Site Placement!

I just returned from Manila where all the trainees gathered for Supervisor’s Conference where, for three days, we enjoyed the amenities at Island Cove resort. Soon after we arrived on Monday afternoon, we learned where we will be serving for the next two years in the Philippines. After over a month of waiting impatiently, I finally found out that  I will be teaching in, drum roll please...

Bauko, Mountain Province!! Which... probably means nothing to you. So let me fill you in.

Mountain Province is, well, in the mountains. The towns are small and mostly rural. It is one of the coldest places in the Philippines dropping all the way down to a chilling 47 degrees. I will be teaching at Mount Data National High School. It’s pretty small…only about 200 students, compared with the 2000+ that most of the other education volunteers will be teaching in.

So it looks close right? Ha! 5 hours by bus.

The pictures I've seen are stunning, depicting misty valleys with the green peaks of mountains popping through. I've been told there are few restaurants, no internet cafés, and will  travel 5 hours to the nearest bank at least once a month. It is a cool place with lots of hiking and lots of culture that I can’t wait to experience. And after arriving in Manila, which is like stepping out of the Phoenix airport in summer ("oh, but it's a dry heat"), I immediately wanted to return to the fresh mountain air.

Our supervisors came that evening for dinner and to spend the remaining two days with us at the conference. I met the principle of the school I will be teaching in. We really hit it off and I’m super excited to be working with her. She showed me some pictures of the school and we talked about the needs and goals that can be addressed. While English fluency is my main focus, we are also hoping to improve the library, enhance the remedial reading program, and initiate some sort of computer training for the teachers and students.

But before all of this:

On Sunday my host family took me to Baguio. We saw the old American military retreat of Camp John Hay. It was like being transported back to the US. Nicely paved roads (with sidewalks!), surrounded by pine trees and the occasional American-style house. Don’t forget Starbucks.

The best part however was when we stopped at a Convent on the way home to buy some natural jam and peanut butter that the nuns sell. They were also selling Kopi Luwak coffee. Anyone seen the Bucket List with Jack Nicholson? Kopi Luwak, known as Civet coffee here, is the rarest, most expensive coffee in the world! And guess where they make it? You got it. Right here in my town. The nuns were selling it for super cheap. I paid about a buck and a half for a cup of coffee that would cost upwards of $60 in New York. This made me super happy and is one of the most exciting things I’ve done thus far. If you want to know the special process behind it, I’ll just let you google it for yourselves.