Hey Friendfolk,
Some of the interns here in Davao work at the local woman's jail. Its not really a jail - it is where woman are held until they are convicted of tried for a crime - since this is the Philippines- some of these woman have been there for 6 years without being convicted of everything! What a terrible thing. But all these woman are very nice people filled with hope and determined to do good when they get out - they must spend a lot of each day praying. So it makes sense.
But! Since the interns are soon to be leaving - they decided to host a talent show with the woman in the prison. All of the AIESEC interns here in Davao, about 40 of us, all went to the jail, to watch the woman sing, dance, and act. It was a jolly time.
Afterwards we had options to get massages, manicures, pedicures, or hair cuts - since these were the professions of the woman prior to being put in the jail. I got a full body massage...and I am a happy person! :)
I went to the mall afterwords and bought lots and lots of dvds for 60P ($1.25) each - I spent $15 Canadian and bought - How I Met Your Mother Season 1-5, House Season 1-5, Rome Season 1, true Blood Season 1-2, and 4 movies; Inception, PS I Love You, The Notebook, and The Hangover! WOWZERS!! I love the affordability of Asia! :)
Happy Days
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Davao Conference
I am at a beach resort for a 3 day/2 night conference called Acamp. It is an introduction to AIESEC conference for new members where I will be giving a training session on how to market AIESEC. COnfidence, elevator spiel, and 8 facts you NEED to know about AIESEC and they are set! The New Davao LC marketers!
Cheerio!
Cheerio!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Island Hopping Tour
So, one of the interns - Lukas - set up an island hopping tour for all us interns here in Davao city - there are alot of us - about 40?? Yikes!! So last saturday we woke up early and made our way to wharf to catch our boat for our island hopping tour!!
The boat was nice enough - have side panels to sit off of and these wooden pieces to balance the boat but which also worked as climbing structures for some water fun. It was crazy how the boat workers could just walk all around across these wooden planks while the boat was moving while the rest of us struggled to wander onto them while the boat was just floating!!
We swam all day - some scuba dived, some snorkled, and the half which were chinese....stayed on the boat cause they dont want their skin to get darker!! While those of us who are exceptionally pale went out in the hot sun and got verrrrrrrrrrrrrry red. haha LOVELY! Then we finally landed on our overnight island! Got into a room with a nice bed shared with two other ladies. They cooked us bbq meats for dinner...mmmm tuna.....and then we drank (not much for me cause I'm battling a cold) and sang for the evening - with one of the Czech interns playing guitar for us. Earlier we saw some Filipino's playing volleyball and we joined in with them for a very fun game - although my legs were sore afterwards - i didnt think I was that lazy! apparently I am! :)
When I finally went to bed about midnight, I wrapped up in my blanket and was out like a light....until it started to rain....hard.....which normally i wouldnt wake up during.....BUT.....the roof above ONLY MY BED.....leaked....ALL OVER ME AND MY BED!! ugh! I woke up and saw that the other two girls beds were fine and not being leaked on but mine was getting soaked!! Talk about karma!! haha So Yeah I slept cold wet and shitty and woke up feeling 20x WORSE than I felt the day before....stupid sickness. But it was STILL raining in the morning so we all got up and boarded the first boat home to davao city! back in my nice warm DRY room :D Happy as one can be with a nasty cold and a bathing suit bottoms sunburn!! haha
Davao Davao - What is there to do?
Heya Friendfolk,
So I am now working in Davao City, Philippines. It is on Mindanao Island, the most southern part of the Philippines. Davao City is a very large city but it does not feel that way. There are no tall buildings and not a lot to do here. It is a quiet place to be living and working. I live in "My Studio", an apartment building with about 30 other interns working here. I have two Chinese room mates- One speaks great English and the other speaks very minimally.
