PST Life: One Month In.

Aug 5

I have been in the Philippines for one month now and what a month it has been. Many of you see the pictures of all the experiences I am going through but you maybe wondering what exactly I do on a day to day basis. As a part of my language class I had to write a paragraph about my daily routine so I will share that here and then translate.

Gising ako a las 6:30am at kain ng umaga han. Susunod maliligo gamit ang timba at tabo. Mag bibihis ako, mag hilamos, at mag sisipilyo. Hindi ko sinusuklay kasi buhok ko ay makapal. Aalis ako sa bahay at pupunta sa NPC. A las 7:30am lumalakad ako kasama sina Megan o Kellee. Umuuwi ako para kumain ng pananghalian araw araw. Pagkatapos ng mahabang araw ng trabaho, makikinig ng "chica chica" kay Ate Fe. Kain kami ng hapunan. Susunod magaaral ng Tagalog hanggang ako ay makatulog.

Translation: I wake up at 6:30am and eat breakfast. Next I bathe with a bucket and dipper. I put on my clothes, wash my face, and brush my teeth. I don't comb my hair because it is so thick. I leave my house to go to NPC (the place where I have language training). At 7:30am I walk with either Megan or Kellee. I go home for lunch everyday. After a long day of work, I listen to the small talk/gossip from my host mother Fe. We eat dinner. Next I study Tagalog until I fall asleep.

To give more details of the day. I have language training every morning for 4 hours. After an one-hour lunch break at home, I have my technical training from 1pm until as late as 6 or 7pm. The technical training is the time we use to plan our community events. Depending on the task. Some days can run longer than others.

Some maybe asking about the weekend. Technically, Sunday is the only day that is free of technical work but that day is still used for integration into the family and community. Saturday is always busy with our community events. We have met with some of the people of this Barangay (Neighborhood) and they have shared with us their daily routine, mapped out their neighborhood and told us the strengths of this community. I have been fortunate enough to work with the teenage girls in this community as well as the young boys and girls.