Second Week – More Training

The second week of training was much like the first.  Tagalog lessons in the morning.  Morning snack, or meryenda.  Education lessons.  Lunch.  Education lessons.  Afternoon snack.  Education lessons.  Dinner.  Free time.  We did mix up the sessions a bit though once we learned to which specific level each Education trainee would be assigned: elementary, secondary, and tertiary.  When our cluster sites were announced for Community-Based Training, we were also told with which level we would work.  I was surprised to learn that I would be placed in Tertiary Education teaching at a college or university.  Only five of the 33 Education trainees were placed in the Tertiary group, so I felt honored to chosen and excited at the prospects of what I could teach or do.

On Tuesday, all trainees had a field trip for their respective sector group.  CYF trainees went to visit inner-city youth and organizations assisting them, CRM trainees went to mangrove forests, and Education trainees went to five schools to observe classes.  Our schedule for the school visits was very tight; we had five schools to visit in only a few hours and had to factor in the driving time between each one.  In the morning, we observed classes and interacted with students at two elementary schools and one high school, and in the afternoon, we observed at a science high school and a local college.  The experience was great to get out of the theoretical realm of Philippine education that we had been discussion in sessions and actually see what the schools and classes are like.  I will comment more on this in a later post.

We were lucky to have a special visit from Peace Corps Deputy Director CarrieHessler-Radelet, the second-highest person in the Peace Corps who was nominated by President Barrack Obama and approved by the Senate.  She had been visiting Thailand to celebrate their 50^th anniversary as a Peace Corps country and stopped by to visit the Philippines office and the new trainee batch—us.  The time with Carrie was very rewarding.  She was extremely charismatic and friendly, and she showed a genuine interest in wanting to get to know us.  One of the first things she did was have each trainee state his/her name, place of origin, and one fact that no other trainee knew (yet).  She took time to comment on each person and even refer back to others if someone was from the same city or state.  I unfortunately embarrassed myself by mentioning that my family has the oldest family-owned farm in Michigan where she and our Country Director are from, but I blanked on the city name when she asked.  Here I am in front of a senior government officer and I screw up on a fact that was intended to relate to her.  I remembered the city soon after my turn—Centreville, Michigan near Three Rivers—and I went to tell her and apologize after the session.  She was very understanding and the Country Director reassured me as well that I was ok.  Still, I feel as if I blew a potential opportunity.

The talk that Carrie gave was very inspiring in itself.  She spoke about her own experience in the Peace Corps and how it lead to her career in development, a career similar to what I myself would like to have following my Peace Corps time.  She served as an Education volunteer with her husband in Western Samoa when she was in her mid-twenties.  During her service, she helped a woman with a difficulty pregnancy and realized her desire to work in public health.  The entire story was very revealing to learn about health standards and customs in Samoa at the time and the way in which the Peace Corps experience can shape the course of the rest of someone’s life.  I left the session inspired and energized to get out into the field and really begin my service.

The final activity we did for the Education session was a demo teach.  Using a specific lesson planning schedule provided by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd), I developed a lesson to teach consonants for an introductory English Linguistics class at the college level.  Each Education trainee developed lessons to suit his/her particular age level; some people taught nouns and adjectives, while others taught advanced note-taking and prepositions.  I felt very confident in my lesson since it is a subject about which I am passionate and know much about.  I was very pleased to receive such positive feedback after my demo and all the trainees said that they learned from my lesson, both in terms of content and in delivery.  Hopefully I can expand the lesson for an actual class at my assigned college.

Volunteer Married Couples

There are two married couples in my group and several people who are married but joined the Peace Corps without their spouse.  In speaking to married volunteers, many have stated that Peace Corps makes an effort to keep couples together at site so that the couples can work in their community together.  To me, it sounds like a great adventure, but also one that can test a marriage.  I asked one couple about this (Pat and Donna) who have been married for 35 years and they told me that they have known each other long enough to know what pushes their buttons and how to deal with stressful marital situations.  I have no doubt that they will be fine and enjoy their time here.  Best of luck to them!!

