archive of May, 2008
When I woke, my legs were really hurting. So I was disinclined to walk down to Baguio Gold to visit the A-V-A family and see the chickens in the coop. But Dominic and I need groceries and supplies, so I rode a jeepney into the big city to shop in a discount grocery store for us and the family. »→
This morning I awoke feeling refreshed and recalling interesting dreams. Almost as soon as I arose, Mack sent to me a text message telling of a Sepak Takraw game in Baguio Gold. So after a quick breakfast, I headed out. On my way upstairs, I heard 8-year-old James’ voice, and when he saw me up at street level, he happily told me that Cola, one of the family’s two dogs, had given birth to seven puppies while the family was gone for two days. Dominic and I noticed yesterday that Cola was skinny, ribs showing, and seemed somber. »→
This morning I thought that I left home with plenty of time to commute to Starbucks at the mall, but I was mistaken. Traffic into Baguio City was slowed to a crawl, and we on the jeepney strained to see past each other the Military Police Land Cruisers beside the road in some places and Baguio City Policemen standing elsewhere. We heard sirens in the distance, so I thought that perhaps President Arroyo was trucking from the airport to The Mansion.
Yesterday Dominic told Mack that he need not cook for us, so that he could resume construction of his chicken coop using the lumber and screen/mesh that Mack & I took to his home from a chartered jeepney. At night Dominic and I rode such a bus to Baguio City for dinner in a stall in VGF Fast Food Mall. In Philippines, “fast food” denotes already-prepared pots of lukewarm entrées, such as stews, from which we choose to accompany rice. I’ve had chicken meatballs, chicken adobo and ‘mixed meat’ (ground and mixed with finely chopped carrots, onions, pepper & other in a seasoned sauce). »→
I awoke earlier than usual to head downhill to Baguio Gold to meet Mack to ‘hunt the wild bamboo.’ Although I can see stands of 2″-6″ bamboo many places, they’re on private property. Mack had said that we could cut 6″-8″ diameter ‘Mindanao bamboo’ then pay (to a landowner) 100 pesos per three-meter length. As we wanted free bamboo, we needed to trek into the boonies to find some hidden clusters. We walked down the horribly rough, rocky, muddy and slippery ‘road’ (I hate to term it a road), and after a mile we diverted into the woods to feed the mosquitos and hike to the river. »→
I feel cooped-up some days since our arrival in Philippines: days that I’ve felt sick (something I ate?) and days of intermittent rain showers when I don’t leave the flat or I make a quick foray. This afternoon, during a ‘sunshine shower,’ I took an uncrowded jeepney to downtown Baguio City because I wanted to buy a few things for Mack and his family. »→
Thanks for visiting the weblog. At 1:33 a.m., I’m drowsy, so I’ll head to bed. Today I wrote the “Sneakers” post. Tomorrow I’ll write more. Some days, though I don’t write, I add photos to the “pages” of this site.
I like to make photos, and I tolerate editing them, and I grudgingly wrangle with WordPress to upload and display them for you. So please surf through some pages each week; the variety changes. Not only do I make photos, but the kids of Baguio Gold take my camera and camera/phone to make hundreds of photos that I have to upload to my Mac, view, discard, or edit then save. Most of the pics are mediocre, but I find a few gems. So click on our “page” titles, and you’ll likely see some new images. †
While I await Mack so that we can return to the city to buy chicken wire, vegetable seeds and a 5-gallon jug water dispenser for his family, I will write. In my medicine-induced sleep this morning, I had vivid dreams, including one about volunteering in a Filipino school. I dreamed that a high school vice principal, whom I met yesterday, hassled me about fellow American volunteers tutoring and coaching sports after school. She was adamant that I was supposed to collect money from them and give it to her. So I’ll tell you what I didn’t write yesterday about Mack’s education. »→
I have taken melatonin to help me sleep because I could lie awake quite awhile thinking of the people living in poverty in Baguio Gold Barangay. And I earlier took meloxicam for pain relief (knees and ankles), so now I’m bleary-eyed and heavy-headed and desire only to go to my bed. I had shut down my computer. But as I haven’t typed anything today, I switched it on, logged-into this site, and I’ll hunt-and-peck now. »→
I walked down to Baguio Gold again. Isn’t that how I begin several posts? According to a Digital Globe topographic map, our home, which is lower than Baguio City, is 4609 feet (.873 mile) above sea level. The Baguio Gold Barangay basketball court is 4002 feet ASL. So the vertical drop is 607 feet in about a mile. I don’t know the walking distance. Out here in ‘the country,’ we’re not on maps of Baguio City and its environs. I estimate 5/6 of a mile.
(Dominic) After surveying the land, Brian and I have discovered that the Philippines government is not very accommodating of foreigners who want to set up a for-profit or not-for-profit organization. Apparently, many bad actors have come to the Philippines for less than noble purposes and have hid behind not-for-profit organizations in order to operate drug rings, sell pirated videos, prostitution, or whatever. »→
The A-V-C-A (four surnames) family in Baguio Gold consists of a grandmother, whom I address as Nanay, and four youths whom I’ll refer to as Mack, age 18, Pat (16), Andy (13), Nick (11), Charlotte (7) and Rose, age 6. »→
You must be the change that you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
(Dominic) Advice to “type A” personalities who contemplate living in the Philippines:
A) You shouldn’t be proud of your personality type, in the first place. You tick everyone off, and really should stop perpetrating assaults on everyone else’s minds.
B) Don’t go to a Third World country and get a phone; you may end up in jail for homicide. »→