 |
| The Bolinao Lighthouse |
 |
| Patar Beach and the South China Sea (with Mary and Allen in the background) |
 |
| And again... |
 |
| Almost at the end... |
 |
| Tapos na! (Which means "finished," for those non-Filipino speakers out there.) |
Monday, January 24, 2011
Nothing says tropical paradise like a white sand beach...
For those of you who aren't my friend on Facebook (uncool!), I wanted to post a few pictures from the pre-Christmas trip I took to Patar Beach with my friend (and fellow PCV) Mary and her boyfriend Allen, who was here for a visit. Patar Beach is a beautiful white sand beach about 3 (bus) hours west of me, on the western coast of Luzon on the South China Sea. This was the clearest, bluest water I've seen since coming here.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
I love lizards!
Luckily for me spiders aren't the only things roaming around during the night. There are little lizards here (which look like the Geico Gecko, though I'm pretty sure they're not geckos) and they are everywhere. They're very cute and skittish, and they eat mosquitoes and other bugs (but sadly not mega-spiders), so I like them. There's one that's taken up residence in my room, and I enjoy watching him run around the walls trying to catch bugs. The other day I threw away a chocolate wrapper in my garbage can. Within 5 minutes I noticed the lizard sneaking out from behind my dresser, inching his way toward the garbage can. He finally made it there, jumped into the can, and started trying to pull the chocolate wrapper out of the can. He couldn't get it out, so I got up to help him. Of course he ran away and hid behind my dresser, but I got the wrapper and put it on the floor by the garbage can. Again, within a few minutes, he was inching toward the wrapper. Once he got to it he started to LICK it! He was licking the chocolate off! I had no idea that lizards like chocolate, but this one certainly does. A lizard after my own heart. He certainly chose the right room in which to reside. Don't believe me? That's okay, I have evidence.
If you look closely at the second picture you'll see he actually has his mouth open. You gotta appreciate a chocolate-loving lizard.
If you look closely at the second picture you'll see he actually has his mouth open. You gotta appreciate a chocolate-loving lizard.
The Spider Chronicles
I've never been fond of spiders, to which my mother can attest from one particular incident when I was in elementary school (ok, FINE, I was in college) when I, crying hysterically, called her at her office because there was a gigantic spider on the wall outside my room. I could neither kill it (way too big!) nor leave it (to crawl into my room?!), so I sat on the floor staring at it – from a safe distance – until she came home and vacuumed it up (with difficulty). Yes, you read correctly, I made my mom come home from work to kill a spider. But that's not the point. I had no idea at the time, but that spider turned out to be the petite, runt cousin of the Filipino mega-spider. I believe its scientific name is biggest spriderus in the genus of murderous arachnidus.
For the first four months of my stay in the Philippines I was blissfully ignorant of the existence of such spiders. I never encountered one myself and the stories I heard from other Volunteers I discounted as mere ghost stories, told more for their dramatic effect than for the truth of their content. And then I moved to my permanent site at Sual. One week after arriving here I opened the door to the bathroom and whoosh, a spider the size of my hand launched past me (and I have big hands). I screamed and ran in the opposite direction, never taking my eyes off it, of course, in case it decided to attack. My host family thought I'd cut off one of my limbs, but upon realizing I was only afraid of the itsy bitsy spider (which, I repeat, was the size of my hand), they got a good laugh. They soon understood, however, that I wouldn't move from my spot atop the table until someone (not me) killed it. So my host sister got out a pair of salad tongs (SALAD TONGS!!) with which to grab it. After some deft maneuvering and body blocking she successfully captured the spider. What she did with it after that I can't say. When I regained consciousness, however, it was gone. I was later informed that these spiders like to hide under the lip of the toilet in the bathroom. Great. Now it takes me 10 minutes just to use the toilet, 9.5 of which are spent inspecting it for spiders.
So that was my first run-in with the Filipino mega-spider, but unfortunately not the last, nor the most traumatic. Life went on spider-free for about a month and I had successfully blocked out any memory of the "Great Spider Incident of 2010" until one night I was walking up the stairs to my bedroom and there, on the landing, was a Filipino mega-spider. Was it the same spider I had encountered previously? I know not. I never did have the courage to ask my host sister what became of the spider she captured in the salad tongs. But whether it was the same spider or a different spider was of no matter. It was out for revenge either way because 1) I had been the cause of its capture and attempted murder or, if it was a different spider, 2) I had been the cause of the capture and actual murder of its family member.