During the Water Safety Training, I took several photos of them walking down the beach holding hands.  It was a very cute scene and I wanted to capture the moment.  I managed to get a few decent shots and thought that they might make a great Peace Corps marketing strategy:

Peace Corps: Explore with world with your spouse.

Water Safety Training

A day at the beach with the local Filipinos...and their trash.

Sunday, July 15 was Water Safety Training at Manila Bay.  We divided the volunteers into two buses and drove for an hour through the rice patty countryside to Manila Bay.  The beach scene at first seemed like a picturesque resort location.  Rows of cabana-style tables lined the beach under the shade of palm trees and we piled out of the buses excited to get into the surf.  Since this is the Philippines, there of course was karaoke in the background.  While the initial beach scene looked beautiful, I was disappointed to see the amount of trash being washed up on shore.  I had been warned before that Manila Bay was not the cleanest location and that we might return home having grown an extra head or appendage.

Everyone had to wear the yellow life jacket/vest distributed by Peace Corps to help save our lives in the event of a water emergency.  The actual water safety instruction was very simple.  Pair up with a partner, go out into the bay in small groups on a boat, jump into the water with your life jacket, swim to the others in your small group, get back into the boat, and sail back to shore.  Simple, easy, done.  When it wasn’t my turn, I played personal paparazzi for the group and tried to photograph everyone as they went out—look for the photos on Photobucket.  

After the brief swim, we were allowed to roam the beach for an hour before we left.  Some volunteers ventured out into the bay to play chicken and do flips into the water.  I thought about joining, but I was content on photographing from the shore and not risking any more exposure to the questionable water than was required.  I also walked up and down the beach talking to Filipinos and getting to better know my fellow volunteers.  Of course, since I had my camera, all the Filipino children wanted to pose for a photo: one serious and one wacky.  It is an unofficial requirement in the Philippines that all photos be taken in pairs with one serious and one wacky.

First Week - Training

My first three months in the Philippines are devoted to Pre-Service Training (PST).  During this time, all the Peace Corps trainees undergo training at various locations before being sworn in as official volunteers in September.  Before then, I am Peace Corps Trainee, a “Volunteer in Training”.  While I understand the purpose of the training period, I have to think back to when I began the application process last year and consider how much time I have committed to actually becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer.  The time doesn’t worry me, but I find it intriguing to think about how much goes into becoming a Volunteer.

The first week in the Philippines is called Initial Orientation (IO).  During this time, all the trainees attend information sessions on policies, health concerns, and safety and security.  The whole experience is much like being at camp, minus the campfire stories and s’mores.  Being with all the other trainees 24-7 is a great way to get to know each other and begin forming bonds that will last the whole volunteer time.  It may sound cheesy, but it’s true and I’m very grateful for the time.  Some current volunteers are working as staff for IO and they told me that previous groups of trainees did not have much time together at first before being broken up.  We have two weeks together before dividing into smaller groups for training.

The basic training schedule is as follows:

(1)   Initial Orientation (July 9-11)

(2)   Center-Based Training (July 12-21)

(3)   Community-Based Training (Clusters) (July 22-September 18)

(4)   Swearing In as a Volunteer (September 19)

My Peace Corps group is called Batch 271, which means that we are the 271^st group of trainees/volunteers in the Philippines.  The first group arrived to the Philippines in October 1961, making it the second oldest Peace Corps country after Ghana.  The 70 trainees in my group are divided into three sector areas:

(1) Education – volunteers work with elementary, secondary, and tertiary (college) students and teachers to improve their English education programs and help with professional opportunities and personal growth.

(2) Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) – volunteers work with organizations and community members serving children and youth in especially difficult circumstances (“at risk”).

(3) Coastal Resources Management (CRM) – volunteers work with local government units and coastal communities to improve their environmental protection practices through coastal resources management and environmental education.

 

Beyond the specific work that each volunteer does within his/her sector, all volunteers have a broader scope to work on community development and strengthening projects that meet the needs of the community where each will be living.  In my group, Education is the largest sector with 33 trainees, CYF has 23, and CRM has 14.

