 AM, I woke up and walked with Uncle Ted to Uncle Junior’s friend’s field, where I rode a CARABAO! Yes! (A water buffalo, if you don’t know what a carabao is.) I named her Angel (not after you, Angel-face, she just looked angelic!) and we had a great time galloping around the countryside! Not really, we just walked very slowly around the pasture, but it was a great experience. It’s hard to ride a carabao! Their backs are like ridges and broad, broke-back I think they’re called (but not like the movie!). I have cool pics to show, so hopefully Aires can upload them for me! Hehe, thanks:). After I rode her I found out she was pregnant. Sorry Angel! Yikes…and guess what Aires? She didn’t smell bad at all:)!

After visiting Angel the Carabao, we walked across the street to Uncle Junior’s rice field and I mushed my way through it. Haha, I was scared of leeches, but of course there weren’t any. It felt great actually, mud squishing between my toes, the cool water around my ankles. Ahhh. Cool too that I didn’t actually have to plant the rice or anything. I’ve seen it, and it’s back-breaking work farming rice, man. I have to respect the farmers here who work so hard to produce the rice I eat every day.

I have so many things to share…today alone I rode a carabao, walked through a rice field, and took a trip to Solano (a neighboring town) on a jeepney, which is a mode of transportation. You just climb in the back of what looks like a big silver van/truck and hang onto the hand rails until you want to get off. Only 8 pesos getting from city to city, so I can’t complain! That’s about 16 cents. Can’t imagine paying that much for transportation, right? The bus in Seattle is $1.50, and you can’t tell it where to stop along the route!

In Solano Uncle Ted and I ate spaghetti, cheesy fries, fried chicken, and a burger at Jollibee, the equivalent and competition of McDonald’s here in the PI. Haha, Margot was RAVING about the spaghetti, and she’s right! Man, it’s been 13 years since I’ve been to Jollibee, and it tasted great. Good “Coke Light” too. I thought of you, Han! Can’t wait to drink a cold one with you on the rooftop of the apartment. After visiting my Lola Dedding, who lives in a convent a block away from Jollibee, we came home and tonight I’m going to a beauty pageant! Haha…I’ll fill you in next time.

Last of all, Jesus, Maria, Josep! I keep seeing the doppelgangers of all my friends. It freaks me out. I saw a guy that looked exactly like Jose, and then a chick that TOTALLY looked like Julianne. I saw the name “Patulot” somewhere in passing and also Calubyub, which reminded me of Miss “Alwayz Driving” Marie Calimlim! Haha. I guess I’m thinking about all of my friends and my family while I’m here. Even though I’m having a wonderful time, I do miss all of you at home. Hey you cousins out there, Auntie Essel, Uncle Ted, and I have decided that we all need to come here together next year, or as soon as possible. Right? Wouldn’t it be great?! Let’s do it.

Time for me to head out for merienda! Hm, I think we’re having mango shakes and lumpia gulay (vegetable). Yes! I love life here. 3 meals and 2 meriendas every day:).

Peace ya’ll! God bless.

PS: When I leave the yard in the morning, the kids playing in the canal across the street always say “Hello Aleah, Hi Aleah”. Then the other day they started calling me “Aleah Nandila”! Nandila is dila dila, sticky rice that you dip in sugar/molasses/coconut sauce. It’s a Gaddang tradition to make it during Holy Week. Haha. I thought they called me nandila because I’m pasty white, just like the food, but I was told it’s because it rhymes. Hm…

PPS: Thanks Ate G! Haha, i cant wait to see you in sept. and jules and zants, i love that you waited to comment...i miss you too much! haha, aires, you got to be on your toes:) love you.

2006-04-17T18:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Easter everyone! Man, it's been a while, but I have a good reason:

The Philippines kicks America's butt when it comes to celebrating Easter. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays, so no one is at work! Including Aleah! I took the days off to enjoy Holy Week and to reflect...but I have plenty of news! Get ready for a long, long blog...

Holy Week, man. Like I was saying, Palm Sunday was not like anything we have at home…it was great to start Holy Week in such a cool way. It’s something to be excited about, and jump up and down in the church about, right?!

