1 month down, 26 to go...

This coming Monday will mark the one month anniversary of my arrival in the Philippines.  In some ways it feels like I've been here one year rather than one month, but in other ways it feels like I just arrived.  In less than two months I'll be moving to my permanent site, but, more importantly at the moment, in two weeks I'll be finding out where my permanent site is.  This is a big deal for us Peace Corps Trainees because it signifies a light at the end of very long Pre-Service Training tunnel.  Not that I haven't been enjoying training.  I've met some great people and had some memorable times, but it's been filled with lots of frustrations and difficulties, many of which are ongoing.  It's a period of transition and adaptation, and knowing where we all will be spending the next two years of our lives makes it feel worth it.  I had my Site Placement Interview (SPI) last night with a Peace Corps Sector Manager (for EDU) and a Regional Manager (for the Luzon region) and I think it went well.  The point (I think) was to get a sense of what we as volunteers are looking for in a site placement - rural or urban, small or big school, mountains or beach - and also to assess our skills as both teachers and, on a larger level, successful volunteers.  I lobbied strongly for a more rural island site near/on the beach, and I think that my case was bolstered because I'm a certified scuba diver.  They seemed to take special note of this, so (fingers crossed!) I may end up living on a beach in the Philippines after all!  At this point I'm just so excited to know where I'll end up...the next 2 weeks of waiting will be torturous!

It's hard to sum up my first month in the Philippines.  Good and bad, fun and boring, hot and hotter...it's truly a roller coaster of emotions unlike anything I've experienced before.  Even though I've traveled quite a bit throughout my life, this is the longest period I've been abroad...and at this point it's hard to believe I'll be here for 26 months more!  Sometimes I think it hasn't yet sunk in that I'm a resident of the Philippines, not just a tourist.  This is my country for 26 more months!  Wow.  I sure do hope I get that rural island site on the beach...

To eat or not to eat...

THAT is the real question.  A major facet of Filipino life is food (and videoke, but we'll save that for another post).  If you're not eating, then you're talking about eating, or preparing to eat, or traveling somewhere to eat.  Truthfully, the most useful aspect of my language training thus far has been learning the vocabulary regarding food. In addition to the standard three meals/day, Filipinos also have a merienda (snack) twice per day - once in the morning, once in the afternoon.  You, as Americans, may think of a snack as a banana or a bag of M&Ms.  Here, the merienda can consist of (and these are foods I've actually eaten for my merienda): spaghetti with meat sauce; a ham sandwich, fruit, and chips (yes, that's all for one merienda); a whole fish; or two pieces of toasted bread covered in Cheese Whiz (which is smothered on everything here).  I eat breakfast around 7, my first merienda around 9:30, lunch at 12:00, my second merienda at 2:30, sometimes a third merienda when I get home from class at 5:00 because my host family doesn't realize I've already had my afternoon merienda, and dinner at 7:00.  And that's not counting all the ChocoMuchos I buy for myself at the sari-sari store. (They are candy bars with caramel, a rice krispy-type topping, and, as the name suggests, mucho chocolate!  I'm already thinking how much I'll miss them when I leave the Philippines.  Yes, they're THAT good.)

And despite this constant food intake, I'm still hungry!  I rarely sit down to a meal thinking, "wow, I'm too full to eat anything." I've had a discussion about this phenomenon with the other Peace Corps Trainees, and it's the same with every one of them. (Thank god I'm not alone in this!)  I've decided to dub this the Filipino Food Phenomenon (FFP), which is very much like the similarly titled Chinese Food Phenomenon (CFP) that everyone with a love of Chinese food has experienced at some point.  For those who are unaware of the CFP, it states that Chinese food keeps you full for a maximum of 30 minutes post-meal, no matter how much you eat.  No one is exactly sure why this is, but it's universally accepted to be true (like gravity...or the fact that the Earth is the center of the universe).  The FFP is the same concept, though I'd extend the post-meal fullness period to a full 60 minutes. Thus, Filipinos need their morning and afternoon meriendas to offset the effects of the FFP.  It's all very scientific and I plan to write a thesis on this topic upon my return to the States.

If you're wondering whether I now weigh 400 lbs...surprisingly, no.  This is the second part of the FFP.  Despite the constant intake of food, you don't gain weight.  This is easily proven by looking at any petite, slim Filipino. Filipinos are not obese people.  Again, no one knows the reason, but the theory is, as I've said, universally accepted.  One caveat: the effect gluttonous ChocoMucho consumption has on this theory is as yet untested, so I'll get back to you on that.  I'm afraid the staying slim aspect of the FFP may be destroyed by my ChocoMucho obsession.

Next time...the Filipino love of videoke!

To my devoted followers:

Sorry for my absence.  I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my next post, unable to move from your computers for fear you'll have missed the moment I post it.  Haha...joke lang! (Just joking in Tagalog.)  I'm sure you've been getting along with your lives just fine, but I wanted to let you know another post is in the works.  I've been really busy since arriving in Subic, which has made the transition much easier but the blogging more difficult.  That, combined with infrequent access to the internet, has made me shirk my blogging duties.  But don't despair, I'll be back and better than ever in the coming days. Thanks for your comments (yes, even the insulting ones, dad) - I really enjoy reading them.  Ingat! (Take care!)