Normal Randomness

It has been sometime since I have posted a new blog. This is not entirely my fault. Last week I spent about 2 hours working on one. Than, literally as I went to click "post", a brownout occurred. Of course I was not smart enough to "Save" my work. So away went that blog. It contained an article I had written for a local magazine here, by the name of iTravel. They are doing an issue on travel destinations of Panay Island (my island) and I wrote a brief article on Miag-ao. I have decided to not post it now. I hope to wait until it is published next month and scan a copy onto my blog instead. So that is my lackadaisical excuse.

To help further facilitate the belief among most of you that I do little to no work here, I will continue to post on "the good times" today. However to not completely leave it out, here is my update on work. Since Christmas my work as been in a "slow patch." I'm working on addressing this, it is somewhat awkward however. Many volunteers have the opposite problem as I have had. They start with little to no work, and than try to get more. I started with more work than I could deal with, and now am left with less than I would prefer. The school year is done next week, leaving my project with schools in a state of "limbo" till the next year begins again. Mind you there is some small planning issues to address, but nothing time consuming. My women’s group project continues to give me the most difficulty. I don't like failing at things, however I have a hard time thinking positively regarding this project as of lately. I have done all I can do in terms of issue the needed trainings, arrange for capital and a location. Their initiative regarding the co-op seems to be decreasing, and that is one thing I can't force upon them. I'm scared that the group as a whole may dissolve. Time will tell. I am starting to work on a third project at the moment. We are still in the planning stages, but I think it could be have the greatest impact on my community. It is working with local farmers groups and addressing their continually increasing need of fertilizer and blending that with the Municipality’s surplus of unused biodegradable waste. I may actually be applying for a small grant, depending on the Municipality’s budget. So in a brief nutshell that’s where I'm at regarding my work in the Municipality.

So in the past month I have done, and attempted some fun little adventures and side trips. I went to the island of Gimaras for a day to do research on a German Funded Vermi-Composting Center there. While I was there I stopped by a fellow Volunteers and friends house and checked it out. To give you an idea of what other volunteers are living in here are two pictures of two of my friends houses. The first is my friend Erin's home on Gimaras, the second is on a small island in a bay on the north end of Panay and belongs to my friend Nate. Yes I'll be the first to admit it. I am jealous of the homes they have. Enough said. :-D

The volunteer in the picture above is my friend Nate, one of the most dedicated people you will ever meet. He broke is leg (femur...ouch!) in an accident here, got sent home to the States, and managed to work through the bureaucracy to come back and finish his service. Not something a lot of people have the dedication to do, let along with a broken femur. He does enjoy it here. That is obvious. It was his fiesta this past weekend and I went to his site to visit him, say welcome "home," and of course enjoy the fiesta. His island is gorgeous, it is what a volunteer imagines when they think "Philippines." It is less than 800 people, small, no cars, no motorcycles, only footpaths. While I was there we hiked to the top point on his island and I took pictures overlooking the bay. It is beautiful scenery, however if you look closely the bay is littered with Fish Ponds, and as a result the fish catch is very low due to such large amounts of over fishing. That is what Nate is working with, increasing fisher folk’s livelihoods.

These two guys were carrying tuba (coconut wine), most likely to be consumed by them and their bercada for that day's fiesta.

Before I made it to Nate’s house on Saturday, I stopped by my first host Family's house on Friday. Just to say hi to them and my other friends there, eat a great meal, and of course celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (oh by the way Happy B-day to BA :-D). I splurged and got a bottle of Irish Whiskey in the city, what’s St. Paddy's without Jamo?.....We sang videoky and had a great time.

My host brother busting it down, reggae style.

A few weekends ago I decided to take a little alone time and do a day trip to some Hot Springs in the mountains about 2 hours from me. I woke early to catch the first bus going there (there are only 2 buses that go that way each day). After about an hour trip my bus, low and behold, got stuck. The next trip passing by was at noon, it was still another hour to get to the springs, and the last trip back is at 2pm. Do the math. Thus I ended up not going, but just heading home on the next ride I could find. But I did manage to get a couple good pictures out of it, including the little girl chillin' in the front of the Bus while everyone sat around.

My last picture has no real story, I just find Sy Sy to be a cutie pie and I like this picture of us. Most little girls here are super shy, but not Sy, she has attitude and a crazy personality to go with it. You have seen her picture before on previous blogs as well, she is my neighbors daughter.

Well that wraps this one up. Its the begining of tag-init (hot season) here. It is getting hotter and hotter day by day. Soon I think I will find myself sleeping outside in my Hammock. My house is like an oven, literally, because of the tin roof. I can't sleep past the sun coming up, or i just bake, regardless of how high the fan is turned up and how close it is to me. So what I'm say is enjoy the spring weather....I know I rubbed the warmth in here to some of you during the winter, but now I'm starting to feel jelouse.