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September 16, 2003 - Laundry by hand has finally lost its novelty for me. My host family asked me to give my laundry to their labandera (woman who washes clothes). I am uncomfortable watchcing an older woman do manual labor, so I chose not to. One day, I got lazy and rationalized that it is only what normal Filipinos do. I got back my 2 new polo shirts with about 100 holes in each. Ah! I could not tell my host mother, that would be embarassing. I destroyed the evidence instead.
I'm back to washing my own clothes. |
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If you want to be famous, you could join the Peace Corps. Everywhere you go people will stare at you. I have become immune to the "look you up, look you down" stares. It is not polite behavior (my mother would not stand for it), but it is the way it is. I am sure my fellow white Peace Corps Volunteers get more stares.
It does wear on me though. Here is a recent mishap: I was sitting at the end of the pier on my bike watching the sun go down. I can usually feel when I am stared at. Suddenly, the staring man hits my bike. I yelled "bastos!" (you are rude) The man was surprised and went away. I guess I could have been more friendly. I was tired. That's a cultural mistake by me. |
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| September 21,2003 - Aliw, poses with our 3 new puppies! My current favorite TV show is Extra Challenge. You have to have a favorite TV show if you live here. It is a reality show with two teams doing various challenges. One week had them living on the streets of Manila. My family watches Meteor Garden, My MVP Valentine, Lavender and Filipino dramas like Kay Tagal na Kitang Hiningtay. Eat Bulaga and ASAP Mania are popular dancing and singing shows. I did not own a TV for the last 3 years while I lived by myself. I have again realized what a powerful influence TV has on people. |
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The big positive is that it provides exposure to the world and it is entertaining. Common people today know far more about science, travel and histroy than people from just 50 years ago. TV can bring the world to far away places like our town. Our town does not have many entertainment options, so TV helps people enjoy life a little more. The negatives are that it can be addictive and it shows a distorted image of the world (people on TV tend to be rich).
I will be introducing students from my 6th grade class at Cassidy Elementary School to the internet by taking them to the internet cafe. See what we will do.
My cute friend - One of my students sent me a text (SMS msg) that is just great. "Now I realized how great ur job is. I want 2 be a peace corps volunteer coz I want 2 help 3rd world countries like the Philippines. Your insprired friend, Catherine." |
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Catherine Garrido - future Peace Corps volunteer. |
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