Let the good times roll… all the way home August 22, 2008

I am now back in Washington. I arrived here safely after a long trip through HongKong and Vancouver to Seattle. It is great to be back with my family, especially with all the memories to share and stories to tell. But it is also very difficult and sad to be away from those who have been such a part of my life the past few months.

My last week in the Philippines was full of surprises and goodbyes. There were lots of gifts, fotos, and teary eyes. On Monday, a small group took me out to karaoke. It was great. Have you ever sung bohemian rhapsody in a small videoke booth? Wow. That’s all I can say.

Tuesday was my last day at CCT. The VOH staff took me out to lunch for a grand pizza fiesta (Visions Of Hope is the dept I worked under the whole summer). It was a last hurrah with those I worked with every day in the VOH office.

Then at the end of the day, I was accompanied back to my condo and surprised by a few dozen people hiding in the condo next to mine. They had secretly gathered a bunch of people and prepared a lot of food for this despedido/going-away celebration. Although it wasn’t entirely a surprise, I was definitely caught off guard with all of the gifts and love that were showered on me. Three of the people – Ate Joyce, Mhe-Ann, and Ayen – had even prepared a song that they sang for me. There were tears and laughter both. It was a really special and fun night.

At the end of the evening, after I had said goodbye to nearly everyone, a group of girls surprised me again with a slumber party. It was so good to be with the 6 of them for my final night there! Then Wednesday morning was it. 3 people I am particularly close to took me to the airport in the morning. Off I went, sent with tears, love, memories, and a suitcase full of gifts.

The trip was long. I felt sad. I was tired. Now I am home. The time zone is a killer adjustment to make – 15 hours from Manila time to Seattle time – but my family has been so encouraging and loving. I will be here for just a few days before heading off to start my final year at Covenant College.

I want to say thank you to you for reading this blog. I appreciate the support I’ve had from the people in my life. If you’ve been following my summer, feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email so I can know who you are.

Salamat & Ingat! (Thank you & take care)

//LB//

final days August 16, 2008

Hello. I have been so busy lately finishing all my research and getting all my reports done, while at the same time spending as much time as possibly with the people here. Here’s a quick little summary of recent days:

-compiled all my data and analyzed it
-had meetings with 4 different people with entirely different ideas about what to do with my information
-prepared a powerpoint presentation
-got soaked in the rain
-gave presentation to President Ruth Callanta and Doctora Nacpil about my research
-renewed my visa (now i’m not here illegally, which i would have been if i’d waited 1 more day)
-got soaked in the rain
-my computer crashed (hmm… i wonder what i’m going to do about that)
-attended my final corporate worship service and took lots of pictures
-ate some food
-starting packing, then stopped
-worked on some more homework
-got wet in the rain

Well, that’s about it. I leave on Wednesday morning. My last day at the office is Tuesday. My friend Ayen is staying with me from today until then. She will help me get ready to leave, including picking up some pasalubong (souvenirs) for my family.

My mental state:
happy. i’ve been laughing a lot lately and am just loving my last moments here.
busy. i feel rushed to get everything finished, particularly with that little problem of my computer crashing.
sad. i don’t want to leave these people.

That’s about all i’ve got time for. I probably won’t update this again till i’m back in the states, but i will still be checking my email regularly. Say hi if you’ve got a moment. My US cell phone should be back in service when i return, so feel free to give me a call on or after the 21st.

Pray that I can express my gratitude to the people here.
Pray that I will be able to finish my work.
Pray that I will be able to finish my work well.
Pray that I can transition smoothly back to American culture, while being able to process and remember my experiences here.

//LB//

#1,009. #1010. oops. hi, there. I mean, “Week 10,” or “How Time Flies” August 4, 2008

1,012 questionnaires, 6 days, 2 brownouts, tripled iTunes playcount, and many many cups of Nescafe later…

I have finished entering and analyzing the data from the questionnaires. I’ve written up and turned in a preliminary report and am waiting for feedback. This week I’ll be preparing my final report and presentation, as well as working on some other homework (only 5 reports to go!). I’ve decided to work hard during the daytime so I can play in the evenings. (We’ll see how that goes!) Aaah! What happened to my time?

