Not Goodbye

So, after 3 weeks in 2 hospitals, I have been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. This is a long term disease that has decided to show up now, and can last for up to 2 years. I have been in hospitals and have begun treatment, so I am already beginning to feel better.



Sadly, my program won't allow me to stay in the Philippines with this condition. So, after many tears and heartbreaking goodbyes, I will be flying back to the US 8 months early. Although I am excited to see family and friends again, I will always love the Philippines, the island of Bohol, and all my friends and family here, and I am going to miss them with all my heart.



So, this is not goodbye, only see you later, because I will be back as soon as possible to the country which has stolen a piece of my heart.

One Month Already!

"Time flies when you're having fun." I guess I've been having a lot of fun, because it doesn't feel like a month at all! Some highlights from the last few weeks have been going swimming in an area that locals usually only swim, so I got some stares. Overall, it was super fun, because there were many kids and I got to talk with them all, practice a little bit of Visaya, and just play with them.

Another fun thing this week was intramurals with school. Intrams are like sports, but the entire school is split into 7 different teams (barangays), and different people do sports representing their barangay. I did the 4x4 relay and my team got the gold medal! I was part of barangay super kidlat, which is a Filipino super hero, and we got 2nd place overall. Another nice thing about intrams is that there is no class for a week! you just have to come for attendance and watch your team, or compete if you are an athlete. 

My classmates and I in our terrible orange barangay shirts. hahaha

The last thing I want to highlight is a photo shoot my ate did for me. She loves taking pictures, so one day we were bored, and decided we should take some pictures. Although there are so many of them I want to post, I'll just share my favorites.

I have enjoyed has been tasting some street foods, like queck queck, tempura, and maybe other things that I don't remember the names. I have watched BFG and Suicide Squad with friends and my ate, and both were great of course. And then I have been able to go to two fiestas! I went to one with a teacher of mine, and another with my family. Basically we just eat a lot, but I love it. And last but not least, I tried karaoke! Me and some of the local AFS volunteers went and did karaoke one night, and it was fun, and not nearly as public as I thought it would be. 

So, There is my 1 month update! I hope you enjoyed reading and will watch for more updates!

The Start of a Second Life

So, I've been in the Philippines for almost 2 weeks now, and I love it already! Don't get me wrong, there has been culture shock and small amounts of homesickness, but not more than can be expected. I haven't done any amazing things, but the little things are what make it amazing. I have been able to bond with my host family, neighbors, and classmates so quickly! It's been the beginning of an amazing 10 months.

Tying our friendship bracelets at Orientation in LA

Some of the little things I am already proud of might seem small or stupid, but they are the kinds of positive things to focus on. I have already learned to ride a jeepney on my own, which was scary, but I didn't even get lost! I have begun to be able to understand the language already... Knowing Spanish has helped with this a lot, but I'm still working on speaking it. I have also begun eating like a Filipino, which is both good and bad, because they are always eating. Hahaha Just a few of the things I've learned to be proud of.



I have started school, and already have some great friends, but am struggling a bit with some of the subjects. I joined a month late, so I think after I get into the flow of things, I'll be ok. I am ok with the subjects, like the teachers, and love my classmates, so I think I'm going to have a great year.

Me and some of my friends at school!

I've also been able to do some more fun stuff with my host family. I have been to two parties, gone to the beach, celebrated my sweet 16th birthday, and went to a bee farm on the waterfront. The two parties were a street party called Sandugo loud fest, and a high school water fight dance thing. They were both super fun, but I had more fun at the water fight, probably because everyone saw that I was white and pretty much surrounded me, so I was soaked by the end. Hahaha

Celebrating my birthday with family and other exchange students

Sandugo Loud Fest!

At the Beach getting tan (burned)

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so this was a really long post. Hahaha I don't have much access to internet, but I will try to update every 2 weeks from now on. Thanks for reading, and follow to stay updated with my adventure in the Philippines! 

Exciting News!

So, a couple of days ago, I received my host family Information. I will be living in Tagbilaran City on the island of Bohol in the central Visayas region. This is one of the most beautiful islands, by the way. My city is the capitol of the island, and is located in the Southwestern part of the island. I am super excited to make "The City of Friendship" my home!

And my family! I have been in contact with my loving host mother, and a bit with my super sweet host sister, and they are both so nice! I will have one host sister and my host parents. They are a Catholic family, so I will be able to experience first hand the Catholic traditions of the Philippines. I will be attending the same Catholic school as my host sister. I am super excited to meet them and spend 10 months with my second family!

A map of the Philippines. (Tagbilaran City is just below Cebu)

The Sandugo Festival, which takes place in Tagbilaran city!

Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO)

This past week, I had the opportunity to meet all of the other YES Abroad exchange students to-be, learn more about the Philippines, and continue preparing myself for exchange in general. I gained so much more knowledge than I expected, and it was also a ton of fun! All of this, and more, took place at the YES Abroad national Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) in Washington DC.

The first day was just arrivals and dinner, then a couple of sessions to get to know other people and begin the preparation process. The second day, on the other hand, was packed as full as possible with informational sessions. From waking up at 7 for breakfast, to having sessions until 10:00 that night, it was an exciting, yet exhausting day. We learned about communication, religion, dress, and a million other things about exchange in our specific parts of the world.

On the second day, we had a bit more fun. Everyone got dressed up, and we headed off to the embassy of our host country, which for me was the Philippines, to learn a bit more about the culture we would be living in. After Our awesome embassy visit, (and exploring around to see a couple of other embassies, since we got dropped off in the wrong place at first) we headed off to Union station for lunch.

After Lunch, all the YES Abroad students made our way to the US State Department to hear a guest speaker (Mark Taplin) and then speak with the desk officers for our specific regions. We were able to gain a better understanding of why the State Department chose to fund us, what goals we should adopt or adapt to better our exchanges, and understand the cultures even better than before. Here I am in the State Department!

Last, but definitely not least, we walked as a group to the Lincoln memorial for pictures and free time. (a rarity at PDO) It was awesome to finally just hang out with people and take pictures together! To finish the day, we ate dinner and had a few last sessions. Also, I was able to say goodbye to my amazing sister, since she will be in DC all summer. Love you Julianne, I'm going to miss you!  

So, this wraps up the orientation process, now onto packing and shopping! I should receive my host family and school information within a week or two, and will post one last time before I leave. I am excited to continue learning about the Philippines, and also to begin my exchange year. The day is drawing near! 

Growing Excitement

About a month ago, I had my local AFS Orientation, where I was able to meet a few other Americans who will be living abroad for the next school year. This was exciting and interesting to talk to people with similar goals as myself, although none of them were going to the same part of the world as myself. 

This upcoming week, I will be flying to Washington DC for my YES Abroad PDO (Pre Departure Orientation), where I will meet other Americans going on year long exchanges to similar parts of the world as myself. I will be there for four days, and will have orientations, tour the Filipino embassy, and talk with US State Department officials about the YES Abroad program. 

In case you are confused, YES Abroad is the scholarship program that sends to 13 different countries with different implementing organizations. My implementing organization is AFS. This means that I will have AFS volunteers as my local support in the Philippines and in the US, but I also have support from YES Abroad regarding scholarship details and questions. 

As of right now, I do not yet have a host family or city in the Philippines. This is usual, as none of the other YES Abroad students going to the Philippines have host families either. I am excited to find my host family, and will post as soon as I get the information. 

I hope you enjoy reading about all of my exchange adventures! I will post again about PDO and host family information. Thank you for reading and I will try and keep you up to date! 

A Cultural Melting Pot

From its 327 year Dominion under Spain, to the half century spent under the US's watch, in addition to the Asian culture it has been constantly surrounded by, the Philippines is the definition of a cultural melting pot. The recipe contains a dash of Malay warmth and generosity, a sprinkle of outgoing Latin temperament, and a pinch of Asian tradition combined with European pop culture to create the unique Filipino way of life.

The Philippines has adopted much of their culture from other countries, including greetings. When greeting a person, it is common to shake hands(softly), as we do in the US. Sometimes women may hug one another, or men may pat each other on the back, but men and women are expected to shake hands. To show respect for an elder, a younger person may bow towards the elder's hand and raise it to their forehead (if the hand is offered by the elder first), this is known as mano or pagmamano and is also to accept a blessing from an elder.

Family unity is a term that the Philippines has earned. Family members love each other and are always looking for a way to spend time together. Family also means sacrifice, what ever it takes to keep family close and doing well. Although Filipino culture is very polite and warm, parents have the right to command their children, and children are expected to obey and respect their parents.

The Philippines is a country that communicates indirectly. This means that body language is used to communicate, as well as asking questions instead of giving commands. One example is that "yes" is signified by jerking the head upwards, while "no" is shown by jerking the head down, because of the indirect culture, many times people while say yes while signifying no, which still means no. Talking in circles is also common, which may be different to many Americans, but it is the polite way in multiple other cultures.

Another thing that I found interesting is that the Philippines is a Republic, and they elect a president like the US does! Each President serves a term of six years. The current President is Benigno Aquino III, and the Vice President is Jejomar Binay. While I don't know too much about their politics, I am hoping to learn since it will be election year while I am there!

So, I hope this post is a good overview of Filipino culture, and I will be posting more about the Philippines and YES Abroad as time goes on. Feel free to comment with any questions you might have about me, my exchange, the Philippines, YES Abroad, or anything else!