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My fun travels in Makati - I have been waiting 6 months and I finally attended an ashtanga yoga class at the Yoga Foundation of the Philipppines . The Yoga Foundation has a nice studio in Makati and an instructor who has studied yoga in India. She promotes yoga and a healthy diet. I attended a class with several of her Team Yoga members. Yoga people are usually pretty friendly and this group was great to meet. I made some new friends who were very fun to talk to. They took me to to eat vegetarian food, watch a Spanish Film and to Intramuros and Roxas Blvd to see some really nice places. |
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Organic Market - There is an organic market in Greenbelt on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. Oh!!! I purchased whole wheat bread and brown rice. I don't know what my family will say when they see it. I live in a land of rice fields, but you cannot purchase unpolished rice anywhere.
Solidaridad Bookstore - There are a lot of great bookstores in Makati, but my favorite was in Malate. Solidaridad bookstore is owned by F. Sionil Jose, a 2002 National Artist of the Philippines and it stocks some great books. |
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TV - I had my own TV and for the first time and control of the remote to myself. I discovered Balikbayan Trail and it is now my favorite TV show. It is shown on Lakbay (travel) TV. It features young Fil-Ams (people like me with no previous idea of the culture) who come back to the Philippines to explore the country. It is funny!
My yoga friends are graduates of the University of the Philippines. They are the "Bright Young Things" of the Philippines. The "best" schools - UP, Ateneo, La Salle and UST have an impressive alumni list when it comes to successful people in the Philippines. They learn about "service" at the UP because they have the best education and with it, the responsibility for their country's future.
After all the my fun in Makati and Los Banos, I am not excited to head back to Carigara. I don't like to think about things I miss, but nice friends and fun things to do highlight what my life is not. I have a long way to go. But I never think that its "hard" to be a PCV, that's not the right word. There are Americans in Iraq (my age and younger) in much more difficult situtations. This is a piece of cake. |
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November 12, 2003 - Why am I the only one smiling? I did an off-road bike race this weekend in Tacloban City. I am still prohibitied from riding my bike, so I am not in shape. But it was too good to pass up.
First, I rode 18K to Jaro to meet my friends through the rain. Then, we rode a jeepney to Tacloban. The race was supposed to start at 1 pm. The guys had no idea how long the race was. My last meal and drink of water was at 10 am when I left my house. First, there is a weird "triathalon race" that is about 50 yds of swimming, some biking and running. I let a Filipina borrow my bike because she didn't have one. Our race did not start until 4pm, it was raining, there was no water I could drink, I was starving. |
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The race course was a mess. There was a really steep hill and the rain has made it dangerous. We were supposed to do the circuit 12 times. First laps were fine, I noticed a few riders being treated for scrapes near the steep hill. I almost fell when I went downl. The laps go by, then I notice 2 of my companions passing our water! What! They has crashed and were out. I noticed more people off their bikes. I see the red cross with a stretcher. About lap 6, I am tired. I have my walet, I stop along the course to buy a mango shake! Yes! Imagine that in a road race. I am about to quit. I drink 4 of them and feel great. I keep on. It is getting dark but I figure that won't stop the race. But it gets really dark and no one can see. Finally, I am stopped by my friends, they had called it a race. We headed to the fire station to take a bath using the fire truck. Then we went to a friends house to eat bbq chicken and rice. Finally, we catch a jeepney to Jaro and home. It was the most fun in a day I have had here. |
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Birthdays are a big deal for Filipino kids. When kids talk to me, they will always ask when my birthday is and will want to share theirs as well. I figured it was no big deal, they would forget. Nope. Cassidy Elementary School celebrated the 100th day in school the same day asmy birthday. I went to attend the ceremonies and as soon as I walked in the gates I was mobbed by 6th grade kids who just blurted out the Happy Birthday song. Pretty funny scene.
<-- 4th graders clowning around. |
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