So what am I doing here? Well I am doing a 2 month CEED for an organization called AIESEC. CEED stands for Cultural Envoy for Exchange Development. I am working with the local AIESEC here in Philippines. My intended job was to be a market consultant and contact companies and raise management/business related internships here in Davao. Since arriving my job as developed more into a marketing consultant for the local members since I will be taking time to train the members on HOW to market to companies since currently the AIESEC has only raised un-paid development internships. Am I ok with this change - yes - it is good practice for me - does this take more time to get started - yes - the locals plan everything which means it goes on Filipino time and not my time. Thats alright! Cultural adjustments! :)
My actual job is a very SLOW process. Since Filipino Time is equally as slow as Thai Time.....things take way longer than they should to get moving. Hopefully things will pick up soon cause I want to learn and I want to teach.
Since I had that little fiasco in the Jakarta Airport with the requirement of having a booked onward ticket OUT of the Philippines....I booked a ticket home for September 2nd. But I am now feeling I should go home earlier so that I can spend more time with friends and family and have more time to relax at home prior to returning to Ottawa for a busy semester of University. We'll see if I can make these changes.
So far, 2.5 weeks in, I have gone out for dinner ALOT....and Filipino food is very un-vegetarian friendly.....there are NO vegetables here. ANYWHERE. haha So there is basically ONLY bbq dinners....EVERYNIGHT! but hey....atleast its still cheap....about $2-$3 a meal. But all I crave is a greek salad! Because of this lack of vegetarian options I have now adopted Chicken into my diet - MAN CHICKEN IS DELICIOUS AFTER SO MANY YEARS NOT EATING IT!!
I've also been wakeboarding and on an island hopping tour. Both were great fun except on the overnight of the island hopping where the roof above ONLY my bed leaked and I got soaking wet and thus the slight cold I had turned into a full on sickness after spending the night sleeping on wet blankets. Ugh.
Now I am working to complete my National Support Team -Exchange role for AIESEC Canada which I hold from June 2010-May 2011 - for Thursday Night, while trying to figure out when my training schedule for the locals will be here for my CEED placement.
Cheers
So I am now working in Davao City, Philippines. It is on Mindanao Island, the most southern part of the Philippines. Davao City is a very large city but it does not feel that way. There are no tall buildings and not a lot to do here. It is a quiet place to be living and working. I live in "My Studio", an apartment building with about 30 other interns working here. I have two Chinese room mates- One speaks great English and the other speaks very minimally.
So what am I doing here? Well I am doing a 2 month CEED for an organization called AIESEC. CEED stands for Cultural Envoy for Exchange Development. I am working with the local AIESEC here in Philippines. My intended job was to be a market consultant and contact companies and raise management/business related internships here in Davao. Since arriving my job as developed more into a marketing consultant for the local members since I will be taking time to train the members on HOW to market to companies since currently the AIESEC has only raised un-paid development internships. Am I ok with this change - yes - it is good practice for me - does this take more time to get started - yes - the locals plan everything which means it goes on Filipino time and not my time. Thats alright! Cultural adjustments! :)
My actual job is a very SLOW process. Since Filipino Time is equally as slow as Thai Time.....things take way longer than they should to get moving. Hopefully things will pick up soon cause I want to learn and I want to teach.
Since I had that little fiasco in the Jakarta Airport with the requirement of having a booked onward ticket OUT of the Philippines....I booked a ticket home for September 2nd. But I am now feeling I should go home earlier so that I can spend more time with friends and family and have more time to relax at home prior to returning to Ottawa for a busy semester of University. We'll see if I can make these changes.
So far, 2.5 weeks in, I have gone out for dinner ALOT....and Filipino food is very un-vegetarian friendly.....there are NO vegetables here. ANYWHERE. haha So there is basically ONLY bbq dinners....EVERYNIGHT! but hey....atleast its still cheap....about $2-$3 a meal. But all I crave is a greek salad! Because of this lack of vegetarian options I have now adopted Chicken into my diet - MAN CHICKEN IS DELICIOUS AFTER SO MANY YEARS NOT EATING IT!!
I've also been wakeboarding and on an island hopping tour. Both were great fun except on the overnight of the island hopping where the roof above ONLY my bed leaked and I got soaking wet and thus the slight cold I had turned into a full on sickness after spending the night sleeping on wet blankets. Ugh.
