Stephanie in the Philippines

My Peace Corps blog

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Kenzie and Sirius hanging out. I tried to get a better picture but Sirius just walked away.

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Thug lyfe!

[stephanieinthephilippines]

2016

Oh hey Stephanie, where the heck have you been?? What have you been doing? You certainly have been doing a stellar job writing on your blog!

Yeah.....let's be real honest for a minute, it was a very well intention-ed idea to want to blog this experience but I knew it was a long shot that I would actually get on here and write frequently. Regardless of regular access to electricity and internet.....But I set it up for the off chance that I did want to write something down so that's something.

As we are now 3 days into the new year, I'll at least write one entry so we can all pretend my new years resolution is to write on here more but don't get your hopes up too high.

So really what have you been doing.....? Well, I've made it past the 6 month mark here in the Philippines and I honestly can't even believe I've been gone half a year. PST seems like a life time ago. I've been in Ifugao long enough to have my travel ban lifted and I've even taken my first vacation in the Philippines to Dumaguete.  A trip that involved (there and back) an 8 hour freezing cold bus ride, some possibly sketchy (though thankfully okay!) taxi rides though Manila and a one hour flight. Apart from one flight, I was all by myself! I am 27 years old and like to consider myself fairly independent but the thought of traveling around the Philippines terrified me a little! But here I am alive and well and grateful for a week of hot showers, air con and good company. Don't take that for granted America!

I am continuing to try to figure out my community and the people in it and what exactly is my purpose here. One thing I'm becoming more grateful for is my quietness and introvertidness (that’s not a word! but just go with it), which I know sounds like the opposite of "getting to know my community and integrating" but it's working for me. I still have to deal with Americans that constantly draw attention to it : "You're so quiet!", "Why don't you come out and party at night?" etc, etc. But for the most part Filipinos seems perfectly okay with it. I think the fact that I'm not so "in your face" helps make me more approachable. Don't get me wrong, there are still people that are too shy to come and talk to me and I hear "nose bleed" more times a day than anything else but slowly people are warming up.

I've been quietly observing and getting to know my community through watching and listening, the two things I do best! I know a lot by the things I see but I keep it quiet! haha  You can learn so much about people and I find that I see and hear things the most extroverted person will never see. So if you're reading this trying to decide if you should do something Peace Corps-ish but tell yourself "I'm not the kind of person that does that" or " I could never do that" you're wrong my friend! It takes all kinds!

I feel like I'm finally actually living in the Philippines and not just on vacation. I felt for the longest time that this wasn't real and I'd be going home soon. Now, I have a bit of a routine, things I do every day or every week. I'm slowly figuring out how to bring pieces of me into my new life here. Thanks to things like holiday parties and weekly Taebo, I feel like I'm building some relationships with Filipinos and it's starting to not feel like I'm a lonely American living in the Philippines!

While the good far out weighs the challenging, it's not all been sunshine and rainbows.

As a person who has done nothing but talk about leaving Wisconsin for more than a decade now, it pains me a little to admit I've thought about going home more times than I'd like to admit. I finally get out and just want to go back? What's your problem?!

Missing holidays, birthdays (seriously why is everyone born in November/December?) and huge life events of people I love back home has been really hard on me. Nothing is more painful than having your 4 year old niece tell you shes not the Philippines' number 1 fan and misses you and wants you to come home or watching your best friend's baby bump keep getting bigger and knowing you won't even see this baby in person until shes a year and half. I've had a lot of time to reflect, I spend most of my life waiting in the Philippines- nothing is quick here, and I've realized that all those things I'm missing out on are just people living their lives. I can't stay home and not live mine just because I'll miss a few Christmas parties, can I? No one has stopped living their lives because I'm not there after all. Here's the crazy thing too, I'm over here living a life they can't be apart of either.

I'm not a resolutions person.  I applied to the Peace Corps because I wanted to do something different. I walked into this experience with no plans and no idea what was in store for me and so far it's been the most positive I've done for myself in a long time. Good for the body, mind and soul!  So, I'm walking into 2016 the same way. No plans, no goals and no resolutions. I'm just going to see what happens.

[stephanieinthephilippines]

The last four months...

How much can a person change in four months? Four months ago, I'd have said not much. But I'm four into my twenty seven month service and I've had more new experiences in that small space of time than I've had probably in the last decade.

It would be hard to catch up and describe in the detail it deserves all the things I've been up to since I last made a blog entry.

Instead here's a reverse bucket list of all the new things I've done and all the challenges I've faced: I've gotten my first ever passport I've flown out of the United States of America I've flown on a huge airplane with seats in the middle I've been to Japan (if only just the Japanese Airport ;) ) I've meet 88 new people and made new friends I've participated in more skits than I ever care to haha I've lived with strangers I've become apart of two new families I've made what I'm sure will be life long Filipino friends I've learned two new languages I've spoken a new language to people who speak that language I've eaten a whole fish (almost straight out of the ocean) I've eaten meals with my hands I've eaten rice for three meals in one day I've become a shrimp de-heading, shell peeling expert I've cooked my first Filipino meal (Chicken Adobo) I've purchased food to cook my first Filipino meal in a market I've ridden a trike and jeepney I've taught lessons to children that speak English as a second language I've jumped out of a boat and gotten myself back in while wearing a hideously large life jacket (to be fair I had a great deal of help from some very nice boys haha) I've passed a language proficiency interview I've tried many new foods I've drank soda from a plastic bag I've attended my first Filipino celebration  (a birthday party) I've sang Videoke I've danced ("danced") the NayNay I've helped plan and run a reading camp I've tried Filipino street food I've taken a bucket bath I've stopped using toilet paper I've flushed a non-automatic toilet I've hand washed my clothes I've eaten the delicious UBE purple ice cream I've ridden to the top of a giant cross I've watched an entire movie in Tagalog (and understood most of it!) I've visited a Filipino cemetery to pay tribute to someone's lost relative I've watched and understood Filipino news and TV shows I moved to Lamut, Ifugao! My new home for the next 2 years

I have hiked through rice terraces

I have had dinner with the governor of Ifugao

I've been swore in at the US Embassy

and I've become an official volunteer of the US Peace Corps!

