"The next year will fly by," or so they say...

This past November was a very important month for a number of reasons. Thanksgiving celebrations, the 21st anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) celebrated in Manila by an enormous Children's Rights Festival (pictures below), and the Grace Christian Mission Technical School's (the school affiliated with my center) Annual Foundation Week. Forget about all that. Those are trivial matters, not important, erase. November 2010 signifies that Peace Corps Philippines Batch 268 (that's me!) has one year left of service.

"A whole year still??!" Or is it "Only a year left?!?" While my mind has naturally taken the approach of the former statement, I find that everyone and everything around me is pushing me to consider the latter. That is, "This next year is going to fly by." Let me back track.

I went north this past week to Sagada, a quaint and quiet town in the chilly (really, we wore sweaters!), fresh, stunning Mountain province, to celebrate Thanksgiving. There, we purchased, killed, plucked, cleaned, and cooked two chickens and a variety of T-Day favorites for a succulent and highly original Thanksgiving day feast, warmed by the fire, the wine, and sharing that special day with 20 Peace Corps Volunteers. We relaxed for 3 days in the mountain air, eating delicious food, telling stories, and exploring nature's wonders. It felt like Thanksgiving as it should be.

Getting together with volunteers that I had not seen in many months initiated conversations of Filipino life-- "Yeah, site is going well" and "Hell Yeah, let's go caving tomorrow!" It also brought up conversations about our American future-- "What are you going to do after service? Have you started to look at schools yet?" Despite the festivities and the relaxed atmosphere, any talk of the "future" left me with a bit of a feeling of dread.

The truth is, I am simply not ready to plan for life after Peace Corps. I am (certainly) uncertain what the future means for me, a scary thought considering the fact that for so long the future meant Peace Corps but eventually like all things that must end. But even more than my fear, I don't want to think about life after Peace Corps because I don't care to minimalize the entire next year of my service. The programs I have helped to establish, the workshops, activities, classes and programs I have planned for the next year, all of this is at the forefront of my mind, and I like it there. I am comfortable here in the Philippines, and I want that to be my primary focus.

Maybe the next year will pass before I know it and I will be thrown back dizzy into the "real world." Maybe, probably. However, I am going to savor every sweet morsel and every nasty grizzly bit, because when it comes down to it, I still have a whole year left.

Happy Thanksgiving, and love to you all.


Below are a Bunch of pictures from the fantastic month of November. See more on Facebook. These include: Lola Ligaya Pen's despedida (going-away party) in Zambales; GCMTS Foundation Week; Victoria, Laguna's annual Itik (or duck) Festival; Bahay Tuluyan's Children's Rights Festival (photos courtesy of PCV Shayla Meindel); Thanksgiving and caving in Sagada.


Lola's going-away in Zambales


Zambales 2, lunch I think....



Victoria, Laguna's "Itik" or duck Festival



Over 2,500 children from Manila streets, NGOs, government centers, and schools plus over 500 local and international volunteers, UNICEF Philippines President and the Secretary of DSWD Philippines celebrated the 21st anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in a festival and day of advocacy for Universal Children's Rights.











GCMTS Foundation Week Cheers


Foundation Week cultural show


Sagada rice terraces




Killin the birds


The corn was Not part of the dish, found in the chicken's butt.


Thanksgiving family shot.


Hanging coffins in Sagada


Caving