Philippines

July 2012

When I saw the posting for the Asian student affairs and services conference taking place in Manila, I knew I was going. Being in Qatar means the flight would only be 9 hours (well if I sprang for a direct one) and since the conference is held every other year it seemed like something that couldn't be missed.  Then, the question was, "should I take some holiday time to enjoy the country known for its beauty and hospitable people?" The answer: undeniably "yes."

Over the last few months I asked colleagues to join me in the adventure. Randomly I found out that the past acpa president would be attending with his cadre of colleagues. They were presenting a session. This automatically sounded like a fun adventure, if you know Tom Jackson from U of L. However, I was looking for someone one who might want to do a little vacation travel as well. Alas, there were no takers. As the days grew closer, I continued to be more and more anxious about the adventure. As a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants traveler, my previous trips were mostly planned and implemented by more detail oriented travel companions. I can make decisions, plan events, etc but when you have someone easy going like myself, it seemed better to just go with the flow. Now, the planning needed to be done.

Up until the day before I hadn't booked any domestic flights, hotels or even referenced much of what I wanted to do. It was clear that my anxiety was partly because I was lacking my more organized and particular travel companions. On a personal note, the events of the past few years have left long-lasting marks on my personality and energy. I just didn't have as much get-up-and-go! Additionally, the acquisition of my new degree seems to have stolen a tremendous amount of common-sense ( as can be evidenced in many other phd holders!) Clearly I have an uphill battle on my hands. :) 

I remain true to my desire to power through the hurdles of the past and start reclaiming myself again. One of those major strongholds: solo international vacations. I can't say it is something that I really wanted to do, but I don't want to stifle my desire to see the world, just waiting on a companion (or at least the old katie wouldn't have let that happen. So it is time to find her again.) There's nothing like heeding the call to overcome your own fears. So here I am sitting in a domestic airline terminal in Manila ready to board a puddle jumper to a small remote island, all by my self.

My travels started two days ago now. I left Doha at 1:30am and arrived in Manila 16 hrs later (admitting that saving the extra $700 was more important than the direct flight).  I suppose my odds were better leaving in the middle of the night, and I was granted the ubictuous business class upgrade that many of my colleagues have grown to love. From freshly squeezed orange juice to Baileys in my coffee, I enjoyed the experience. My electronic seat that resembled a lazy-boy kept me comfy on the 45m flight. Even though I had every intention of sleeping through the entire flight, I kept myself awake to enjoy the experience. If someone wants to upgrade me again, I don't think I will complain.

Every time I board a plan and walk through the business class section, I wonder about the people there and their stories. Are they on business? Who is their family? How might their life be different than mine? Then I realized, maybe they are just a economy ticket bearing single gal trying to restart her solo adventures. Maybe the gods looked down and said, this girl is really trying to find herself again, she is struggling with taking this independent adventure, let's just grant her a little extra love. I am not sure how it happened, but I am thankful and the generosity was noted and appreciated.

When I arrive in Manila, the immigration lines were tremendous but seemed to move reliably quickly. Everyone seemed to have an American passport which I am learning is a power and privilege (and I am thankful for the many men and women who sacrificed so much to give me this gift, especially my grandfather, Dale who could never bring himself to talk about his horrors in WWII, but could only say through tears that he couldn't discuss it.) The passport holders were varied in age and ethnicity, providing justification that America really is a diverse and welcoming place. It wasn't however just people who transmitted the lines. I also noticed this small little one that I thought might make Lily happy!

After a recent aggressive taxi cab moment in Beirut, I was nervous about descending into the arrival transportation area. To my surprise, cabs were perfectly aligned and orderly. It was a great experience. My hotel was a stop over place, being that I was only there about 6 hours. When I arrived at midnight, the roosters had not gone to sleep. (I am convinced, they must have insomnia.) They welcomed me all night long. Cats and dogs prowling the streets also joined in the greetings. When I awoke in the simple room, I looked down too see some local living arrangements. Indeed, the colors were lovely, but I again felt a tremendous amount of pro ledge for all that I have.

This morning I had an overwhelming sence of peace about this vacation. Somehow the philipppines feels strangely like home. The WWII legacy left English as an important language and of course the Filipino people are some of here most hospitable people in the world. They are full of smiles and warm greetings. 

  

As I boarded the small plane to another island, I noted something unique. Unfortunately I already had my phone off when the generator (and man with the fire extinguisher) came to start the propellers in the tarmac. It would have been a good one. :)

My stay at Dave's straw hat in was great. The well known spot is clean and relatively cheap and just a few footsteps from the ocean. The place is know for it's hospitable staff (how couldn't you have hospitable staff in the Philippines?) who already know my name, miss Katie (a happy reprieve from the Dr. Katie, I've been getting at the office, since the completion of my last paper.) I ate the local dish of called adobo (a chicken twist on liver and onions) which was great and enjoyed a few of the local beers (a tradition I picked up somewhere along the way). 

Somewhere along the way it started to rain...then rain more, then down pour. As I am the one who has been living in the dessert and really starting to miss the rain, I was delighted. I said to the woman at the desk, I love that it is raining! She replied, " I think we're in a typhoon." and by this (and referencing the weather channel, she meant, "We are IN a typhoon." I am delighted to report it hasn't stopped since I arrived.

Before dinner I found a cute little local boutique of recycled goods where I did a little shopping. I am sure I will go back there. Then off to other shops full of things that locals think tourists want to buy. Better yet, I found a fantastic beaded necklace shop where I will no doubt bring something home.

