Magandang hapon po from Sorsogon City.
Unfortunately the worst thing that could have happened to a traveller did - I went to upload my photos of the trip to HOng Kong, China and Manila and a virus got into my camera and my usb card and infected both. As a result, I lost all 270 of my photos. I was so upset yesterday. I am not too proud to say that I cried for about an hour. Now I am resigned to the fact that they are all gone and I will have to make do with picturing them in my head only. Thankfully it was early into my trip here so I won't lose any of the ones I have since taken at the slums and the beach. I am hoping that by some stroke of a miracle, someone in NZ who is a whizz with computers will be able to figure out how to get the photos back as there is somthing flashing about the formatting but I'm not holding my breath.
Putting that aside, I am totally loving Sorsogon, despite the heat and humidity. The one thing I am still struggling to handle is the fact that I am such a novelty here. Everywhere I go the locals say hello mam, hello ate, kumusta tita. The filipino people think that blondes are all Americanas and are all beautiful - having men saying good morning beautiful lady while you are jogging and sweaty in the morning is not so exciting. I have joined a tai bo/yoga/dance class that goes from 5-6.30am. The size of the class keeps increasing as people come to get a look at the Americana doing exercise...it doesn't help that I am at least a foot taller than all the women in the group.
Cath if you are reading this, all of the locals think that I am you, especially in the morning when it is dark. It is funny to think that we all look the same to the Filipinos. You are certainly a hard act to follow here though girl! You and Brecon both.
Anyway, I got my first taste of what I came here for the other day when we went to one of the slums to see the Lola of a boy who my family have been having some trouble with. Walking into the slums is such an indescribable sensation. The smell is not like anything I have smelt before due to the dirt and also the fact that it is beside the sea. We started off just talking to the Lola and her grandaughter but when word got out that I was there the neighbours all came to have a look. Everyone wanted to know my name, and touch me, then when I got my camera out, everyone wanted to be in photos. I had some amazing photos of a little girl of about 1 holding an old soft toy that I took underneath a house but sadly it was lost with my other photos. The kids (who at this stage numbered about 50) took us on a walk to see the water and to see where the men shell and sort the shellfish. I also got to see their school. It was funny watching them fight for who was going to hold my hand or carry my umbrella. Some of them had the courage to speak to me in English but most thought it was hilarious listening to me try to communicate and just copied what I said. I managed to give them some freshly baked pan de coco but I am going to go back and take lollies and visit their school. It is so hard as I want to take each and every one of them home with me. Their smiles are just so pure and despite having nothing, they are so happy and excited.
On a more leisurely note, we went to Rizal beach for the afternoon yesterday. Think barely touched paradise. It is owned by Sister Mila who is a good friend of my families. I managed to take photos but am not game enough to put my camera in the computer. Would you believe that for the first two hours we were at the beach it was too hot to swim. We had to wait until the sun went down a bit.
Food has also been a highlight of the trip thanks to Grace and her friends insisting on my trying absolutely everything. I have had fresh pineapple. mango, papya, jackfruit and this little filipino fruit that tastes like lemonade. For breakfast this morning we went to the markets on the way home - including a wet markets full of fish and a meat market where the meat is laid out on hooks or tables in the open air. I had little fresh pork buns, sticky rice in bamboo leaves that you dip in mascavado sugar, casava cake and a drink of this caramel sugary syrup which has sago balls and bean curd added to it (sounds awful but it's so delicious). They are trying to convince me to try balut (baby chicken in a boiled egg) but I am not so sure about that. I so have to make a list of all the things I've eaten.
Anyway, Dad is outside waiting for me. I am taking on the task of being the cheif fund seeker for the Orphanage so I am off to talk to social services for some statistics. If anyone wishes to donate money I will give you my bank details. I am trying to raise $4,000 to send a local girl to university (that's her whole degree). I am off to the boys and girls homes tomorrow, then to the local hot pools (ironic in this weather). I am also off to meet the local branch of UNICEF and am taking a little boy for a tour of the prison to scare him straight - hopefully.
I must run - the boys are trying to play computer games and I think I am taking up valuable computer space.
You're all very quiet on the email front. I need to be kept abreast of the NZ goss.
Love as always
Torie
