Finally here again

So I am now in Cebu City, Cebu.

Sitting in an internet cafe.

That's five pesos per hours more than in Manila.

And I'm being very stingey.

There's actually an Internet Cafe on the other side of the compound I'm living in, but that gate closes at 7 and the other street is a little more terrifying. So here I sit, in an "overpriced" Internet Cafe, because I wanted to update everyone. And when in actuality I just needed to have a little contact with my friends and family.

I guess I'm having this desire so strongly now because I'm actually a very shy person around new people, especially when I'm on my own. I don't really know exactly how to act yet, and communication is very hard, harder than I thought it would be. I never know, first what to talk about, and second, if I'm getting across what I'm trying to say, since I'm certainly having a hard time understanding them.

So as I think I mentioned before, they speak Cebuano in the Visayas mostly, and so all the Tagalog I learned is mostly in vain (I say that in jest). I went to the National Bookstore today to try and buy a Cebuano-English dictionary, which you think would be available, but alas, only Tagalog-English. That doesn't seem to make sense to me. Thankfully Bishop Dan has on he has lent me. I won't be able to carry it with me, however, since it weighs about twenty kilos and is quite bulky (I'm joking about the 20 kilos). There is a big push already for me to learn Cebuano, which I have a desire to do, although to be honest, my excitement is shadowed by the understanding of how daunting a task this is.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I arrived here on Saturday in the mid-afternoon. I acutally flew in on Mactan island, which I think is considered part of Cebu. It has a lot of foreign tourist places, including the Shangri-La, where the ASEAN summit will be held in mid-December. I mention it because it's been talked about so much here in the very short time I've been present. The government has ordered the building of a civic center in Cebu for the occasion, which is supposed to be finished soon, but probably won't be until its grand opening for the summit. It's actually not a very promising engagement, because of the consequences such a summit will have not only on economic policy for the country (since many G8 countries will be there, probably bringing their own wish list with them) and because it means the demolition of a lot of urban poor areas deemed unsightly for such an occasion and highly militarizing the area. (Run-on sentaces aside). Mactan island is also where Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan, apparently. I've been told this quite a few times as well.

I'm living in the UCCP CENDET compound (Center for Education and Developement, I know know where the N comes from). Even though, Cebu is the second largest city to Manila, and second to only Manila in a lot of aspects, the compound is off the busy roads and has jokingly been described as "rural". It is very nice to live in and is in a line with UCCP Bradford (donated by a Presbyterian New Yorker) and the VCMC Hospital, also owned by the UCCP. My program coordinator is Ate Rose (and that's all I can remember, no last name as I am already so bad with first names) and her husband is the administrator for the hospital. I attended a very early church service with them on Sunday (7:30! I'm not that far out of college!) and had lunch and dinner with them that day. Dinner was quite insteresting since I ate very fishy tasting squid, that was purple. It actually wasn't very bad. We oddly watched the Flintstones movies, which in an odd way I was glad for since I was able to laugh at the movie with Rose's husband (I think his name is Mike), who I find very fun and enjoyable.

The compound is used for many purposes, even those outside of the church, and is used for income for the UCCP in general, as well, obviously, as those working there. I have met most of the people working there, and subsequently forgotten most of their names, something I will have to work on. I have my own room with a CR and a "sala", although there's nothing in the sala, and I am sharing it with a girl named Marisel who works in the kitchen. I honestly have been very shy to talk to her, although I know I should since she is the closest to me at this point.

I've found that venturing out so early is something that makes me weary, but I really needed, as I said, to have some contact with home. I worry that I am having too much alone time as it is, which adds to my weariness of leaving the compound to come here. I was told to expect that alone time would be in short supply and we should prepare for that. The Filipino way dictates a very communal atmosphere, demanding that time be made for lots of casual conversation. However, I've found that here I've had very little conversation or interaction outside of my "orientations" to the compound and programs I'm working with. I feel mostly "sent back" to my room "to rest" when my "orientations" are over. It makes me feel like I'm giving off some sort of vibe that I'm not concious of that is somehow being damaging or distancing from people. I guess I'm having a lot of apprehensions for being here for such a short time. It's just that my concerns come from being told to expect something very different from what I am experiencing.

I guess this will be something to look out for and be concious of, and most assuredly something I will be keeping my *avid readers* up with.

I feel like there isn't much to tell yet. That seems to be it. Things are still in the getting used to phase, so I will write more when I experience more. I am looking forward tomorrow night with both excitment and apprehension becuase there is to be a dinner for me to meet everyone involved with my internships. It is quite daunting and flattering. I also will get the opportunity to go with the family of one of the PCPR workers to visit her family during the celebration of All Saints Day, which will be exciting.

Happy Halloween to those in the States (and those in other countries missing it like me). Send me some candy ;)

Peace, I hope