Wow! I don't even know where to start. SOOOOOO much has happened since the last time I wrote. This will be a long blog, so be prepared, lol!

So let's see. First at the end of February I was elected to be on a committee called VAC. It's a small group that meets four times a year to work on policy issues between volunteers and staff. So Ryan had Warden training and when he was coming home I left to go to my first VAC meeting. This was also my first time in Manila. Manila is crazy! You can get anything there, but man, it's expensive! I was able to catch up with a lot of PCVs I haven't seen since we started and I also got to meet some people I never met. So our meeting went great! We were able to voice PCVs concerns and work them out with staff. We are very lucky and have a great staff backing us up. Then the next day we had a conference call with PC Director, Mr. Williams. We had an awesome discussion with him, and it really motivated me even more to be a part of PC. I might even think about trying to work for Peace Corps when we are done with service. Then my last day in Manila I was invited to go to the Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary Party @ the Ambassador's house! It was insanely nice. We had great food, got to meet some great people, and were able to talk to old PCVs and compare experiences. I really enjoyed every minute of it, and am so grateful that I got to be a part of that historical event.



So when I got back the next weekend Ryan held his Environmental Youth Hike. I got to help him out, and I'm glad I did. It was a huge success. There were about 200+ youth, whom all hiked 5K and picked up trash along the way. We played games, listened to various speakers, and took tons of pictures! It was nice to see that the youth care about their environment.



The next day we went to Ryan's supervisor's grandson's 1st birthday party. It was fun and a great cultural experience. There were tons of little kids there and I played "Hookie Pookie" with them. They loved it!



After all of that excitement we prepared for Kenny to come visit us! We borrowed some cots from the school for Ryan and I to sleep on while Kenny used our bed. We went to Tacloban to meet Kenny. When he arrived he was very hot, which was funny b/c it wasn't hot to Ryan and I, so I guess we are adjusting pretty well. We stayed the night in Tacloban and then headed to McArthur Park the next day. Afterwards we headed to Hilongos, to show Kenny what our everyday life is like. He got to see where we work, live, our friends, neighbors, places we like to eat, and how we like to spend our free time.

We then headed off for Vietnam! Well our trip didn't start out so great; we were supposed to leave Tacloban to fly to Manila, and then to Ho Chi Minh, except our flight in Tacloban got cancelled and we had to wait until the next day to fly to Manila. So we had to find a hotel, in the pouring rain, and hung out in Tacloban an extra day. We finally made it to Ho Chi Minh and had a great time. We visited some museums, went shopping, and tried lots of new foods. We then headed to Hanoi, which is in Northern Vietnam. When we got there it was cold! What an amazing contrast to the Philippines! Ryan and I soaked it in as much as we could! It was finally winter time for us, lol :) While in Hanoi we visited Ha Long bay, did more shopping, ate some amazing food, and had a great time hanging out. It was an amazing trip and we all had a really great time. Ryan and I want to try and go back to do some hiking when our service is over, but we will have to wait and see...



So we saw Kenny off and headed back to our site. It was a surreal experience. I was really sad to see Kenny go, but I'm sure glad he got to come visit us. Since he left I have gone through some more homesickness, but I will be fine and I know I will bounce back. Now it's back to work and time to dig our heels back into being volunteers. We will be transferring houses soon, which I think will be a better situation for us.

Just some random thoughts, Peace Corps has changed the way I look at traveling now. I found myself wanting to get to know more locals versus just going to the "touristy" places. I also wanted to learn some of the language, which helps a lot when your interacting with the locals. Not such a bad thing, I think.

School is ending and Graduation is next Monday! We have 345 students graduating! Summer is approaching, now if it will jut stop raining! (It has been raining here everyday, I thought the rainy season was over, but apparently not. I don't mind the rain, it just sucks when you have to hang laundry out to dry; it just takes longer that's all) Love you all, miss you like CRAZY. Until next time...

So it's been a while since I posted a new blog. I will try and be better at this. So much has gone on in the past month(s). Kenny is now here and tomorrow we are leaving for Vietnam. When we get back I promise to update this blog and get you caught up on what is and has been happening. Please be patient with me. More to follow soon... stay tuned!

