different

10 Things All Peace Corps Philippines Volunteers Know to be True

| Chelsea

There are certain experiences we’ve all had as Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines.

As I celebrate with my batch mates the closing of our two years of service, I wonder what sort of things we will forget about as we move on to the next chapter of our lives. What are those little things we’ve gotten so used to these past two years? What habits will we find hard to leave behind as we return home?

So here it is, my best approximation of what experiences we’ve all had through-out our time in the Philippines.  This isn’t a static list so comment below and tell me what’s one thing you think all volunteers have experienced!

Happy early COS Batch Family!

10. You know FAR too much about your fellow batchmates’ bodily functions.

I don’t think this one qualifies as ‘something you didn’t notice you did here’ because it’s very obvious that we know way too much about each other’s medical history.  At home you don’t really know about someone’s medical ailments unless it’s a cold or a flu you’re worried about catching.  No one makes casual water cooler talk about the tapeworm they just passed, or the dengue fever they just got over.  But here, sitting around a table at Pension, talking about the last time you pooped your pants or passed a parasite is pretty basic conversation, it practically comes right after asking how site is.

PCV 1: How’s site?

PCV 2: Good, did you pass that worm yet?

PCV 1: Yeah! Wanna see a picture?!

PCV 2: YES

9. You can identify a fellow PCV based solely on their water bottle.

PCV1: Did the guys from Leyte arrive yet?

PCV2: yeah I saw their water bottles in the lobby.

8. The couch in the Information Resources Center at the Peace Corps Office is the comfiest couch you’ve ever touched.

I don’t know where this couch came from, it’s probably so comfortable thanks to the generations of Peace Corps Volunteers who have napped on it before us.  But it is so very comfortable and you can’t help but fall asleep a little whenever you sink back into it’s soft lumpy cushions.

7. You’re never further than an hour from a jaw-dropping gorgeous once in a lifetime paradise getaway spot…

…but because you’re a Peace Corps Volunteer and you live here, you’ve used the word ‘okay’ to describe this location.

Tourist: The sunsets here are AMAZING!

Jaded PCV: Yeah, tonight’s is okay.

6. You haven’t completely realized how much tagalog has infiltrated your regular speech until you have your first non-PCV visitor.

You: It’s bawal

Them: It’s…what?

5. The amount of acronyms you passively understand is a little disturbing.

CR, PCMO, VICA, CD, PNB, AL, PM, CRM, CYF, EDU, LBC, CP, MST, IST, PST, IO, COS, PNVSCA, CBT, DPT, LPI, PDM, PCT, PCV, USPC, PC, CIC, SM, RIICE, WeUp, IRC, VAC, RM, SM, PA, TCF, LCF, RPCV, PCRV, PCT, HCA, LGU, MRE, VRF, LPA, C2 to name a few…

4. Your proudest Peace Corps accomplishment is your impeccable budots form

Budots is a Filipino dance craze and as a Philippines PCV it is your duty to master the art of budots before you close your service.

3. You’ll never get sick of the double take tryke drivers do when you’re vacationing and you hit them with the local language.

PCV: Magkano ang pamasahe, Kuya?

Them: MAROON ANG (insert local language here)?!

2. The kindness of the Filipino people is some of the most generous kindness you’ve ever experienced.

Whether it’s your host mom sending you with 2 bushels of bananas and 5 avocados for baon, or a stranger offering you their umbrella to shade you from the sun, the generosity here is overflowing and genuine.

And Finally…

1. Whether it’s a tryke, jeepney, or a PCV vacation…

There’s ALWAYS room for one more!

8 Little Habits You Didn’t Know Were Different on the Other Side of the World

| Chelsea

It’s been a while hasn’t it, the past couple weeks have been busy but there is a treat at the end if you’ve been missing my writing. Enjoy!

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Every culture has little habits that are so ingrained in its people’s behavior that the actors don’t think for a second, that those actions may be performed differently in other parts of the world. While I’ve begun to learn about the habits of my corner of the Philippines, I’ve also started learning which of my habits are unique to the United States.

  1. Fork and Knife or Spoon and Fork?

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In the United States meals are typically eaten with a fork and knife. In the Philippines, meals are eaten with a spoon and fork, with the spoon being used more prominently than the fork—if they use silverware at all. It’s also very common to ditch the silverware all together and eat with ‘mga kamot mo!’ or ‘your hands!’

  1. What you’re looking for is just over there!

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Pointing in the Philippines isn’t done with your hands; it’s done by puckering your lips.

  1. ‘No shoes in the house’ isn’t just Mom’s rule!

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Every house here has a pile of shoes at the door. Wearing shoes inside is very uncommon. So kick off those zapatos at the door! Unless, they’re house tsinelas of course.

  1. Every day is an umbrella day.

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In the USA, umbrellas are for rain, and big umbrellas are for beaches and porches. But here, umbrellas are carried, and used, at all times. The Pinoy Sun is intense! Umbrellas are used to shade people from those extreme rays. I can personally tell you this is a worthwhile investment. Even short trips outside can result in sunburn!

  1. Sit, rest muna!

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This is a common, and comfortable, sitting position for Filipinos young and old! If people are sick of standing, watching an event, fixing a tryke, or even cooking they’ll just take a squat. Is there a United States equivalent for this?? Let me know below if you think of one!

  1. Can I get through a post without mentioning eating?

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No, no I cannot. But anyways, by bunching your fingers together (similar to ASL for ‘eat’) and touching your cheek you can communicate a number of things about eating. Depending on the context, this can mean ‘have you eaten?’, ‘come eat!’, or ‘we are eating.’

  1. ACHOO-EY

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S/O to my Dad who sneezes like that. In the United States we usually say ‘bless you’ after someone sneezes. This is not practiced in the Philippines. Most people don’t say anything. Sometimes I still say ‘bless you’ instinctively, can’t kick all those American habits!

  1. But what’s your nickname?

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In the United States, if someone prefers a nickname over their actual name, they’ll usually tell you upon introducing themselves.  I don’t have any preference on what people call me so when I was asked  ‘what is your nickname?’ I said I didn’t have one.  I received confused looks and was asked a few more times ‘but, what’s your nickname?’. I now understand those looks because EVERYONE has a nickname. I now I have many many nicknames, Chee and Chels are the most common (at the moment).  This can make things complicated when someone is addressing me, I have to listen for so many different syllables and versions of my name!

What other countries have you encountered that uphold these habits? Which countries don’t? What are some habits you’ve noticed elsewhere? Let me know, comment below!

AND AS PROMISED: Bonus Post! I recently wrote an article for the blog Travel Belles. The article is 10 tips for adjusting to life in a new country, check it out here, and pass it along to anyone who might find it helpful!