October had been a month of ups and downs. Typhoon Juan hit my providence and did some pretty substantial damage just north of where I am staying. A drove north to see the damage after the typhoon left, and there is more devastation than you would believe. As I went deeper into the damage, the landscape when from collapsed improvised homes, to roofless houses, to fallen trees and electric poles, to collapsed buildings. Above a certain latitude, the winds were strong enough to blow every leaf off of every tree. There is no more green anywhere in northern Isabella. It also hit during peak harvest season. Many people who rely on the sale of this rice are going to ironically be eating a lot of rice until they can make ends meet again.
A personal theme of mine this month has been to earn my lunch. I have been treated very well since I have arrived, and I am motivated to live up to my treatment. This has been my biggest challenge since coming here. My two biggest projects continue to be the charcoal briquetting project and the solar pump project. We have begun producing briquettes mostly from branches fallen by the typhoon. I was the facilitator of our biggest workshop yet last Saturday. I was able to implement some well received ideas, which were perfectly executed by the SKEP youth.
The solar project is where I could make my biggest impact. Fr. Clarence (my boss) and I have designed a solar powered pump and battery charging station that will cost far less than anything currently available. If this works, I could cut the cost of a 20,000 USD project to less than 5,000 USD. This project is also repeatable, and could save hundreds of thousands dollars for churches and charities installing these systems throughout the Philippines. But first I need to finish designing it, import some parts, install it, and have nothing go wrong.
All this work is really starting to pay off, and I am really enjoying my time here. There may be struggles, but the fact is, most days here beat the hell out of most days in New York. I have seen many things that people only get to see on TV, and tried many things that most people don't even know exist. I am definantly glad that I am here right now.
November should be a very exciting, because I will be traveling throughout the second half of the month. I will be in Baggio for a conference. Then I will be spending a week in the mountains near where Melanie (my predecessor) was last year.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
...Hockey
I miss few people, and even fewer things here. Playing hockey is without a doubt the number one thing I miss. Hockey and lacrosse have always acted as my favorite exercise, a place to make friends, and a place to let out a little bit of my anger and frustrations. Playing hockey got me through tough times last winter and spring while I was unemployed. I also had the rare and special opportunity to play on a team with my dad.
A lack of sports here has been tough, but I am trying to substitute physical work for the sports. There is one cultural miscommunication that, now that I better understand it, I am beginning to overcome. Filipinos are so polite, that they treat every visitor with respect as though they are pregnant or elderly. Therefore, when they see me doing any work, they stop me and do it for me. In the culture I am used to, telling an able bodied person that they shouldn’t be doing the work and doing it for them is an insult. But I am in this culture now, and it is my responsibility to adjust. I have learned to be a little bit rude and tell them very persistently “no” and continue working. I am now getting work as a main laborer in our new production building for the charcoal briquette program, but you will hear more about that in my October report.
A lack of sports here has been tough, but I am trying to substitute physical work for the sports. There is one cultural miscommunication that, now that I better understand it, I am beginning to overcome. Filipinos are so polite, that they treat every visitor with respect as though they are pregnant or elderly. Therefore, when they see me doing any work, they stop me and do it for me. In the culture I am used to, telling an able bodied person that they shouldn’t be doing the work and doing it for them is an insult. But I am in this culture now, and it is my responsibility to adjust. I have learned to be a little bit rude and tell them very persistently “no” and continue working. I am now getting work as a main laborer in our new production building for the charcoal briquette program, but you will hear more about that in my October report.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
I need...
There are several changes in my personality since I have been here that I am noticing. I am far more resilient to having a bad day here than I ever have in the US, and I was fairly resilient in the US. All I thought I needed was a decent night’s sleep, a hot shower, and some decent conversation with entertaining people. If I was having a bad day, I could always go to the gym or just go for a drive.
In the Philippines I get woken up most mornings by a rooster or the ringing of a bicycle bell. I haven’t taken a hot shower in two and a half months. The only people I ever “hang out” with are my co-workers or the local Mormon missionaries. There is no gym in Santiago and I don’t own a car. I have been able to live without these things just fine. It makes me think these comforts were all strictly psychological. I don’t actually need any of these things, I just thought I did.
To add onto my theory, the Mormon missionaries are only allowed to e-mail once a week, and call home once a year. While my first reaction is that I could not do that, they seem perfectly happy with what they have. This makes me wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes. What exactly do you need? I mean REALLY need? This is the biggest thing I hope to take away from this year. I hope when I get home I can truly appreciate everything I have, but be perfectly happy with the barest of necessities.
In the Philippines I get woken up most mornings by a rooster or the ringing of a bicycle bell. I haven’t taken a hot shower in two and a half months. The only people I ever “hang out” with are my co-workers or the local Mormon missionaries. There is no gym in Santiago and I don’t own a car. I have been able to live without these things just fine. It makes me think these comforts were all strictly psychological. I don’t actually need any of these things, I just thought I did.
To add onto my theory, the Mormon missionaries are only allowed to e-mail once a week, and call home once a year. While my first reaction is that I could not do that, they seem perfectly happy with what they have. This makes me wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes. What exactly do you need? I mean REALLY need? This is the biggest thing I hope to take away from this year. I hope when I get home I can truly appreciate everything I have, but be perfectly happy with the barest of necessities.
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