So, here I am in the Philippines and I swear, sometimes I feel like a monk! I am changing, folks! I have developed so many routines!!! Those of you who know me well understand that, up until now Ive not been big on a lot of routines in my life, preferring instead a more... uncharted course! But here, the routines aid my sanity.
For example, since I have arrived in Lagonoy, I have recorded every single thing that Ive eaten. I maintain a list! Ask me what I ate on Sept 15th, I dare you! I think its one of the reasons incidentally, that I am shedding pounds - knowing that I have to log the details keeps me honest! Another thing is cooking, food management and cleaning activities. Because of the outdoor kitchen situation, I have to be meticulously clean with my cooking before, during and after preparation. Of course, this is because of the insects and animals that love to feast on what I leave behind. I have to thoroughly clean IMMEDIATELY after I finish eating or the area becomes overrun with the little guys.... Food storage must be tightly controlled. I use the fridge (love the fridge by the way) as a sort of food vault since the bastards can't get in there. The canned goods, of course, can stay outside. Here's a frustration: It seems as if this part of the Philippines has yet to discover zip lock bags! What I would do for a box of zip lock bags and an ice machine!! And then there is the issue of garbage. No garbage trucks in Lagonoy! People here burn everything in little piles outside of their house. (It was the same way in Antigua). I don't do that. I have found a public trash basin about 2k kilometers from my house at the Lagonoy bus station. So, every night I take a stroll through the neighborhood with my little bag of garbage and I deposit it there! (In a future blog I promise to talk about these walks as they can be very cultural!) Laundry and food runs to Goa are now routine and because I have to be careful not to exceed my $7/day, I have to keep very tight track of what I spend.
My evenings involve a bit of time unwinding with a book, then I eat, clean and if I have internet access, spend some time on the internet, youtube etc. I am typically asleep by 9p and awake at 5a. Quiet mornings are spent with a cup of coffee, perhaps some oatmeal (cereal is too expensive) and fruit, cleanup, then about 30 minutes playing a computer. To work by 8. Pretty basic living here folks! But I have to say, the experience of living this isolated is a good one.
Work goes well. I've completed a draft disaster plan for Lagonoy... It still needs data but I have time to get all that. This week, I attended a Forest Land Use Planning workshop that including a session on GIS mapping. Of course, a lot of the workshop was spoken in Bicol so I didn't understand a lot of it, but I was asked to the podium for a brief presentation on my efforts thus far and how they tie into land use planning issues.
So, here's an interesting thing I discovered this week: there are a lot of people working in the municipal building who have not been paid for their employment since August!!! I guess the money for the 3rd quarter ran out a bit early! And there is no hope of getting any of it because.... its gone! Of course, some get paid... but others don't. Presumably, all will be well in October, as there is a 4th quarter budget and for now, the money is there. I have heard that Christmas is tough though every year because not only is it quarter end, it is year end as well! So, I guess the xmas bonus is "off the table" for me!!
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