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