Still having fun, even in the midst of the busyness. Still bonding hardcore with friends here.

Still trying not to think about saying goodbye… and it’s still not working.  

Two weeks and two days left.

“And when will you be coming back?” they ask. Hmmm. Any suggestions for how to answer that?

//LB//

Faces July 29, 2008

//LB//

Wow – what week is it? July 29, 2008

Hello, my friends and family members. I have returned. I have regular internet again and a regular schedule. Gosh, it’s been busy lately. My computer crashed, but was repaired. All my data was recovered… except the hundreds of questionnaires i had entered into my stats program (SPSS). But I haven’t had time to re-enter the data. Let me briefly mention what I’ve been doing.

Last Monday, I woke up at 5 am to meet Ate Grace to take a bus to Laguna to spend the day there. We met up with Pastor Cesar and went to two microfinance meetings (fellowship groups). During the meetings, Pastor told a lot of jokes to get people laughing and participating. We all laughed. We all sang. They told me I’m big (as usual). They filled out my questionnaires. We laughed at Pastor Cesar. Then we went to the branch office/staff house and ate food… and that’s where i spent the next 6 days.

The whole entire week i was in San Pedro, Laguna, going to fellowship group meetings, singing action songs, attending discipleship meetings, watching my [least] favorite telenovela Dyesebel, eating delicious food, and meeting people. I was accompanied most of the time by either (or both) Ate Grace or Pastor Cesar, both very fun people with big hearts. There are six ladies that live in the house who welcomed and befriended me. They made a deal with me that if I would learn 50 Tagalog words, they would give me a special surprise at the end of the week. So my Tagalog vocabulary is about up to 57 words now! Friday night they prepared my favorite filipino foods, tinola (a chicken soup with papaya and good stuff in it) and chicken adobo, sang me a special song, and said goodbyes. It was a fun time with my new friends. Afterwards we went to a badminton court and played for a couple of hours.

I was there until after Saturday’s corporate worship service (which starts at 6 am by the way). Oh, here’s something fun: During the service, when we got to the part in the program that said “Special Number,” they said, “Okay, who wants to sing a special number today?” When I realized all fingers were pointing at me… huhuhu. Talk about on the spot. I sang a song called “Give me Jesus” (thanks, Gretch).

I returned to my condo for long enough to change clothes, shoot my family an “I’m still alive!” email, then unpack and repack my things. I met up with Ayen and we went to her house in Bulacan. Her little nephew Luis Yancy (Yan Yan) and sisters and her mom were there. We slept and went to church and went into town and other such things. It was the perfect ending to a great week. I feel very comfortable around Ayen’s family, so it gave me some peace to be there. All of the busyness of the week and the newness of ever-changing places and faces (and always being singled out and shouted at and commented to because I look different) can be exhausting, so it was great just to be with her family, play with her nephew, and rest.

Now, I’m back in the head office. Now, I have to enter all my data, which has doubled in this past week. Now, the tedious work begins. I will soon be presenting my data so i have a lot of work to do and thinking to think. Now, I’m torn – I want to spent all my time with my friends because I only have three weeks left, but I have to apply myself to my homework and research in order to finish and do well.

Pray that I can balance these things.

Now that I have internet again, please sent me an update email on your life. I promise a response within 24 hours, unless there’s a typhoon.

Ingat!

//LB//

Ben Entwistle July 17, 2008

More news. A classmate of mine from Covenant passed away this week. Ben Entwistle… a downright good kid, fun, chill, just solid… one of those guys that everyone likes to be around because he’s so full of life. Please pray for his family and close friends as they grieve his sudden death.

//LB//

uh oh. July 17, 2008

¶Yep, I should have known.

