My work: despite the fact that this country of over 7100 islands averages over 20 tropical cyclones a year, is prone to both volcanic activity and earthquakes and is listed as the most natural disaster prone country in the world, there exists little to no disaster planning. This is especially true at the municipal level where arguably, the effort could cause the most positive effect. My role, in the brief six months I will be in Lagonoy will be to assist in developing such a plan. The goals of the initiative seem high to me at this time. For now it would seem that awareness that such planning is plausible and can achieve effective results would spell success for my efforts, but time will tell. I am told by both PC staff and PCV's alike that local politics are issues to contend with and that project success can hinge on one's ability to navigate those political waters. We shall see.
My living condition: I am told that I will be living in my own residence, complete with kitchen, washroom and laundry facilities. So, thats a plus! My work appears to be walking distance away from this abode as well. I will be earning (wait for it....) approx. $7 US per day, which I am told will be enough to subsist. This does not include rent or utilities, which apparently will be covered. I am learning about my internet options, but it seems clear that the best alternative will be the fabled "internet cafe". We received our PC phones yesterday... not quite the iPhone, but sufficient for texting (very common here) and emergency contact. I will forward my address and phone in a later post, should anyone appreciate that info. We will be moving from Manila to our sites next Thursday. At this point, I am not sure of the mode of transportation, but am assuming public bus. Were this to be the case, I could guess that this final leg of the journey will prove to be both the most interesting, and the most arduous of all. More on that as details emerge.
My counterparts: A great group of diverse people! Many stayed up late last night drinking beer in the pension courtyard but I couldn't hang, given my 2a wakeup yesterday. I was asleep by 8. Ages range from 73 to probably 24. Keith, the 73 year old, is just returning from 4+ years in Ethiopia! He is widowed and appears to have been traveling like this since his wife's (apparently) untimely death. Of course, death is never timely. One guy, Steve, is on his 4th peace corps assignment - once as a PCV and now 3x as a PCRV. Steve is the guy who did a stint in Antigua actually rebuilding houses in Falmouth following a disaster in 2006 or so. His PC service was in Mali. Ann Sprinkel is cool, she has been just about everywhere and (who would have guessed) served with a RPCV friend of ours from Phoenix in the country of Guatemaula! In fact, I believe they actually worked together on a project! Small world indeed! Shannon, Ann says "Hey there!" She has a nickname for you but I can't remember it!Met a gal last night named Sara (probably about 25) who was returning home to the US following PC service in Madagascar. After her service, she booked an 11 leg trip across the world that she was able to cobble together on the cheap. She we wished her well and watched her pack her bags for the US airport. Suffice to say, these are amazing people with amazing stories to tell, folks!
Today, if memory serves, we will be getting some cultural history and I am looking forward to that!
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