Now I am working to complete my National Support Team -Exchange role for AIESEC Canada which I hold from June 2010-May 2011 - for Thursday Night, while trying to figure out when my training schedule for the locals will be here for my CEED placement.
Cheers
Friday, July 16, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Manila Philippines!
So I stopped over in Manila Philippines to visit some friends I met in Taiwan! It was a nice relaxing week filled with old city charm and laughter. But getting out of Jakarta was TERRRRRIBLE!
SO I get to the airport in jakarta for my flight and there are these 9 American highschool boys infront of me who are more interested in playing stupid games than actually checking themselves in....it took 50 minutes! 50 MINUTES! to get them checked in.....so I only had about 30 minutes left until boarding....so Its me next I hand over my passport and put my luggage on.....and then the check-in clerk asks "Do you have a visa or on-ward travel plans out of Philippines?"...I reply " No, I don't need a visa I get a free tourist stamp, and I havent booked my ticket home yet, Im staying for for 2 months"....his reply "You may not get on this flight without one or the other of those things please step out of line"....me "WTF ARE YOU JOKING ME?!?!?!?!?" I only have 25 minutes now!! So I ask where there is internet to book myself a flight home to Canada - which is about 1KM away....so I put my ;luggage behind their counter and RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN to the hotel that has internet! I am in no shape to be doing this! I Get there and their internet is closed, so i VERY quickly explain my situation and they let me on - but my visa doesnt work when swiped so I had to run out and get money from an ATM first then come back and pay them I got on and the internet was sooo slowww....I was almost in tears I was so panicked!!! But I finally booked a ticket home off Expedia, printed it, and RANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN that 1KM back to the desk with only 5 minutes to spare and they GLANCE, like SLIGHT SLIGHT SLIGHT GLANCE, at my ticket, and say ok have a good flight. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!??!?!??! And when I arrived in Philippines they NEVERRRRRRR checked or asked for anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW. Hating Jakarta and CEBU airlines for scaring me almost outta my flight!!!! but I arrived PHEW!!
So its 5:30Am, I get off my flight....and nobody is around....hmm??? haha So I find a bistro and try to talk to everybody online but nobody is online cause its 5:30am....so I call Gabe, who is the only one whos number I actually have, but he is in the South oh Philippines in Davao, but he works his magic for me and everybody sorts it out and I meet them on their University campus, De La Salle, which is near the Airport. Woot. And my week was happily ever after. I stayed with an AIESECer in his HUGE mansion of a house in a gated community and just relaxed. Francis took me to Intramurous which is the old walled city and we saw beautiful churches, and I met lots of AIESECers and just hung around Manila :)
Now I flew to Davao and life is good. I am in a hostel for a few days before moving into an apartment with other Interns! Just exploring Davao City. :)
SO I get to the airport in jakarta for my flight and there are these 9 American highschool boys infront of me who are more interested in playing stupid games than actually checking themselves in....it took 50 minutes! 50 MINUTES! to get them checked in.....so I only had about 30 minutes left until boarding....so Its me next I hand over my passport and put my luggage on.....and then the check-in clerk asks "Do you have a visa or on-ward travel plans out of Philippines?"...I reply " No, I don't need a visa I get a free tourist stamp, and I havent booked my ticket home yet, Im staying for for 2 months"....his reply "You may not get on this flight without one or the other of those things please step out of line"....me "WTF ARE YOU JOKING ME?!?!?!?!?" I only have 25 minutes now!! So I ask where there is internet to book myself a flight home to Canada - which is about 1KM away....so I put my ;luggage behind their counter and RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN to the hotel that has internet! I am in no shape to be doing this! I Get there and their internet is closed, so i VERY quickly explain my situation and they let me on - but my visa doesnt work when swiped so I had to run out and get money from an ATM first then come back and pay them I got on and the internet was sooo slowww....I was almost in tears I was so panicked!!! But I finally booked a ticket home off Expedia, printed it, and RANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN that 1KM back to the desk with only 5 minutes to spare and they GLANCE, like SLIGHT SLIGHT SLIGHT GLANCE, at my ticket, and say ok have a good flight. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!??!?!??! And when I arrived in Philippines they NEVERRRRRRR checked or asked for anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW. Hating Jakarta and CEBU airlines for scaring me almost outta my flight!!!! but I arrived PHEW!!