6 months… that’s crazy to think that Ryan and I have been in the Philippines for 6 months!! And we have been at our permanent site for 3 months! CRAZY!! Time has gone by pretty fast too. We have gone through so much the last couple of years; it’s insane to think about. We both graduated from college, moved to Dallas to start our careers, got married, moved into an amazing apartment with my sister, gained valuable work experience, ran a ½ marathon, moved out of Dallas to visit with family, and then moved to the Philippines!!! Once in the Philippines we stayed a week in the greater Manila area, moved to Dumaguete, moved to Hilongos, and then moved into our own place. We have been learning a new language, getting to know our community, and figuring out where we fit in our community so that we can be the most effective volunteer possible. We have visited other towns, cities, and islands. We have met up with friends and shared similar stories of being homesick and how challenging this job is. I’m getting to know my students, only for them to leave at the end of March, because they are seniors and will be graduating, which is bittersweet. We have been through some rough holidays and birthdays, but we have also been able to make new friends and experience those holidays and birthdays with a new and interesting culture. I feel as if I have already grown so much, but we’re not even half way through. Our family and friends have been amazing through this all. They have supported us and we are extremely grateful! We know we are very fortunate and indebted to our families; to have given us all we have and to God for giving us the many opportunities we have been given. I know there will be many more hard days (Many times it’s a daily struggle only because I miss my family so much), but I am hopeful and looking forward to the future and what I will be able to do here in Hilongos. I am excited to start a girl’s soccer club and theater club next school year. And I am thrilled to try some new techniques in the classroom as well. I am also looking forward to family visiting us! Which will happen before I know it. I will make sure and cherish every minute of it. I wanted to use this post to reflect on things and I am glad you have shared it with me! Take care and until next time…

Happy New Year sa tanan!! (Everyone) Ryan and I had an amazing New Year's! We met up with several other Peace Corps Volunteers on the island of Bohol. We stayed on Alona Beach on Panglao Island, which is attached to Bohol. It was so much fun!! It was so nice getting to see everyone, hang out, and eat some incredible food! Some friends and I took a tour one day, where we saw the Chocolate hills, tarsiers, and went down the Loboc River Cruise. We also visited the Bee Farm, went snorkeling, and got to be beach bums for a couple of days. Needless to say it was fantastic! It really made all the past hard days worth it! Who knows when are next big adventure will be, but it was great while it lasted.

So Christmas is over and it was weird. We had a good Christmas Eve with Ryan's counterpart's family. We had a lot of fun with them and got to see how a Filipino celebrated Christmas. Then we had a lot of rest, which was nice, but it allowed me to think of home often, which made me sad. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and had some joy. It was hard for me, but I made it and now things will get easier. Now onto New Year's, which will be amazing. We are meeting up with some friends on Bohol, where we will have lots of fun. I can't wait!!!!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to everyone who has sent us things! We have REALLY appreciated it!!! All the cards and packages have meant A LOT to us and we THANK YOU!!!

Special thanks to: Dana and Terry, Tamra, Tammy and Mike, Grammy and Grandpa, Grandma Ohio and Roy, and Karen. THANK YOU!!!! :)

Hello everyone. I changed some settings on my profile and you should now be able to leave comments. Please leave comments; they are nice to read!! Love you all, miss everyone- you have no idea, and hope everyone has an amazing Christmas!!!
We won't have much internet access the next few days/weeks, so please be patient with us.
On a good note- we will be moving into our new home on Jan. 5th! We are very excited, but sad to leave Papang. We are having to move out early, because she has some things she has to take care of in Australia and will be there for 5-6 months. I will take pictures, of course, and hopefully be able to post them soon after we move in. Also, cross your fingers, we will try and get internet in our house so we would have a more reliable way of communicating with everyone.
Again everyone have a great holiday. We will be thinking of you ALL from the Philippines!!!!!

Love, love, love
~Trisha

Hello everyone. So since Canigao Island, Ryan and I have been to Ormoc and Tacloban, two other bigger towns in Leyte. We have been visiting close towns, to see what's available there and to also have a break from Hilongos. It has been nice seeing the other places, but for the next couple of weeks we will be staying home and just chillin. So Ormoc was nice, they have a big grocery store which has some imported items, like White Grape Juice!!!! But other than that there is not much to do there.
This past weekend we went to Tacloban, which was cool. We got to see and meet some other PCVs. We also went and saw the new Narnia movie, which was really good. Funny story. So we got in line early to see the movie and finally got to go in and sit down. Then all of a sudden everyone stands up and the national anthem starts playing on the sound system. So we stand up (and this whole time I'm trying VERY hard not to laugh b/c this was so random), people start singing and when it's over everyone sat down. It was a very different experience! Then announcements came on about not recording in the theater and the movie started, no previews, which was kinda nice.
School. Well I have had one full week of observing actual classes, which was really nice. But now there is a provincial meet (athletics meet) at my school so no classes today or tomorrow. Then later this week we will have Christmas parties and then school will be out for two weeks. It will be fun. I will read and watch a lot of movies.
So anyways that catches you up on what we have been doing. Were getting used to our town and living here in the Philippines. Were very excited for people to come visit us so we can show them around and so they can better understand where we live and work. Some days are lonely and kinda sad, but others are really great and full of great things. We almost always meet someone new that is really nice and interested in why we are here.
Hope everyone is doing well and ready for Christmas! We miss you all. Take care!
Oh, I also posted new pics of Flicker, so click on the flicker tab on the left to check them out!!!
~Love, Trisha