The Patek's in the Philippines!

April and May = SUMMER!!

8:41 PM Trisha Patek

So what do you think of when you hear the words Summer? Most people, especially if your in school, think it's time for a break, the heat, swimming, vacations, etc. My experience in the Peace Corps, thus far, has proven the summers to be the busiest time of the year. So if you have the time I will tell you a little bit of what my summer has been.

In April, Ryan and I finished out our puppet shows for this school year by hiking with some of his co-workers to Brgy. San Antonio. This is the farthest brgy. in our municipality. We had to take a multicab for two hours and then we had to hike for almost two hours to reach this brgy! But it was so fun and worth the hike :) While we were there we got to do our last puppet show for this school year, and it was probably one of the best. We had the whole brgy. (around 200 people) watching the show. Usually during performances, lectures, etc. there is lots of talking, but during ours you could hear a pin drop. It was so much fun and I think the audience really enjoyed it! (We will continue our puppet shows again once school starts up)

The hike sometimes proved to be quite difficult :)

Ryan and "Ma'am Flower" talking about Washing Hands

After our hike to Brgy. San Antonio, we had a nice and relaxing Easter break back in one of our favorite places, Padre Burgos. Since Ryan is now dive certified he went out for a couple dives while I went snorkeling. It was great to get away, relax, eat good food, and soak in some sun. This is a picture where Ryan went diving and I went snorkeling; it's at an island called Limasawa Island.

Shortly after Easter, Ryan, our friend Evelyn, and I went to CAMBODIA!!! But you will have to wait for the next blog to read about that trip :)

A few days after Cambodia, I went back to our training site, Dumaguete to help with a massive 2-week teacher training. (*Side note: to get to Dumaguete I have to take a 5 hr. boat ride, a 3 hr. bus ride, another 45 min. boat ride, and finally an hour bus ride.) The training was great. I was in charge of teaching Microsoft Excel. Which was so much fun. A few years back a PCV made this amazing tutorial for people to learn how to use Excel. It was so much fun helping people, some of which have never used a computer before, learn how to use excel. Many of the computers in the computer lab were broken so teachers were having to share and take turns completing the tutorial, but they did an amazing job.

Teachers sharing a computer to learn Excel

"Teacher Trisha" instructing teachers how to use the tutorial

Our group of facilitators for the training

But now I am finally home and have been able to relax for a while. Although I didn't completely escape Excel, haha. This week and next week I am holding another Excel training for Ryan's co-workers. Which is also turning out to be a lot of fun! I really enjoy teaching something that I am knowledgeable about and able to share that knowledge with others.

To end this blog I want to do something that my sister inspired me to do. Lately it has been hard for me to be positive about what I am doing here and I have been questioning why am I still here? Don't worry this happens from time to time for all volunteers and it helps when you can refocus that energy into something positive. So Kristy wrote a blog a while back about the 20 reasons why she likes her job, so here are my 20 reasons why I enjoy being in the Peace Corps-Philippines. (These are in no particular order) Hope you enjoy! :)

1. Emersion into a new culture

2. AMAZING fruits such as: mangosteen, mangos, lanzones, rambutan, pineapple, bananas and I might add they are cheap

3. Relaxing on some breathtaking beaches

4. Experiencing remarkable landscapes and have astounding adventures

5. Learning a little bit of a new language

6. I'm able to share my culture with Filipinos and share Filipino culture back home

7. Helping others in small ways

8. I have built some incredible friendships

9. I have been given the opportunity to experience something unique

10. The chance to grow as an individual and as a married couple

11. Learning to live with less (materialistically)

12. Ability to go with the flow

13. Nagbasa ko daghan mga libro (I get to read a lot)

14. New lifelong PCV friendships

15. Being a part of the Grants Committee

16. Flexibility in my teaching job

17. Traveling to other Asian countries

18. Understanding failures

19. Figuring out my passions and what to do with my future

20. Comprehending how truly blessed I am on so many levels

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March Madness

10:53 AM Trisha Patek

At the beginning of March I headed to Manila to help facilitate a training for the new batch of PCVs. This training was called Project Design Management. Overall the training was great and I think all the facilitators did an amazing job. It was nice to get to meet the new batch and see how they are doing in regards to the Peace Corps life. It was weird hearing their issues and remembering that was what I was thinking a year ago! It's crazy how fast time does fly.

So once I got back to site I felt like I had one million and one things to do. I got home on Tuesday night and on Wed. I had to conduct our last "Reading Club" for the year. That was fun. The students I worked with were so great and I really hope that I get to work with them again next year.

