Some Answers

Currently Reading: Fox Girl by Nora Okja Keller

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Ah, after months of not having a concrete answer of where I’ll be serving for dalawang taon (two years!!!), I finally have an answer! Ever since I received my acceptance letter into the Peace Corps, I’ve had more questions than answers regarding where I’ll be going. Now, I know! Do you want me to cut to the chase and just tell you? Heyo, if I had to wait this long, you can wait too.

Sige, I’ll just tell you, I’m going to move Negros Occidental. Negros Occidental is the western side of Negros Island, the fourth largest islands in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas. Apparently my home is close to free Zumba though, so hopefully I can stay relatively fit. I passed my Language Exam in Tagalog (and got Intermediate-High! If that means anything to you), and these last few weeks will be spent learning Hiligaynon. I’m only learning the basics of Hiligaynon, but I’ll have two years to hone my language skills. And Peace Corps provides pera (money) for a tutor, so hopefully I can keep up both my Tagalog and work on Hiligaynon. Negros is also known for the MassKara Festival in Bacolod, so catch me there during service. I’m particularly interested in learning about the history of this area, and how Spanish colonization and American occupation affected the region, pero (but) I’ll update y’all on all of that as I go.

But let’s bring it back to the present. I’m still in Community Based Training in Bataan, and the Elementary cluster is working on our Leadership Camp for the local elementary school this week. We conducted a meeting with the community stakeholders (which includes students, teachers, and parents) to see what they may want out of a community project, and landed on a day camp that will focus on honing leadership skills for the students. We also are preparing a presentation for our Swearing-In Ceremony in September, and I’m practicing the Philippine National Anthem. Our Swearing-In Ceremony will take place at the US Embassy in Manila, and I hope… I don’t choke. Ah! So many things to do in these last few weeks of Pre-Service Training (PST!) I’ll try and take y’all along for the ride. It’s going to be a wild one.