But this time I resolved not to make a scene. My host family already thought I was nuts for my previous reaction. I'm an adult. The spider is only a spider (and no, it's not poisonous, so my fear really is quite irrational in the eyes of rational people). So I made a deal with the spider: as long as it doesn't come in my room, I won't cause it to be harmed. We can co-exist peacefully together, separately. And can you believe it? This agreement actually worked. The spider would be on the landing at night, disappear during the day, and reappear on the landing by night. I would sneak quietly by on the way to my room and he would make no move to attack me. I did take precautions, however, by stuffing a shirt in the rather large opening between the bottom of my door and the floor, thereby preventing a sneak attack under the cover of darkness while I was asleep. And then he disappeared altogether. I didn't see him for about a week, so I figured he either died or ran out of small animals to consume and moved on to another house. But I was nervous…what if there's a third option? What if he was still in the house, but had changed location? What if his new location was…dare I think it…my room? Another week went by and I still didn't see him, so I was lulled into a sense of security. Besides, he knew our agreement. Out of sight, out of mind, right?! Wrong. Of course the minute I let down my guard he appears on the wall ABOVE MY BED. In my room. I didn't know what to do. It was 10:00 PM and the spider and I were the only ones awake (which I'm sure was his plan). Luckily my bed was safely enclosed by my mosquito net, so I stealthily climbed in. This was my only protection from the blood-lust of the mega-spider, but it would have to be enough for the night. The expression "sleeping with one eye open" was never truer than it was that night. The next morning I awoke and was glad to find all my fingers and toes intact and no evidence of fang marks. My force field…um, I mean, my mosquito net…had done the job. But I'd had it. The next night, when he appeared again at a more reasonable hour, I summoned my host sister with her salad tongs. After some impressive avoidance on the spider's part, she captured him. (Of course I helped by running around my room shrieking.) He'd broken our agreement, and he paid the price. Sorry, mega-spider.
I'd like to think that is the last mega-spider I'll ever see (denial ain't just a river in Egypt, after all). For now I'm secure in knowing that my room is spider-free. I guess that's the most I can hope for in a tropical, spider-friendly climate!
Update: Since completing this post a week ago I have thrice showered with a mega-spider. The end result was me drowning it with water (which didn't kill it), smashing it with my flip flop (which didn't kill it), smashing it with my shampoo bottle (which didn't kill it), and finally forcing it down the drain (which hopefully killed it, but who knows). I think the fact that I was willing to kill it myself shows real growth. Who knows, by the end of my two years here I may have a pet mega-spider named Fluffy.
For the first four months of my stay in the Philippines I was blissfully ignorant of the existence of such spiders. I never encountered one myself and the stories I heard from other Volunteers I discounted as mere ghost stories, told more for their dramatic effect than for the truth of their content. And then I moved to my permanent site at Sual. One week after arriving here I opened the door to the bathroom and whoosh, a spider the size of my hand launched past me (and I have big hands). I screamed and ran in the opposite direction, never taking my eyes off it, of course, in case it decided to attack. My host family thought I'd cut off one of my limbs, but upon realizing I was only afraid of the itsy bitsy spider (which, I repeat, was the size of my hand), they got a good laugh. They soon understood, however, that I wouldn't move from my spot atop the table until someone (not me) killed it. So my host sister got out a pair of salad tongs (SALAD TONGS!!) with which to grab it. After some deft maneuvering and body blocking she successfully captured the spider. What she did with it after that I can't say. When I regained consciousness, however, it was gone. I was later informed that these spiders like to hide under the lip of the toilet in the bathroom. Great. Now it takes me 10 minutes just to use the toilet, 9.5 of which are spent inspecting it for spiders.
So that was my first run-in with the Filipino mega-spider, but unfortunately not the last, nor the most traumatic. Life went on spider-free for about a month and I had successfully blocked out any memory of the "Great Spider Incident of 2010" until one night I was walking up the stairs to my bedroom and there, on the landing, was a Filipino mega-spider. Was it the same spider I had encountered previously? I know not. I never did have the courage to ask my host sister what became of the spider she captured in the salad tongs. But whether it was the same spider or a different spider was of no matter. It was out for revenge either way because 1) I had been the cause of its capture and attempted murder or, if it was a different spider, 2) I had been the cause of the capture and actual murder of its family member.