Monday I finished my interviews in Vista Alegre, and traveled to Purok 4, or “block” #4 in the barangay. It seemed like we passed into another level of poverty when we crossed the dike that separates it from the rest of the neighborhood. Manang Letty and I walked along the road, asking to speak to Gaddangs, and were directed to an old man in a wheelchair. Celestino Manglupas used to be a masonry worker, before he was paralyzed by a stroke. He cannot work anymore, so he does not even have money to buy his wheelchair, which is on loan from someone who wants to sell it to him for 15,000 pesos (he’s about 15,000 pesos short!). I gave him (like I give to all the people I interview) a small Ziploc bag of candy, which he gave to his grandchildren. But I’m beginning to feel bad about that because after they tell me how they sometimes do not have enough money for food and need medicine, I turn around and give Nerds and mini-Snickers bars. I was telling Manang that the next time I come back to the Philippines I’ll bring vitamins instead. We then went behind the fence of his yard to speak with his son, Santiago.

Speaking with Santiago is one of my most memorable experiences so far. He is about 44 years old, with three children and a wife. Their situation is heartrending. He and his wife catch and sell fish in the market, like many of the residents of Vista Alegre, but their income is not nearly enough to provide for their family. They live in a small shelter made of corrugated metal and scrap wood. It is tiny, not big enough for all of the family members to sleep inside. There is no electricity or running water. The children are not attending school beyond the early years of elementary because they cannot afford the expenses. His 10 year old son, Alvin, has a kidney disease. When I asked him what needs are unmet for his family, he looked turned away from us and looked down. Then I saw his eyes fill with tears and he was silent for a few minutes. I wanted to play it down because I could see that he was fighting to hold back tears, but I couldn’t look away…and I couldn’t say anything, witnessing such raw emotion and pain. It was one of the most desperate moments I have ever witnessed. I couldn’t look away. Then he addressed me, eyes downcast, and said that they cannot afford Alvin’s medicine, because they must choose to buy food for the family instead. Alvin had been playing on the dirt floor beside me until this point in the interview, when he sat on his father’s lap and snuggled against him. Maybe he could sense the sadness his dad felt. It was another one of those moments when I wished I had more to give than just a bag of candy and the hope that in several months or a year down the road some money might be available to them through the foundation. I wish I could give Alvin medicine! And give his family some money for food. And a drainage and sewer system! I hope and pray that this work I am doing helps to pay off in big ways like that. The entire community will be healthier, the living conditions much more pleasant, and the homes won’t flood. Doesn’t that seem like something that everyone should have? It should be. So all ya’ll reading this, don’t be afraid to share what you have to help make this stuff happen! It’s real and it’s crucial to the survival of real people, all over the world.

That was an amazing and tiring day. Haha that night, I had another encounter with the rat family living in the walls! I had been talking about exterminating them with my Auntie Essel and Manang Susan, and when we sat down to dinner they began to play. They played in the ceiling above us, in the walls around us, and finally, I saw them playing on the stairs beside us. Gah! It was as if they knew we were plotting their demise, so they came out to play and remind me that they’re just rats trying to get by. So now I feel bad about planning to kill them; I’ve seen them a few times in the last few days, and they seem to be innocent little animals playing underneath the stairs. But as my dad will tell you, they are also little disease bags that might give me rabies! So Master Splinter and Warren T. (named after the “rat” in An American Tale), your days are numbered. Our first try is fly paper. The boarders behind our house caught 5 big rats with fly paper, but so far it hasn’t worked at all on our little friends. Uncle Ted says to thumbtack the paper down. The thing I don’t like about the paper is the idea of finding one of them stuck on it. It won’t be ME taking them out to bury them/throw them away. Eeeeeee!

