Registration….

Last week we had the joy of experiencing registering for classes the UPLB way. Most students enroll using an online program similar to what MSU uses, but as exchange students, we had a whole different system known as “pre-rogging,” short for prerogative. In this system, we had to find each professor and ask them to let us take their class. This could be done the day before classes started or throughout the first week of class. As you can imagine, this was mildly challenging, because professors aren’t required to be in their offices, or anywhere on campus for that matter, during the first week. Thankfully, the Office of International Linkages assigned us a UPLB student who was familiar with campus to help us out. We heard horror stories from other students about professors making them sing and dance and do other silly things before they were allowed into the class, but thankfully we weren’t asked much more than our background in the topic. As frustrated as RJ and I were with the process, the other MSU students encountered a great deal more hurdles than we did. We were done for the day around 10:30AM, but the others didn’t finish until about 3PM!! 

After the first day of registration, we only had 6 credits, so the next day we went out to try again. Luckily, things went pretty smoothly and we were able to get 12 credits of classes we wanted/needed to take. We were so excited to be finished, we turned our forms into the registrar’s office and went on our merry way. Later that night, we realized we had been planning to take PE classes just for fun. This made our registration process a lot more hectic, because we had already finalized our schedules with the registrar’s office. Thankfully, we met Luis, a chemical engineering student who studied at MSU for a semester, who helped us out here. In the end, RJ signed up for table tennis and archery, and I just signed up for archery.

I was soo excited to get into the archery class! I have always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow!  The class was full, but the professor was really nice, and offered to come an hour early to teach us. There are a handful of students that will be joining us for the early class, and I actually think it will be better since it is a smaller class, so we don’t have to wait as long to shoot. I think the fact that we are American helped us out a bit, because he said no to a lot of students that wanted to come early—he said he spent a summer in Wisconsin and he was asking me a bunch of questions about Michigan and what not. All in all, registration was a pain, but I am happy with my classes and pretty excited for some of them!! (If you are curious, I am taking Transportation Engineering, Foundation Engineering, Philippine History, Philippine Art and Society, and Archery J).

Botanical "Gardens" and Tagaytay

A lot has happened.

We've been pretty busy the past week trying to sign up for classes, which is sort of a pain compared to the online sign-up in the U.S. Here, we have to go to each professor and get the class signed off, and then have to wait in lines to get things registered. More waiting = not fun. But it wasn't so bad in the end. Classes themselves aren't too bad yet but that's probably because we haven't done anything, haha.

Anyway, onto more interesting stuff. Last week, we went to the Makiling Botanical Gardens, which is maybe a 20-25 minute walk from the SEARCA dorm. The title of the place itself is misleading....it's a JUNGLE in there. There was a lot of amazing scenery and a long river deep within the jungle. The experience was nothing like I've ever seen in the U.S.

So yea, I'll let some of the photos do the talking.

At the entrance of the gardens

A view off of a bridge

Jessica's Spartan pride

Us guys along a path through the "gardens"

Cool scenery

Us standing on a rock in the river

More cool scenery

Walking along a path surrounded by jungle

There you have it, just a few photos of the Makiling Botanical...jungle.

Just yesterday, my mom already left for home, so we saw her one last time before she left. She took us to the city of Tagaytay, which has the famous landmark that is a 'volcano-within-a-volcano-within-a-lake'. We didn't exactly go there, just to a hotel where there is a cliff overlooking the area. It was a pretty high up, but just a bit cloudy so we couldn't really get a fully scenic viewpoint. Legend has it that Tagaytay got it's name from a general who patrolled the area when the Spanish conquered it. He asked some locals (a father and son) what the name of the place was, and the son exclaims, "taga, itay!" or "strike, father!". Meaning attack the soldier. However, not understanding tagalog, they say that the soldier took the name of the place from that statement: Tagaytay.

Us posing, the volcano is in the back. I tried to stand on it that concrete railing but some dude was yelling at me not to because it was a pretty high drop. I did it anyway.

We also went to see my Aunt one last time and I got a photo with my young cousins. Owen is on the left, Anya is on the right.

Well, that's that for my entry. Stay tuned for Jessica's post on our recent adventure, the flatrocks!

Mga Bagong Kaibigan

Tagalog translation: New friends!