Dinner was a fantastic experience at a little lemon cafe. Organic, quaint, and unique dishes are their speciality. I had coconut rice with Spanish and tiger prawn, with a chocolate peanut battle moose for dessert.  I will go back, for sure.

This was my eggs Benedict from the next morning. :)

Now I am on day two in Boracay It is taking me a a little time to  acclimate to my new timeline. This means jet lag, no work and solo travel.  All of this has taken a lot of energy and both days I have been here I have taken extensive afternoon naps in hopes of catching up.  Some in my bed with ocean breeze providing natural air conditioning, some in the hammock on my porch, some on my beach chair.

  

One of my colleagues who had been to Boracay before said that I had to take a catamaran sailing. Boracay is known for its outdoor sport, kite gliding, parasailing, etc.  I had tried for two days to go sailing but the intense rains and winds prevented me. On my last morning I got up early to go. The sun was shining brightly and the prevailing rain was far in the distance. I found a young man willing to take me for an hour. A mere $14 for an hour sailing. The water was crystal blue, sun shining and because it was in the morning, the days heat hadn't arrived. I had left my valuable electronics in the room (so no pictures of the event, I am sorry to say.) They made me register and then handed me a life jacket. Then up onto the nylon tied net of the catamaran. With a quick push we were off. The water was beautiful and I let my legs dangle off the edge of the catamaran wings. It was a windy day, one that my captain, Amir, said would be a great day for sailing. The waves were big and each time we hit one just right I got a little refreshing splash. Because we didn't have a lot of time, Amir, and his helper said that we would only sail to the next island, have a quick coconut and then head back. Except for somewhere close to the next island the winds changed. In one large gust, the boat shifted and the rain started. Amir, in true filipino fashion said, I think well go back now if it is ok with you (smiling of course!) They had me change sides of the boat to help even some of the weight against the heavy winds and strong waves. We were flying along the water and each wave hit us hard. I thought it was thrilling, but I am not sure the other guys felt the same. Amir was working hard pulling the platistic tarp sails. I asked the helper how fast he thought we were going..."20 knots" he replied. It was really fast for a sailboat. We were still quite a ways from land and I realized that my chance of falling off was pretty good. I knew they could probably come back to get me, but the rain was falling down hard and the winds were fierce. I, in a calm way, started to calmly plot the fastest way to swim ashore if need be. I wondered if this was an every day occurrence and then asked the helper (Amir was busy concentrating)." Is it hard to sail in this weather?" I yelled to the helper. "yes, very hard. This is bad weather." I agreed. When we got closer to the shoreline the winds got even stronger. I relaxed more and Amir said that we would take one more pass in front of the beach. Each wave hit us in the face or totally submerged me in the water. They asked me once again to crawl to the other side  (something that is difficult when the weather was good, let alone under the mast in raging winds and waves going 20 knots.) I made it across and we finished up the trip. When we arrived, Amir laughed a bit, "Well did you like it?"   "Absolutely! You don't get this wet in the desert!"  I  replied.

My ride...

The days have now turned into many days and...It is now time for me to find my way to Manila for the conference. The rains continued and although there were a few minor delays, I enjoyed the day drinking coffee, listening to music, and finishing writing my blog.

 After almost a full day of travel (8 hours later), I arrived at a local hotel which to my surprise, was very new and very posh in comparison to my previous lodging options on the islands. So what is the first thing you do after virtually camping for the week? Laundry. That's right, I did my laundry in the sink and shower and now my fine hotel looks a bit like the corner laundry mat. Clean cloths are on the horizons.

I was pleased to meet ACPA colleague and U of Louisville Vice President, Tom Jackson and the rest of the service leaving team in Manila for the conference.  We met for dinner and I have to admit the familar face and good company of the group was warmly welcomed after a week of traveling solo.

The conference started the following day with a fantastic opening ceremony including a song of prayer and native dance with the flags of each of the countries represented. It was striking and very cool. The coolest part is they collected flags from every country represented. I was excited to see both the American and Qatar flag there!

Having friends in Manila was a great experience and I enjoyed having travel companions, something that I missed while in Boracay. The U of L team was great and invited me along with them to Corregidor Island, an important strong hold in several wars including WWII. For me, it was a special event because my grandpa who (as grandma said), "saw a lot of action" in the south pacific during WWII was likely sailing these seas. I thought of him alot.

The U of L team was great and I fully enjoyed spending time with them. They taught me a lot about their program in the Philippines and continued to fill my tool box with facts, figures and pedagogy on international education. Their program is certainly a well respected one, and one I hope to visit again one day! Plus, their onsite coordinator, along with their instructionalf and logistics teams was phenomenal. I am so pleased that I live so close to Louisville so I can visit them when I get home.

Katie with the U of L instructional team (and all around good eggs!)

When it came time to leave Manila I was certainly humbled with all that I had experienced. The beauty of the country, reuniting with both old and new friends, soaking up daily rain and some historical moments that made me wish grandpa was here to explain his part. As the group parted, it couldn't help but be thankful for all of the wonderful people in the world, the randomness of strangers and how connections can be built in just a few short days. I can't wait to connect with the U of L team on their home terf! Once again, this kid, who doesn't get homesick at all, certainly ached for a little bit more of home. 

Dear Philippines, thanks for sharing your wonderful country with me. I WILL be back.