¶ I’m supposed to give an interim report and presentation to the staff on Tuesday, but I believe my computer has a malicious virus. After my computer is re-booted, I may have to re-enter all the the questionnaire data I already entered, and I may have to re-write, well, ALL of my field notes. I’m not really worried. It’s just that I have nothing to do while I wait for my computer to be diagnosed and fixed by my tech-services friend. That silly computer is the location of all of my data, all of my homework… without it I’m just a lump. In the meantime, I finished The Secret Life of Bees and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and I started reading a collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and poems (perfect for stormy weather, I might add). It’s kind of nice to have nothing to do, but I feel pretty useless right now. And I’m scheduled to stay in the head office all week so I’m not even getting any fieldwork done.

¶Pray that my computer will be fixed soon, that maybe not ALL my information will be lost, and that I will be able to present my information thoroughly and clearly on Tuesday (or as soon as possible).

//LB//

p.s. as a side note, I still have the hundreds of questionnaires so the actual DATA is not lost– just the tediously time-consuming already-entered entries are lost. it’s a repairable situation, just inconvenient.

wEEK 7, oR WhaT On eaRTH is gOing oN? July 14, 2008

    

     wELL, it’s trU, 7 Wks dowN, ONly 5 moR 2 go. dIs POst myTE be ShORt bc we R having brwnOUts 2day. Its RaiNinG reallY HarD & D thundr is BEinG sO LOud it maKes me JUmp. dO u LIke my SHortHanD? its LYk text-MEsSaging – its a diFf “languAGe” dat takes SUm gtting USed 2. dis is de TXTing capital of d WRLd.

     Dis has ben a gud Wknd. AfTeR a BIZy WEeK in D AreAs and OfficE, i speNT FriDaY in TaGAYtay, an area 2 hrs ouT frOM MayniLA. The street-dweller ministry of CCT (“Kaibigan”) appointed 10 guys 2 spend 6 moNThs at der prOPerty in TagaYtay where deY wiLL go throUGH rEhab and discipleSHIp. thEY wake up EarLy and teND d laND, worK on BuiLDing their hOuse der, cooK fOOd, and stuFF lyk dat. i got 2 go and see d proPERtY ANd them and deR worK. tHey caTCH these big liZards down by the cReek & eat dem – kuYa AnGEL sed it TAsteS lyk chiCken Xcept better. i GoT 2 hold a LYV 1. NE way, it wz refreshing 2 brEEthe unpollutd air, SeE big ol’ paLMs & fielDS of PINeapples and ricE, and cATch a glimpse of the Taal volcanO.

(Me and d “bayawak.” biG meAn oL’ tHiNg – BwAre “the jaws that bite, the claws that catch,” & d tAil thaT WHips lyK FiRe (he never got me though). D next day he died and they 8 him for lunch.)

     Den, I spenT Sat & sUn at my frEnd Ayen’s HOusE in BulaCAn. iT wz so Gr8 2 B wit a fAmily – Xept iT mADE me homeSicK fOr mY own. ShE haS 1 bro, 2 siStErs (one wit a 3-yr-old SOn), and absOLutely AmAZING pArenTS. Dey own a FiSH pOnD (as in, a LargE FreshWatEr FiSh buzNess) sO we 8 plnty of Frsh CRab and baNGus (D NaTioNaL fish of de filipines). Mmmm! Masarap! We JuST ReLAxed and hUNG out. It Wz reaLLY D 1st experiENCE i’Ve hAD with A filiPino FAmilY. I HopE i GeT moRE opPorTunitiES lyk daT b4 I gO BaCK. (Sry – I dnt hav NE piCs of dem. i 4gt.)

