Holy Week

I had the opportunity to attend and even participate in Holy Week Celebrations here in the Philippines. Out here the Lenton season is extremely important and the Catholic’s take it very seriously. In Pampanga (my province) we take it to another level, we actually reenact the crucifixion. Not only do we do this but men in our communities will walk with a cross around the Barangay and arrive back at the church and continue to pray. Community members will follow the man showing support. Other men will actually flagellate themselves with a whip and pieces of wood. They have another man with a paddle (with shards of glass sticking out of it) and every so often he will tell the flagellator to stop and he will paddle their backs and they will then carry on. Layers of skin comes off and this is to bring them closer to God and feel Jesus’s sacrifice. There is a quite a bit of blood. This starts on Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday is the reenactment of the crucifixion and the man who has been playing Jesus has been doing it for years. He was actually nailed to the cross. Now this show has become a yearly activity and people from all over come to witness the event. I wished I was local or international press because they got to sit under the large tarp and not get scorched by the sun. I did my penance and got fried and blood splatter that ruined my shorts by the end of the show. It was a really interesting experience and it will happen again next year. There are so many men who flagellate or carry the cross. On the way to San Fernando to watch the crucifixion the bus was so slow because it had to overtake men participating in one of these two rituals and walking on the highway.

It was just incredible the dedication these men have to be closer to god and penance. At the site of the crucifixion a man was selling a paddle and whip and I could not imagine getting hit or hitting myself with either. None of the women participated in the events. I believe they just do some extra praying. During Holy Week there are also processions in the Barangay’s that occur.

Below are some of the pictures of Holy Week.

Sometimes Being Far Away is Not All Its Cracked Up to Be

I know I have a long title but over the last 2 weeks I have been able to experience what that means in multiple ways.

2 weeks ago (March 3, 2008), I got sick with a stomach bug that kept me from work and not able to really prep for a training I was to do. I couldn’t eat without the feeling of wanting to upchuck what I ate so I was refraining. I had a virus that did things to me I can only discuss with my doctor and another Peace Corps Volunteer. I know this sounds pretty silly but here we talk about everything that happens to us inside and out and sometimes it can become a competition. By Saturday the stomach bug was still causing havoc and a throat infection (tonsillitis) had developed. I was having issues from every area. For the first time in my life drugs were not helping, I was not in my own bed, I was still working and I wasn’t being cared for by my family.

By Tuesday I was much better but participating in a training that had me sitting in a chair for 6 hours but my mind working like a race horse. I cannot express how intense the training was. Saturday my throat problem decided to come back but I finished my prescription on Wednesday. My medical officer said I was going to have to let it run its course. What does she mean??? I am actually going to have to take it like a tough girl??? Well I’m not a tough girl and I want it to go away. Maybe I’m just a sucker for punishment but I’m letting this virus do its thing and hope to god it leaves my system soon cause this really sucks.

In the mean time I was away on the road for 8 days doing and participating in 2 trainings. I left Thursday March 6, 2008 sick and miserable but ready to show my will power, that mind over matter thing and conquer. By the following Wednesday I had received a few nice texts that I was missed from people and I was having withdrawals from seeing the kids at the center. I knew I was a homebody before I left the states but I have become really attached to my home here. I even missed my cat Harold, like no other. I wanted to be at home.

Friday I had the chance to stop in at work when I got home and found out 2 kids were sent to the National Center for Mental Health while I was gone and I was really upset since one of the kids I was really attached to. I think it hit me harder than normal because I was overtired and getting sick again. That night I was with some community members and I was totally culturally inappropriate but now looking back on it I can only think “Oops” and next time I’m in a emotional and physical crisis not to accept any invitations to visit with people, my social skills are terrible and I’m way to sarcastic for anyone to handle.

I felt very alone this weekend with my thoughts. I like to share how I feel because it helps me process but out here I’m not understood like I am back at home and the words are taken differently. My actions here are strange and misunderstood. Last Friday I didn’t want to go home because I wasn’t ready to be around people so I went for a walk down a side street I really like and sat at a gate just to think. It was near a councilor’s farm and he was alerted by some neighbors that there was a “tisay” (fair skinned girl – white girl) sitting by herself which is not normal. People here are rarely alone and if someone is sitting by themselves to think this is a very bad sign. My host dad was even alerted by an extended relative of my actions before I got home and wanted to know why I was there and doing that. Not being able to be honest is hard especially for me who likes to talk about my feelings.

I love it here and I love my job but it is really hard and the emotional rollercoaster is one wild ride. I get to learn right now not by being taught but by experience.

Girls L.E.A.D Camp 2008

These are the four participants and my really amazing counterpart from my center :-)

I love the saying from the movie Forest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” So many opportunities fall into my lap all the time being here and it is hard to choose, sometimes I will want to participate and commit to it but it is hard to do it all and then I back out. Today has been a tough day; yes I do have these and from what I’m told it is normal (I’m kidding I know they are normal). I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of projects I have going and will be starting soon. I was telling my sister that one of my biggest challenges in my life is the lack of ability to pace myself which can lead to me becoming paralyzed until a deadline and then it gets done. I probably don’t sound very professional but I guess that’s life and I am human. I’m working on it but I think I’m also just hard on myself because it has been a very busy week and I’m over tired. I’ll get there.