But this time I resolved not to make a scene. My host family already thought I was nuts for my previous reaction. I'm an adult. The spider is only a spider (and no, it's not poisonous, so my fear really is quite irrational in the eyes of rational people). So I made a deal with the spider: as long as it doesn't come in my room, I won't cause it to be harmed. We can co-exist peacefully together, separately. And can you believe it? This agreement actually worked. The spider would be on the landing at night, disappear during the day, and reappear on the landing by night. I would sneak quietly by on the way to my room and he would make no move to attack me. I did take precautions, however, by stuffing a shirt in the rather large opening between the bottom of my door and the floor, thereby preventing a sneak attack under the cover of darkness while I was asleep. And then he disappeared altogether. I didn't see him for about a week, so I figured he either died or ran out of small animals to consume and moved on to another house. But I was nervous…what if there's a third option? What if he was still in the house, but had changed location? What if his new location was…dare I think it…my room? Another week went by and I still didn't see him, so I was lulled into a sense of security. Besides, he knew our agreement. Out of sight, out of mind, right?! Wrong. Of course the minute I let down my guard he appears on the wall ABOVE MY BED. In my room. I didn't know what to do. It was 10:00 PM and the spider and I were the only ones awake (which I'm sure was his plan). Luckily my bed was safely enclosed by my mosquito net, so I stealthily climbed in. This was my only protection from the blood-lust of the mega-spider, but it would have to be enough for the night. The expression "sleeping with one eye open" was never truer than it was that night. The next morning I awoke and was glad to find all my fingers and toes intact and no evidence of fang marks. My force field…um, I mean, my mosquito net…had done the job. But I'd had it. The next night, when he appeared again at a more reasonable hour, I summoned my host sister with her salad tongs. After some impressive avoidance on the spider's part, she captured him. (Of course I helped by running around my room shrieking.) He'd broken our agreement, and he paid the price. Sorry, mega-spider.
I'd like to think that is the last mega-spider I'll ever see (denial ain't just a river in Egypt, after all). For now I'm secure in knowing that my room is spider-free. I guess that's the most I can hope for in a tropical, spider-friendly climate!
Update: Since completing this post a week ago I have thrice showered with a mega-spider. The end result was me drowning it with water (which didn't kill it), smashing it with my flip flop (which didn't kill it), smashing it with my shampoo bottle (which didn't kill it), and finally forcing it down the drain (which hopefully killed it, but who knows). I think the fact that I was willing to kill it myself shows real growth. Who knows, by the end of my two years here I may have a pet mega-spider named Fluffy.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!!
New Year's Resolution #1: Update my blog more frequently.
New Year's Resolution #2: Stop buying and binge eating expensive American and/or Swiss chocolate*.
*Exclusions may apply, including times when I'm happy, sad, hungry, full, bored, not bored, or otherwise feel even a slight inclination to buy and binge eat expensive American and/or Swiss chocolate.
I've successfully made it through my first holiday season in the Philippines, and I'm happy to say it was a good one. Yes, there were moments of homesickness, but overall it was an enjoyable time, and I'd like to share some of the highlights with you. Christmas (which was a looooong time coming...Christmas season starts in September here) was marked by family, lots of food, and, of course, hot weather.
First, in the interest of cross-cultural understanding, I attended Christmas Eve mass with my host family. Now, keep in mind I try to avoid going places where large crowds gather. I'm still getting used to being the giraffe in the mouse exhibit, and being so obvious is easier to deal with in smaller groups. But in this case I made an exception and made my way to the church with my family. We arrived a little late, and as we walked in I noticed the church was almost completely full. "Yay," I thought to myself, "now we'll have to stand at the back...unnoticed!" But my hopes were soon dashed - my family was not content to stand in the back and proceeded to walk up the center aisle, slowly, looking for a space large enough to fit 5 people. I, of course, followed along, trying to appear shorter as I walked. Finally, upon reaching the third row from the front, my family found the desired spot. Unfortunately it was in the middle of the row, so I clumsily tripped over and stepped on several wide-eyed children and grandmas to reach my seat. I was smooshed in next to a little girl who tried her best to move away from me (fear of the giant blond is a common initial reaction among children here). I was finally seated, but now was effectively blocking the view of 20 rows of Filipinos behind me. Once again I tried to make myself shorter, but one can only slouch down so much. The service was nice, and gave me a chance to work on my Tagalog since it was conducted almost solely in that language.
