Home Sweet Home

The Director of Resource Development (who I think is my supervisor’s boss, though I have yet to see an org chart), hereon in to be referred to as Sir Tony, told Milo that I wasn’t going to Bridgeport – I mean Taguig – after all; he had another place in mind that was much closer to transportation. In his “spare time,” he manages a building, and there was a room there. Milo came over to inspect it with me, declared it a good room, and without looking at the Taguig option, I took it – much closer to the office, close to the train, in an urban (though not charming) neighborhood with a drugstore, small supermarket, banks and fast food options. A 30-minute walk to a mall as opposed to a 30-minute jeepney ride. I put my stuff down and Sir Tony took me to a hypermarket to pick up a few more things – it was hard to know what I wanted without spending more than a few minutes in the room, but I knew I wanted a mattress for the top of the bunk so that I could use it as another place to sit and for guests – plus I got a big bottle of water, a set of hooks for the back of the door, a basket for taking toiletries to the outside bathroom, and some paper for same (they call it a comfort room here, or CR).

So – my room – bunk bed (as I unwrapped the foam pad I thought of Dr. Hamid saying, “you must get a good mattress”) – bed on the bottom (with a nice shelf above it for books), “couch” on the top (I put the storebought pillows up there and my soft one on the bed), desk and chair, small dresser. As a nice touch, there are two plants – it’s nice to have something to water again after almost three years without! There’s air conditioning (shh – maybe I shouldn’t say anything) but no window – well, there’s a small one with louvers above the air conditioner, so at least I can get ventilation when I’m out and see if it’s day or night. Maybe it’s better that nobody can look in, but it’s weird that I can’t look out. I put the toiletries, manuals and magazines in the dresser and for now have my clothes in the suitcase – it seems easier that way – and the things I’d like locked up, locked up in the small rolling bag. I already mentioned getting some kitchen and cleaning supplies. Today Sir Tony brought by a (used) refrigerator and a new microwave (he offered me a TV and I said no – it would be nice to know the local news but it just seems wrong!) – I don’t know if I’ll really use it, but he insisted; there’s a hot plate for me in the other room too. No sink – I have to go to the office to use the one in the back there. I think it’ll be okay. Need some sort of organizer for the kitchen stuff (I’m thinking plastic shelves) and it would be great to get a comfy chair and some decorations for the walls.

Here’s where the lack of cross-cultural training hurts – I don’t know if this is typical Filipino (the shared kitchen and bathroom), I don’t know the etiquette (but I can guess), I don’t know what typical PCV housing looks like or what people get with their settling-in allowance. One of the PCVs volunteered to be a resource and already she has answered some of those questions; Milo told me my accommodations were among the nicest that the PRCVs have (Charlie told me he and Jonathan have 120 square feet and bunk beds with no mattresses – for now; Sir Tony asked me if the next Habitat PCRV could share with me and I told him the room’s too small). Anyway, it will take some getting used to, but I am already adjusting and feeling more at home!