Apparently the other MSU students studying abroad arrived last night, but I was asleep. Jessica is rooming with one of them, Violeta. The other two, Kenny and Jose, are rooming together. That leaves me in a single, but I'm fine with that.

So Jessica and I decided to try doing laundry for the first time today, except the washing machines here are nothing like the U.S. ones. It's about half the size, and has the washer and "spin" drier combined (two compartments). So here we are, two engineers, trying to figure out this contraption, when this girl near us who was also doing her own laundry offered to show us how to do it. Her name was Ana. We had some small talk, and she found out we were from MSU. Then the coincidence of all coincidences: she actually was good friends with the a Filipino exchange student, who we knew, that was studying at MSU last semester! She was really friendly after that, and we asked her were to get groceries, and she actually offered to show all of us where the good places were at for eating and shopping...and so our day began.

We met her a few hours later in the lobby, and we took our first jeepney ride to the front of campus. I now know how to ride a jeepney. It may not sound like a big deal but there's lingo and signals to make everything go smoothly and I'm glad I learned it. Also it only costs 8 pesos for one ride anywhere along that jeepney's route (right now 43 pesos = 1 dollar), so the only trouble is finding exact change.

We took the jeepney to the front of campus where we met up some of Ana's friends: Ayo (ah-yoh), Doms, and Dre. It was about lunchtime, so we decided to eat at this place called Bonitos, and they serve authentic filipino food there so I was pretty satisfied with my meal. I think the other students were too, and I know Ana and her friends were. We talked a lot, about school and the differences between life in the U.S. and in the Philippines, like what shocked us the most or what seemed most different. For me, it was the traffic, and not necessarily how congested it is, but how people drive crazily here. Shockingly, I didn't see a single accident. I know if people started driving like that in the U.S., there would be no end in sight of pileups.

So after Bonitos, we went to the Robinson's mall-supermarket (another jeepney ride) and we got some essentials and I bought some longaniza to cook and some rice for dinner in the future. After shopping, we went back to the dorm to drop off our groceries, then took a short trip to the Office of International Linkages to get some class schedule stuff, then it was back to our outing.

Next up we went to Chow-king, which was a fast-food restaurant, but we weren't going to eat a meal. Everyone wanted to try halo-halo, which is a traditional mixed fruit shake type drink. I think everyone liked it, but I know Jessica LOVED it. See demonstrational image below:

I didn't get one though. Ayo and Ana said they were going to buy some Kwek-kwek, which was breaded quail eggs. I was intrigued, so I went to eat that instead. None of the other MSU students wanted to try it (well, Violeta did, but I don't think she liked it), but I thought it was delicious! A nice little snack and for only 12 pesos.

After that, we sort of decided to wander around to a more rural area around UPLB to find more "street food" so-to-speak, but we didn't end up eating any more (just yet) and just walked and talked. I practiced my tagalog with them, which was fun for me. I don't ever speak tagalog at home and I'm surprised I picked up so much just from it being spoken to me by my parents. We seem to share a lot of interests too, and I think they are all pretty hyped to see the last Harry Potter movie (which is good for Jessica). We ended up stopping at a coffee shop and a few of us ordered some shakes/lattes just so we can have a place to hang out and talk some more. Someone made a good point about how we, in the U.S., have an in-and-out attitude about anything other than a sit-down restaurant. Filipinos, even in fast food restaurants, will eat and sit for maybe 20 minutes or more just talking and hanging out. I got the feeling that they just enjoy hanging out and relaxing together which is nice, and I don't mind it at all.

After the coffee shop, we went back to the SEARCA dorm and bid our farewells to our new friends, ang mga bagong kaibigan namin, and everyone kind of just went to their rooms. Jessica told me her roomate is already asleep, and I think Kenny mentioned something about passing out soon, haha...I'm just here in the lobby finishing up this blog.

All in all, it was one of the best days I've spent here already, and I'm really thankful that we met these new people. I'm looking forward to meeting more and making the most out of our semester here in the Philippines.

Left to right (in the jeepney): Ana, Violeta, Me, Ayo


Left to right: Jessica, Kenny, Jose

The front of the jeepney looks like from the inside

At Chow-King, left to right: Violeta, Dre, Doms, Me, Ana, Jose


Halo-halo! (pronounced hah-low)

Jessica and her halo-halo

Everyone at the coffee shop, left to right: Dre, Jessica, Violeta, Ayo, Jose, Doms, Kenny, Ana

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!