This and That and My Birthday!

I haven’t had time to write in so long! My hour or two of internet time every week seems to fly by. Since I can’t go anywhere without a companion, I can’t exactly just jog on over to an internet café. Anyway, I have combined a couple day’s worth of journaling in this entry. I hope it isn’t too long!

I thought it wasn’t too hot today- maybe a little toasty, but bearable- until I cleaned a melted cough drop off my table. I guess I’m adjusting! Ah, it’s cooling off now. It looks like it’s going to rain again. Last night a storm came out of nowhere, complete with thunder, lightning, and pouring rain. It was kind of scary, especially since Ate Mimi and her husband Kuya Dudong weren’t home yet. But it was really scary when the power went out, right as Tyler and I were cooking dinner! I had to adjust to the fact that I might not have electricity for the rest of the night and possibly the following day. Tyler grabbed some candles, and we were able to keep cooking. Thankfully the power was only out for about ten minutes, unlike the other day when it was off for the whole day. I was rather taken aback when it came back on. Ah, and there’s the thunder. It looks like a fierce one!

As I climbed on the motorcycle last week, I burned my leg on the muffler. Oops. As bad as it hurt, I didn’t mind too much because it took my mind off the itching mosquito bites (I cover myself in repellant every time, but I must be tasty anyway), the three red ant bites making my foot fat and itchy, the rashes on my fingers where I rubbed the skin raw doing laundry, the dog bite on my hand that probably didn’t give me rabies, and the blisters on my feet from wearing flip-flops. I told the girls that perhaps I would break my arm next to take my mind off the burning. My newest ailment is a sunburn from the beach, well worth the pain and the tan it will turn into. I hope that as I adjust, I’ll have fewer ailments. When I hung my wet laundry out to dry, I got another red ant bite on the same foot as the other three. After that, I marched in place as I finished hanging my laundry so that they wouldn’t have time to crawl onto my feet. See? I can adjust! Now I’m using insect repellant in the lotion form so that it will stay on longer. The spray kind was really great, but not sweat proof.

Being an American in the Philippines is a lot like being famous, except no one asks for your autograph. They do, however, point, stare, whisper, call out to me, and sometimes even follow me. I might as well have a big dollar sign tattooed on my forehead. Because I have relatively light hair and skin, I am considered very beautiful. Also, big noses are considered beautiful here, and mine happens to be larger than the norm here. I almost can’t interact with men here because they think I’m so beautiful. The rude ones will be mean or inappropriate, and the nice boys turn mute in my presence because they’re so shy. Weird, huh? It would be funny if it wasn’t so annoying and burdensome. I hate to think that my Filipino girl friends feel outshone by me when we’re in public. I usually tell them something like, “Oh, I should stop walking around with you so the men will leave me alone!” I try to look as grubby as I can, but it doesn’t help- I’m still white. It helps when they find out that I can speak a little Sibuhano (the local way of saying and spelling Cebuano). Then they are more talkative and polite.

The big news of the week is that Ate Mimi’s oldest daughter, my friend Miles (short for Millicent) just found out that she passed her board exam for nursing. She’s an official nurse now! All her friends from school passed too. It’s been fun getting to know Miles and her friends. I was afraid that there wouldn’t be anyone my age here in Butuan. I got to skip class last week and run off to the beach with them (don’t worry, I made class up on Saturday). They have good English and great senses of humor. I enjoyed their company so much, I invited them over for the evening of my birthday for snacks, movies, games, and hanging out. I forgot to consider that Filipinos are different than Americans. I was thinking that a nice competitive game would be fun (spoons), but they didn’t like how the losers had nothing to do waiting for the game to finish. (We Americans don’t care about the losers, just the winners!) So we ended that game and did what Filipinos like to do best- sit around and talk! In the end, it was slightly awkward, but fun overall and definitely a learning experience for me.

My 21^st birthday began at 5:30 AM when I was awakened by a group of about twelve people from church singing outside my window. It’s a birthday tradition here, except it’s usually male suitors doing the singing, and it’s at about 3 or 4 AM. They sang a long medley of songs for me, many of them worship songs from church (instead of the typical love songs), ending with happy birthday. I was very touched by how sweet and thoughtful that was. I was also touched by something else- about six mosquitoes! That’s what I get for going outside during sunrise without repellant on, just when all of them were almost healed. I spent the majority of my birthday at a resort beach a couple hours away called Duka Bay with a great deal of the Fortun’s (the family I live with) extended family, most of whom I had already met. There was a ton of food and fun to be had. Everyone swam at some point, and the kids and I spent most of the time in the water. I’m pretty sure that I was originally a mermaid whose fins were removed at birth. I LOVE the ocean, so it was the perfect day for me. The ocean is different here- it’s not very cold and there are barely any waves. This particular beach has some popular cold springs that come out in large quantities at a particular place and come up through the sand in the water in smaller quantities. Because of this the water is cooler and less salty. It was by far the nicest beach I’ve been to. The beaches here all have barely any sand until you get to the water and open air huts for people to hang out away from the sun and keep their stuff. Ate Mimi and I did my lesson for the day in one of the huts. It was also nice for me since the people there are more used to seeing white people, so I felt like less of a spectacle. However, I’m quite a spectacle now that my face looks like a tomato. Anyway, the day was lovely. One of the uncles took a lot of pictures so I’ll get some up here.

