Filling in the Blanks

With recent travels and the aftermath of Ondoy, I haven’t written a “regular” entry in a while. So to fill in the blanks, some of my recent doings that I haven’t talked about yet…. I went to the dentist for a cleaning – that went well! I was never sure what I was going to get with the dentist in Fes (though I liked the dentist in Rabat). Many people come to the Philippines for medical tourism; I can’t think of anything I would have done (other than maybe update my eyeglass prescription – I was given a new one in New York but didn’t fill it; heard glasses are cheaper here).

It turned out that I had to type up the notes I took at the conference – I felt as if I was working on a term paper! It took several days to type all of those notes (I guess to make it really feel like a term paper I could have pulled an all-nighter, but since I never did in college, I wasn’t about to do it now). And then I did my monthly report and some other Peace Corps paperwork – I’m glad I got all of that out of the way before the disaster relief kicked in. I haven’t had as much personal time as I had in Morocco or expected to have here – there are reading and writing that I thought I would have more time for, and I also thought I might work on my resume this month so that I could prepare for what comes next. I’ll have to find more balance.

Went out with some current PCVs for a couple of dinners, and met the last of the PCRVs that will arrive this year – I think that in the past couple of weeks I have been out in the evenings more than I’ve been in (which may be the reason why I feel the need to update). I also had a great massage (I thought about going to one of the hotels in Makati and then realized that the EDSA Shangri-La probably had a nice spa, and it did!) and got my hair done (I live behind a salon and Hanna is friends with the people there, so I felt I had to give them a try, and I think they did all right!).

I see real estate ads for high-ceilinged condos with lofts – this is an urban way to replicate the multi-level rural nipa hut. Somewhere between the hut and the condo, the Habitat homes are also high-ceilinged and many families add a sleeping loft – I think it would be fun to have a loft when I get back to the states! Of course, I could sleep on the top bunk of my bed while I’m here….

Wanted to comment on the travel – on the buses (even the city buses when there’s a lot of traffic), people come in and walk down the aisles selling nuts and other snacks, and then they get off. On the one long bus ride I’ve experienced so far, there were short rest stops every couple of hours – as opposed to one long one on the bus rides in Morocco. Did I mention that when the jeepneys load, people sit right next to the door first, so everyone who comes in behind them has to crowd by them? Toilets here often flush, and if they are squat toilets they are a seatless bowl, not a hole in the floor. About half the time, public restrooms have paper (this is stuff you wanted to know, right?) – that is, more often than in Morocco – and there is often soap by the sinks. Another different line mentality in this situation too – people stand in front of a stall that they think will empty, rather than in one queue, so it is not always the case that if you are there first, you get into a stall first.

I’ve been asked a couple of times to compare my experiences and I usually answer that I am having a completely different experience – it’s urban, there’s more work, it’s mostly in English, I have much less downtime (and when I do I often go to a mall), I have only six months. Comparing the countries? Well, both are developing and definitely have issues, but both are beautiful and interesting and worth exploring. Religion is important in both places and so is family. I might give the edge to the culture here and the food there, but I’m still learning. I’m really glad I was there and I’m really glad I’m here.

Last, I’m not sure I’ll so the scuba certification, but Julie wants to arrange a surfing weekend, and I’m definitely up for that!