Mall Security in the Philippines

Last Saturday I took a visit to the mall for the first time.  It's similar to the malls in America except trying to find something in the lost and found is a little bit of an adventure.

One of my last stops was to pick up a phone card, which I paid for in pesos just like everything I pay for is.  However, in the process I lost my Peace Corps given phone.  When I got back to IIRR (which is where I live until tomorrow morning) I realized I lost the phone & more importantly, I realized I had to make another trip to the mall to possibly find a phone that may never turn up. 

The next day I take the Jeepney, which is a small bus that could cram up to 25-30 people if it wants, but I think on this trip we were just over 20.  Once we arrive, I dart straight over to the Smartphone section where I lost the phone & tell them about the situation.  They look in their drawers to no avail and summon the mall security.  About 3 or 4 security guards arrive & then talk in their walkie talkies in tagalog (which I haven't mastered yet), loud enough & long enough to make me look nervous even though I didn't do anything.  At this point, I am praying no other Peace Corps Trainee is stairing at me at this point because with all the security around it looks like I just got caught shoplifting.

Then one of the guards tells me to follow him to what I think is the lost and found section.  I follow him upstairs throught the department store & into the employee locker room.  Now I am thinking, 'ok seriously, what did I do.'  After I walk down past the employee section, I finally enter a room where I sit down with three other guards, one of them is the Head security.  He asks me for my identity, which I didn't have at the time.  I had left it at in my room.  I couldn't believe it.  I kept telling the guard the brand of the phone & the names on the phone, but I guess it wasn't enough.  Luckily, I think the guard felt sorry for me & returned the phone to me.  It hasn't left my side ever since.

Moral of the story, watch were you put your junk.  You never know if you'll get it back.  Next time I write I'll be in Dinalupihan in the Province of Bataan.  Farewell from the Municipality of Silang.

Tough Landing

I wish I meant that title was because of the total 20 hour flight from Chicago to Manilla, Philippines.  No the tough landing title comes from the tough spill I had after the flight.  I suffered a seizure on Sunday night in the midnight hour, fell down & separated my shoulder.  I just had an MRI done today.  I should be able to stay, but I guess that’s up to the MRI.  I am on pins & needles.

Enough scarcity.  What’s it like down here?  Well for one, it’s HOT.  Humid is a better word, but not as much as I thought, but I shouldn’t write that too soon, I’ve only been here for five days. 

I am in batch # 270 & there are over 60 volunteers in my batch alone serving both the Education & CYF (Children, Youth, Family) Sectors. (I am in the Education Sector.)  The range of age varies with the youngest being 21 & the oldest being in their mid 60s.  Anyway it’s great working & living with these people in these first two weeks before we all head out to our sites.  Speaking of sites, I just found out where I’ll be stationed & I'll be in the province of Bataan teaching English in the secondary level, which is mostly high school.

The food here is terrific, but I don’t want to comment on the food until I get to my actual site.  Although it’s good, most of the food is westernized, which is probably why there is no difference in taste.

Everyone, I am sorry  I haven’t kept up with updates, but I’ve been trying to keep up myself.  I now realize how little this blog might be, but I’ll try to keep you updated at home from time to time because I plan on staying all 27 months.  Although my arm is in a sling, there’s no quit in me.  I didn’t change my life 360 to come back after a week. 

Life is Calling. How far will you go?

That’s what the pen says, which I received at an informational Peace Corps meeting two years ago.  As I write my first blog, I have a million things racing through my brain: What to pack, what not to pack, Will my carry-on bag be to big to board on the plane?  I also have on my mind that I should’ve started this a few weeks ago and I am asking myself, why am I waiting until now to get something down in writing.  Tomorrow is my last day at work and I want to show my co-workers & family a sneak peak of what they’ll get to read over the next few years.  For those that don’t know by know I will be headed to the Philippines in a week and teach English for the Peace Corps.  