The last two days of the week I spent in San Nicolas, interviewing the poor of this area. They are not as poor as the folks in Vista Alegre, but still have very little. I also met some elderly folks who like to talk for a looong time. After the last two weeks of work, I can gauge how many interviews I’ll average based on the population I’m interviewing. The young people take about half and hour, the elderly about an hour! They have much more to say, and much more life experience. In a way it’s great because their perspective on the community is very valuable; in another way, it’s bad because I can only finish 6 in a day! When Wednesday rolled around, I was very happy…it was a half day and the beginning of a very long weekend! The news talked about how people were leaving Manila in mobs to get home to the provinces for Holy Week. Uncle Ted told me that during Holy Week the crime rate in Manila was cut in half; the population was also cut in half. So the criminals also have a heart for Holy Week! Aw…

Thursday was a good day. I relaxed, worked on emails, and spent lunchtime with my Lola’s sister, my Lola Loleng. She had like 12 children, so most of them were there with their spouses and children. It was big and loud and fun to be around everyone! Uncle Loca, my Auntie Precy’s good “bading” friend cut everyone’s hair and we all ate till we were stuffed. Then that night I went to mass in Solano at my Uncle Vic’s parish, St. Louis. I was wondering: isn’t Holy Thursday a day of obligation, and the start of the Triduum? Or is it just that I like going? Not many people went to mass, so I had trouble finding someone to go with me! But anyway, it was a really wonderful mass, and Uncle Vic gave a great homily before washing the feet of the people chosen from the parish. I felt so loved! And afterwards he invited me to eat dinner with him. I didn’t realize that it would be along with the two other priests at the church! So I had dinner with three priests. I really wanted to ask them tons of questions but I couldn’t…because they were speaking in Ilocano most of the time! Yipes. But I did get to ask where they are all being relocated, and later I found out from Uncle Vic that they are both only 29 years old. Wow! You never see priests that young at home…and two or three little boys have also told me that they want to be priests when they grow up. It’s just a new experience seeing so many young people excited about entering religious life. Wow, another new experience for Aleah!
I woke up early on Friday to experience the live Stations of the Cross on Bangan Hill. Auntie Essel, her boyfriend Xander, and I climbed to the top of the hill, along with hundreds of other Catholics to witness a reenactment of Jesus’ final hours and crucifixion. It wasn’t like the people in the Southern Philippines who actually get nailed to the cross, but it was pretty cool. It was so dramatic! I loved the part when the crowd chose to free Barrabas instead of Jesus; the actor playing Barrabas jumped up and down and cried “Yipee!” before running away into the crowd. And later on I was standing very near the front and the Roman guards came running straight toward me, then grabbed Simon of Cyrene a few feet away, being really physical and forceful, pushing him up to where Jesus was to help him carry the cross. It was all so…theatrical! I have a cool video of it.

So by the time Jesus was crucified, I was TIRED! It was blazing hot under the sun, standing with a huge crowd of people after climbing a mile up a hill. But it was great! Really made me reflect on the experience of Jesus as he made the final climb to his death. The atmosphere was so different for him though; we were singing songs (like “Were You There”), saying prayers, drinking our bottled water, and he was being taunted and abused the entire way. I felt very thankful on Good Friday. That night I saw a cockroach! Haha, it was a baby one in the living room, but it crawled underneath the couch before I could do anything. I’m afraid of cockroaches, I’ve decided. They’re so big! Anyway, Holy Saturday was also nice, but I didn’t make it to the Vigil. Haha, but Auntie Essel and I DID walk by when it was starting, so we decided to attend just the beginning, the Ceremony of Light, where we all stood outside the church and witnessed the lighting of the Easter candle. We lit our own blessed candles too. It was very beautiful, to watch people processing in with their candles in the darkness.

Easter Sunday! I woke up at 4AM and met my Auntie Essel for 4:30AM mass at the church. The service began with Sabet-Sabet, the meeting of the statues of the risen Jesus and Mother Mary. Little girls from the parish dressed up as angels and sang the first Alleluia of the Easter season. I love this service so much; I saw it the last time I was here, and I couldn’t wait to go to it again this time. Beautiful!

I was reading last night that the time after Easter should be a time of great celebration…50 days to be exact. 50 days of rejoicing and remembering that we are blessed and loved by God. So I want to remember that for the rest of the time I am here. I am so blessed and thankful to be here, thankful for my experience here and for everything I have back at home. I’m thankful for my faith, my family, my special someone, my friends, for grad school, for life! And thankful to celebrate a renewed life.

