When Typhoons Decide to Visit

I praise God's good name daily for the small victories I achieve.  Like digesting that half cooked goat I just ate, or successfully having a solid bm (they are truly a blessing).  Time drags on at this point.  I'm nearing the end of my PST (Pre-Service Training) and I will move to my new, and permanent site at Sagay City (click here to learn more).  I'm excited, but mostly nervous.  The distance from the nearest PCV (2 hours by bus) bothers me a bit.  The site itself is quite beautiful, however;  sugar cane as far as the eye can see, towering mountains in the distance, and the Visayan Sea in my backyard - well ok not literally in my backyard, but just a 10 minute jaunt away.

Yesterday, we all got word that a typhoon will be strolling through our neighborhood by Sunday (tomorrow).  I'm curious to see what this will be like, but not entirely excited about it.  This will be a learning experience, I'm sure.  Make sure to check my facebook page for updated photos!

A Shower in the Rain

Ulan na!!!  Today started off pretty rough.  I didn't get much sleep the night before, my stomach has been a real a**hole for days (i promise that sounded funnier in my head when I was thinking about it), it was super hot at noon, and have been in an overall, grumpy, homesick kind of mood.  Since dinner, it's been raining.  And not just a nice little 'Hello, I'm here to water the flowers' kind of rain, but more like a 'Hey, I'm going to flood your dining area' kind of rain.  I thought I'd take this opportunity to try something new.  I quickly ran out my door and into the rain I went with a towel, soap, and sure enough, my bathing suit - or so I'm telling you ;-) Joke lang!  It was great!  The warm weather mixed with the cool rain was one of the best experiences here so far.  I know that sounds soooo weird.... maybe you just had to be there in the moment.  I mean, hey, how many of my friends from back in Montana can say they bathed in the rain in the Philippines.  Exactly!

So, it's been about a month - maybe more - since my last blog and how can I effectively compile all of the craziness into one comprehensive little blurb?  If you're expecting me to do so, I'm much obliged to disappoint you :)  I'll try to sum it all up into my likes, and dislikes so far:

Likes:
1)  Learning a new language (Hiligaynon aka. Ilonggo)
2)  Meeting all the cool new people
3)  Going to the clubs (yes I'm lucky I live in a city)
4)  Traveling to unique new places and seeing the Spanish style architecture of the 18th C Cathedrals
5)  The idea of my new site in Sagay City and what I'll be doing there (I'll touch more on that next blog)

Dislikes:
1)  STOMACH PAINS!
2)  The food
3)  The pollution
4)  A Red Horse hangover
5)  If crapping and puking isn't covered under stomach pains, then insert here...

So there you have it.  I'm still adjusting to the weather and the bucket loads of rice that I eat daily (I get no say so in the matter).  From now on - since I have reliable internet - I'll try to keep you up to date on other cultural happenings and facts. <----- My favorite one being that the Filipinos start celebrating Christmas in September.  Christmas music and all!  And I thought Mom starting after Thanksgiving was bad!!! Jeepers!

Hello, My Name is Danny.

Meeting new people is never easy, but when one is surrounded by people with like interest and an enthusiasm  for adventure, friendships are sure to flourish.  For those of you who are wondering what I've been doing for the past week, I'll try to jam as much as I can into this short blurg (I'm super tired and want to sleep... so this is all you get!)

I arrived in Manila  on August 21, 2010.  We've been chillin' at a resort called Island Cove for the past week.  This provided a prime opportunity to get to know a lot of cool people over many, many pints of San Miguel and Red Horse.  I'm still not used to the weather yet.  It's not too hot, just uber humid.  It's basically been impossible for me to breathe, so I've been getting all kinds of sick - fun!  Our seclusion unfortunately doesn't provide much opportunity to explore Manila, so I welcomed any chance to get outta here and head to the mall or make a beer run down the street.  If you are interested in seeing pictures, check out my facebook page.

Today I learned that I will be placed in a province of the Philippines called Iloilo on the island of Panay (see map).  It's in the middle of the country in a cluster of islands called the Visayas.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iloilo.  The language I will be learning is called Hiligaynon.  It sounds unique and apparently it's the friendliest region in the Philippines.  Lucky me!

At some point, when I'm not about to smash my face into my keyboard for a long snooze, I'll write more... I promise....maybe.  Internet will be hard to acquire in my new location, so I'll try and take any opportunity I can to post photos and write a short, little something.

Detroitopolis

So since I've been circulating this blog amongst friends, I had better start keeping this up to date!  I have less than three weeks left until I head to Detroit for my staging event.  I arrive a day early, so I look forward to meeting some of the other early folk.  After two days in Detroit, we head out early for Manila.  It's about a 19 hour flight, so I hope I can sleep through most of that. 

At this point I'm buying some essentials and am slowly, but surely, beginning the packing process.  That's all I really have for now.  I'll probably post an update either before or after staging.  Maybe even during, if I get bored enough. 

More Paperwork Oh Yay!

Let this blog serve as a testament to the ever evolving application/invitee process.  I just found out today - via email from the country desk - that I have to get the H1N1 vaccine.  I'd vowed never to get this for reasons only due to my paranoia of all the new vaccines the government has been pushing through.  I somehow just don't trust 'em.  But if I must, then let it be.  Now I just need to find out where :-S

Also, attached to the email were site and family preference forms to fill out.  About 4 - 5 pages total.  This should be fun!  I'm not really too concerned with where I end up, to be honest.  Really, I'm happy to serve where I'm needed.  Also, I'm excited to think about what sort of family I might end up with.  A family with kids would be ideal.  One can learn - I believe - more from kids than adults in a foreign country; at least language-wise :)  It's all about simple conversation.

Anywho, the paperwork continues as does leaving my current job.  I have 2 weeks left...not soon enough :)  I'll be looking forward to writing about staging the next time I blog.  About 5 weeks away! 

My New Job, Aug 19th!

I'm Danny Bealer.  I just got word that I'll be a Youth Services Teacher and Advisor for the Peace Corps in Philippines.  I leave August 19th.  This blog site is set up for me to keep in touch with family, and hopefully meet new people in my program.
I'll post updates as they develop and write new posts as my departure date draws near.  Until then...