I just helped facilitate a 4 day Girls L.E.A.D camp for 30 girls (4 were from my center) and it was amazing. In a way it was more like a conference because it was session orientated. My counterpart and I facilitated 2 sessions: friendship and understanding cause and effect. Other sessions were: past/present/future, career visualization, agree to disagree, goal planning, and communication. The second half of the camp the girls had to decide on one session, plan and prepare to echo it to some of the residents at their center. I think it went really well and we had 5 pairs of girls planning to replicate one of our sessions. It was really hard work, the first activity was at 6am and lights out was at 10pm with a very tight schedule. The facilitators were constantly on and encouraging the girls so by the end of the 4 days all participants and staff were totally exhausted.

It was nice to work with a group of girls who thought they had limited options, then to see them bloom over the 4 days and see there are options for them. This was the second time the camp had been conducted and not many changes had been made regarding the content and implementation. A few of us hope to do it again next year and make it an annual program. The counterparts that worked on the camp again this year had grown since the last one and their self confidence as facilitators improved. They are really motivated to see this program continue. I look forward to working with them on it next year.

One of my younger girls really came out of her shell and I am so proud of her. She is often the one who follows the stronger girls at our center without much standing up for herself. She is quiet and reserved; she is very polite and sweet. Over the 4 days she would give her opinion when asked, and would try to interact and have fun with the other older girls. I was concerned she and the other younger girl would not be able to replicate a session because of their timid persona but after practicing a few times she improved and interactive. I think her session will go very well.

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Pampanga 2008

Pics from the Day...

Last Saturday I went to the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark base in my province with Rachel. It is about 2.5 hour trip from my house (using public transportation). Unfortunately we left late so we did not see the hot air balloons fly off into the morning sky but we did get a chance to see some really cool aircraft.

It felt like an activity my dad would find out about when we were kids and then he would pack us all in the car and we would be off for the day to a festival of some kind. Rachel and I took our time perusing the area, stopping at the Green Peace booth, talking with the staff about their promotion of clean vehicles (using bio-degradable waste as fuel) and them trying us to pledge some money. Rachel and I were not interested in giving money but we did try to find out if they had any info we could share and work with our barangay’s on but no luck. These vehicles they are promoting are pretty cool but the guy got kinda technical and I couldn’t keep up with the conversation (I was just too tired). There were booths selling charms, t-shirts and cool mugs (dad I got you a cool magnet) and other various things. The really nice part about the set up was any kind of fast food you could imagine they had there willing to feed the masses.

So back to the cool stuff… there were 21 balloons that participated in the festival this year and two were Filipino operators. They go up in the morning before 7am and then do another show at dusk (yeah we missed it; we can plan better for next year). We got to see some really cool 3, 5, and 19 passenger planes. We also saw a “kit plane” which is a plane that is put together like a model car, plane or any other model toy. 51% of the plane comes in a box and the rest has to be purchased separately (like the engine) and then people who know how assemble it. It is not approved by the FAA but it follows their standards. It is pretty cool looking but unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of it but basically it has 2 seats and looks like a plane but without the walls. Also there were so many air force officers from the Philippine military that were willing to take pictures with you next to their jeeps, guns, tanks and helicopters. We got a chance to see the kind of equipment and even touch it!!! Yeah they would explain the different parts and how they would use them in various situations. There were model planes, and model scenarios built and in cases. Lots of pictures from the previous wars were on display; situations the military aided in and some very gruesome and devastating situations with dead soldiers.

Lots of families were there watching people fly kites, watch the various aerial shows and learn about the military brought for show and tell. It was well put together and something Rachel and I want to see again next year.

Thanks a Bunch

Isn't my kitty Harrold cute???

Here in the Philippines there is no mailing letters from your mailbox, post box on your street or handing it to your mail carrier (if you can figure out who he might be). You are required to go to the post office in the closest town (which is a 15 min jeep ride or 10.50 peso ride each way) and then you need to make sure you are there before closing time at 4:45pm. The post office opens about 9am but they cannot sell stamps before 9:30 or 9:45am so even if you are there at opening time you best have a stamp already. This is the funny part your mail gets weighed if it is international (which mine are 99.9% of the time) so buying stamps ahead of time are kinda worthless cause my letters seem to be different weights all the time. Although, sending a postcard is a straight 26 pesos. I think I need to send more real mail in order to get this into an exact science.

Now as Ming (the cat who will live with me permanently) sits in my lap and takes a rest while Harrold is standing on my foot chewing at some part of my sock I think about the packages that I have received in the last week. I want to say a big THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for sending all the goodies. I get all sorts of warm fuzzies when I think of them and opening them. Yesterday, I received another package and my host mom asked if the packages I have received were from my boyfriend and I had to remind her again that I’m single (I think my host parents are in denial that I’m 26, single and this is okay at least by my standards) but from my relatives back in the states who love me so much and are willing to pay the outrageous postage to send me cute, fun stuff. Being far away and getting e-messages, e-mails, written letters and packages makes it all okay.

In conclusion thank you for taking the time to have any contact with me at all I really appreciate it. :)

Asking Me Questions

Hi Guys,

So this is a quick message to all those who send me messages, let me know what they think about my blogs and everyone else. Thank you for being interactive. I love hearing about what you think and answering your questions. My only comment is that if you have questions and you post it on my blogs please leave your e-mail address or a way to give you a response. If you need it here is my e-mail addy: katiepentz@hotmail.com if you are concerned about someone getting your e-mail addy. Ingat (take care) and I will blog again soon :-)

This a picture of a portion of a hotel that shoots a very popular t.v show called Mari Mar. It is an amazing hotel that has 2 status next to each other that just don't fit... the grotto with the virgin Mary and a dinosaur. Only in the Philippines!!!