I ate lunch at Auntie Essel and Uncle Ted’s Lola’s house, with Uncle Junior, Auntie Norma, and Jariel, their chubby nephew! Haha, he’s the cutest! And I love going to their home. They are wonderful and welcoming and because of them, I get to do something very exciting on Saturday…stay tuned!

Last thing: Easter dinner I ate with my Lola Dedding, or Sister Isidore, Uncle Vic, Father Johnson, and all of the Franciscan sisters living by St. Louis school in Solano. They are all happy and generous, and I ate a great meal. My new food experience this week? I tried frog at the convent, along with Auntie Essel! Hm, tastes like chewy chicken.

With that, I better go. This is one long entry, and I promise not to wait so long until the next one. I’m going to Kayapa again this week, so I’ll have time to organize my thoughts on the project and also on my experience so far. I’m 3 weeks in, as of yesterday! Only 6 and ½ more to go! Take care everyone, and have a wonderful Easter Season!

Aleah

2006-04-10T19:21:00.000+08:00

Where do I begin? At the beginning, of course.

This morning I woke up and showered, and came down to breakfast as usual. And then, just as I was finishing my mango, I heard a squeak and looked over to see Splinter and Warren T. scurrying under the stairs. I SAW them. They are big and furry and gray! Eek! So I said, "Manang Susan! There, the rats were there!" And she laughed and told me we can't poison them because it will stink. And then she HAD to add that once she was sleeping in the living room, and a rat JUMPED on her FACE. Uh, what?! These are JUMPING rats? Hahahaha. I'm not laughing so much from the funniness of it all as from the delirium...oh man. My Uncle Lonnie emailed me with good advice though; all I can do is get used to the idea that they live in my house too. And that I might see them from time to time. But if they EVER come near me...watch out rats. I'll scream so loud it will make your little heads explode!

I apologize for the violence. The rest of the day was topsy turvy because today I began my interviews! I traveled to Vista Alegre, a neighboring barangay, to visit some Gaddangs for my survey. They say that neighborhood is the poorest I will experience, and I really think it will be. Almost no one has enough money for simple daily living. I spoke to a man today who owns a piggery to support his family. He never finished high school, so when he was telling us about his children he kept repeating that his eldest was studying computers at a local university. His family is barely getting by, but it's crucial to him that his child finishes a degree. He, and a few others today, mentioned they also are victims of loan sharks...the interest on 5,000 Pesos is 1,000, due in 40 days. Think about what that means. Those I talked to used loan money to pay for medical attention and school tuition. One woman has a three year old child who looks like a one year old. She has borrowed money from everyone she can, but it is simply impossible for her family to take care of the baby. She is malnourished and has a lung disease, one that the whole family seems to have. The alleys between their house and their neighbors’ (and in between almost every house there) is open sewage, so they are often sick. T.B. and asthma occur there often, as well chronic coughing and dysentery.

I guess I'm just processing all I saw today, but at the end of this rough day the thought that keeps running through my head is, where do we begin?
Part of my wants to give that little kid food, while part of me says, what’s the use? How do we stop this from happening?

Prevention man, that’s the key. All these respiratory problems prevalent here are preventable, so what are the steps to changing things? As glad as I am to be helping in the long run, I feel frustrated not being able to do more.

So I have much more to absorb and process on my own, but that’s what I experienced today. Tomorrow I am spending time in San Nicolas, my family’s barangay, to gather information from the indigent and elderly Gaddangs here. It will be another interesting day!

So tonight, I’m thankful for all the food I get to eat, my medical insurance, my education…my clean house and plumbing, my clothes and shoes, and my dental work. My parents spent thousands on orthodontics, and many people don’t even have teeth to eat good food with!

Those are my thoughts for you, too. Let’s be thankful! And welcome to Holy Week everyone! I had a great Palm Sunday. I’ve never had to buy palms before, but it’s worth the 10 pesos; the palms are folded beautifully! Amazing. For the blessing, we waved and shook them in front of the priest to show our excitement in welcoming Jesus, like they did when he came into Jerusalem. My Uncle Ted told me to think about how those same people were also the ones who shouted “Crucify him!” when it all went down. Oh yeah. Something to think about for Holy Week. I’m excited! Friday I am going to a recreation of the carrying of the cross and Stations; we’ll hike up a hill in the heat and everything!

