La Conclusión

A more-or-less English translation of this post is here.  

Bueno.  Ahora, estoy en Berkeley, California, menos de una semana antes de salir del país para ir a las Filipinas.  Quiero empezar a trabajar allá acerca del ambiente.  Intentaré lo que yo aprendí durante mis tres años en El Cuerpo de Paz.  Vamos a ver!  Pero que estaba haciendo yo antes?

1)  Viajando a Través de los Estados Unidos -- Después del fin de mi servicio en Panamá, yo viajaba a través de los EE.UU. solo por la tierra (el bus, tren, o carro), sin volando.  Entonces, comenzando en Washington, D.C., yo viajaba a través de los estados unidos por casi tres semanas.  Además de Washington, D.C., yo visité mis amigos (y un primo) en Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona y California.  Fue muy divertido de hablar de nuevo cara a cara con ellos después de mucho tiempo. 

2)  Foto del Servicio -- Mi foto más favorito:

Durante un evento ambiental en el pueblo cercano de Las Minas

3)  La Canción del Día

Los Wilburys Viajando -- La Final de la Línea

4)  Las Noticias de Camerún -- es una noticia interesante sobre la bolsa plástica en Camerún, haciendo un mercado negro de ellos.  Parece como un artículo de Onion, pero es verdad.

5)  Lo Único Tienda de Cero Basura en Los Estados Unidos --  ¿Sabe que hay solo una tienda de Cero Basura en los estados unidos? Está en Texas, de todos los lugares.  Si yo sabría durante mis viajes, yo lo visitaría. 

6)  Eso es un poco embarazoso -- recientemente, yo envié aparentemente los solicitudes de amistad por Facebook, pero yo no sabía como.  Entonces, lo siento a las personas que los recibieron.  Pienso que yo lo hice cuando yo no estaba acostumbrando con mi teléfono inteligente. ¿Qué?  ¿Tengo un teléfono inteligente?

7)  Ahora tengo telefono inteligente -- yo decía mucho que yo no prefiera tener un teléfono inteligente.  Pero yo veo que es una buena herramienta, porque lo veo como un computador.  Antes, yo no lo querría por que necesito cargarlo casi cada día.  Pero es lo mismo con el computador.  Ahora yo uso el computador menos que antes.  El teléfono inteligente ha remplazado mi computador.  Es bueno también durante mis viajes.  No necesito sacar mi computadora solo para usar el Wifi para comunicar con mis amigos por e-mail o cualquier cosa. 

8)  No lo sabía -- en la ciudad de Baguio, se produce 360 a 370 toneladas de basura cada día.  También, hay grupos allá que hacen lo mismo proyectos como Panamá.  Finalmente, SM, el gran centro comercial, hizo una relación publico acerca del ambiente. 

Heading North to Go to South America

Highlights of my trip to Cartagena, Colombia:

1)  Sightseeing

 

Castillo de San Felipe

"And if I've built this fortress around your heart…"

2)  A Tale of Two Hostals -- stayed at two hostals in Cartagena.  The first hostal was more popular and kind of a party hostal.  The second hostal was cheaper and, well, kind of run-down, but more relaxing and the people were friendlier. 

3)  The Starbucks of Colombia

Juan Valdez Cafe

4)  Watching Chess in the Park

5)  Watching dolphins from the ferry...

Took the ferry from Panama to Colombia and caught sight of dolphins

A great trip.  Wish I could go back and travel to other parts of Colombia, including Bogota, Cali and Barranquilla, the birthplace of Shakira.  Viva Colombia!

Mexico …

… y otras cosas. 

Its been an eventful few months since I went off to Mexico a few months ago: 

1)  Mexico By Bus --

Image above is from my Facebook Places map.  I sometimes think I only travel so I can put virtual pins on that map.  It also looks like I need pins in Eastern Mexico.  ¡Me iré proximo tiempo!

2) Peace Corps Reboot (Or Response) --  a lot of movies nowadays are reboots of old films -- Batman, Superman, Star Trek, etc.  Probably due to a lack of original ideas, as the reboot of 21 Jump St ironically says.  Well, I also have a bit of a reboot -- Peace Corps.  I've been invited to be a Peace Corps Response volunteer in Panama promoting environmental education.  I'm scheduled to fly out in early September. 

I was actually surprised to be invited for this assignment since the process took quite a while.  The assignment was supposed to start in July, but I wasn't notified until it was practically 1-2 days before July.  On the day I got the email, I was already making backup plans -- I was at a TEFL school in Guadalajara, Mexico getting information on how I could enroll so I can get an English teaching certificate.  I figured I was going to be teaching English, not environmental education.  Well, as Ryry, a former PCV buddy once told me, "Have a little faith, man."

