What's up people. March has really been a sprint. Five months to go in my service and there are no signs of it slowing down. At this point my biggest priority is getting my site here in Sorsogon ready for the prospective volunteer (or volunteers?) from Batch 275 who will replace me. This means keeping the momentum going with Sorsogon State College so the relationship with Peace Corps remains strong. This is important so that a new volunteer can come in and be productive without feeling lost as to what their role is. It can be really difficult to come into a site replacing another volunteer, because everyone has a different work-style. Comparisons are inevitable, so its helpful when you can prepare the site and set reasonable expectations and goals.

 So, that's where I'm at. My main goal at this point is to reach all 260+ college grantees on campus with life skills sessions every month. I'm also looking at a couple of other campuses in the province to assess them for potential volunteers. Add that to the upcoming Special Olympics in July, and I'm pretty busy for the next few months. Here's a pic from a session at the college on healthy relationships:

Visting Bulan campus:

Still making time to collaborate with other volunteers! From a leadership training in Camarines Norte:

 It's not all work here, of course. March 10 was my birthday, so adventure was a must! My buddy Chris visted my site and I went to go check out the whale sharks again with him and my new site mate Marcelino. After that we went to the sweetest spot in Sorsogon City, Paguriran Island. I've been there so many times at this point with so many different people, but it really never gets old. Check it out:

 As I write this we've just finished up Holy Week, which is a big deal here being that the Philippines are predominantly Catholic. Things kind of shut down and you've got to find some way to occupy your time for a few days. Another good time for adventure! This year I joined a group of volunteers hiking Mt. Isarog, an old volcano that towers over the province of Camarines Sur. We summited on the first day and spent the night at the top. It wasn't as intense as Mt. Pulag, but the hike (or climb in some parts) was pretty physical. It's going to take a couple days to get back to 100% mobility, ha ;p. Anyway, here's the super rad group that I went with (thanks to John for the pic):

There was a waterfall at the bottom! It was frigid but prefect to swim in after the hike:

 That's about it for now. I want to thank everyone in my life for the birthday love, here in the Philippines and overseas. I felt it really strong this year, and it means a lot to me. Much love to the beautiful people in my life. I feel really lucky to have you there. Peace