Language school is going well. I’m kind of torn between being encouraged by my progress or discouraged by the fact that there’s still SO much to learn. I mean, it’s a whole language, and I’m only studying it for a month. I have a feeling I’ll be just starting to get the hang of it by the time I leave. Thankfully I enjoy learning stuff like vocabulary and grammar. I was proud of myself in the market today (don’t think the market like Albertsons, think like haggling for a bracelet in Tijuana, except with food). I held my own in Sibuhano, and even got a discount on my papaya with my pouty face and, “Wala na bay hangyo?” It means, “Is there no bargain?” I also learned a very useful word, “koan”, which literally translates “whatchamacallit” or “thingy”, but it is not to be confused with “kaon” which is the root of the verb “to eat” or the noun “food”. All that to say, language is going well! It’s funny, when I use Sibuhano in the jeepney to tell them where I’m going or to stop, they look at me confused, like they don’t understand. They know what I said, but they really didn’t expect me to know how to say it in their language because I’m young and white.

I’m somewhat of a picky meat-eater. I was thinking that I’d do fine here because I could mostly eat chicken and fish (beef is scarce here). I’m used to cooking chicken, but when I think of fish, I think of it in a plastic, air-sealed package. Not so. I had to ask Ate Mimi to remove the head for me before I could even think of starting to prepare it as food. My lunch still had a face! Yesterday, I grabbed a piece of pork (which is plentiful and cheap here) and bit into it, only to find that it still had some skin on it, complete with some coarse, dark hair. EWW!!! And don’t even get me started on how unsanitary and smelly the meat market is! They touch the money, touch the meat, tie the bag with their wet hands, then hand you your change, and the ground is drenched with heaven knows what! I don’t know how they avoid getting sick from the raw meat juice on everything. It’s best to go earlier in the day, before the meat has been out in the heat for most of the day. When I went to the meat market in Davao, I almost lost my lunch because the smell was so bad. I promptly went out and purchased a handkerchief after that.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining, I only want you to get a glimpse of what everyday life is like for me. All this stuff is the norm here, and I’m getting used to it. In fact, the meat market here doesn’t bother me any more. I’m careful about what I touch, and I double bag the meats. I’m used to the rain, the heat, and the bugs. I have accepted that there are bugs on my bed no matter what I do. It’s okay. They’re not hurting me. Well, this is all I’ve got for now! As always, keep in touch! I love you guys, and I wish I had time to write you all individually. Thanks so much for your prayers!

P.S. I hate roosters!!!

Rain!

