Some more general musings from akin (me)

This recent sickness has knocked me around a bit. I think the persistent heat, which along with the rain creates a high level of humidity probably isn’t helping either. But it’s been tough getting over this one and I wish I could have a break in Australia for a week or two. Neil is leaving on Friday for Perth. I notice it will be a sunny 19 degrees there today. Not 31, raining and humid. But the main purpose of his trip is to visit his step-mum Barbara and his sister and her children who have just returned from a few years in the UK. Unfortunately I only have a limited amount of leave and it hasn't been possible for me to join him at this time He’ll be there for about 10 days and will return just before his birthday on the 29th. Upon his return we'll head down to a place in the Visayas called Apo Island, near Dumaguete on Negros Oriental to celebrate Neil's birthday. Apo Island is pretty well known for its well preserved coral reef that has been successfully protected from dynamite fishing!! (unlike many other coral reef areas in the Philippines) We will do an introductory scuba dive while there and the small island itself is supposedly very peaceful and very pretty. This will be our first trip down to an island in the Visayas and I’m really looking forward to it.

We told our Tagalog teacher on Monday that we didn’t want to continue Tagalog anymore. We’ve done about 10 lessons with her and feel like much of the time has been wasted. She had never taught Tagalog before (only English to Korean students) and when we asked questions she was unable to provide us with some concrete answers. For example: Pwede mo bang ipakita sa akin sa mapa? (Can you show me on the map?) why is the bang – ba + ng joined together when in other cases it is separate, ba (to indicate a question) and ng (a ligature, another confusing aspect of Filipino). And when do you use ipakita and when do you use nakakita and when do you you use just kita (all are versions of 'see'). And when do you use 'akin' me and 'ako' I/me? Stuff like that. Anyway, so we’ve (hopefully) found someone who is a little more qualified and hopefully it will all go well. But I shouldn’t blame our teacher too too much. For my conversational Tagalog to improve I really need to start talking MORE!!!

I’ve become addicted to eating grapefruit for breakfast. I think it has become my favourite fruit – a pretty big call as I do miss Australian grapes. Here the grapefruits are imported from South Africa I think, so they aren’t too cheap, but they seem to be a bit sweeter than the ones in Australia. Perhaps they are just a different variety. The Philippines has some great fruit though. Much more than the apples and oranges that dominate the Australian shelves. When I get home, I’ll have a Filipino food party, because much of it can be found in Australia, but I had never tried it. Mangosteens, lychees, lanzones, rambutans, atis, stinky durian, dragonfruit (which looks very pretty but which I haven't yet tasted). Most of it is pretty sweet but all in all is pretty good.

Work is going well. Being sick I hit a bit of a brick wall again as to the focus of what I need to be doing here. But I am working on a couple of discussion papers on possible plans so hopefully that will reinvigorate thoughts about how to improve things. As I've said before, generally the women I work with here hold similar ideas about what is needed to enhance their work - money and more resources. Unfortunately I am unable to bring this to a large extent. But I guess an extra pair of hands and a sounding board goes a little way to helping out around here. It's become an ongoing discussion with a few other AYADs here and with the in-country manager. And it was a question raised when I was back in AusAID in Australia. Just to what extent can a single volunteer help an organisation? I guess it would differ between different organisations, and even within different parts of organisations depending on the individuals working there and the contexts in which the volunteer is working. One of my colleagues here is seriously considering volunteering with a women's organisation in Pakistan. I'm excited for her - she is very matalino (intelligent) and could impart a lot of knowledge. I guess when it comes down to it, I would encourage people to go and volunteer for a while. You learn a lot and the transfer of knowledge and ideas on both sides can be rewarding and valuable (a plug for the AYAD program, new assignments are advertised I think on the 15th of September). And despite the pollution, humidity, sicknesses, msg-ridden salty sweet food and frustrations of Manila, it is fun to be overseas. You just need to really remember it sometimes.

posted by batik billy @ 11:49 am