The Exchange Rate

Magandang Umaga! Since my last post, quite a few things have changed! So, I am now officially a member of the Cainta chapter, of which there are four of us. Dani, Javi, Kiriana, and I (See picture) I have now been in Cainta for nearly two days and I absolutely love it here. They have not yet, as of this morning, been able to find me a host family, however, I am confident they will do so soon. I have been staying in the room of the school President while teachers have been sleeping in the living room to watch over me. They have been so, so kind to me and I feel at home here at CCC (Cainta Catholic College) Last night, a group of teachers took me to the mall and bought me dinner and it was very kind of them. I took a jeepney for the first time last night which was also so surreal. I have known about the Philippines for about four months at this point and none of it really felt real until that jeepney ride. Sitting inside the cramped jeep looking out at the bustling city is unlike anyth...

Hello Everyone! So, it has been quite a while since the last posting. I am now in the beautiful Philippines! I left my home,  Washington D.C on Tuesday, July 17, which was one week ago today! It is surreal to think that I feel like I have already lived an entire lifetime in the Philippines in the span of the past week, yet at the same time, I feel as though I have done nothing. So in this post, I am going to cover a few topics: Leaving home, gateway and traveling, orientation arrival, as well as placement. Enjoy! So, I want to discuss here leaving home. Having arrived in Manila and been away from home for a week I can definitely say that I miss it, yet not as much or as little as I thought. It is not even the large things I miss the most. Of course, I miss my family and friends, yet the thing I miss the most is tied between two things: ice and air conditioning. In America, I have a constant supply of ice. Ice is in almost every single drink and drinks back home are freezing col...