Then that weekend Ryan and I finally got to hold the Healthy Mind and Body Youth Camp that we, mainly Ryan, had been planning since last December. There were a few road bumps at the start, but overall it was an amazing training. We had around 45 out of school youth show up, which was great. We talked about HIV/AIDS, STI's, Nutrition, Gender Awareness, the Reproductive System, and we played a few different sports. It was an overnight camp, so we were able to share the tradition of Smore's with everyone, which they loved! It was a great experience and I'm glad it finally happened :)

Right before the camp Ryan and I had not been feeling so hot, we both had colds, so for the next few days we stayed in bed and got some rest. We though we were sick it was nice to rest for a while.

Then that next weekend we set out again and continued work on our HIV/AIDS grant, by planting close to 300 trees to represent the youth living with HIV in the Philippines. We had about 20 youth show up to help us plat the trees, and we got to meet a few new people. It was a great time getting to know them and spend some time with them, but man it was HOT! We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, but even so it was a scorcher.

Ryan also decided to get Scuba certified. This has been something he has been thinking about for a while and I'm glad he finally got to do it. He went to a town North of us where they held the training, and on the last day they were going out to this island called Digyo. I was able to join them and see this beautiful island. Ryan had a great time diving (He went down 60ft!!!) and I had fun watching. Then when we arrived back at shore Ryan found out he is pretty famous. Ask him about this, and hopefully he will put this in his blog too. Haha.

Then to wrap March up we had Graduation and the annual Senior trip. Graduation was great. I was so proud of the students. Most of them had worked hard to finish the year and really tried, at least in our class, to learn something new. I was able to help pass out the diplomas this year, which was so fun. It was rewarding for me to be able to tell the students I had worked with Congratulations. I hope it meant something to them too.

Lastly was the Senior trip. So apparently every year the graduating students go to a town South of us to hike this mountain called Hanginon. This year I was invited to join them. We met up at 2 AM, and headed off on our journey. It was so fun hanging out with the students, and all their energy, and seeing Leyte/Southern Leyte from such a beautiful view. The hike was hard, a lot of inclines, but it was fun and I'm so glad I got to join.

Now it's on to April. Until next time. Take care. We love y'all and miss you tons! <3

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Time keeps on slippin', into the future

6:55 PM Trisha Patek

Wow! Things have been flying by over here. We have both been very busy and a lot has happened since my last post. Hope your ready to read...

So let me start where we left off. Ryan and I started our puppet shows. These have been going great! The students, day care workers, and the parents absolutely love our shows. We put on a puppet show for about 20 mins each time we preform. We sing songs and have a little skit. We talk about brushing teeth and washing hands. It's so much fun. Afterwards we take pics and let the students "meet" the puppets. Our puppet shows have been put on hold while school is out, (summer starts in a week in a half) but once school starts again, in June, we will be very busy with at least one show a week! We can't wait :)

A couple weeks back, Ryan and I were able to go back to our Training Site, Dumaguete, for a much needed fun weekend with great friends. We were able to meet up with 4 PCVs and hang out with them while we were in town. It was weird being back in Duma, but really nice. While we were there we were able to swim with the whale sharks (Butanding) as well as many turtles. It was such an unforgettable weekend! Swimming with the whale sharks was very hard for me. Some of you may know that I sometimes have a hard time staying clam and breathing right when it comes to snorkeling. Add knowing you are going to see a HUGE shark well it makes it all that much more, shall we say, exciting. Haha. Anyways I did it, I swam with a whale shark! I'm very proud of myself. Now swimming with the turtles I absolutely loved. I would do that every weekend if I could. Turtles are so graceful and super fast swimmers. I was able to swim with a turtle that had a head the size of a basketball and was almost as long as I am. I really wanted to grab on to it's shell and go for a ride. I think sea turtles are my new favorite animal. <3 Oh btw my underwater camera broke when I took it in the water during this trip, so no underwater pictures to show, but I will always have my memories.

After that amazing weekend my school, HNVS, had it's annual JS Prom. I was worried about going because I knew it would be a long night, but I had so much fun! It was great to see everyone dressed so formal and excited about the program. The prom here is nothing like prom back home. Here they have an official program with exchanging of gifts, the key of responsibility, as well as passing on their majors to the juniors. It's quite an ordeal. I'm glad I got to be there this year and celebrate with the seniors. :)

The Prom wrapped up February. Stay tuned to see what has been happening in March. Take care. Love you all and miss you even more! :)

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I Live Here!

10:55 PM Trisha Patek

Motivation... that's what I have been lacking lately. Well that's not completely true. I just finished an AMAZING book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It's a book about this little boy who looses his dad during 9/11. I didn't loose anyone that day, but many people did and I believe this books expresses the loss that many people felt and still feel from that bad day. If you haven't read it; READ IT!!