For Initial Orientation, all 70 trainees were together for the information sessions, but we started to divide into groups on Thursday when the Center-Based Training began.  In this part of training, trainees met only with their assigned sector to learn more specific information about the work they will be doing and technical skills that will be needed.  For Education, this included classroom management techniques, the bureaucracy and structure of the education system in the Philippines, and differences in classroom culture between the United States and the Philippines.  Although I was no longer in sessions with trainees from CYF or CRM, I still interacted with them outside of sessions when we ate or hung out after sessions ended.

I was excited this week when we finally started learning Tagalog.  As any of my friends or family knows, I love languages and value any opportunity to learn a new one.  The fact that I would be learning and working in Tagalog during my time here is one of the many reasons that I joined the Peace Corps, so I was ready to hit the ground running.  I will comment more on the language in a later post.

First Weeks in Review (Part 1)

Post #1.  This is my first time ever blogging, so let's see how it goes.  

I am now a little more than two weeks into my Peace Corps volunteer experience and I have finally been able to sit down and create this blog.  What good is an adventure if there is not an epic story written about it to account tales of bravery, fortitude, culture shock, and balut?

Why did I join the Peace Corps?:

(1) Service.  The opportunity to serve my country, my world, and those in my assigned community.

(2) International Development Experience.  The chance to apply and broaden my previous knowledge and experiences.

(3) Language.  The opportunity to truly learn and be immersed in a foreign language.

(4) Culture.  The opportunity to learn and live in a new culture.

(5) Adventure.  The chance to see the world, have new experiences, and get lost along the way.

(6) Opportunity.  I don't know what to expect or what will happen, but I remain open to see where this experiences takes me.

http://www.peacecorps.gov/learn/wherepc/asia/philippines

July 7, 2012

My Peace Corps adventure began with Staging in San Francisco.  Having never been to the city, I decided to go a few days early to explore the city and see family and friends.  Big thanks to Patrick, Carlee, Keith, and Gabe for the great time.  On Friday, July 7^th, I reported to the Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf hotel to check in and meet my fellow Peace Corps volunteers.  It’s funny now to think back on meeting them for the first time as we underwent final policy reviews, discussions of cultural differences, and ice breakers.  The most memorable part for me was the final activity in which we had to group ourselves without speaking based on a sticker that was placed on our backs.  Most people had a single colored circle, while some had two circles and one girl (Michelle “Mariposa”) had three.  I thought it was a great activity to practice nonverbal communication and watch difference teamwork strategies emerge.

July 8-9, 2012

Early the next morning, we checked out of the hotel and shuffled our stuff to the airport.  By this time, I had gotten to know a few volunteers fairly well and was still getting to know others.  Embarking on this type of adventure as a peculiar way of creating camaraderie and solidarity as we can all relate to each other in a way that others back home cannot or cannot understand.  After eating my last meal of pizza and final Facebook updates, we boarded the plane bound for Manila with a layover in Tokyo.  Surprisingly, Delta was our airline for both legs of the journey; I was expecting Asiana Airlines for another Asia-based airline based on my previous trip to China.

After 16 hours of traveling with moderate sleep, we finally arrived in Manila sometime after 10pm and were greeted by the Philippines Peace Corps staff with leis made of sampagita, the national flower of the Philippines.  We proceeded through Customs and began the battle to retrieve our luggage.  Volunteers threw their bags onto precariously stacked piles on large carts.  I was sure that the carts would not hold them all and sure enough one mound of suitcases nearly toppled over as it was being wheeled out.  With the luggage situation resolved, we took our first group photo and broke into two groups to board the buses that would take us to our temporary home for two weeks: the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction.  The first thing I noticed when we stepped outside was the humidity; the air was so thick, hot, and wet.  I was expecting this, but even expecting can’t entirely prepare you for how it actually feels.

We didn't arrive to the International Institute, or "11-R-R" as the Filipinos call it, until after midnight and I was ready to get my room and pass out.  Fortunately, the staff had the same idea and were very quick to offload our luggage and get us off to bed.  The real adventure and training would start in the morning.