RPCV

Just to make it "blog official," I'm done, finished, humana, completed with Peace Corps. :) More to come later.

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During my time in Peace Corps, my thoughts have often wandered to the past; not my past, but the past of Peace Corps. What were the first years like for those young trailblazers? Obviously electricity and running water were not guaranteed components, and living conditions on a whole would have been austere, but what about relationships with the nationals they meet?

In one of the last blogs I wrote, I said that saying goodbye was made easier by knowing that my friends at site are just a quick e-mail away...and I'm not even out of the country yet and have talked to some of my students more on the Internet than I have in the past 3 weeks. Facebook, it changes everything. While living at site, I didn't accept my students as friends on the social network because I didnt' think that would be the wisest thing, but now that I'm done teaching, I addressed the 300 friend requests that had accumulated through my time at site. EEKS, sooo many! Some I didn't know, I think the wow factor of seeing a foreigner prompts people I don't know to request. I'd like to think it's because I'm just SO cool...but nah, I know better.

So now I leave the Philippines tomorrow, with lots of new friends, and glad that leaving doesn't mean waiting months for a postal reply as it would have in the past.

Good Times.

My host mom and I, attempting to sing videokee.

My host family hosted a big beach party for all the students and teachers at my school to say good bye. I know, they're big on hosting! :)

Delicious chocolate cake from Michelle... and videokee in the background.

Second year students... I'm going to miss them!

First year students... I'm going to miss them too!
Check out their plates, banana tree trunks and leaves. Coolest. Thing. Ever.

A beach party wouldn't be complete without the beach, and a boat.

I had such a great time being able to just have fun at the beach with the students and teachers. My host mom once again went above and beyond my expectations when she put together this amazing lunch for so many people. Good times.

Despedida Season

Despedida: a farewell party. Yep, it's time to say goodbye, and that's just a little crazy. I think saying adios to all the students and coteachers is made easier by knowing it's not goodbye forever. With things like Facebook and e-mail, not to mention the ability to fly back once I save a lot of pesos, I know that I'll stay up to date about all the current events at my site. But still, I'm sure going to miss talking with my coteacher in between classes, joking with students, watching kids read in the library, and listening to the school's hymn every morning. So, a big thank you to INHS for having me the last two years, and letting me join the INHS family. And you're right, "It's not goodbye, but till then..."

The Last Supper

Since the beginning, I've been having students over to my house to share dinner.

It's one of my favorite things.

This past week we shared our last dinner together

.

We had rice, chicken, green beans, salsa and it was good.

Teacher Day

World Teacher day has come and gone this past week, and the day was marked at my school with all the homemade goodness that I have come to love about the Philippines. I think America celebrates teachers, usually during Teacher's Week, with a couple staples. Gift cards and smelly things from Bath and Body Works comes to mind immediately, but it's different here. Gifts come more from the heart I think, and are made by the students themselves. The SSG (student government) at school put together a program that paid tribute to the teachers and let each class salute their advising teacher. They also had greeting card contests (where the kids made their own... no purchasing allowed!), poster contests, and dedicated songs that they sang on stage for us. Oh, and they made a student vs. teacher parlor game competition. Eh, ok, maybe my American self came out during this portion of the festivities. Dude, it was HOT! I think my coteacher above shows exactly why I wasn't thrilled about having to jump in a sack in 90 degree weather... haha :)

Can you spot my portrait? Yep, I'm blindingly pale. I think I'm going to be tan though when I get back to America. I can't wait for my family to see my rockin' flip-flop tanline.

My co-teacher and her advisory class. I'm really going to miss them!

"but I am too young!!!"

A little cultural 411; apparently turning 25 gives the official go ahead for people here to begin the "so when are you going to get married?" questioning. I got it a little before, but MAN OH MAN, it's guaranteed now that if somebody asks me for my age (which actually happens a lot... I'd like to think it's because I'm so young looking they can barely imagine me out of high school let alone living alone in a foreign country...but no, that's not why) the "And you will be married soon?" or "Do you have a special somebody?" questions immediately follow.

I've been 25 for less than a week, and it's already old. NO, I'm not ready to get married, NO, I'm not really worried about it right now, and NO, my life won't end if I end up not having kids.

America, will you be like this? Here's hoping NO!