MILLIONS of people.
The outdoor portion of our mall...it was pretty happening, SO many people.19 January 2009
Sinulog Pics.
MILLIONS of people. The outdoor portion of our mall...it was pretty happening, SO many people.
Manila Pics.
The first time I've ever seen a gas station where the pumps come down from the sky. Jetsons-ish.
Jose Rizal Park.
All the fruits in Chinatown.
Jose Rizal Park.
All the fruits in Chinatown.
The Return of Slacker Lynn.
Yes, it’s true. I have officially slacked over the last 22 days in adding to my blog. To be fair, not too much has been going on. Two weeks ago, I left to head to Manila for an HIV/AIDS conference, and I ended up staying an entire week longer than planned. My limbs have randomly been falling asleep and losing feeling, so I spent most of the week just waiting for results of medical tests that were done. While I still need to return to have a second opinion, it was concluded that it’s not life-threatening. This is great news. The not-so-great news is that I need to get a test redone that involves electric shocks and needles. Man, it was painful. I’m definitely not looking forward to it, but hopefully we’ll be able to determine the issue and move on.
The HIV/AIDS Conference we attended with 20 other volunteers and their counterparts was fantastic. Although it was only a two-day conference, we spent the whole second day just coming up with an action plan for our own communities. This was highly beneficial for my counterpart and I, since there are currently no HIV/AIDS activities happening within our barangay. Our plan is to hold a two-day training for 30 local professionals (barangay council members, rural health unit workers, school principals and guidance counselors, youth leaders, mothers in our community outreach program) on HIV/AIDS and then to come up with a community action plan. The conference will be similar to the one we attended, and the hope will be to spur action and interest throughout the community. These professionals then, in turn, will be able to assist with further trainings throughout the community, including training youth leaders to become peer educators on the topic. More to come on the topic when my brain isn’t so scattered.
This past weekend was the culmination of the last few weeks of celebration leading up to Sinulog, the feast day of the Santo Nino. Some volunteers came in from neighboring islands, and we were able to “enjoy” the atmosphere. I use the term “enjoy” very loosely here. And now I will list a few reasons why next year I will be going on vacation during this time:
1. There are literally millions of people trying to see one parade. Sometimes it seems like these millions of people are all gathered within 5 square meters around you, making it literally impossible to even move in one direction or the other. The only thing you can do in this situation is to grab your bag and phone and make sure you still have them.
2. Because of this, seeing the street dancing at the parade is virtually impossible…which, from what I understood, is the main attraction of Sinulog in the first place.
3. As another result of these millions of people, who on a typical day wouldn’t put garbage into an actual garbage can anyways (I mean, why walk to find a garbage can, when the street is more convenient), there was garbage strewn everywhere around the city.
4. Also as a result of lots and lots of people, what would have normally taken 20 minutes on a jeep turned into over an hour-long ride.
5. Other reasons to ponder that I don’t feel like elaborating on…what bottled water do you trust? Drunkenness. Wow, there are a lot of foreigners here. Yes, I’m a foreigner, but that doesn’t mean I have lots and lots of money, or that I have any with me, or that I am wanting to give it away. Sweat and stinkiness, everywhere.
Overall, I enjoyed it simply because it was an experience. But yes, I think it’s just something that I will experience only once.
The HIV/AIDS Conference we attended with 20 other volunteers and their counterparts was fantastic. Although it was only a two-day conference, we spent the whole second day just coming up with an action plan for our own communities. This was highly beneficial for my counterpart and I, since there are currently no HIV/AIDS activities happening within our barangay. Our plan is to hold a two-day training for 30 local professionals (barangay council members, rural health unit workers, school principals and guidance counselors, youth leaders, mothers in our community outreach program) on HIV/AIDS and then to come up with a community action plan. The conference will be similar to the one we attended, and the hope will be to spur action and interest throughout the community. These professionals then, in turn, will be able to assist with further trainings throughout the community, including training youth leaders to become peer educators on the topic. More to come on the topic when my brain isn’t so scattered.
This past weekend was the culmination of the last few weeks of celebration leading up to Sinulog, the feast day of the Santo Nino. Some volunteers came in from neighboring islands, and we were able to “enjoy” the atmosphere. I use the term “enjoy” very loosely here. And now I will list a few reasons why next year I will be going on vacation during this time:
1. There are literally millions of people trying to see one parade. Sometimes it seems like these millions of people are all gathered within 5 square meters around you, making it literally impossible to even move in one direction or the other. The only thing you can do in this situation is to grab your bag and phone and make sure you still have them.
2. Because of this, seeing the street dancing at the parade is virtually impossible…which, from what I understood, is the main attraction of Sinulog in the first place.
3. As another result of these millions of people, who on a typical day wouldn’t put garbage into an actual garbage can anyways (I mean, why walk to find a garbage can, when the street is more convenient), there was garbage strewn everywhere around the city.
4. Also as a result of lots and lots of people, what would have normally taken 20 minutes on a jeep turned into over an hour-long ride.
5. Other reasons to ponder that I don’t feel like elaborating on…what bottled water do you trust? Drunkenness. Wow, there are a lot of foreigners here. Yes, I’m a foreigner, but that doesn’t mean I have lots and lots of money, or that I have any with me, or that I am wanting to give it away. Sweat and stinkiness, everywhere.
Overall, I enjoyed it simply because it was an experience. But yes, I think it’s just something that I will experience only once.
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