Ok, the other cool thing was that I finally ate Taho. I can see what the fuss is about.

Alright homies, that’s all for now. I got to get home for some sleep! Yawn…a woman’s work is never done. Ha! God bless,

Aleah

Sorry, I can't upload pics yet! I'm trying, trust me!!! I'll figure it out. Peace!

2006-04-07T16:33:00.000+08:00

I've been injured!

It's my spine...

...it was speared by a giant, mutant, killer wasp.

I was walking down the street 2 days ago, and all of a sudden I see this huge black insect coming toward my head. I dodge, but it still grazes my neck and flies right into my long stupid hair. I'm never wearing it down AGAIN! It got all twisted and caught and stung me right through my shirt, and as I screamed and tried to shake it out, it stung me again on my wrist. Being stung by a bee is nothing compared to this. And maybe you people out there are thinking that YOU'VE been stung by a wasp, and it wasn't that bad. Well, I cried. No, sobbed. Sobbed all the way to my Lola Loleng's house, where they numbed it with ice and rubbed Chinese herbal medicine on it. Aaaa! Now I hold out my fan to hit the wasps away like a baseball.

I'm having cool new experiences, but I guess they can't all be good. At least it's funny!

Today was the first real work day I had for my project for school. I went around to the barangays (neighborhoods) of Bayombong to ask for the census information from the Barangay Captains. Haha, turns out they all know who I am because they know my dad! I even met a great aunt, who is a treasurer of the baragay in Vista Alegre. Anyway, I now have the names of over 300 Gaddangs to choose 60 from for interviews. Here I go! It begins. Side note, it's hard work being outside all day here-the heat is crazy! Think of those who make their living by driving tricycle, farming, selling stuff on the streets...I'm grateful for my nice cold bedroom to go back to.

haha ok, I know this wasn't deep again. Next time, next time. But I'll tell you one more "new experience" story. So I walked with my Auntie Esel to the local bbq joint to pick up pork skewers and Isao. Who knows what Isao is? A hint: it's from a chicken. Inside the chicken.

Wow, I couldn't believe I ate it either. I only like the burned parts! But at least now I can say I tasted a delicacy here in the Philippines. Chicken intestines are chewy, but not too bad. I was also yelled at by my dad for eating them because he said I'll get bird flu! Haha. Actually, there IS no bird flu in the Philippines! It's in the UK and Italy and the rest of Asia, but not in the Phils. Cuz the birds are afraid to be eaten right away if they come to the Philippines!

Alright, I'll hit you up later ya'll. Philippines is great! Come visit:)

2006-04-05T15:07:00.000+08:00

whatup america!!!

dang, i just wanna comment on the comments i got from people...like julianne, who hates "rates", and "squirels" especially:), or joyce who held baby chicks while she was in the PI. haha, yeah? well i ATE baby chicks for lunch. seriously dude, theyre called "Day Old" because that's how old they are when you marinade em fry em and eat em! Aw, sorry Joyce...i only had a tiny bite. I gave up meat for lent:).

thank you for the comments buddies! it makes me miss you guys and miss home. but check it out! i love the Philippines...

by the way...im drinkin a green mango shake:)

Week number 2 here in the Philippines—it’s getting hotter!

Today I visited the palengke (market) with my Manang Susan (the caretaker of our house) and my Auntie Precy for the first time in 18 years…when I was here in 1993, I was 11 years old! So I had another new experience. There’s something gratifying about picking out a fish for dinner that’s still flipping around on the counter. Can’t beat the freshness, right? I bought…bangus! Surprise surprise, my favorite. They got everything! Squid, tilapia, octopus, maya maya (mahi mahi!), and lotsa fishies I don’t know the names for. I really wanted to take pictures of it all, but since I’ll be here for 2 more months I thought I’d just enjoy the experience instead of capturing it on my camera. Haha, I also didn’t take pictures because I didn’t want to draw MORE attention to myself! Everyone was asking Manang Susan, “Who is that, who is that?” or asking “anak e Deo?” (Is that the daughter of Deo? That’s my dad.) I’m telling you, everyone knows everything about each other, so the whole neighborhood knows I’m here.