So its 5:30Am, I get off my flight....and nobody is around....hmm??? haha So I find a bistro and try to talk to everybody online but nobody is online cause its 5:30am....so I call Gabe, who is the only one whos number I actually have, but he is in the South oh Philippines in Davao, but he works his magic for me and everybody sorts it out and I meet them on their University campus, De La Salle, which is near the Airport. Woot. And my week was happily ever after. I stayed with an AIESECer in his HUGE mansion of a house in a gated community and just relaxed. Francis took me to Intramurous which is the old walled city and we saw beautiful churches, and I met lots of AIESECers and just hung around Manila :)
Now I flew to Davao and life is good. I am in a hostel for a few days before moving into an apartment with other Interns! Just exploring Davao City. :)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Indonesia - Bali, Yogya, Bandung
Heya,
When I have time I'll update about my month long traveling with Jeannie, but for now I'll update on the last two weeks here in Indonesia!!
Indonesia is a beautiful country - very different than Thailand, mainly because Indonesia is a Muslim country. New sights, new sounds, new smells - my senses are very happy to be here!!
SO I flew Bangkok-Jakarta late at night on June 16th - arriving at 11:30PM. After immigration and security and baggage it was about 1AM.....I had a pre-reserved flight to Bali leaving at 6AM so I just stayed in the airport. I met two girls from Aussie and 1 guy from Philippines, so we all stayed up all night talking. At 4AM I went up to Merpati Airlines to get in for my flight and they said "you dont have a flight, that reservation was for 3 hrs only".....wtf????? I checked it like 2 days before and everything was in order - I reserved the flight instead of purchasing because Indonesian websites so not allow international credit cards to pay for anything...its really stupid. So yeah....here I am in Jakarta airport.....4AM after staying up all night.....and now with no flight...UGH....so I wet to KFC for free internet to look up other flights and find the cheapest. Lionair was cheapest but I had to switch terminals - I waited for the transfer bus but it never came, and meanwhile I had met a girl from Scotland who had a flight and was getting worried -so we split the cost of a taxi instead of waiting. Woot for meeting randoms! haha I then booked my flight and had to wait around until 1PM when it would leave!! ugh....I was SO SO SO exhausted by this time haha eventually I landed in Bali and my CS host, named Titik, picked me up and took me to her house in the Bali country side - stunning scenery! :)
SO Bali! Amazing place - people are great fun - fights are beautiful - and the island is small so I can see everything in a short time! :D Only problem is there is NO public transportation on Bali - so I had to hire a motorbike driver to take me around - I am lousy and do not feel comfortable driving around by myself on a moto. I saw beautiful ocean-side temples including Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu. Ulu Watu had monkeys around - but they were evil monkeys who jumped on Titik's head and stole her sunglasses!!! I tried to hit them with my walking stick but they growled at me and started to chase me~ So I ran squealing like a pig! I was terrified....evil monkeys......
Then Titik took me to Dreamland beach where the waves were HUGE!!! I stood in ankle deep water and a wave would break about 5 meters in front of me and I would be pushed back to forcefully by the way I'd end up 20 feet away trying to stand and not drown!!! hahaha It was fun even though it was scary to see these massive waves coming right at me looking like they wanted to eat me! :D haha
I then went up to Ubud, the cultural centre, of Bali for 2 days/1 night. I saw traditional Balinese dancers for an evening, went to a monkey forest sanctuary, viewed surrounding temples, and went to the market!!! :D Ubud was my favourite place in Bali - beautiful little city with lots to see and do. People were very nice everywhere and the shopping was fantastic :D my type of place!!
