It's around 11 a.m. on Sunday here as I write this, an exact 12 hour difference to the Eastern U.S. time zone. Thus far I've spent two weeks at a training facility outside of Manila with 80 other volunteers for Initial Orientation. We were supposed to leave for Pre-Service Training and to meet our host families today, but because of the damage caused by Typhoon Glenda we had to postpone until Wednesday.
The compound here is incredibly beautiful and we haven't really been roughing it at all. We've had running water, electricity and internet for most of our stay here, although the typhoon set things back for a few days. Glenda was a Signal 3 typhoon and a pretty intense experience. The power of the rain and winds were unlike anything I've ever seen. It's crazy to think that the Philippines can get between 20-30 typhoons every rainy season, some of them stronger than Glenda. The social workers here will tell you that disaster relief is an significant part of their job description.
Initial Orientation has been a very positive experience. The other volunteers are all passionate, caring and talented people with whom I am very excited to work with. My sector is officially called "Children, Youth and Families" (CYF), and consists of around 30 of these volunteers. On Wednesday we'll be leaving for our Pre-Service Training site in Bagac where the real challenge begins. We'll be working in small clusters on hands-on community development. I've heard it described by seasoned volunteers as along the lines of "Peace Corps boot camp". We'll be there until September, when we get our official site placements.
As far as culture goes, the Philippines are a blast. The people are easy going, upbeat, and have a great sense of humor. Talking to the social workers has been amazing and I am continually inspired by the work that they do. I can't wait to start working with them. The weather has been hot and humid, and the spiders are huge (not as excited about that part). The food can definitely be an adventure, if you're up for it. The craziest thing I've eaten so far has definitely been Balut, which is an almost developed duck embryo in a hard boiled egg. With out a doubt, an acquired taste. I think I've got my fill of that for at least the next year.
Anyways, that's about it for now. I'm going to try to post here at least once a month to keep those who care informed. This is partially for my own benefit, to keep track of my personal development as the journey moves forward. I hope things are well with ya'll in the states.
Peace!