Of course there is still so much I want to do. I can't imagine how much I will change and how long this list will be in twenty four months from now.

I also plan to read as many books as I possibly can. I am currently reading: A Discovery of Witches.

As per usual I read the last sentence and I think it's the perfect end to this post.

"Remember the past-and await the future."

[stephanieinthephilippines]

Batman ready to go!

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July 4th- SUPER LONG TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES! We left LA the next morning in an extremely organized fashion. Everything was very well planned out. It was very comfortable being as this is my first time out of the USA. There are 88 Peace Corps Volunteers in my batch (batch 274), that's a lot of luggage. So, we took two large coach buses from the Marriott to LAX. Half of our bus was luggage because we ran out of space underneath. We then sat for about 2 hours in a very long line to check in our baggage and get tickets. Peace Corps challenge #1, can you sit in this line for hours without going crazy. The it was off to Japan! I was very excited to be stopping off there, even if I could only see the airport. I definitely want to go back and actually step foot in country. The plane ride was about 11 hours. I'm not a great plane sleeper so I slept some but not a lot. There was however free movies! Which is right up my alley and I spent a lot of time watching them. I saw "The Second Best Marigold Hotel", "Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day", "Annie" (2014 version, oh my god Cameron Diaz is a terrible singer) and I attempted to watch "The Seventh Son". The food was great. Japan's airport was very cool. They had a lot of crazy stores, a museum, an origami shop, a McDonalds (I tried the Coca-Cola and it tastes less sweet than American) and I was just very excited to be in a new country. After about 4 hours in Japan we finally boarded our flight to Manila (the Capital of the Philippines)! It was all very exciting even though we were all so tired but WE WERE FINALLY GOING!!....and then the plane had a maintenance issue. We had to sit in the airplane for probably close to an hour. At this point I was so exhausted I fell in and out of sleep but eventually we got moving. I slept through most of this flight, I even passed on diner. After almost 5 hours we at last arrived to the Philippines! We were greeted by members of the Peace Corps as soon as we stepped off the airplane. They gifted us with beautiful and very fragrant flower necklaces to welcome us (MABUHAY!) and helped is through customs. We then got on more buses and drove and hour and a half to our Initial Orientation and Training site. The 11RR. Upon arriving we were greeted by a cheering crowd who welcomed us, helped us check into our hostels and sent us to bed.

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HELLO FROM THE PHILIPPINES!

We're here! I have to say I still don't feel like I'm really here. Did I really leave my life, friends and family and come across the world? Let me just get one cheesy emotional thing in before I move on to tell you what I've been up to: This is going to be really hard for me and everyone keeps saying that I'm brave but honestly I'm terrified. If I didn't have all the people behind me supporting this decision, I would not be here. So thank you. You all make me feel strong! Here what the last five days have been like (pictures to follow!) July 3rd: STAGING IN LA! I had one last Wisconsin meal with my amazing family at the good old Denny's. I had waffles in case you're curious. Then, I boarded the biggest plane I have ever been on. Middle seats and all! I even saw the Grand Canyon from the sky and was so in awe I didn't take a picture!! (Remind me in two years to do that on the way home). I arrived in LAX and hilariously tried to pull two large suitcases and pack back to the shuttle. Side note: I got on an escalator behind Nev and Max from Catfish! Haha yes! One "celebrity" sighting! I did meet a few other very nice Peace Corps people at baggage claim so it was comforting to all show up at the hotel together. We stayed at a Marriott, where I meet my roommate, Jennifer, from Oklahoma. We then went to the staging event, which was basically an orientation. It was a long 7 hour day. We talked about fears and anxiety, expectations of the Peace Corps and of course did a lot of group activities (felt like college all over again). We also got our passports, sorted out loan stuff and got some last meals money! Hooray! We then all crowed on a huge table at the hotel bar and ate out last meals. I went for chicken nuggets, fries and lots of ranch dressing (I have since discovered they have ranch here). Also a soda because I didn't know if I would be able to continue my habit in country haha. I then got a very early night because we were scheduled to meet in the lobby for the airport at 6 AM!

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A love letter to Wisconsin

Dearest Wisconsin,

It’s been a lovely 26 and a half years, but it’s time for me to see some new places. However, I will miss you.

I’ll miss the possibility of having cheese for every meal and BRATS. Do they even have cookouts where I’m going? I’ll miss chilly night bonfires and s'mores. Pancake day and Summerfest. I will miss the lake and beach days and my toes going numb because that water will never be warm. I’ll miss weekend trips to the water park capital of the world (THE WORLD!) and fudge. I’ll miss bubblers. What will I do when I can’t watch a five hour Fourth of July parade or see two nights of fireworks? I’ll crave Kringle and wish for squeaky cheese curds. And we can’t leave out fried ones too (Have a mentioned cheese three times already? Thanks for teaching me everything is better with cheese). Speaking of cheese, I’ll miss the cows and milk. And the deer that run out in front of my car (and the occasional pony and wild turkey). I’ll miss Super Bowl parties and the Packers, no one else can wear cheese on their head like us. I’ll miss the Milwaukee skyline and in case it’s not clear: cheese.

Hey, I might even miss the snow.

Most of all though, I’ll miss the people who I’m leaving behind. Take care of them for me, I love them a lot.

So, wish me luck. It’s comforting to know you’ll be here when I’m ready to come home.

Love, Stephanie