America, the land of oppotunity awaits...

Hanging out in Tacloban...


Tonight is my last night in Bohol. Last week Friday the students had their annual science fair at the High School. I was asked to be one of the judges. It was a blast and I spent all day with the students. They are very talented and I was impressed with their knowledge of the projects they created. After the winners were announced in the late afternoon the students had a surprise thank you hour for me. They danced, had skits, and gave gifts to send me off.

some friends in Leyte:


This is going to be much harder than I thought. I didn’t realize how much this has become my home. When am I ever going to get the opportunity to use this language again? Not only the sign language, but the spoken language.

You can never really anticipate how you are going to feel in certain situations. One thing I have learned though is that reacting in a polite and considerate way to whoever is involved gets you much further than being offended.

I returned to Leyte on Saturday and Sunday for the last time until the Lord calls me back to the Philippines. Although it was technically only one full day, it was worth it. As I waited at the airport with several of my closest Pinoy friends from Tacloban there were two volunteers who had been volunteering with the organization Volunteer for the Visayans. The same company I worked with two years ago. One was headed to Manila to go back to Holland and the other, from Belgium, still has one more week. As soon as it was found out that I am from America they started drilling me with all these questions that I soon realized were to reveal that American’s in fact, are stupid.

I can usually read people really well and I knew this is exactly what their intention was. When I was asked what language they speak in Holland I was relieved to have somehow acquired that knowledge along my path and almost every other question they threw at me. I stood my ground and happily attempted to answer their questions and with each answer at least mostly right I always would ask to make sure, partially because I wasn’t 100% positive and also because I wanted to play into their game instead of giving them the satisfaction of feeling like they got me. Between you and me, I am glad they didn’t ask me where either of their countries sit on a map. I have never met anyone from either of those countries so I considered the encounter a success. However, I wouldn’t count on them as Facebook friends any time soon.

I took the same trip to get to Tacloban as I always do. I usually use the bathroom after the long 4 hour bus ride before getting onto the boat and spending 3 hours on the ocean. This time the tricycle driver told me my boat has a bathroom on it. I got a little excited. Wow.. a bathroom on the boat. It must be a decent boat this time. It was a little bigger than the normal one. About 50 people can fit on it. Still no actual chairs, you just sat on what you could fine.

The Bathroom was a board that was cut out of the bottom of the boat about 1.5 ft by 6 inches and surrounded by four walls to block off the visual for anyone. I suppose this was successful in the fact that you were just peeing directly into the ocean. However, I will say, it took a little skill. And I was surprised with yet another new experience.

The second new experience I had was my trip back to Bohol last night. I got a ticket on a shipping boat that leaves 10pm and arrives 3am. It was less than $4 and worked perfectly time wise. I got a spot on the top of the ship, open air. They have bunk beds lined up as close together as possible to fit as many people up there as they can. I was number 488. It was really a big barge. I loved it. I am not sure it was the safest thing, but it was a new adventure anyway.

I have a couple more days of traveling alone, then I will finally arrive back in America, lord willing, and vow to be done traveling by myself for awhile.