Upon arriving home after mass my family began to prepare for "noche buena," a midnight dinner with family on Christmas Eve. That's in addition to the normal 3 meals plus 2 meal-sized meriendas that are eaten in a normal day. While I managed to stay up until midnight to eat this dinner, one of my PCV friends employed a different strategy. Apparently she went to sleep at 9 p.m., set her alarm for 11:59 p.m., woke up and ate dinner at midnight, and went back to sleep. I personally think this is cheating, but don't tell her I said that. Anyway, at my house this dinner consisted of spaghetti (the meal universally recognized in the Philippines as that which is eaten for any and every celebratory occasion), numerous fruit options, and numerous dessert options. When I sat down to the table I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to eat since my stomach isn't accustomed to midnight feasts. However, not wanting to appear rude or disgrace the name of the U.S. Peace Corps, I managed to eat two plates of spaghetti, an apple, an orange, three-quarters of a mango, and approximately 10 cookies. Oh, and a piece of cake. The things I do for my country. Christmas day consisted of eating more spaghetti and organizing games for the neighborhood kids. The credit for this goes to my host sister, not me, though I was able to be useful by being the object the kids had to maneuver around in the sack race.
The rest of the week passed quietly by. I read a lot, slept a lot, and watched a lot of movies. Finally New Year's Eve was upon us. And what does that mean?? Spaghetti at midnight!! That's right, just like Christmas, but this time fireworks added an element of danger to the mix. Here in Sual they don't have municipally-organized fireworks, so any fireworks displays are just private citizens setting off their own. I had some idea of what to expect because of an email all the PCVs received from the Peace Corps medical officer some weeks before. In addition to warning about the dangers of amateur fireworks and the unpredictability of their explosions, it went on to advise what to do in the event your fingers, eyes, or other unprotected body parts are injured/severed by rogue fireworks. I'm happy to say I survived with all body parts intact, though I don't know that my ear drums will ever be the same. I did have to dart behind a fence post a few times to avoid an out-of-control bottle rocket launched by a 9-year-old, but overall it was an experience I'm glad to have. And glad to have over. The constant BOOM of fireworks all day, every day, for the past two weeks (starting at 6 a.m....not joking) really put my nerves on edge!
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. It's hard to believe 2011 is here, but I'm excited to see what new experiences it will bring. I wish everyone a prosperous and happy year, and I look forward to hearing what you're all up to back in the States! Peace and love from the Philippines!
New Year's Resolution #2: Stop buying and binge eating expensive American and/or Swiss chocolate*.
*Exclusions may apply, including times when I'm happy, sad, hungry, full, bored, not bored, or otherwise feel even a slight inclination to buy and binge eat expensive American and/or Swiss chocolate.
I've successfully made it through my first holiday season in the Philippines, and I'm happy to say it was a good one. Yes, there were moments of homesickness, but overall it was an enjoyable time, and I'd like to share some of the highlights with you. Christmas (which was a looooong time coming...Christmas season starts in September here) was marked by family, lots of food, and, of course, hot weather.
First, in the interest of cross-cultural understanding, I attended Christmas Eve mass with my host family. Now, keep in mind I try to avoid going places where large crowds gather. I'm still getting used to being the giraffe in the mouse exhibit, and being so obvious is easier to deal with in smaller groups. But in this case I made an exception and made my way to the church with my family. We arrived a little late, and as we walked in I noticed the church was almost completely full. "Yay," I thought to myself, "now we'll have to stand at the back...unnoticed!" But my hopes were soon dashed - my family was not content to stand in the back and proceeded to walk up the center aisle, slowly, looking for a space large enough to fit 5 people. I, of course, followed along, trying to appear shorter as I walked. Finally, upon reaching the third row from the front, my family found the desired spot. Unfortunately it was in the middle of the row, so I clumsily tripped over and stepped on several wide-eyed children and grandmas to reach my seat. I was smooshed in next to a little girl who tried her best to move away from me (fear of the giant blond is a common initial reaction among children here). I was finally seated, but now was effectively blocking the view of 20 rows of Filipinos behind me. Once again I tried to make myself shorter, but one can only slouch down so much. The service was nice, and gave me a chance to work on my Tagalog since it was conducted almost solely in that language.
Upon arriving home after mass my family began to prepare for "noche buena," a midnight dinner with family on Christmas Eve. That's in addition to the normal 3 meals plus 2 meal-sized meriendas that are eaten in a normal day. While I managed to stay up until midnight to eat this dinner, one of my PCV friends employed a different strategy. Apparently she went to sleep at 9 p.m., set her alarm for 11:59 p.m., woke up and ate dinner at midnight, and went back to sleep. I personally think this is cheating, but don't tell her I said that. Anyway, at my house this dinner consisted of spaghetti (the meal universally recognized in the Philippines as that which is eaten for any and every celebratory occasion), numerous fruit options, and numerous dessert options. When I sat down to the table I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to eat since my stomach isn't accustomed to midnight feasts. However, not wanting to appear rude or disgrace the name of the U.S. Peace Corps, I managed to eat two plates of spaghetti, an apple, an orange, three-quarters of a mango, and approximately 10 cookies. Oh, and a piece of cake. The things I do for my country. Christmas day consisted of eating more spaghetti and organizing games for the neighborhood kids. The credit for this goes to my host sister, not me, though I was able to be useful by being the object the kids had to maneuver around in the sack race.
