The Adventure Continues

It seems that over the past week we've been trying to fit all of the "we shouldda's" into our schedule.

So far this week I was able to ride through the Jollibee's drive-thru in a pedikab and tonight I ate goat meat.

I'd just like to add, goat meat does not taste like chicken and I was told it is the cleanest meat. Why is it the cleanest meat? Good question! I was told because pigs can get hoof/mouth disease and cows can get mad-cow disease, but what do goats ever get? Hm..... interesting point.

My Big Fat Filipino Adventure

So, yesterday could be counted as probably the greatest day I've had so far in the Philippines.

Not only did I go to a cockfight, but I got to ride a carabao and visit a giant waterfall as well. First, the cockfight. I know it's illegal, and cruel to animals... but this is probably one of the biggest cultural events you can go to in the Philippines. First the roosters are brought into the ring so everybody can see them from the stands. This is when the most commotion happens, everybody starts standing up and shouting out their bets. Picture the New York Stock Exchange, and that's about what it's like. They make special hand signals; if the hand is pointed to the side or up it's the number they're showing meant in hundreds of pesos, a hand that is pointed down is representing thousands of pesos. Next they check and inspect the roosters, and finally they let them go at it. It's a fight to the death, and the loser takes dinner home.

Next on the agenda for the day was carabao riding. Ok, too cool! Willard, my host brother-in-law is from the country, so he arranged for my friend Loren and I to ride an actual carabao. They hosed it off for us, and basically let us ride it like you do a pony when you're a little kid; lead rope and all. His family all came to watch us, they said it was their first time seeing an American ride a carabao. We said it was our first time too :)

Lastly, we headed to the Casa Roco falls. It's this really tall waterfall, which required us to walk up the mountain, just so we could climb back down to get close to the fall. It was quite a hike... but the view was amazing.

It was a really good day.

MMMBop

I will be leaving Dumaguete on November 2, and I've finally decided why I am going to miss my host family so much. My host sister and brother-in-law were driving me to a seamstress so I could have a dress fixed, and the radio started to play Hanson. Willard asked me if I knew Hanson... and I laughed and said, "Um, Of course! I was in love with them in 5th grade!"

So instead of mocking me or making fun of me like the rest of America would do, they turned it up and started to sing along too. Yep, it was like the Key West roadtrip all over again. And this is why I'm going to miss Dumaguete.

Mission: Success

well, I woke this morning with an intense want to go home. The mix of malaria pill, dreams of home, the extreme desire not to do our community project, and a headache last night followed by a brownout all made the desire to ET very real.

The headache went away, the power came back on, I talked to my parents and sister who talked some sense into me, and now the community project is officially done. A sense of relief has come, and the day is going to get better.

The community project went really well! Jasmine and I did an hour speech about the 5 Steps of Writing. We took turns presenting the steps and showcased many ideas that the teachers could use in their classrooms. I started with a mad lib, which got the teachers laughing and it just kept going. I didn't mispeak too much, and I didn't have another horrendous speech class disaster (when I actually said in mid-speech, in front of the entire class, "oh crap, i lost my place." None of that, it went better than I hoped for.

So what will be my award for such a great class? You can find me at the local McDonald's, enjoying french fries, Coke Light, Oreo McFlurry, and free WIFI. I know, I eat McDonald's more here than I ever did in the States... but trust me, it won't last once I get to my new site.

Everyday Wonders

this little piggy went to the market...

My sister once told me that the strangest thing she had ever eaten was a cockroach... I don't know if what I ate today is worse than that, but its gotta be close! One of the little girls in my host family was celebrating her fifth birthday, and I was able to go to her party. The had an entire table set, lechon pig and all. It was quite the fiesta. This is when it happened, I ate the most Filipino food I have ever eaten before...dinuguan. Yep, that's right, pig's blood. I swore I would never try it, and yet today it just didn't seem that bad.

As time goes on, I can't help but think of all the things I said I would never do because it would be too far out of my comfort zone. For example, snorkeling (I don't even like to swim in the deep end of the pool!) and eating pig's blood (um... I don't even eat ribs because it involves bones), and yet after only 2 months here I've overcome these things. No, I don't know if I'll be the first in line for dinuguan at the next fiesta, but at least I know what it's like now.

Time does a lot of amazing things... but will enough of it pass for me to try balut (fertilized duck eggs)? Well, I guess I've learned never to say never!

...and you wouldn't even have to pay for a hotel!

I thought about sending out Filipino Tourism spam to everyone I know, but then I figured this might do the job too:

http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/

http://pinas.dlsu.edu.ph/tourism/travel.html

http://www.philippinetourism.us/news/news_0610_culinary.htm

http://www.experiencephilippines.ph/

And I know it's like a 20 hour flight over here, so here are also the links to several discounted airfare search engines (you will want to fill in Manila for place of arrival):

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.travelocity.com/

http://www.expedia.com/

So... who wants to come visit me in the Philippines? :)