3)  SoCal -- after getting my invitation, I needed to get some medical check-ups and also take care of some paper work.  I decided to go to San Diego, thinking I'll head back to Ensenada, Mexico while waiting for Peace Corps to clear me.  It would also give me more time to continue speaking Spanish.  Alas, Peace Corps wanted my passport so I ended up staying in San Diego instead of leaving the country.  San Diego wasn't bad.  Cheaper than staying in the Bay Area. 

4)  What Cellphone? --  I still don't have a functional cellphone.  Haven't had one since November.  When I left Cameroon, I decided not to get a sim card for my phone since I would be traveling from country to country.  I relied on other people's cellphones (Thank you!) or I used public telephones.  A few months ago, however, I decided to get a sim card for my phone since I was expecting job interview calls.  When I tried to buy one, though, the guy said they didn't make sim cards for my dumbphone.  The US discriminates against dumbphone users!

Nonetheless, I managed.  Not really sure how I survived without a cellphone for 8 months, but its possible.  Note to self: never make a collect call from a payphone using Legacy.  Side benefit of not having a cellphone:  less chance of becoming a smartphone zombie. 

La Vida Recientemente

I’m not sure I chose this life or it chose me yet. I do know that life “back home” did not fit with my philosophy of how I wanted to live.
-- Expat in Mexico

1) Leaving the US -- When I got back to the US from Latin America a few weeks ago, I was thinking about what to do next. I knew I wanted to keep working in the environmental field, but I also wanted to live overseas. Those two together are not easy especially without a Masters degree. So I decided that if I couldn't work in the environmental field overseas, I'll teach English. That'll be my backup plan, my Plan B. I can always volunteer on the side at an environmental organization while teaching English. So after I took care of things like selling my car and meeting with some friends/family in California, I left the US and headed to Mexico. I was going to be an expat. Indefinitely. This should be interesting.

2) Latin America, Take 2 -- the last time I was in Latin America, all I did was sightsee my last 2 weeks. It wasn't always fun though. Sometimes I felt like the guy in the song Man in a Suitcase by the Police. I sometimes felt like I needed a break from traveling, weird as that sounds. Those two weeks were hectic and kind of burned me out -- heading up north from southern Guatemala all the way to Mexico. Buses, hostels, tourists, sight seeing, repeat. So next time I do something like that again, I'll try to stay more than 2 nights so it wouldn't be as stressful. Unless the place is really awful.

3) Hostels in the US -- I have to say that hostels in the US are very different from hostels in Latin America. I stayed at a couple of hostels in Berkeley, LA and San Francisco, where there were people living there indefinitely. That was weird. In Latin America, everyone in the hostels were travelers, not locals.

4) Things I've Lost While Traveling -- my Cal baseball cap I've had for ages, lost somewhere in Mexico on my way to Bacalar.

5) New Hobby:

Tres Mundos

After being in Guatemala for nearly 2 months, I realized I moved in three circles or types of environments:

1)  The Spanish School Circle --  my first environment.  What better world to start with when living in Latin America?  Most of the students I met were very friendly.  Maybe its because we all had something in common -- we were all going through the painful process of trying to learn or relearn Spanish.  Its paid off though.  As they say, "No pain, no gain."

2)  The Volunteer Circle --  whether its through the volunteer database of Entremundos or the organic farm group of WWOOF, this circle is where I found myself after relearning Spanish.  The first organization I was with, I didn't meet too many travelers.  That was great because I was forced to speak Spanish.  Also, I got to learn more about a culture by being immersed in it (ie no other foreigners to speak to).  The second organization had more volunteers and most of them didn't speak Spanish.  Plus, the bosses spoke English to the volunteers because many of them didn't speak Spanish, which was unfortunate.  Nevertheless, I was able to practice my Spanish by speaking to non-English speaking staff.  Lately, I would just reply in Spanish when Guatemalans started speaking to me in English. 

This circle is probably my favorite because it directly applies to what I want to do career-wise and I learned quite a bit just by talking to the staff members.  For instance, I learned the sad truth that ecotourism in the mangroves generates so little money in comparison to sugar cane farms, which can be detrimental to the mangroves.