I have had an idea about doing some service oversees for a while, but I just didn’t know where.  Pondering when the inception of my international travel thoughts began, I can’t help, but look back five years ago this winter in 2006 when I went to California.  My friend & I were staying with another friend in Los Angeles.  At the time I wasn’t the outdoors type, but that changed completely after we all did a short night hike up a hill in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.  Once we hiked to a certain point, we looked up at the beautiful Los Angeles night sky and saw tons of stars and the entire city of Los Angeles lit up.  It was gorgeous sight and one I’ll never forget.  I like to tell friends in my backpackers circle, that was the night that started my backpacking craze and that night without saying it, I made a New Year’s Resolution to get outdoors more and that I did.  In 2007, I think I went out 4 or 5 backpacking trips.  Two of them just to get warmed up for a week long trip to Colorado.  In late June, 2007 when I turned 30, I backpacked the Comanche Peak Wilderness in Roosevelt National Park for five days.  I saw some incredible views of the mountains & landscape.  For the next two years, I would go on to backpack with friends in eight different states and Colorado, a second time.  However, the second time was not as memorable with a sprained ankle, but great stories for sure.   Ironically the same city where I saw stars in the night sky is the same one I’ll be departing from next Friday for the Philippines, Los Angeles. 

After backpacking on & off in 2008, I began think about doing other things and also how I could make an impact doing the things I like.  In early 2009, I started volunteering for a group near my house called the Frankfort Jaycees, which serves the community in the public interest.  Shortly after that I was running a food drive for the Frankfort Food Pantry as part of my duty with the Frankfort Jaycees and at the end of that Saturday, it felt great to collect that much food for the pantry.  It’s funny looking back, I see many things happening this week that also happened during my journey to the Peace Corps.  For example, I will be gathering food this weekend, (not as much as in 09) but I will bring this bag of food to the church for them to deliver to the needy, just as I did.

Also in 2009, I read an article about the Peace Corps & then heard an informational meeting.  It was after this meeting that I really considered joining on my mind.

For those that don’t know the Peace Corps is an organization started by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote World Peace & friendship  Volunteers serve a minimum of 27 months in developing countries all over the world.

I was taking class being offered in Downers Grove by Dale Carnegie Training.  The course was about “Effective Communication & Human Relations Skills for Success” and in every class each student rose to speak in front of the class about a topic.  In one of my last speeches for the class I was taking, I remember saying to everyone that one of my goals was to join the Peace Corps by the end of 2012.  WOW! I thought to myself because now it was for real and I had said it out loud to everyone.  I still had to prove I was worthy enough to join the Peace Corps and I knew I needed more volunteer experience.  The fall of 2009 I joined the Forest Preserve District of  Will County doing preserve work twice a month.  In February, I started tutoring English as a second language & Math for the Moraine Valley Community College Literacy Program.  I took sign language just in case I would be called up to do that.  In July, 2010, I started reading for the blind in Orland Park 2-3 times a month.  August, 2010 is when I applied for the Peace Corps.  Finally, I took the extra time to receive my Teaching English as a Second Language (TEFL) certificate, which I believe was key to me being picked to teach English in the Philippines.  The rest as they say is history.  You can never have too much education.  My advice to anyone reading:  If you have time & you think a class can help you with your work, take it.

Some might ask, why not continue with what you were doing with the three organizations?  I wanted to challenge myself internationally, something I had not done before and I am looking forward to the challenge.  I had never been oversees before and this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

Life is short, you have to the things you want now.  You don’t want to say to yourself that   “I should’ve done this or done that.”  Just do it.  Some might argue, what about money.  Well, don’t spend the cash on little items like coffee or lunch.  Make your lunch at home and try to save when you can.   Also, stay focused on your goals & stop watching “American Idol.”  That show sucks anyway.

I look forward to giving you updates on my journey.  Hopefully, I’ll get to write one more time before I go.