It’s been raining off and on for a few days now here in Butuan. I was thankful for this because it brought some relief from the heat and replenished my water supply. You see, out here in my room there’s no running water. Instead there’s a huge plastic barrel that collects rain water that drips off the roof. This is my water supply for bathing, laundry, flushing the toilet, and washing my hands. (There’s running water in the house, but part of my training is in roughing it a bit.) I get to transport it to the bathroom myself using a bucket and scooper. Showering in fresh rain water might sound cool and exciting, but it’s not all that glamorous. It’s nice on a hot afternoon, but on a cooler rainy night like this, it’s a bit chilly. I cheat a little bit and add boiling water from the kitchen into my bucket to warm it up. I also have a large container of purified water all to myself for drinking and brushing my teeth. As different as it all is, I’m developing a system for everything.
Today I organized my room a bit more, and it’s shaping up to be a nice little home away from home. The kinds in the family are also warming up to me, which is fun. There are two sisters who are about my age and two younger brothers who are fourteen and seven. The girls aren’t particularly outgoing, but once I impose myself on them, they’re great company. They both have excellent English, it’s hard for me to understand why they don’t talk to me more. I’m hoping they’ll help me learn to cook more since they prepare a lot of the family meals. They boys are becoming great adopted little brothers. The youngest was very shy and withdrawn at first, but now we play and joke all the time. In fact, I had to shoo him off my lap to type this. He only knows a little English, and I only know a little Cebuano, but we fill the gaps with funny faces and dramatic acting.
Learning Cebuano is a fun challenge. I must say, I’d rather be an English speaker learning Cebuano than vice versa. There are a lot of rules to memorize, but at least they’re consistent. I’ve already learned a lot of the basic words and phrases to use in public, like asking how much something is at the market. And I never thought I’d be so proud of myself for counting to ten. I had to learn it in two languages because they use a variation on the Spanish numbers when referring to money and Cebuano for everything else. They biggest challenge has been the “ng” sound, as in “sing”. However it’s an entirely different matter when it comes at the beginning of a word, as in “ngalan” (meaning name). Yeah, try that one out! I got so frustrated working on it yesterday. But it’s still pretty cool to be learning another language. Every lesson I learn more grammar and more vocabulary. I think having so many years of singing experience has been really helpful because singers always have to do weird exercises producing different sounds. Well, being totally immersed in the language, I’m bound to pick it up soon enough.
Anyway, back to my main topic for today, the rain. I am quickly learning that rain equals mud and whatever you wear will probably get dirty from the waist down. When we set out to go into town on a wet afternoon, we’ll walk the long muddy road to get to the main road, just picking our way through carefully. However, if we are returning home and it’s dark already, to avoid the mud we’ll ride in what they call a tricycle. It’s pretty much a motorcycle with a small car shell on it and an extra wheel in the back. The ride feels a lot like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, but without the seatbelts and predictable outcome.
Filipinos have some funny beliefs, one of which I encountered recently. I ran an errand with Ate Mimi’s sister today. Although we were outside and it was drizzling, I got very hot from walking around, so I decided to take my umbrella down. Ate Gigi became very concerned for me because Filipinos believe that if you head gets rained on, you’ll get sick. They’d hold anything they had on them to keep their heads from getting wet. I countered Ate Gigi with, “Well, I pour rain water on my head every time I bathe, how is that any different?” She thought about it, laughed, and said, “I don’t know!” Today she went outside in the rain without an umbrella for the first time in her life. They also believe that sweat on your back will soak into your lungs and make you sick, so they go to great lengths to dry off children’s backs when they get sweaty from playing.
Yep, definitely not in Kansas anymore. You should’ve seen the gecko in the shower today! I wish I could’ve caught it. I also enjoyed a smoothie consisting of ice, sweetened condensed milk, and avocado. Anyway, I hope I’ve entertained and informed you! I think it’s safe to say that if you care about me enough to read this, I love you back! ~Becca

Not in Kansas Anymore

Hello all from the Philippines! It has only been a week, but I have already had some exciting adventures, learned a lot, and made a bunch of new friends. After about 24 hours of travelling, I started off my trip in Davao City, staying in the house of the family I'll be working with. I managed to get sixteen bug bites on my first night when I stepped out for about five minutes to meet the neighbors. Oops. I had just enough time in Davao to get over my jet lag and learn a few introductory things before I took a long bus ride to a city called Butuan, which is on the other side of the island. I'll be here for a month doing language and culture training, living on the property of a Filipino family. The mother of the family, Ate Mimi, is my teacher. (Ate- pronounced ah-tee- is a term of respect for women who are older than you, and Kuya- pronounced coo-yah- is for men.) I know a few basic greetings and words so far. It's fun being able to learn at my own pace. Normally the family has many students at a time staying in the extra housing, but business has been slow. It's been a bit lonely here since most people are too shy to use their English with me. However, I did meet one spunky, outgoing girl named Elma who lives nearby. Hopefully she'll come visit every now and then. Her English is great, and she can help me practice Cebuano (the language used on this island).

Life on the compound is interesting. It's the kind of place where things scurry away when you walk at night... and during the day. I don't mind all the frogs and lizards, but the spiders in the bathroom unnerve me a bit. Today I washed my hands, set the soap dish down, and walked away to do something. When I came back five minutes later, there was already a new spider web attatched to it. It looks like I'll be getting over my fear of spiders pretty soon here. Also today, I learned how to hand wash my laundry. Ate Mimi is amazing! She can conquer any stain with her years of washing experience. About an hour after we hung the laundry to dry, it rained.

I haven't quite figured out how to eat here yet. The food I'm used to is hard to find and expensive when you find it. The normal diet isn't very healthy, since it mostly consists of white rice, with a little bit of meat and vegetables. Good quality meat is also hard to find. Most people buy their meat at the outdoor meat market, a place with sickening sights and smells. Milk products are scarce. Fresh milk comes in a box and doesn't need to be refrigerated. On the bright side, the fruits and vegetables are plentiful and delicious. Ate Mimi will be teaching me to cook some of the classic Filipino dishes.

One last story before I tear myself away. The road leading from the house to the main road is about a ten minute walk and currently made of thick mud. To spare me from getting dirty, Ate Mimi's fourteen year old son Tyler drove me down the road on the family motorcycle, a story I really enjoyed telling my mom.

Thank you for all your encouragement and prayers. I am glad to say that Ate Mimi is a great Christian with lots of church friends. The family that I'm working with in Davao is also a wonderful bunch, and I'm sure they'll be like a second family after I've been working with them for a while. Well, time to go! God bless!