Status, Santa and Surfing

When I was at the Peace Corps office I asked Milo, the Peace Corps Response Coordinator, for some facts and figures on the program so that I can incorporate those into the Third Goal presentation that I’ll start working on one of these days. I learned from the info he gave me that there are 29 Peace Corps Response Volunteers currently serving. And ten of them are here in the Philippines! I would have guessed that there were more elsewhere. Well, now I feel I am a part of an exclusive club! Not as exclusive as the one of men who have walked on the moon, but close! PCRVs are currently in ten countries; since the inception of the program in 1996, over 900 have served.

I thought I might start that presentation soon after giving the Morocco one, with Third Goal fresh in the mind, but work has been busy! I still haven’t really met with my supervisor about the status report I put together but I know what I would do next, which is a more formal marketing plan for the organization to use going forward, so I am working on that. Somewhere in my memory are the elements of a formal marketing plan, but it’s been a while, so it’s taking a while. My supervisor also gave me a small project – writing up a Power Point presentation that will be given to foundation that funded community centers. I’ve spent some work hours looking into the Katrina-area build that I’m hoping to organize for the spring while also working to set up more PCV builds here. A PCV I met at International Volunteer Day invited me to his site on work-related leave – he wants to do small business development with indigenous tribes – and I wrote up the leave request for that. But the most exciting thing is a breakthrough on the water system proposal for Mindanao. I wrote about it here a few posts ago, and someone from Water Charity (watercharity.org) found me! He searches blogs for PCV water projects and then he funds them! I passed his comment on to PCV groups in the Philippines and in Morocco and then it occurred to me to send him our proposal. One skype call later and he agreed to fund the water system for the smallest community immediately and to look for funding for the rest! When our project is on their web site I’ll post again so you, too, can donate to it! I’m thrilled.

We had a Christmas lunch at work last week, sponsored by the Board. The usual food – lumpia (spring rolls), pancit (noodles), fried chicken, buko (coconut)/gelatin dessert. And there were games – good, clean office fun, as Julie said. We had to identify the Christmas carol from pun-cartoons (I won a prize for that one). Teams had to guess the board member (one person had the name taped to his forehead so he couldn’t see it, and he asked yes-or-no questions), teams raced to unwrap Hershey’s kisses while wearing oven mitts, each board member chose an animal sound and popped up from behind a wall while team reps made the sounds (I tried to imagine the board of any other organization I have been involved with doing this), and then someone read a story while we passed presents around, and when the story ended, that’s what we got – as in a five-year-old birthday party, everyone ended up with a prize. It was really nice. I am on the silent side of a quiet office – everyone is usually at their desks working, so I don’t chat much with people here, but over the course of these months I’ve gotten to know most of the them at least a little and it’s a really nice group. I’ll miss them!

Last Wednesday night, Drew cooked Jamaican food for us (that’s where he served) – he ET’ed and this was his farewell dinner. He’s going to grad school starting in January; the original timing would have worked perfectly for him but once our departure was delayed, he knew he would be ETing. End of an era! As for me, I’m glad for the timing, now – more summer back home, less winter here, and it’s nice to experience the holidays here. Friday night there was another party at the guys’ place – combination birthday for Jonathan, final farewell for Drew, and holiday. It was fun but it went late! May Lynn, a regular PCV who I’ve become friendly with, stayed over, and we stayed up even later, exchanging pictures; she also gave me some music – both Filipino music and some of the overplayed music that I hear all the time and that will always remind me of my time here – Nobody, Nobody But You, Pokerface, and Jai Ho are probably the top three.

Going to bed late made it hard to get up early but it was worth it to be surfing on Saturday afternoon! Julie and I made it up to San Juan, La Union in time to surf for two hours before the sun set. I love it! It’s fun, and I’ve got a bit of a knack for it. It took a while to get into a rhythm, but then – with help from the same instructor – I rode lots of waves! We went back to the same place where I’d had the Bicol Express and had it again. And then we surfed again in the morning! She’s from California and she noted how nice it was to surf without a wet suit. I hadn’t thought of that! So now I’m wondering if I can go again before I leave the Philippines! I do have unscheduled time and can swing the travel – if Julie (and possibly the rest of the gang?) can go, I’m up for it! When am I going to have the chance again – especially in warm water and especially for the price (two-hour board and lesson, plus transport, for around $20!)?

Our bus trip up to San Juan featured several movies. They’re almost always action movies – I don’t think I have ever seen a romantic comedy on a bus. We endured “2012” and then became big Jackie Chan fans with “Rush Hour” and “Rush Hour 2.” I’m not much for pirated DVDs, but when I saw the Jackie Chan collection for sale, I bought it as a present for Julie. “Shanghai Noon” awaits! Our trip back to Manila featured a major detour to Baguio for late lunch/early dinner at Café by the Ruins. More mango shrimp curry and this time fresh strawberry juice – but of course the raison d’etre was the dark, bittersweet chocolate, and as far as I’m concerned, it was worth the detour!

I found the DVD in yet another mall; my reason for going there was an appointment with the Peace Corps-approved eye doctor. My glasses were scratched to the point where the lenses needed replacement, and as long as I’m getting that done I’m updating the prescription. I’m thinking of buying new frames at my own expense when I go back to pick them up – as a stranger mentioned in a blog comment long, long ago, glasses are MUCH cheaper here (I paid $714 last time in the US – the number sticks with me because of Babe Ruth – and here, the doctor showed me a nice pair of frames for $60). I needed to get back to Julie with the DVD so I didn’t want to spend the time looking and trying frames on, but next time I’ll allow time for it. It might be fun to have a new look!

I learned two new phrases – just in time! Maligayang Pasko (Merry Christmas) at (and) Manigong Bagong Taon (Happy New Year)!

I’ll close with a link to an article that talks about the sobering reality of politics here - http://www.slate.com/id/2237774