Feliz Navidad!

2010 is coming to an end, and things at OMAS are finally winding down for the year. Last week, I attended seven more BFARMC reorientations in six days (including Saturday), but we have finally gone to all 16 coastal barangay. While giving the same stump speech over and over again started to feel a bit repetitive, it was still fun getting to see so much of Nueva Valencia, hanging out with my counterparts, and meeting so many new people. Each coastal barangay one was slightly different from the next. In Pandaraonan, with our biggest turnout, my counterpart Fermi decided to tell the crowd of about 80 people that I was single and "looking." There, I was asked to give some closing remarks, which were not quite as eloquent as my rehearsed introduction. In Dolores, I was given a plastic bag of sweet potatoes as a token of their appreciation. The Barangay captain of Lucmayan, Emma, spoke English fluently- something I don't find often in the coastal barangays. She had been to New York City and stayed with a friend, "Cohen." I think she was the first person I've met who knew what being Jewish entailed. In Cabalagnan, on the day we were supposed to have two meetings in the same day, our first one got cancelled, and we ended up waiting around for over four and a half hours for our next meeting. We did have a well-needed lunch break at the barangay captain’s house, and I felt that between eating fish and rice with my bare hands and waiting around quite patiently, I was really adjusting to life here in the Philippines. I still have some work to do, as realized in Panobolon, a barangay on a tiny off the coast of Guimaras. The people in Panobolon are exceptionally welcoming and are very excited to have visitors come out to their island. As a token of their appreciation, they prepared a huge feast for us with tons of seafood from around their island. I felt that I was really fitting in, slurping down clams and ripping apart crabs with my hands, until I feel a sharp pain while opening one. I noticed I had cut open my finger, and I was bleeding profusely. I tried to play it cool, but soon some people noticed, and everyone laughed as one of our host brought water for me to wash off my finger in. I’m getting there, but I definitely have some work to do before I can justifiably consider myself Filipino.  

Fisherfolk of Pandaraonan.

On our way to Panobolon with Jelpi, of PBSP (Philippine Business for Social Progress) and Fermi (trying to avoid the sun). Filipinos don't seem to like the sun - the rain is their favorite weather to go swimming in.

A view of Guimaras.

Pulling up to Panobolon.

I’m also making progress understanding how things work at home. I know that I’m supposed to shoo out the roosters when they get into the living and that the house cats won’t eat the rice that I scrap off my plate onto the floor for them. I know where my leftover food goes and know what should be scrapped off and put in a bucket for the pigs and what should go straight into the trash. I’ve also expanded my list of chores. Beyond washing the dishes, I now sweep my room, help my family pick out the seeds of these vegetables that look like small peapods but taste much differently, and help my younger host brother Justin putting the chickens back in their pens. I think Justin appreciates being able to push the chickens in my direction, although I bet he wishes I was a little less jumpy with them. In my defense, I don't have too much experience chasing after and picking up chickens of all different sizes, and I don’t want to brag, but I think I have some potential. On my first day trying, I got one of the big roosters with a big, one-handed swing of my left arm. I wouldn't call the way I threw it into its cage delicate, but at least it got where it was supposed to be. 

Now is the season for Christmas parties, and while Hanukah may stay under the radar, Christmas definitely does not. Lights are everywhere, Christmas trees decorate all the public spaces, and Christmas greetings begin on December 1st. My sitemate, Denise, invited me to the Christmas party at her school, where I caught the end of the “Ms. Gay December” beauty competition, in which the boys of the oldest class dress up as girls and did various singing and dancing performances. Then last night was the Christmas party for the LGU (local government unit). The highlight of the event was the singing/dancing competition, in which each office had to put together a performance for the entire LGU (consisting of about 10 offices and 100 or so people). Teddy, one of my coworkers, made costumes out of cardboard boxes and came up with the idea of each of us tying jackets around his or her waist. The sleeves would be stuffed with two pieces of Styrofoam and the ends would be taped to sticks that were then taped to our sandals. I think the pictures are helpful here, but the effect is that the arms make it look like a very short person is dancing. Well, after just two days of rehearsal, our office did a skilled choreographed dance to "Feliz Navidad" and came in first place in the whole competition. It was quite exciting. We even won a laptop for our office! Someone said it was unfair because our office had an “import,” but as my coworkers argued, I am part of the OMAS (Office of Municipal Agricultural Services) staff!

Ms. Gay December competition.

My supervisor, Sir Obing, discussing the accomplishments of OMAS at the LGU Christmas Party.

Me and Fermi getting ready for our debut performance.

The OMAS staff looking good. Can you spot me? Seeing through behind that box was nearly impossible.

Dancing our way off stage.

The victorious OMAS staff. From L to R: Joe Ann, me, Sun, Teddy, Refine, George, Ferma, Tita Vilma, Fermi, Juliet, Nanay Nese, and Sir Obing.  

The night ended with lots of dancing. It brought me back to the last time I was dancing on a basketball court just a couple weeks ago. While at least the people out there were adults this time, they still were imitating my dance moves (I guess fist-pumping is a real novelty here in the Philippines). In the end, it was a great Christmas celebration, and I’m looking forward to our upcoming 4-day weekend and Christmas celebration with my host family. I’ll try to get in one more post before the new year.