     My HEaRT is BginninG 2 get CONfuSed. I miSS my hOMe & FaMilY and closE FrienDS sO mucH iT HurTs, but i Can’T even BeGIN to tHInk of WHat it WouLD be Lyk to nOT B HERe. I’M RealizIng hoW muCh I don’T underStaND aboUT dis CulTure and HOw mUCh i wisH i sPOke d LanGUAGe. I’M SeeinG liVing ConditIONs dat Aren’T FanCy At ALL bUT ARe quiTE eNougH & EVen comFortablE. I’M SeeING FaMIlY & ReLaTIONshipS thAt arE moRE iMPOrtant than aNY PerSONal AchiEVEmeNTS or ASPiraTionS. It’S JUst maKIng me THiNk, U cud SaY.

     O yEh, a welcm break duRinG d bZy wk wAS hanGIng out aT ToM’s. ItS lyk ChuCk-E-CheEZ, Xept chEapER and dErs nO sinGing RaT. I weNT deR tWiCE dis wEEK wit suM OthEr joKEsteRs. I FeeL lyk a littlE kiD, bt iT’s ReaLLy fUN! WaTchinG NASCAR wit Dr. MaSK reALly improvED my driVing skiLZ on the caR-RAcinG maCHine!!!

(Ayen, Joyce, and Ella)

     NeXT weeK I wiLL pREsent an inTerIM repoRT & PREsenTaTIOn to my SupERVIsor and OthER stAFF. I’M GlAD for thAt. I wiLL fiNally AnalyZE some of my DatA & pResEnt whAT i hAV so faR, deN we cAN diScusS whaT Steps 2 takE duRinG my reMainING tyme hERE. I DoNT know wHaT exaCTly I wiLL hAV to SHow 4 MySelF, bt I ThINK it wiLL b just fiNE.

     Okay, my mother is probably dizzy and sick of the text-language now, so I’ll give it a rest.

     ./.\. PraY for humility for me. I realized that one of my survival techniques for new situations is through my pride – often mistaken for confidence. Someimes I start thinking i know so much or that i have so much in comparison to people here (neither are true). or I start talking and later realize how selfish and arrogant i must have sounded, even though i never meant it like that. and even especially since i don’t know the language, it is tempting to want people to speak my language all the time. so it is really important for me to have real humility, especially in this indirect culture where attitudes are easily sensed. pray for that, because that’s not something i can get on my own.
     ./.\. Pray for my research – i hope what i’m doing is accurate and is going to be helpful, but i see so many flaws. pray that i analyze data clearly and contextually. and that i get some direction on how to proceed.
     ./.\. Pray for the people here. There is so much disaster here because of typhoons and ongoing flooding from the rains. The rainy season will last until December – it’s only just begun. there’s not just physical and financial poverty, but spiritual poverty too (like everywhere we humans are, i guess). pray for the work of CCT staff and other Christians – for perseverance, humility, and wisdom.

oK my bROthERs and SiSteRS, thaT’s aLL 4 noW. nope, it wZnt short, bt IM pretending u soak up evry wrd. I’M feeLing BiG love in my heart for you guys back in d HOMeLand, so relax ka lang.

//LB//

Week 6, or I Like Friends July 7, 2008

Hello, all. Mabuhay. (Long Life)

     This was another busy week. I went out into the areas again, to Tondo this time. If I ever mention Tondo, people say, “Tondo is notorious.” Apparently there is a lot of crime there, but all I ever hear is that “it’s notorious.” From the outside all you see is a large concrete wall painted with KEEP OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN. Passing through the wall you find that there is an enormous network of narrow dirty passageways, compact living quarters, and thousands of people (and roosters and dogs and cats). The microfinance groups that meet there are very faithful in attending and repaying their loans. One group in particular was exuberant and generous, and of course we sang videoke. It is interesting to see the impact that these ladies’ transformed lives are having in their communities. People know them and know the CCT staff and appear to have respect for them and their businesses.

    On Wednesday David White came to CCT. He is one of my (and Nick’s) classmates at Covenant who is doing his internship about an hour away with a different organization (Food for the Hungry). His host had nothing for him to do this week so he came here to learn about CCT and hang out with us and our people. It was fun to catch up and speak English and compare our different experiences so far. He and Nick have less than one month left before they return to the U.S.