Then at 6:10AM June 22nd I flew to Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) and landed at 6:20AM>....haha it was an hour long flight but there is a time change between Bali Island and Java island. :) I came to Yogya to see the ancient temples of Borobudor and Prambanan!!! But I also got to see some unknown temples up on mountains and hidden down back lanes. :) I was staying with Ardian, another CS Host, and he took me around everywhere - it was greatly appreciated - I get a friend and a guide to take me around for free :) THe best part about being a blonde - is the random photos people want to take of you. ALL LOCALS come up to me and ask to take my photo with them!! haha I think its great fun - I am all alone traveling so Its great to take photos with randoms and have somebody to talk to. :D
I now just took a Train to Bandung to visit my AIESEC friends I met in Taiwan at APXLDS conference in March!! Well....I love trains.....but I had a guy, about 45, sitting next to me, who when he sat down, put his pillow RIGHT on my shoulder, put his head down, and went to sleep. Meanwhile I am looking bewildered wondering wtf?!?! hahah I was SOOO confused as to why he was leaning on me cause i couldnt move - so I kept moving to maybe get him to get off my shoulder but he would just readjust himself!! hahah after about an hour he FINALLY got off me but I was almost in tears it was so funny by then. hahahha EVERYBODY was Indonesian on the train - so I was all alone trying not to laugh out loud at the hilarity of the situation. hahah But looking around - it seemed to be normal to lean on the person next to you.....you figure there'd be an exception for young blonde foreigners?!?!?? Nope - no exceptions - they are blending me into their culture!! haha! Well no harm done!
SO I arrive in bandung bright and early 6AM to be precise. then I called up Inez who was super and woke up early for me!! And I am now at her apartment!! :) Yesterday I met up with Cao (from APXLDS, Singapore delegate) and Teresa (intern here in Bandung from Texas). We went.......SHOPPING!! Of course!! haha What else! I bought one pretty shirt and some small gifts. Cheap Cheap! :) THen we went to a 'family gathering' hosted by LC Bandung, AIESEC. SO hung out with AIESEC'ers all night and played games, and danced, and smiled. It was a good night. but since I was exhausted - I left when they started to watch the Football game to get a MUCH needed full-nights sleep!! and I did! 10 hours. :D mmmm!!
Now we are up to today!! WOw! We are going to the lake today and to see some of the other sights of Bandung! :)
When I have time I'll update about my month long traveling with Jeannie, but for now I'll update on the last two weeks here in Indonesia!!
Indonesia is a beautiful country - very different than Thailand, mainly because Indonesia is a Muslim country. New sights, new sounds, new smells - my senses are very happy to be here!!
SO I flew Bangkok-Jakarta late at night on June 16th - arriving at 11:30PM. After immigration and security and baggage it was about 1AM.....I had a pre-reserved flight to Bali leaving at 6AM so I just stayed in the airport. I met two girls from Aussie and 1 guy from Philippines, so we all stayed up all night talking. At 4AM I went up to Merpati Airlines to get in for my flight and they said "you dont have a flight, that reservation was for 3 hrs only".....wtf????? I checked it like 2 days before and everything was in order - I reserved the flight instead of purchasing because Indonesian websites so not allow international credit cards to pay for anything...its really stupid. So yeah....here I am in Jakarta airport.....4AM after staying up all night.....and now with no flight...UGH....so I wet to KFC for free internet to look up other flights and find the cheapest. Lionair was cheapest but I had to switch terminals - I waited for the transfer bus but it never came, and meanwhile I had met a girl from Scotland who had a flight and was getting worried -so we split the cost of a taxi instead of waiting. Woot for meeting randoms! haha I then booked my flight and had to wait around until 1PM when it would leave!! ugh....I was SO SO SO exhausted by this time haha eventually I landed in Bali and my CS host, named Titik, picked me up and took me to her house in the Bali country side - stunning scenery! :)
SO Bali! Amazing place - people are great fun - fights are beautiful - and the island is small so I can see everything in a short time! :D Only problem is there is NO public transportation on Bali - so I had to hire a motorbike driver to take me around - I am lousy and do not feel comfortable driving around by myself on a moto. I saw beautiful ocean-side temples including Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu. Ulu Watu had monkeys around - but they were evil monkeys who jumped on Titik's head and stole her sunglasses!!! I tried to hit them with my walking stick but they growled at me and started to chase me~ So I ran squealing like a pig! I was terrified....evil monkeys......