Anyways back to the Philippines. So I have realized that I live here. Sounds like a funny thing to say right, but for me it's not. Being a Peace Corps Volunteer I am "working" 24/7 365 days a year. It really is the HARDEST job I love. There are moments when I truly love being here and can't imagine how hard it's going to be to leave. But then there are other days where I'm ready to get on the plane and go "home." I think that one of the hardest things about living here is always having to be here. Let me explain. The second I step out of my house (literally sometimes it's the SECOND I step out of my house) I'm greeted with intense stares, random phrases being shouted at me, or people questioning pretty much everything I do. So sometimes it's tough to leave the house. Haha. And yes I get away from site sometimes to attend trainings, seminars, etc. and sometimes I even leave for a vacation. But it seems like when I return things are some what a little harder, for a little while at least. When I return I have clothes to wash (by HAND NOT in a machine, that does NOT count anymore as washing clothes), not to mention washing other parts of my house that have become molded or infested with some kind of bug, invasive questions to answer (because everyone wants to know all about everything), and of course teaching haha. So sometimes it's hard. That's all I'm saying. I would also like to say I'm spoiled. I know this and I'm really missing my spoiled life. I'm missing all of the comforts of home and everything that goes with that. Those things, not to mentions family and friends, are things that are helping me pull through these last few months! So keep the encouragements coming...

On a more positive note. My counterpart and I have started a "Reading Club" with some of the first year students at my school. For the past year and a half I have been teaching 4th year students, which means they are 15-16. But for now, once a week, I work with 1st year students, 12 year-olds. They look like babies. And I'm LOVING it! Maybe it's b/c it's something new, or I actually feel like I'm teaching. Whatever it is, I <3 it! They really give me positive energy and help me stay motivated. We usually work on pronunciation, which is really funny and we laugh a lot. Then we read a passage, answer some questions, and work on comprehending what we read. It's great. And my counterpart and I are great co-teachers. We work so well together! I will REALLY miss her when I'm gone.

Well tomorrow Ryan and I are going to a day care in town and preforming a puppet show! It will be our first one of hopefully many more to come, so stay tuned to see what happens... Love you all and miss y'all tons! Until next time...

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Birthdays :)

2:55 PM Trisha Patek

Ryan and I know tons of people that have birthdays in January, including ourselves! This was our last year that we will celebrate our birthdays in the Philippines. (Which makes me happy and sad all at the same time) A while back we were trying to decide what we wanted to do to celebrate our BIG days.

Last year for Ryan's b-day we went to the school and used the oven to make cornbread (we didn't have our toaster oven then), and to celebrate both our birthdays we went to the next town over to visit the Hindang caves. We went through some very smelly (from the bat guano) caves, as well as saw tons of monkeys. We had a great time.

The Filipinos have a tradition that the birthday celebrant brings food, sweets, etc for everyone to share. Sometimes this is a VERY expensive tradition, so Ryan and I were trying to think what we could contribute without spending lots of dough. So for Ryan's b-day he bought some ice cream for his co-workers to share. They loved it! It was a hot day and everyone enjoyed a nice cool treat. For my birthday I decided to use a cake/icing that were sent to us from home. (Thanks Beth Pape) It was a German Chocolate Cake. The teachers and Ryan's co-workers LOVED it. They couldn't figure out how I made the cake so moist and how the frosting was so delicious. I tried to explain to them it was made from a box, but they didn't really understand. Anyways they really enjoyed it!

So this year we wanted to do something different. For Ryan's birthday we went to one of our favorite islands; Canigao Island. We got there early in the morning and found us a spot on the other side of the island where we were a little more secluded. This island is very small and you can walk all the way around the island in about 30 mins. Usually everyone gathers on one side of island, but it tends to get very loud. So Ryan and I walked to another part and camped out there. We had a very relaxing time.

Then the next weekend to celebrate my birthday, we went to the big city of Cebu City on the island of Cebu. We were able to meet up with two other volunteers, hang out and spend some time together. So from our town we take a night boat (with a/c, beds, blankets, and pillows; it's pretty sweet) and then arrive around 2AM in Cebu City, but the boat allows us to stay on the boat until 6AM.

So once we arrived we headed to McDonalds (MacDo as they say here) to have breakfast. While we were eating it started raining, it was a heavy downpour, and this family of three (mom, daughter, and son) showed up outside and took a bath. It was funny b/c the little girl was having a blast, but you could tell the brother didn't want to be there and kept trying to hide behind a post. This is not an uncommon scene for us anymore, people bathing outside. Usually the older persons have clothes on, but the children usually are naked, although sometimes the older women are naked too.

After this we headed over to one of the malls. It was great; we walked around window shopping in the A/C so we stayed nice and cold. We had Starbucks, Red Mango (frozen yogurt), and some amazing food.