First off, I guess it needs to be said that I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer, having completed training and having been "sworn-in" by Sec. Hillary R. Clinton on November 13th in Manila (quite an elaborate celebration actually, though I will not go into detail here). After a series of difficult events and for various medical reasons it was decided by Peace Corps and myself that I needed a site transfer, that is, to be assigned to a new permanent site. For the past week I have therefore been staying at a hostel in Manila, waiting in earnest for any word from my managers. The process of finding a new placement is estimated to take 2-4 weeks, so I have at the very least another week here. I originally searched for some sort of temporary volunteer work to pass the time while I wait. Unfortunately, because of the culturally relaxed pace of communication and action, I am finding that it may take just that amount of time to find even a single project. So while I search and wait, I have taken to exploring the city just a little bit.
The Pension is an intriguing place to people watch. There is always a fair share of backpackers passing through, but more interesting are the “regulars” who have often been here for many months. Some are Filipino students, some are Americans with fascinating stories, others are creepy old men who sit and drink all day and talk to themselves, and still are other old men, creepy merely for the fact that they are here in the ‘Pines and the stereotypes surrounding them.
Outside the hostel’s front gate is a fairly busy street, a constant buzz of jeepneys grunting by, always emitting puffs of black smoke and choking anyone within 100 meters. Across the street live a handful of street families. They hang out on the sidewalk, taking naps, picking through each others' hair (a customary activity of searching for lice or gray hairs, and oftentimes now done simply out of habit), and going about normal living activites. It was initially an uncomfortable dynamic walking out of my gated (though modest) hostel past them, but it has become just another part of Manila life.
Going further past the limits, I get to M. Adriatico Street. For about 2 blocks, there are street families lined up and down the sidewalks. They have their cardboard boxes to serve as the designated “houses.” It seems there are always many people sleeping, curled up with a meager blanket if they are lucky. Mothers who look too weathered to still be giving birth nurse their infants, and children run about playing with anything they can make fun out of. Thin alley ways give rise to shanties, built one of top of another on top of another until they look wildly unsteady. Laundry hangs across anything that will hold it. Little ones hang around the streets without a stitch of clothing on, maybe just before a bath, maybe just because they can. I saw a kid take a poop on the street yesterday. Just squatted and went. I felt like an intruder, walking in on something incredibly personal. These are all "normal" activities. Everyone sleeps and cleans and shits, but for the lucky people of this world it is not on display for anyone who passes by your home to see.
Exploring further into the city and I see the same things everywhere. Children skip down the street one minute, but "accidentally" make eye contact with them and BAM, their smiles turn into poor puppy dogs faces and they hold their hands out longingly for a peso or two. They know the drill, they have mastered it. Or rather, it has mastered them.
I realized last night how small of a portion of the city I have seen in this past week, so it's obviously not a fair judgement of the entire city (and a judgement still, either way). Here is only the visible population. It is also most likely be the population I will serve in the next two years, and I must say I am wild with excitement over it. Other than the fact that kids are still kids and always beautiful and resilient, I am excited to lend a hand to such a pervasive issue. Ready to get started… waiting until then.
I will be putting up Manila photos on the blog/on facebook soon. Look for those.
P.S. As I do not yet have a site, my mailing address is still the Peace Corps Philippines Office in Manila.
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