       Friday was the 4^th of July so I made some American goodies and invited people over to celebrate. (All I could think to make using only a microwave and the ingredients available here were rice crispies treats and muddy buddies. I also bought some M&Ms and picked out all the red and blue ones to stick onto the rice crispies. See how patriotic I am?) There was a lot of laughing that evening. David, Nick, and I even performed our national anthem for everyone. It was great fun.

     Fact is, I like having friends. The people I have begun spending time with are very funny and have unique personalities. Though my Tagalog is konti lang (very small), there are some things that a language barrier cannot prevent – and friendship is one of them.

     I hope you all are enjoying the summer, including the weather, fresh berries, your families, and various weddings (and engagements!). I will confide, I’m a little homesick. But I am enjoying the people here; it has been nice to connect with people my own age and not just go back to an empty condo. Already someone said, “You only have 6 weeks left – I don’t want to cry.” Though it’s just the halfway mark, I am already feeling the limited time. My weekends are filling up, my homework deadlines are drawing near, and I’m already feeling how sad it will be to leave here and say goodbye. I’m still here, though, and intend to remain here fully until I leave.

//LB//

Week 5, or Research Is Fun June 30, 2008

Research is fun… when it includes food, karaoke, and Anaconda. 

 
(Ate Evelyn looks on as Ate TinTin sings ‘The Gift’. That evening I sang Elvis’ ‘I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You’ & ‘Hero’ by Enrique Iglesias)

This week I went out into the areas to give out my questionnaires about health insurance, etc. I went to 5 separate communities and met with 10 different groups, which was about 80 people. I hope to meet with a lot more than that, but it is a good start. In most of the groups we also had discussions about their ideas about insurance or health savings and their needs and resources.

The women in the following pictures are filling out my questionnaires. It was the 3rd anniversary of their fellowship group, so they were all giddy and celebrating with lots of food, and, of course, “videoke.” I sang “Everything I do, I do it for You” (hey, It’s the only one I knew all the words to). Whenever there was an upbeat song, the women made me get up and dance around with them. They also kept trying to get me to eat more and more food.  

On one of the days, Ate Nova (my guide and translator for the week) took me to a community right along the railroad tracks. There they have man-powered trolleys that they run along the railroad tracks for transportation. Whenever a train comes along, you hop off the trolley and lift it off the tracks until the train passes. Only in the Philippines, they say. Between the tracks and all along the sides are the designated trash dumping sites. I took the following pictures while riding on the trolley - Ate Nova’s head and houses near the tracks.

   

It has been so great to get out into the areas. I’ve gotten to be on my feet, to meet and interact with women (and men) in the communities, and to see more of the vast city of Manila. (What a contrast to sitting in an air-conditioned office building being sleepy and trying to figure out what I should be doing.) I will be doing more of the same later this week and in coming weeks.

And yes, I really did watch Anaconda as part of my research. Sort of. On Friday I was in Malibay where I met with a morning group and an afternoon group. In between, the pastor said, “Why don’t we put in a movie? Jaws or Anaconda 2?” Jaws is good but I’ve seen it recently, so we watched Anaconda. It was great to kick back and hang out and to have no other choice but to do so. (I found it really funny to watch the movie – in English – and to see that the people around me were not aware of the incredible number of swear words that were being yelled. He he.)

 

If you’ve made it this far with me in my blogs, I thank you. I am nearly halfway finished, and I’ve been told that the next 7 weeks will go by faster than I can imagine. With the limited amount of time I’ll need to have a clear mind for planning the next steps of my research. If you’re the praying type, please pray that I will be committed and focused, that my group facilitating skills will develop, and that I will become better at approaching the language/culture barrier. I really hope to take away a lot from this internship and that I will do something helpful for CCT.

Ingat!

//LB//