Highs and Lows

So during this past week I've been at our batch's Language Camp/Inservice Training (IST)/ and for the next few days we're having a Project Design Management (PDM) training. I guess you could say it's been a week of some really hi highs and some really low lows.

First off, to get to the conference center, which is a beautiful resort near Cebu City, I got to take the Fast Cat ferry. AMAZING. Crowded buses get old, but this ferry is like being on a mini floating movie theater for two and a half hours. They have air conditioning that makes you need a jacket, comfortable seats, life jackets at every seat, and microwave popcorn with Coke Zero to wash it down. I know, amazing right?! So that was a definite high.

Cebu City has also been a fun distraction to all the training we've had to do. It takes 2 jeepneys to ride into the city, but it's overall quick, and completely worth it. I went to the mall with some friends and ate Pizza Hut... not just once, but twice!! Hadn't had that in a while. One of the good things about living in a small town is that when you do get to the big city, you've got money to spend. And that is what I did. I bought the last of the Twilight books, which cost way too much, and saw a movie. The mall we went to was huge, and also had a movie theater. We saw Monster vs. Aliens.

It's amazing how many of the little things slip your mind after a while. Like the smell of mall air. It's amazing. All the bakeshops mixed with yummy restaurant aromas, and then combined with cleaning product smells. Again, amazing.

But of course when you have the highs, the lows are always lurking in the shadows. For one, somebody I really admired passed away back home. What an amazing lady. When something like this happens, it just makes me want to catch the next plane home. So I guess you've just got to focus on the positive. Fortunately, with Susan, there are tons of positives to think of! I know I'm a better person for knowing her, and I'm sure most people who met her could say the same thing.

So now comes our PDM training. I'm not exactly sure what my next project should be. My supervisor is coming from Leyte to work with me on it... so hopefully we can come up with a solid goal that will be sustainable. It's all about that sustainability!