Then Titik took me to Dreamland beach where the waves were HUGE!!! I stood in ankle deep water and a wave would break about 5 meters in front of me and I would be pushed back to forcefully by the way I'd end up 20 feet away trying to stand and not drown!!! hahaha It was fun even though it was scary to see these massive waves coming right at me looking like they wanted to eat me! :D haha
I then went up to Ubud, the cultural centre, of Bali for 2 days/1 night. I saw traditional Balinese dancers for an evening, went to a monkey forest sanctuary, viewed surrounding temples, and went to the market!!! :D Ubud was my favourite place in Bali - beautiful little city with lots to see and do. People were very nice everywhere and the shopping was fantastic :D my type of place!!
Then at 6:10AM June 22nd I flew to Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) and landed at 6:20AM>....haha it was an hour long flight but there is a time change between Bali Island and Java island. :) I came to Yogya to see the ancient temples of Borobudor and Prambanan!!! But I also got to see some unknown temples up on mountains and hidden down back lanes. :) I was staying with Ardian, another CS Host, and he took me around everywhere - it was greatly appreciated - I get a friend and a guide to take me around for free :) THe best part about being a blonde - is the random photos people want to take of you. ALL LOCALS come up to me and ask to take my photo with them!! haha I think its great fun - I am all alone traveling so Its great to take photos with randoms and have somebody to talk to. :D
I now just took a Train to Bandung to visit my AIESEC friends I met in Taiwan at APXLDS conference in March!! Well....I love trains.....but I had a guy, about 45, sitting next to me, who when he sat down, put his pillow RIGHT on my shoulder, put his head down, and went to sleep. Meanwhile I am looking bewildered wondering wtf?!?! hahah I was SOOO confused as to why he was leaning on me cause i couldnt move - so I kept moving to maybe get him to get off my shoulder but he would just readjust himself!! hahah after about an hour he FINALLY got off me but I was almost in tears it was so funny by then. hahahha EVERYBODY was Indonesian on the train - so I was all alone trying not to laugh out loud at the hilarity of the situation. hahah But looking around - it seemed to be normal to lean on the person next to you.....you figure there'd be an exception for young blonde foreigners?!?!?? Nope - no exceptions - they are blending me into their culture!! haha! Well no harm done!
SO I arrive in bandung bright and early 6AM to be precise. then I called up Inez who was super and woke up early for me!! And I am now at her apartment!! :) Yesterday I met up with Cao (from APXLDS, Singapore delegate) and Teresa (intern here in Bandung from Texas). We went.......SHOPPING!! Of course!! haha What else! I bought one pretty shirt and some small gifts. Cheap Cheap! :) THen we went to a 'family gathering' hosted by LC Bandung, AIESEC. SO hung out with AIESEC'ers all night and played games, and danced, and smiled. It was a good night. but since I was exhausted - I left when they started to watch the Football game to get a MUCH needed full-nights sleep!! and I did! 10 hours. :D mmmm!!
Now we are up to today!! WOw! We are going to the lake today and to see some of the other sights of Bandung! :)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What a Month!
Jeannie just left me - but wow! what a great month it has been wandering around Asia!
Photos and details to come.
I am now in Bali, Indonesia staying with a friend. After a hectic flight from Jakarta-Bali, I am exhausted and need to get a FULL nights sleep tonight! I cant wait! mmm bed!
:)
Photos and details to come.
I am now in Bali, Indonesia staying with a friend. After a hectic flight from Jakarta-Bali, I am exhausted and need to get a FULL nights sleep tonight! I cant wait! mmm bed!
:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)