And it’s interesting how everyone’s hands are all over everything…like after scaling and gutting my fish, the seller gave me my change with essence of bangus all over it. I’m not going to pretend I loved it because it made me feel like a real Filipino or something, but I guess I appreciated the earthiness about it all…just not the sliminess. And buying vegetables was even better, not slimy at all! I picked out cucumbers from some vendor’s display on the ground, and guess how much they cost! 20 pesos for a kilo, 5 good sized cucumbers. That’s about 40 US cents. Talaga?! (For real?!) I bought patatas (potatoes…duh!), bat (mm, banana Aires! Haha!), peppers, sibuya (onion)…plus a few more things, 2 kilos of bangus and something else, add it all up and it cost about 400 pesos, 8 bucks for enough food to last at least to next week.

So we had merienda at my Auntie Precy’s house after we shopped and dang...empanada here? A thousand times better than at home. I scarfed it up, as my dad would say, and she said “Oh, you like it? Yeah, it’s simple, just put carrots, potatoes, CORNED BEEF, etc...” Hahaha so ALL you people who know my aversion for canned meats, I stand corrected. It’s my rule: never canned meat, never. I never thought it possible. But I still don’t like Spam, no matter what happens. Corned beef empanada is the limit.

So the last few days have been great! Well, I did have to say goodbye to my dad yesterday, which was a little sad…but I’m excited to be on my own and do things for myself so I learn how to live here. I’m really trying hard to speak the Tagalog and Gaddang I learn every day. Haha, you’d be proud of me GF! I sound bad sometimes, but everyone just laughs and helps me out. So anyway, hi dad! You’re in Puyallup now, glad you made it safely…time for me to party!!!

Manila was cool, I guess. Cool to see the city, but I was glad to come back to Nueva Vizcaya last night. The chaos got to me, like from my uncle’s condo close to Greenhills Mall it took 2 hours to drive to the airport; it was rush hour. Then we had a chance to meet up with Mary Jean before she left for Seattle (the one who punched a cockroach), and I ate pasta! Pasta carbonera, without the carbonera. So white sauce with spaghetti noodles and mushrooms, hit the spot. I miss pasta! And did I mention this already? Probably. Mex-i-can food! Man, chips and salsa, a chicken chimmi from Azteca? Someone send me a Fiesta Platter from Azteca or a kids’ meal from Taco Time.

Well no, not really, since I’m all stocked up here now. Everyone’s always throwing food at me too. I’m probably even more docal than I was before! I really can’t complain about anything. I have good food, family all around, and friends (in the form of cool aunts, uncles and neighbors). I share a nice house with Manang Susan (and just a couple of rats), take warm showers every day, sleep with the air-conditioning going all night, and eat 4 or 5 meals daily.

Wow, like yesterday!

In Manila we ate tupig for breakfast, had lunch at MJ’s hotel, merienda at Chow King, a CARAMEL FRAP at Starbucks (YES!), and pizza and SMB for dinner. Not to mention the holy homemade polveron in the car (my great aunt, Sister Isidore, made it).

Enough about food. I promise my next blog will be more meaningful and very, very deep. But one more cool new experience? I drove! Haha, I drove in the Philippines! My uncles were both exhausted after driving all day and night to get to Manila and back within 24 hours, so Father Vic pulled over about an hour away from Bayombong and said “Aleah, please drive. I have to sleep!”. So I did it! For people who haven’t been to the Philippines, imagine constantly playing chicken with oncoming cars, and people bicycling, walking, standing, tricycling, and caribou-pulled wagoning right there on the road, since there are no sidewalks. I was scared so I didn’t go too fast, but I overtook all the cars in my path, honked my horn (but only once!), flashed my high beams at everyone. We got home safely, I guess that’s the important thing!

How’s everyone at home? Praying for CLP and Youth Leaders SHOUT and everything! Ingatz!

