New Year's Eve & Christmas Photos

Below are photos from my first Christmas & New Year's Eve here in the Philippines.  I had a great time & it will be tough going back to school tomorrow, but I'll manage. 

This is picture of Aja, Carmen & myself eating Pizza at Cafe Espresso in SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) on Christmas Eve. The pizza tasted delicious.  We ate with 6 other people as well.  All total, 5 Peace Corps Volunteers & 4 from other countries.




When I saw an opening to get across the street to get a pic of Subic Bay in the background, I had to go for it.  After this photo I am heading towards Subic for Christmas Day.  In the Philippines, all the action takes place on Christmas Eve. Christmas is business as usual.  So I got out the bike and rode from Olongapo City to Subic.  It was an hour bike ride that was mixed with hills and urban city bike riding.  I loved it and plan on doing it again.

The pictures above are from my friend's Aja's site in Subic, who is in green in the picture above.  In the photo lighting the candles is Jessa and she is from batch 268, the Peace Corps Volunteer to the left is Pa and she is from batch 269.  The picture to the right is our homemade meal, devil's eggs, potato pancakes, and chili.

Back to Dinalupihan

To followers of this blog, these people may look familiar; they're my training host family. The bottom right is Ate Loida, her daughter to the left and smiling, Irisz and her friend.  Another family is sitting right next to me.

Sitting next to me at her training site in San Benito, a Barangay and 5 min walk from my training site is Phyllis, my cluster mate.  It was nice seeing her again.  Her site is six hours south from Dinalupihan in Los Banos.  She teaches at a University down there.

The photos above are of Phyllis and myself walking on the trail and taking adavantage of a gorgious day outside.

The photos above are of my host sister Irisz, host dad Kuya Rolly, & host brother Aldwin waiting in anticipation for the duck to cook.  It's a tradition here in the Philippines to have a main course at midnight, however I can't speak for every family in the Philippines.  That's it for now.  Happy New Year and welcome 2012; it's going to be a busy year. Ingat na.