Back at UPLB

Yesterday morning we went to finish up all of our pre-enrollment medical exam stuff so that we can get our study permits. We had to pick up our chest x-ray results and have a physical done- sounds quick and easy, right? Not at all. One of the forms we had to fill out required information we didn’t have, so we had to walk back to SEARCA and then back to the hospital, and as we are on the side of a mountain, almost the entire walk is up a steep hill! Trying to walk that…twice…in this humidity was not fun at all. Needless to say, I was pouring by the time we finally got to the hospital for the second time. They had a bunch of stations set up that we had to visit in a certain order before we finally got to see the doctor and get their final approval to allow us to enroll.  There was a LOT of waiting in rooms without air conditioning and the doctors took a lunch break while we were waiting….this whole ordeal took us FIVE hours – not a pleasant morning, but at least we got it taken care of!

After getting back from the hospital, we were quite hungry so we decided to go to the McDonald’s right outside the entrance to UPLB. I decided to go McDonald’s Filipino style and tried their fried chicken and rice- probably the best friend chicken I have ever had! On the way back to SEARCA, we took some pictures.

UPLB Heritage Tower - more commonly referred to as Kwek-Kwek Tower, but I have no idea what that means. 

This is in Carabao Park. UPLB started out as an agricultural college, and this is a tribute to the traditional Filipino "work horse," except it is more like an ox. 

This is called The Oblation. It is sort of like the Sparty of UPLB. 

This is the UPLB Heritage tree - as you can see it is HUGE! Funny thing is, it is actually an American Cotton tree...how odd. 

This is a river that runs through campus - quite a different sight from the Red Cedar at MSU!

Churches and Traffic

On Saturday, we checked out of the hotel and visited the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran. This shrine is very popular for doing novenas and other intercession type prayers. RJ’s parents had a hard time getting pregnant, so they visited this church. Starting on the steps outside, they walked on their knees all the way up to the altar, praying for a child. As they were blessed with a child, the shrine is very special to Mrs. Eisma and she loves telling the story.

 Outside the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

 The center aisle in the shrine- as you can see, that is quite some distance to walk on your knees!

Outside of the shrine, they have a whole building filled with devotional candles, so I lit one for my future family J.

On Sunday morning, we traveled to Pacita Complex go to mass at the church where RJ was baptized and where his family went to church when they still lived in the Philippines. Going to mass in the Philippines was quite an experience. The mass was in English, but the homily was mostly in Tagalog with a few English phrases thrown in.  I recognized a few words, but if it hadn’t been for RJ whispering what he was saying every now and then, I would have been completely lost. The churches in the Philippines are all incredibly open. They don’t have side walls, just a roof and columns with wrought iron gates between the columns.  I would imagine this is because it is so hot and this design allows for a good breeze inside. Another thing that is different is the Eucharist. When people reach the Eucharistic Ministers, they kneel down and receive the Eucharist on their tongues. It is also customary to not chew the Eucharist; they just let it soften on their tongues before swallowing it whole.

All ready for our first mass in the Philippines! 

Behind the altar at the church in Pacita Complex. I don't think I have ever seen such an ornate church - it was truly beautiful!

Sunday night, we went back to UPLB and there was a ton of traffic. We were on a road with two lanes in both directions, and for part of it, the opposing traffic had decided to take over one of our lanes! So, they got three lanes, while we were stuck with only one lane! As frustrating as it is, I find it quite funny that the traffic laws are so lax over here and it is perfectly acceptable to drive however and wherever you want as long as you don’t hurt anybody or anything. Surprisingly enough, I have only seen one accident while down here- a new SUV had flipped over on its side on the express way while it was raining.

Other than the crazy traffic, they also have some very common, but unique (to us) vehicles down here.

This is a Jeepney in all of its glory! They are old military jeeps from WWII that families decorate and run as a sort of public busing system on set routes. Most, like this one, are very elaborate.

People call these trikes. They are basically an alternate form of taxi.

A Different Way of Life

I guess it’s my turn to make an entry.

So much has happened in the last few days. We visited my aunt’s house on Tuesday, and I got to see my little cousins who are pretty entertaining. They don't speak tagalog at all, but they have a thick Filipino accent when they speak english, and are just all around funny. My aunt is a cardiologist, and so is her husband, so they kind of live the high life and luxury. They have their own driver who brought us from the SEARCA dorms to their house, and he pretty much brings us anywhere we need to go.

I couldn’t help but notice though, that on the way to my aunt’s house, you could clearly see the gap between the upper and middle class. We passed so many places where the shops are just shanties along the road. There was a railroad too, where people were living maybe four or five feet away from the tracks. Kids were playing on the tracks. It was an entire neighborhood. We were getting gas for the car and our driver had to keep turning little boys away who kept going up to the car window to try and sell what little knickknacks/necklaces they handcrafted from flower petals or stones, just to make some money to get by. We’re sitting in this air conditioned car and there were plenty of people all around us who were just trying to scrape by. It really is an eye opener.

