Our experience in the Peace Corps thus far has been marked by a series of transitions. —First, we had to move everything we could squeeze out of our cramped apartment in Oakland into our little 4-door sedan and drive it across the country from California to Michigan. After gutting the car and transferring all of our remaining prized possessions into Erin's mom'’s house, we had to consolidate what was needed for our journey to the Philippines into a few tightly packed bags.. Our journey continued as we stayed at the luxurious Crowne Plaza hotel in less-than-picturesque Romulus, Michigan for the duration of Peace Corps pre-departure training. Island Cove Resort in Cavite, outside of Manila let us grace their heavenly grounds for another week and allowed us a wonderful reprieve of cool air-conditioned rooms and wickedly fast water-slides from upcoming periods of heat torture called “training. The assignment of the Western Visayas region brought us to a fishery training center named SEAFDEC in Tigbauan, Iloilo, where we spent another few days getting burnt out on PowerPoint training presentations and cultural adjustment. After SEAFDEC, we had the wonderful opportunity to live with our first host family in Igcocolo, Guimbal, where we began learning our language of life for the next 2 years, Kinary-a, figured out how to shower with a bucket and a dipper, awoke at the crack of dawn (or before) to roosters and dogs every morning, and really learned what everyday life is like for people here in the Philippines. When Peace Corps decided that we were amply trained, our "“real"” assignment in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, began with another host family. Riding “trikes” to school and eating various foods made from animal parts that we had never envisioned eating became commonplace as we tried, despite our white-American-ness, to blend in culturally while beginning our work assignments. It has been 3 months in San Jose now, and time for what should hopefully be our last move for about 2 years. Thanks to some help from a fellow volunteer, we found an amazing house that needed loving tenants while the owner lives in Manila. The house just happens to be nestled between palm trees, overlooking the northern part of the Sulu Sea, with a beautiful view of ocean and horizon from the front porch. It'’s a perfect house in a small coastal barangay for a young married couple like ourselves.

This intimate narrative can be serned up in Erin's words as:
YAY! WE FOUND A HOUSE! I A’M SO EXCITED!!!

We will move into our new house this weekend, 1 year to the day when we exchanged vows a world away and what seems like a lifetime ago. I (Scott) was having trouble figuring ouerneat to get Erin for our first anniversary. I had thought that the traditional 1st anniversary gift is “something paper,” but, much to my chagrin, when I looked online it said right there in plain English that the traditional 1st anniversary gift is “a cottage on the ocean in Southeast Asia. So, I guess I hit the nail on the head on this one without even knowing it! We do have an extra bedroom, so if you know anyone who wants to spend a week, two weeks or even a month, we'’ve got the room.
Happy Anniversary to us!
Scott and Erin

If you have time, please read the following article or visit Ian's blog to read about the recent terrible oil spill on our neighboring island of Guimaras. It is heartbreaking, not only the environmental losses, but the loss of livlihoods as well for thousands of people.
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=17319

Erin had a fever of around 100 degrees last Saturday. She also had some other random symptoms including body aches, which are signs of dengue fever. Scott convinced her to call the Peace Corps doctor, and because a volunteer nearby (Ian from Colorado—he has a blog and there is a link to it on the right side of the page) had just gotten out of the hospital from dengue fever, Erin was instructed to go to the hospital, pronto. It was 4 o’clock on a Saturday and the hospital is a 2.5 hour drive from our town. Checking into a hospital in the US can be daunting, but here, it is nauseatingly difficult. In fact, it is mandatory that one have a “kasama” or companion to aid in all of the running around before and during one’s stay. Here is an instruction sheet that we wish we would have had before we went to the hospital to aid us in the check-in procedure. Erin stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and no signs of dengue were found. We did get to have air conditioning and cable TV for those days, though, so that made up for the IV of dextrose that Erin had to put up with the whole time.