The rest of the week passed quietly by. I read a lot, slept a lot, and watched a lot of movies. Finally New Year's Eve was upon us. And what does that mean?? Spaghetti at midnight!! That's right, just like Christmas, but this time fireworks added an element of danger to the mix. Here in Sual they don't have municipally-organized fireworks, so any fireworks displays are just private citizens setting off their own. I had some idea of what to expect because of an email all the PCVs received from the Peace Corps medical officer some weeks before. In addition to warning about the dangers of amateur fireworks and the unpredictability of their explosions, it went on to advise what to do in the event your fingers, eyes, or other unprotected body parts are injured/severed by rogue fireworks. I'm happy to say I survived with all body parts intact, though I don't know that my ear drums will ever be the same. I did have to dart behind a fence post a few times to avoid an out-of-control bottle rocket launched by a 9-year-old, but overall it was an experience I'm glad to have. And glad to have over. The constant BOOM of fireworks all day, every day, for the past two weeks (starting at 6 a.m....not joking) really put my nerves on edge!
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. It's hard to believe 2011 is here, but I'm excited to see what new experiences it will bring. I wish everyone a prosperous and happy year, and I look forward to hearing what you're all up to back in the States! Peace and love from the Philippines!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Calling all divorce lawyers...
There is no divorce in the Philippines. And I don't mean the divorce rate is low. I mean that divorce DOES NOT EXIST in the Philippines. As in, you can't get a divorce. Sorry, Elizabeth Taylor. Am I the only one who is astonished by this? Eating rice for every meal is hard to adjust to, living with spiders the size of my hand has been tough...but NO DIVORCE?!?!? I think this is the biggest culture shock I've experienced so far. Not that I'm an advocate for divorce, but it just never occurred to me that there could be countries out there without a divorce law. Even now as I'm writing this I'm re-experiencing my initial feelings of shock and disbelief. I think this is the result of growing up in the U.S. where divorce has become as common as, well, marriage. I mean, what would the magazines publish if Hollywood stars weren't allowed to divorce and re-marry every few months? Everyone knows "til death do us part" is just a nice sentiment intended to make your wedding guests shed a tear. It doesn't really mean you have to be married...to the same person...until you DIE. DOES IT?! In the Philippines it does. And yes, people still choose to get married here. The law does allow for an annulment, but it's only granted in extreme cases and can take up to ten years to attain. Couples may also be granted a legal separation, but again it takes a long time, is only granted in specific circumstances, is expensive, and you're still legally married (i.e., you can't marry anyone else). What if your husband does nothing all day but watch baseball and/or is a *gasp* Yankees fan? Too bad, no divorce for you. What if your wife nags you about throwing your dirty towels on the floor? Nope, sorry, you better start picking up those towels.
But in all seriousness, I think it adds an interesting dimension to the Philippine culture, particularly in a country where people are encouraged to, and in fact do, get married quite young. I can't tell you how many people, when they find out I'm 29 and unmarried, ask me why I'm in the Philippines and not back in the U.S. scouring the country for a husband. Women also enjoy telling me they already had 2 (or 3, 4, 5...) kids by the time they were 29. But that's a blog for another time.
So this serves as a warning to all those divorce-minded people out there: don't get married in the Philippines! Stick to the U.S., where you can get divorced in the morning and re-married to a prettier, younger version of your first spouse in the afternoon!
But in all seriousness, I think it adds an interesting dimension to the Philippine culture, particularly in a country where people are encouraged to, and in fact do, get married quite young. I can't tell you how many people, when they find out I'm 29 and unmarried, ask me why I'm in the Philippines and not back in the U.S. scouring the country for a husband. Women also enjoy telling me they already had 2 (or 3, 4, 5...) kids by the time they were 29. But that's a blog for another time.
So this serves as a warning to all those divorce-minded people out there: don't get married in the Philippines! Stick to the U.S., where you can get divorced in the morning and re-married to a prettier, younger version of your first spouse in the afternoon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)