Freitag, 14. September 2007

Goodbye, Classics, Figures, Christmassongs








My last day in the Philippines. I got back from Panglao Island this morning where I spent another very beautiful week of diving, sunbathing but unfortunately also some fever and toothache.....my reliable immunesystem fighted it successfully but there was no way, after 5pm I lost the fight...so I spent my evenings from 5 on in bed watching HBO for about 6 hours and then sleep till 8 - with 2 diet cokes from my minibar on my cheek and fronthead. Nice!! Got up, felt better and could stand till about 5 again - then back to bed. Today I feel still a bit fragile, but not to worry about. The problem was that I left my medis in Manila, convinced, in my last week nothing will happen to me. Sure. Bravo Lucie.


Apropos Lucie Classics - some things do never change.....:

I forgot all my medicine in Basel. / I forgot my connection cable for my cam in Basel and therefore had to buy a Memory card reader, which I most of the time forgot to bring to the Internetcafe. / I travelled to Long Beach, knowing, I will need to go to Boracay one time in these two months to extend my visa. But I forgot my passport in Manila (Eden had to bring it....) / Once being in Boracay and extending the visa, I left my passport in the copymachine of the copycenter (the Copyguy ran after me with it...) / After paying my hotelbill I forgot my credit card at the reception (the receptiongirl ran after me with it...) / I forgot my key in my hotelroom and therefore had to climb in through the window with ONLY my bikini on. / I fell over a boatrope carrying 3 huge bags, straight on my belly. Jen dying from laughing. 10 Filipinos helping me to get up as if I broke both of my legs. / I lost my iPod. (When? Where? How? NO IDEA!!!) / On several weekends in Romblon I forgot either my showerstuff, my camera, my card reader (as mentioned), my towel etc....spend hell of a lot of money to buy forgotten stuff.....Sounds like Lucie? Hm.......




Figures:
  • Shower with a showerhead and hot water: 30 (from around 200)
  • Different vehicles: 9 >Minifisherboats, Huge Ferrys, Catamarans, Jeepneys, Trycicles, Motorbikes, Busses, Planes, Pick ups (on the back)
  • Drying my hair with a hairdryer: 1
  • Wearing closed shoes: only when running
  • km of Jogging; ca. 280
  • km of swimming: ca. 30
  • Mosquitobites: around 150
  • Jellyfishbites: 2 (all over!!)
  • Eating Mango and Pineapple: 1 a day
  • Eating Pasta: 2
What I will miss:

  • The beauty of this country. The beaches, the forests, the jungle, the villages, the cities, the mountains. Each single day of this trip I was astonished by the contrasts, the diversity and the prettiness of this place. Many times I had to pause, watch and appreciate in disbelief what I saw. It is overwhelming and amazing what this country offers.
  • The helpfulness, the honesty, and the heartiness of the filipinos.
  • The sun, the heat!
  • Diving....
  • The adventure of travelling - the feeling of freedom without having to care about date and time.
  • The Gekos


What I look forward to:
  • Family, friends, BEN!
  • My home
  • Swiss food....
  • Walking down the street without being stared at from everybody
  • Boxtraining
  • My Bicycle
  • PROSECCO!!!


Tradition in the Philippines is, that the pre-Christmas period starts on September 1st. So, sitting on Panglao Island with 35degrees, having breakfast with seaview and look forward to spend my day at the beach - the background music is 'Silent night' / 'Rudy the rednose reindeer' / 'We wish you...' I can't believe it.....

The Philippines, a country, I hardly heard of before, I hardly knew anything about and all of a sudden had a plan to travel there, live there, work there - a country I can only recommend to everybody to visit and a country I fell in love with.




Goodbye!!