Back to my aunt and uncle, since they are probably one of the top cardiologists in the Philippines, they were invited to stay at the Shangri-la Hotel here in Manila. They got three free rooms from companies sponsoring them, and she offered to let Jessica, my mom, and I stay in one. Let me just say, this hotel is incredible! I’ve never stayed anywhere so nice. Jessica talked about how customer service in the department stores was unmatched, well you can just imagine how well they take care of the people who can actually afford a 5-star hotel like this. People press the elevator buttons FOR me. The hotel is just all around impressive, everything is ornate and decorative, and they have a pool and gym and an amazing restaurant called “Heat”, where they serve a ton of great food, and much of it is Filipino. I’m taking advantage of all the good food now because I know it won’t be anywhere near as available once I return to Los Banos. Here’s some photos of the hotel:

The hotel lobby

On a path outside

Poolside

Jessica at the fish pond

Manny Pacquiao..awww yeaaa

Jessica in the hotel room

So yea, it’s a really nice place. And the food, wow…so much GOOD food. They have a few American foods here, like eggs and bacon, but why eat that when you’re at an international restaurant? Most notable was the longanisa (sweet tasting Filipino type of sausage), pandesal (best bread EVER), ensaymada (okay, another good pastry dessert and contender for best bread ever), corned beef from scratch(not that canned stuff at the stores in the U.S.), rice (always a staple).

Longanisa

Ensaymada

OH, and we went to Jollibee’s, which is like the McDonalds of the Philippines except ten times better.

I had steak and mushrooms with rice, a meal which unbelievably still tastes as good as it did 14 years ago when I first had it. I was shocked that they still made it!!

Jessica had a champ burger, which to be honest beats the skinny McDonald’s burgers by a mile.

Yea, the food here is delicious.

So anyway, as I sit here in the hotel at 1 A.M., I continue to marvel at how clearly the societal gap is displayed here in the Philippines. I know this is just a favor for us, being able to stay here, because when we return to Los Banos we will probably see more of how the average person lives their daily life here in the Philippines. I know that after seeing all these things first-hand, I have a greater appreciation what I have in the U.S. I’m grateful for being able to actually have a home that isn’t rattled by a train every hour or so, that I have a comfortable bed to sleep in each night, and that I know exactly where my food and water are coming from every day. For many others here, though, it is truly a different way of life.

Day One

Yes, we arrived in the Philippines safely and checked into our residence hall on UPLB’s campus-SEARCA dorm. Already there are many things that are quite different—little things that you don’t think about. For instance, there is no hot water, but who wants a hot shower when it’s 90+ outside anyway? Also, SEARCA is extremely open. As far as I can tell, they leave the doors and windows wide open without screens all the time. In this hot, humid climate strangely enough mosquitoes don’t seem to be a problem—I have probably seen three so far. What they do have though is plenty of lizards, as I discovered in the shower last night!

This morning, the sun woke me up and I had no idea what time it was since I don’t have a clock yet. I had gone to bed about 3:30AM and felt pretty rested, but to my surprise it was only 6:10AM! RJ and I went downstairs to eat breakfast and paid about $2 for a fried egg, 3 sausages, rice (of course!), and a glass of water which was a godsend since we have nothing to drink right now. After breakfast, we decided to do a bit of exploring on campus, which didn’t really last that long because of the heat. We saw the Thai Temple, some ginormous frogs, and the Maria Makiling Statue. 

 In front of the SEARCA Dormitory

 My room is pretty simple, but it has a ton of storage space and a private balcony!

 RJ in front of the Thai temple built by a princess that graduated from UPLB.  (This is where we saw the giant frogs, but I will spare you)

 One of the ornate woodcarvings that grace the ceiling of the Thai temple.

Me in front of the Maria Makiling statue on campus.

This afternoon, RJ's mom picked us up and took us out to lunch and shopping for the essentials.  Let's just say RJ and I have gained a new appreciation for water and toilet paper! The SM mall we went to was huge and there are customer service representatives everywhere! You barely pause and someone is right there asking if you need help. At the mall, RJ's mom bought us a box of bibingka, which is a baked rice cake. If you have ever had puto, it is similar except puto is steamed and bibingka is baked and more flavorful. 

After shopping, we went to RJ's aunt's house, and RJ and I both passed out for three hours on the couches- all that jet lag starting to kick in! RJ's aunt and uncle are both cardiologists, and at the dinner table they started talking about my light cough and asking me about it. By the end of dinner, I had been written two prescriptions and been examined with a stethoscope...definitely never had that done over a dinner table before!