1. Arrive at the ER (even if there is no more fever, per Peace Corps doctor’s instructions).
2. Wait in the ER without getting talked to by any staff member who passes you.
3. After talking to a nurse and giving vital information and symptoms, proceed to the ER waiting room.
4. When the doctor comes with an entourage of 3 nurses, 2 interns and a handful of medical students who came to see the sick white person, give all of your symptoms (even if they are embarrassing) to them in front of the rest of the people waiting with you.
5. Take a form to the laboratory where you will get your blood tested. Urine, too.
6. After arriving in the lab, take said form to the pharmacy to pay for blood tests before they can be performed.
7. Follow pharmacy’s directions and go to the business office to pay for blood tests before they can be performed.
8. After talking to the people in the business office, return to the pharmacy to pay for blood tests before they can be performed. They are transferring there for the night. They will complete your transaction there.
9. Return to pharmacy. Wait for business office people to arrive to complete your transaction.
10. While completing transaction, remind the people from the business office that the patient is a Peace Corps volunteer and that Peace Corps will pick up the payments for the blood tests.
11. Return to the lab to get the patient’s ID.
12. Get ID.
13. Return to lab with ID.
14. Present ID, complete transaction. Cost of blood tests to be covered by Peace Corps, 210 Pesos ($4.20).
15. Return to lab to present receipt so blood tests can be performed.
16. Answer “Yes” to question regarding whether urine test was requested by doctor. Remind the lab technician that you do not have a form for that.
17. Take hand written form from lab tech obtained after her calling the ER doctor to the pharmacy to pay for urine test before it can be performed.
18. Return to lab with hand written sheet properly documented by business office employees in pharmacy.
19. Patient goes to disgusting bathroom to give urine sample, returns to lab.
20. Patient gets blood drawn for testing. Do not be alarmed if lab technician does not utilize gloves of any kind.
21. After blood is drawn, return to ER to wait 1 hour for results.
22. Consult with PC doctor as to further action to be taken. When she recommends to be admitted for the night, inquire to ER doctors if the steps for admittance can be started now while waiting for the blood work results.
23. Wait for blood work results per ER doctor’s orders before continuing steps for admittance.
24. Return to lab to get results after 1 hour.
25. Wait longer, watching Disney Channel Asia with 3 families, all 22 eyes fixed on the 2 white people in the lab waiting area.
26. Get results from blood work.
27. Return to ER doctors to show results.
28. Receive official fluorescent yellow laminated card that says “For Admittance” from ER doctors. Instructed to take card to “Admitting” for admittance.
29. Proceed to Admitting to check patient in while patient gets dextrose IV in ER bed area.
30. Pull on “Admitting” doors. If locked, go to “Information.”
31. Begin admittance procedures at Information Desk.
32. When filling out forms, be sure to indicate religion. *Note* For future reference, our religion as entered by clerk is “American Christian.”
33. After filling out forms and signing waivers, return to ER with admittance paperwork, leaving official fluorescent yellow admittance card at Information Desk.
34. Wait in ER for paperwork to be further completed by ER staff
35. After paperwork is completed, patient is wheeled to proper room.

Congratulations! You are now successfully checked-in to a hospital in the Philippines! Remember, though, that there is no toilet paper, soap or towels in the hospital, so you have to bring those items yourself. Also, patient/doctor confidentiality does not exist, so know that you will be visited by no less than 27 different staff members in your time here, many of which will tell you about the various ailments of other patients on your particular floor.

Hi Everyone! Here are a few new pictures. I tried to upload more, but I'm having trouble with the connection. No funny stories today - sorry. We did have the chance to attend a teacher training up in the mountains. Here are some photos from the trip!







Laundry and bath time in the river.

The view on the way into Valderrama - there is a 300 meter hanging bamboo bridge to cross the river.

Save the Children friends posing in the rain

Here we are in Valderrama

The beach in San Jose after sunset

Our first host brother, Badong, in Guimbal working in the yard.

Bea and Jared in Guimbal. We just celebrated his 7th birthday.

Babygirl, how cute is she?