Donnerstag, 6. September 2007

Goodbye Long Beach
















































Pics:


  • Goodbye, my sweet little house at the Beach!!!
  • Cotten Eye Joe Dance @ my goodbyeparty (me, Alexis - new volunteer, Jen)
  • Me, my kids (Genevieve&Kenneth), Baxer
  • Rey and Lucy at the Ferry in SanAgustin (harbourtown, 45min trycicleride from Long Beach), heading off for Long Beach
  • Bucket Shower (cold water only - no toilet flush > bucket flush)
  • Students at Long Beach Elementary
  • Washing and emptying fresh fish for dinner
  • Jen and Lucy before their little running marathon from Long Beach to San Agustin (14km)
  • Sunset behind my house
  • Grocery shopping in San Agustin
  • Certificate of Appreciation for Lucie...:-)







That was my last week of volunteering - so I had my leaving party yesterday at Jen's house. It was great. All the teachers showed up, neighbours, mine and Jens family, Delfin (trycicledriver) and of course our 5 dogs, Ekit, Daisy, Shandy, Collie and Baxer. We had so much food and beer it was unbelievable but the Filipinios just LOVE to eat, so most of it was gone....Genevieve clinged on me all night, she had big trouble knowing I will leave. So did I. As it is her birthday today, we celebrated it yesterday and I baked once again my Filipino-Chocolate-Cake. She was thrilled, being the one this time to blow the candles. I was overwhelmed by the love and heartiness everyone showed me, I even struggled a bit, cause I didn't expect that. Jen composed a song on her guitar just for me with all our insider jokes in the text. My family gave me a very nice marblestone with their and my names engraved in it (Considering, they have no money....). Rey, Sally's husband (Jen's family) came especially earlier from a meeting in Manila. One teacher gave me a lovely bracelet - I made a compliment to her one day to one of her bracelets, so she bought me a similar one...The principal of the school handed me a Certificate of appreciation for my work at school - the roofs and the visual aids. I felt happy, flattered, embarrassed, sad, all at once. These 2 months were one of my best experiences in my life. Enriching, interesting, rough, thrilling, lovely, sad, difficult, heavy - encluding all different kinds of emotions and challenges.
Now I look forward to my last diving week on Panglao Island before heading back home, sweet home....

Das war meine letzte Arbeitswoche. Gestern stieg meine Abscheiedsparty bei Jen und es war einfach toll. Alle waren da, die Lehrer, Nachbarn, unsere Familien, Delfin der Tryciclefahrer und natuerlich unsere 5 Hunde, Daisy, Ekit, Shandy, Collie und Baxer. Wir hatten so viel zu essen und Bier, es war unglaublich. Aber die Filipinos lieben es ja zu essen, so hatten wir nicht viele Reste. Genevieve hing den ganzen Abend wie ein Aeffchen an mir, sie hatte einige Probleme mit der Tatsache, dass ich sie verlasse. Ich auch. Da heute ihr Geburtstag ist, feierten wir gestern vor und ich machte einmal mehr den Filipino-Schokolade-Kuchen fuer sie. Sie war begeistert, dass diesmal SIE die Kerzen ausblasen durfte. Von den Leuten wurde mir so viel Liebe und Herzlichkeit entgegengebracht, ich war voellig ueberwaeltigt und konnte fast nicht damit umgehen. Meine Familie schenkte mir einen wunderschoenen Marmorstein mit meinem und ihren Namen eingraviert. Jen komposierte einen Song extra fuer mich auf ihrer Gitarre, im Text alle unsere Inside Jokes. Rey, Sally's Mann (Jens Familie) kam extra frueher von einem Meeting in Manila. Eine Lehrerin schenkte mir eine wunderschoene Kette, weil ich Ihr einmal ein Kompliment fuer ihre Kette gemacht habe. Der Direktor der Schule uebergab mir ein Certificate of Appreciation fuer meine Arbeit an der Schule, die Daecher und die Visual Aids. Ich war traurig, gluecklich, geschmeichelt, beschaemt - alles zusammen. Die Monate hier waren eine meiner besten Erfahrungen meines Lebens. Bereichernd, schoen, traurig, schwierig, interessant, lustig, ueberwaltigend schwer - alles Emotionen und Herausforderungen veschiedenster Art.
Nun schippere ich zurueck nach Manila und fliege am Sonntag fuer meine letzte Tauchwoche nach Panglao Island. Und am 14.9. geht es zurueck nach Hause.......

Samstag, 1. September 2007

Random Long Beach&Romblon



Pics:

Have a break - have a sugarboiled banana! (Teacherconference at school)
Waterpump in our garden
Livingroom at my home
Street in front of my house
Diving in Romblon
My green roofs - finished!!!
Night out in Boracay
Work - creating visual aids at school
Travelling in a Jeepney
Jeepneystop