3)  The Hostal Circle -- usually the world of backpackers who are out to do some sightseeing or just to have a good time (ie party).  Most of them travel in groups, either they're couples or are a group of friends.  Some of them are traveling solo like me.  I'm in this circle right now since I have less than two weeks left before I head back to the US for a week or so.   On the plus side, I learned about how the word "ecotourism" is thrown about to entice customers.  Its also a world where you'll meet a fellow traveler and then after a day or two, you'll say, "Well, have a nice life" because its doubtful you'll ever see them again.  This world is not my favorite world to be in.  But hey, what are you going to do when you're on a budget and want to sightsee?

See You Soon in Cameroon!

Well, now I've really done it. I am at a hotel in Philadelphia right now, preparing for my departure tomorrow. I am leaving the country to become an Agroforestry volunteer in Cameroon for 2 years (28 months to be exact). I have to learn French since that's one of their official languages. So I get to use those funny symbols on top of letters like é (as in cliché) or è (as in 'pas de problème') or û (as in 'Je vais partir en août'). I probably also have to convert everything to the metric system. Sacré bleu! So until next time, au revoir!

Chicago

I didn't get to see Oprah's show, watch a game at Wrigley Field or check out Al Capone's vault. hehe. However, during my short stay in Chicago, I got to check out Millennium Park ...

... visit a blues bar ...

... go up the Sears/Willis Tower ...

... walk to Lake Michigan ...

... and try deep dish pizza. No picture taken for the pizza though.

It was great. See you again some time, Chicago!

One final note: Chicago's public transit system was pretty good. I didn't use a cab or rent a car the whole week I was there. Only light rail and bus.

Technorati tags: Chicago

Final Thoughts on my Vacation

I've pretty much posted the highlights of my Philippine vacation. Now for some random thoughts about my trip:

1) The Philippines is still obsessed with looking white (i.e. skin whiteners). Here's some billboards I saw in Manila :

Is this colonial mentality or what? Although I have to point out that I only saw these ads in Manila, not in any other city I visited. So I don't know if I can attribute this "wanting to look like a white person" phenomenon to the entire Philippines.

2) Discrimination is still rampant. Here's an example of a typical job ad from a Baguio newspaper with height, age, and of course, the "pleasing personality" requirement:


Do you really need an age or height requirement when working the front desk? C'mon, just have them sit or stand on a couple of books if they're short. :D Meanwhile, at this Manila establishment, they don't mince words:

What's an unattractive person to do? hehe. Can you imagine being rejected for this job? "Miss, you've got all the qualifications, but unfortunately.... well, you're not easy on the eyes." hahaha. Well, at least the restaurant didn't require the waitress to have a "pleasing personality." :D

3) Fireworks....annoying fireworks. I became annoyed at all the people setting firecrackers near our house in Baguio and leaving their trash everywhere.

I suppose this graphic poster of severed fingers they had posted at the sari-sari stores wasn't enough to deter the revelers from playing with fireworks:

I'm not trying to be KJ, as they say in the Philippines, but some of these fireworks ARE illegal and dangerous. I did see a headline the next day that there were 600 fireworks-related injuries. So much for that graphic poster.

4) Nothing beats relaxing around a bonfire with a few drinks. Here's one where I drank hard liquor around a bonfire, but didn't get drunk. The liquor was only 65 proof. :D
We had to move the hard liquor b/c it was a little too close to the fire. ;)

6) The export of human labor continues. Yet another relative has left to work overseas as a nurse. I have another relative studying nursing. I think she already has a degree in another field. Is the Philippines always going to be an exporter of human labor? Will there ever be a time when people will consider the Philippines as the one with "greener pastures"?

7) Tough jobs....there's a lot of them in the Philippines. Some of these tough jobs include vendors (whether it's chicharon or peanuts or sweets,etc.) on buses or those prawn vendors along the highway who advertise their product by holding up the prawn as you whiz by them on the highway. Other jobs are unofficial. For example, kids will flag taxis for you but expect some sort of tip. Probably one of the toughest jobs I saw was the restroom or comfort room (CR) attendees at bus stops who collect 1 or 2 pesos from riders who use the bathroom. If I had that job, I wouldn't even touch the coins. I'd just tell them to put it in a box or something. And if they ask for change, I would just let them use the CR for free. ;)

Well, I guess that's all I have to say about my trip. Looks like I can get rid of this sim card I bought in Manila... won't be needing it anymore:
I had a blast. As Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz once said, "There's no place like home." Too bad I won't be back for a while. Yan ang buhay ng Fil-Am .... or Amboy, as someone once called me. ;)

Technorati tags: Baguio, Philippines, skin whitener, discrimination, firecrackers