Storming, Adopting, Goodbye-ing, Hump Day-ing, etc.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of a schedule at work! This past Friday, along with another Peace Corps Volunteer and two staff members of International Justice Mission, we did a presentation for the American Chamber of Commerce on human trafficking and the current situation here in the Philippines. The presentation went pretty well, and there was a great response afterwards in talking to members of the audience. On Saturday, we held a full-day toy-making training for our supervised neighborhood play teachers and mothers in the community. The mothers got a lot out of it, and I think it was a good bonding time for them—I just hope they use what they learn once they are back at home! While it was all something to smile about, I was a ball of stress for about an hour since the training went really late, transportation options were limited where we were, I was supposed to be at a going away party (despedida) of a good friend that night, and I still had to pack for my 7 AM flight.

While riding in a trike, I received a phone call though from my training manager, who informed me of the horrible weather in Manila and that I was not supposed to travel the next day. Whoo, one thing off my plate. It wasn’t until the next day, though, that I realized how big this storm actually was. The metro Manila area basically received a month’s worth of rain within a 24-hour period, causing flooding and landslides. The last number I heard was that 79 people were dead. Please keep those affected and the Philippines in your thoughts and prayers, as it is a difficult time now for many.

And, on to the despedida…this weekend, I had to say goodbye to one of my site mates, who is heading for the US this week. Due to unfortunate circumstances, her departure is both premature and unexpected. Over the past few months, we have grown close and learned to use each other for support when it was most needed. We have also had a lot of fun! I am sad to see her go, and she will truly be missed. Loren, I hope there are plenty of pleasant surprises and equally-fulfilling challenges down the next journey…and I will see you on the flipside!

This week, I am heading to do my CYF duty as “Adopt-a-Cluster Extraordinaire”. There will be no real adopting—this just means that I will lead trainings for one of the clusters in our new batch of Peace Corps Trainees. I am excited to meet them and share the experiences of our batch! Plus, I have stocked up on some American goodies for them—I can’t wait to see their reactions. Last year, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere and had no access to any of our comfort foods—when gifts arrived from our training manager, I don’t even think we breathed during inhaling all the food. Although I am arriving two days late (due to the storms), I am excited to be there. My travel plans have changed, though, and I won’t be making it up to Vigan where I was hoping to vacation for a few days. I will be heading back to site next week!

One fun piece of news is that my time in the Philippines is 50% complete, as of yesterday! Another CYF volunteer and all of his amazingness occasionally sends texts to all of us, congratulating us on our one-month, six-month, one-year anniversaries, etc. The text we received yesterday went like this:

“365 days a year times 2 years + 84 days of PST = 814 days of Peace Corps Service divided by 2 = 407 days. August 16th, 2009 (day 365) + 42 days = September 27th, 2009 (day 407). . . So Congratulations and Happy Hump Day! You are officially halfway completed with your Peace Corps Services : ) . . . And there’s not much 2 say on your Peace Corps Hump Day, it’s more of a day for thoughtful thinking they say. . . Some might say the glass is half empty, and some might say that it’s half full. . . I say, if you’ve still got something in your glass, then you’ve still got something 2 cheers! . . . So let the fun continue and congratulations 2 you awesome Peace Corps Volunteers, because “The hardest job you’ll ever love” isn’t an empowering advertising slogan for you, it’s your lifelong slogan for a period of time when you faced unforeseen challenges in an effort 2 help : ) . . . Keep up the good work!”

It is hard to believe how quickly the time goes, and looking forward at a calendar, the second half will seem to fly by twice as quickly as the first. Thanks to all my fellow PCVs for keeping the days bright!