Off to Romblon!

Goodness, do I have a lot to say….

Well I found out my site, I am off to Romblon Island! It’s a pretty small island and I am the only volunteer placed here this year!!!! Many of the volunteers are clustered relatively close to each other, but I pretty much have the whole island to myself except for two currently serving volunteers that have been there for a year. I am very excited! I just met my supervisor and my job entails a variety of projects; among some of them are mangrove rehabilitation, coral propagation, sea turtle conservation, coastal clean-ups, alternative livelihood projects, Marine Protected Area monitoring, and even some endangered species monitoring like whale sharks, dolphins, and dugongs. I’ll be working for a local government unit on the municipal level. We are all so overwhelmed and anxious to visit our sites in the coming days. My site is pretty tricky to get to from Manila unless you fly; it’s only a 45 minute trip but will take all day if you want to travel by bus and banca. I also may not even be speaking much Tagalog at my site, because the main languages are Romblomanon, Tiyad Ini and Sibuyanon, but my sector manager said most people should be able to understand Tagalog. My site is also very good for diving from what I hear; considering it has 14 Marine Protected Areas! Eeeeaaahhhhh! Sooo sooo elated!

Anyways, last week we presented our Coastal Environmental Profile in Nagbalayong. The whole presentation was in Tagalog, and while we did have to read mostly off note cards, I think the community was still proud to see us trying. As part of our community project we might host a workshop to educate people on what a fish looks like that was caught using dynamite. The scales are generally loose, the fish is more floppy, visceral mass extrudes from the anus, the gills tend to bleed and it can have scars on the body. Because it’s hard to monitor, regulate, or enforce the laws on dynamite fishing in small municipalities, we would hope that we could take the reverse approach by educating the consumers which may ultimately decrease the sales of fisherfolk using destructive methods.

Yesterday we visited an indigenous village located about a half hour drive from where we live. It was quite a scary endeavor heading up in the mountains. We took a jeepney which is an old World War II vehicle- main mode of transportation in the Philippines, and as it reached the top of the hill, the brake line snapped sending the jeepney flying down the hill backwards. Good thing there was a cement wall edging the side of the road because to the other side, it dropped off maybe a hundred feet or so directly into a river. So the jeepney flew back down the hill and smashed into the cement wall. It was a good thing also that many of us had already gotten off the jeepney about two minutes prior to the accident, because it would have been tragic had the jeepney slammed in to the cement wall- packed full of about 25 people plus more people hanging off the back. Luckily there were only about 10 people inside, and no one was injured. Whew!

When we finally made it to the village, we were surprised to find a group of photographers that were hosting some festivity. They had photographed members of the community a while back and won third place (first place was a trip to Vietnam), and received 5,000 Php to sponsor the community. So with their 5,000 Php, about $110, they feasted on KFC for one day. Interesting way to spend the money…. We ventured further into the village and were greeted by the Barangay captain who told us a little bit about what they do here. As part of their livelihood, they work on growing seedlings for both their own sustenance and also as part of restoration project around Luzon. They also plant seedlings to attract honey bees and then produce their own honey. Then they showed us how to make a fire using only bamboo and a machete. Impressive- yes… but then they showed us how to steam rice and cook vegetables over the fire with only freshly cut bamboo, then eat and drink again using again only pieces of bamboo. There was a river that we all we went swimming in after a short climb up a hill. On the way back down the hill we passed some guys that were torching the hair of a dog hanging from a tree. Dinner time!

I managed to get an ear infection last week and while I initially thought I would wait it out to see if it would get better, I was quickly reminded that we will get our first opportunity to dive in two weeks. So off to the ER I went. The hospital was very nice, I was waited on immediately and just about everyone spoke English. I was pretty impressed with the experience I must say. Now I am taking almost 10 pills a day, but the pain has gone away, 5 days later. I haven’t been able to hear very well out of my ear, which turns out to be pretty sweet because I am not woken up by the cats mating on my tin roof in the wee hours of the morning, and by the way, is probably the worst noise I have ever heard. We made carrot-ginger-cashew soup and quesadillas the other night which were improvised using lumpia wrappers. I also have been exploring new puluton (the Tagalog word for drunk food), and so far fried cuttlefish is my favorite. Liquor is pretty cheap here, we can get a pint of rum or vodka for less than the price of a can of coke, about 50 cents.

I picked up my backpack off my floor this morning to find a colony of black ants infesting the netting side pockets of my bag. It seems to make good nesting material, especially if it’s damp. I put my bag outside and watch the colony of ants scramble out of my room and down the hall followed my host mamma and brother screaming “money money money” you’re going to be rich because there are black ants-- money! I must have a miracle coming my way, cause I sure don’t make much as a volunteer!

Anyways, Ill post more after I return from my site! Yeayah!! Magandang gabi!