1) If you have my phone number, go ahead and delete it after this coming Friday. I will not be using it while I am at the Philippines, and more likely than not I will get a new phone (a smart phone?) when I get back to the states.
2) Do not plan to mail me anything once I get settled in as the Philippines is not known for having an honest mail service (aka they rifle through the mail and take what’s valuable)
3) The next update may take two or three weeks. I don’t know what the internet service will be where I’m going, nor how busy/distracted/tired I will be. Once I’m over there and have a clear idea of internet availability as well as Matt Hirschinger availability I’ll let you know
Matt’s schedule for the coming weeks and months
Here’s a quick rundown of where I should be, and what I should be doing.
July 1st: I fly out from Denver to Los Angeles. I have a half day orientation, where I’ll be rushing around trying to get the last bits of paperwork filled out.
July 2nd: Leave LA for Manila in the morning
July 3rd: Arrive at Manila… at night
Following two weeks: Two weeks of basic training in Manila
Following nine weeks: Live with host family in some part of the Philippines that I have not been told yet to finish my pre-service training learning the language, culture, technical skills, etc
Following two years: Start my official service in yet another part of the Philippines I am not sure of yet
September 9, 2013: Depart home and assume a parade and festival is waiting just for me
Pre-Departure Thoughts
In truth, I’m not scared of going to the Philippines. I’ve never been one to be culture shocked, and this is something I’ve seen coming some months away now. No, I’m just scared of making all my flights on time, and making sure all the paperwork is organized and ready to go. Oh, and riding a bicycle. I just hopped on one today for the first time in a long, long time just to get the feel again. I may need a smidge more practice when I get there. Or I need to invest in roller skates.
There are a few thoughts that have been going around and around in my head these last few weeks I thought I’d throw out there for anyone curious. No great epiphanies, just a couple ideas I’ve had.
The biggest one is the knowledge that the Peace Corps has been in the Philippines for the better part of fifty years. After all this time, there is still a need for Peace Corps volunteers (but to be fair, it’s not as is the US is without its needs as well). What I realize going into the Peace Corps is that although the primary goal is to build sustainable growth in the Philippines, whatever I do will not turn around the social problems facing youth in the Philippines. I may help dozens, or even many hundreds of individuals, but when I leave, there will still be ample room for the next person who will take my place.
This is a frustration I have run into lately a lot, particularly with people in the non-profit field, that for all the good work that is done, there is still so much more that can be done. Helping out the people does not always fix the social problems that led to people being in need.
However, I do take peace in knowing that I’ll be giving it the good ol’ college effort, and that much of what I’ll be doing in the Philippines is learning so that I can more effectively work towards finding sustainable solutions in whatever future career I choose (such as pharaoh, or quarterback for the Broncos). What I would like to think though is that the humility of knowing there are limits to what I can do will only push me harder.
The other thought I’ve had recently is an issue what I personally call ‘more but less’. Specifically, that there is more in the world, more information, more methods of communication (such as this fancy shmancy blog), but that since there is more, it is easier for us to get less out of it all. Because there are more news sources, we can choose one or two that agrees with our own political sentiments, ignoring opinions and viewpoints that we would otherwise have to be exposed to if there were only a few news sources to choose from. Because we have so many ways to communicate, we often forego other forms of communication such as speaking face to face. Why meet in person when we can talk on the phone? Why talk on the phone when we can text? Why text when we can check each other’s facebook profiles twice a year, if even that often. So it is that although we have so much more information to choose from, that we have some many more tools at our disposal, there are even greater pitfalls in the forms of singling out a mere single opinion in the seas of knowledge, and having so many technologies at your disposal that you use the easiest (but not necessarily most effective) tool.
Some food for thought.
Catch y’all later.
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