One Week Down...

Away from home a week and a half. It feels like ages. Everyday we have training sessions from about 8am to 5 pm with breaks for lunch and snacks. We are getting so much information thrown at us. Most of the time it is something that is incredibly scary and I wonder what I was thinking coming here. And I’m still just in training, staying in a resort with all these great people I’m becoming friends with. Some topics we’ve covered:
How to use the bucket-and-dipper shower.
How to use the squat toilet.
What fungus and scabies looks like.
How to try and not offend Filipinos.
Food you’ve never dreamed of trying before and how to eat it.

I got four injections in the last few days. I was pretty brave, but always someone was there to hold my hand (literally. And I still cried a little.) There are so many things to think about in terms of health, hygiene, and safety. Not to mention culture shock. It’s very overwhelming.

On to the good stuff. I got my hub assignment. There are 5 hubs that we will be divided into, based on the region our sites will eventually be in. I am going to Western Visayas, which is a few islands. Panay is the main island, and also Negros Occidental is part of our region. Our group of about 15 will travel to Iloilo on Friday morning, and then onto our hub site of Tigbauan. The people I will be with are great, but it’s also sad to say goodbye to some of these people knowing I might not see them again for 2 years.

Yesterday we went to the US Embassy and met the Ambassador and lots of embassy staff. Ambassador Kenny seems really nice, she said she would even try to come meet all of us somewhere near our sites. We visited Intramuros, which is the old fortress of Manila. We had a tour guide named Carlos who was amazing. He made it very entertaining, and lots of history and interesting facts. Intramuros was pretty, but we were in a rush, we had a tight schedule. We also went to the Peace Corps office in Manila and met all the staff there. They are really great. It’s very reassuring to know that there are so many people here to support us.

The pictures are of our first sunset, me in front of the welcome sign at Island Cove, and me with some of the girls I am friends with here at the fishing village in our resort.