Guimaras

sorry it's been so long since my last post. i have been doing sooooo much travelling from island to island, that there has not been much computer time. I went on site visit to my permanent site Guimaras. I will move there June 10. I spent a week there, learning about what i will be doing for the next 2 years. My office is in the Municipal Hall, i work with "child friendly" -- yeah kids. And if you know me at all, you know that i really don't like kids. hmmm. i will let you know how it goes. my secondary project is working with the tourism department. Guimaras is an amazing tourist destination -- caves, beaches, rock-climbing, mountain biking, marine sanctuaries with endangered turtles -- and so much nature that is untouched by man. It is also the mango capital of the philippines -- so we eat mango's for breakfast, lunch and dinner -- and "meryinda"(10am snack & 3pm snack). Philippino's like thier meryinda -- they freak out if there is no meryinda. I stayed with my new host family -- who are the most religious people that i have ever met. I was promptly told that sunday's are not my free day, because i have church obligations all day long. whew. my room is nice, but the bed, that is another story. it looks like a nice warm, inviting bed -- but as soon as i plopped down on it --THUD!!!! oh yeah, plywood -- covered in a sheet. I have never had so many body parts fall asleep. I woke up numb all night long, crazy. My host mother has 11 brothers and sisters and they all live on the same street -- so we walked from house to house meeting all 200 family members. The family system here is mindblowing. They live at home until they are married, and then they build a hutt in the backyard of the parents -- so the family just gets bigger and bigger -- and more crowded. And crowded is how they like it. I am never alone -- they don't know what it means. I get walked to the bathroom, and someone waits outside -- walked to the trike stop -- i must have a "companion" at all times. "Sin-o upod mo?" means "who will your companion be?". It is the first thing everyone asks -- getting used to not having as much independence has been hard. So i freaked out a little -- along with 4 other volunteers, and we left our sites early. We went to Iloilo, a fairly progressive city on the island of Panay. we stayed in a pension house and locked ourselves in a room for 2 days. we had a/c, hot showers, and cable tv . . . i haven't had any of this in over 2 months. Such a nice treat. i had 2 days of being totally american, i never realized how great the u.s. is. we didn't have to speak ilonggo or eat rice. we spoke english, watched american movies, ate nacho's, onion rings and drank real coffee -- it was amazing. From Iloilo, we went back to our hub site ASU, which is about a 3 1/2 hour bus ride. We got back to hub Sunday the 16th -- we went to the south cafe, which is our hangout. a couple of the volunteers jason and adam were armwrestling -- jason broke his arm -- his humorus. we had to go to the hospital, and do exrays -- when they found out that it was broken -- jason had to be medically evacuated back to the US for surgery. he has 45 days to make a recovery, if he doesnt he will be medically separated from the Peace corp; which means he can't come back. We are all really sad -- he was one of my favorite people here. I have found a new sport. I have been racing bamboo trycicles down hills. They build really short trcicles, with no metal parts or nails or screws -- just bamboo. You find a hill, climb it as high as you can -- and race to the bottom -- they FLY down the hill. They had never seen an adult do it -- i am probably going to break the trike. My friends have pictures -- as soon as i get their web info, i will post it so you all can go look at the crazy pictures. I won all of my races -- there is a picture of me holding up my trike in victory. I'll have the info soon. Take care ~ i love you all.

big loser

so i had my first incident, but it was totally my own fault. last sunday, may 1, we all headed back to Aklan State University for hub session. Another volunteer Lloyd and I met in Sigma, a barungay(town) where we could catch a bus to Aklan. Well since I have been getting made fun of for all of my luggage that I brought(140lbs), seriously what was I thinking, I tried to pack light for this trip -- only using a shoulder bag. Well I needed some more room, so I put my favorite sneakers, my favorite hoodie that i bought in san francisco, and my toiletries in a plastic bag. I set the plastic bag on the floor of the bus -- when i got off the bus, I left my bag. As it was driving off, I remembered the bag that I had sat on the floor, but it was too late. In the big scheme of things there really are worse things to loose than a sweatshirt in the philippines, so hot. I kicked myself for about a day, and then was reminded that i only have 138 pounds of luggage now. I am buying a big backpacker's backpack and sending one of my suitcases home. Other than that my week has been great. We were given information on our jobs and site, mine being on the island of guimmaras. I go there this monday for a week visit, and to meet my supervisor and my host agency counterpart. I will stay with my guimaras host family, who are filipino, but lived and worked in florida for 10 years. so this next week should be very interesting, and i should know alot more about what i will be doing for the next 2 years with the peace corp. so i should be able to answer more of your questions. this is the address where i can receive mail: Letters: >PCV Lindsey O Johnson >U.S. Peace Corps >Airmail Distribution Center >P.O. Box 7013 >N.A.IA. 1300 >Pasay City, Philippines > >Packages: >PCV Lindsey O Johnson >U.S. Peace Corps >PNB Financial Building >6th Floor, Bay Side >Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City >1300 Manila, Philippines

mass, mass, mass

ok, so this has been a very eventful week. I have been to mass 5 times -- ENOUGH -- I will never go again. I went to 2 barangay fiesta's, and before the fiesta begins, of course you have to have mass. It is the exact same every time -- songs, stand - niel - sit, stand - neil - sit. I have the songs memorized too, even though they are in illongo and i have no clue what we are singing. I just make up my own meaning. Fiesta's here are fun, and there is always one going on. These people like to party -- they celebrate everything. It is so strange to see a country and group of people that have next to nothing, but are always celebrating and gathering together with their friends and family -- oh and when i say family i mean grandparents, parents, children, cousins, aunts and uncles 3 times removed. it makes me wonder how these people have so little, but are always celebrating and sharing with others. in the same aspect, we as americans, with so much, don't celebrate and appreciate what we have like they do here. I wonder what the difference is? I have also been to a birthday party, and a wedding. The wedding of Venhart and Ella was so beautiful -- but long, 2 hour ceremony. They had mass ofcourse, and took communion before the actual marrying began. This is definately the most religious counrtry that I have ever been in. They cross themselves 30 times a day. I do have some pictures, i will be sending them home soon. i always thought that i was pretty tan until i saw the pictures of me standing next to the filippino's. I glow whiteness.