Aleah

2006-04-03T11:37:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the Philippines!!!

And welcome to my Philippines adventure. I gotta keep in touch somehow, since I’m not a My Spacer! Make me a Favorite on your toolbarJ. So a quick rundown:

-The weather has been perfect! (Until today...“mad” hot.)

-Have seen tons of uncles, aunts, and grown-up to newborn cousins, and get to hang out with them all for the next 2 months!

-When people see me, they don’t say I’m atan-nang (tall)…they just say “docal” (big!). Aw…I’d rather be atan-nang. (Gaddang language.)

-Have eaten fresh, juicy, delicious mango at every meal except one…shucks, I really missed it that time.

-Went fancy-camping in Kayapa, the beautiful mountains. Check out the pics!

-Wrote a qualitative survey and will begin my interviewing of the Gaddang people (volunteer work that counts for credit), on Wednesday of this week. Starting with teenagers.

(Oh yeah…school!)

-Have 16 itchy bug bites as of this morning.

-Watched my neighbor gather coconuts from our tree and slice them open with a bolo knife. For all you non-Filipinos, that’s a big ol’ knife. Looks like a machete! Drank the juice and scraped out the fruit, never done THAT before.

-I am happy here!!!

I’ve been here twice before, but this time is definitely different. First of all, I’m not 14 years old (I forgot everything I did in the Philippines after I went during my freshman year of high school). I’m trying to be brave and take advantage of all the opportunities and new experiences, even when it’s scary. So a lot of the time, I’m scared! It’s like roller coasters (which I hate). So for all you people who like roller coasters, it’s exciting and thrilling and fun, but also scary, right? You CRAZY. But you might say it’s a lot more fun going and getting scared and experiencing it rather than being the person who waits outside the ride holding everyone’s bags, never knowing what it’s like. LAME. I will not be that person on this trip! Only when I go to theme parks.

So no regrets, that’s my goal.

I’ll leave you with 2 animal stories:

The other day I was combing my wet hair upstairs in my bedroom when I heard a “Squeak squeak squeak!” and some scrurrying around…RATS! I screamed like a little girl and my dad came running up the stairs to protect me, but they were nowhere to be found! He thought I must have imagined it all, so I tried to shrug it off. But I wouldn’t step too close to the edge of the beds so one wouldn’t jump out and bite my foot.

The next day I’m sitting in the living room working on a project for school when I hear a “Squeak squeak squeak!” to my right. I whip my head around, ready to scream again, and realize the thumping and the squeaking is coming from inside the WALL. Oh yes! The rats are in command of the paneling throughout the house and in the ceiling between the 1st and 2nd floor. Gahhhhh. This time I just laughed, because what can I do? If I poison them they’ll die in the walls, which will be even worse…heat and dead rats=STINK. Hahaha, it’s funny right?! So ridiculous. As long as they stay in the paneling and I never have to see them, I don’t care. Rats!

Ok, this story didn’t happen to me, but it’s even worse:

She left for Manila a few days ago, but for those of you who know her, Mary Jean from SFC was visiting her family this week also, not far from where I’m staying. She said she was asleep one night and she felt something move by her head, so she punched it or something (that’s the only way she could have killed it with her bare hands), and turned on the light…a COCKROACH was in her hair!!!! Aaaaah hahaha…ew ew ew! Hehehe makes me shiver. I don’t know what I’d do if that happened to me. Probably never sleep again.

So MJ, you’re a trooper. I saw a cockroach in the kitchen the other day, but oh well…they’re impossible to get rid of right? So I’m resigned to co-existing with all these little critters. There are chickens (and baby chicks!), two cats, and a cute CUTE little puppy named Sugar at my house. But I’m not allowed to pet her because she has no rabies vaccination. Ah, Philippines! It’s been an adventure so far. I know I’m just talking all about bugs, but it’s all part of the experience…I guess.

:)

Today I’m going to Manila with my dad, Uncle (Father) Vic and Uncle Ted. It’s time for him to go back home, so I’ll be on my own for the next 2 months! The real adventure begins…till next time! God bless you :)