What I've REALLY Been Doing in Manila

So when I'm not hitting up the Many Malls of Manila, listening to downloaded lectures, or playing badminton I volunteer at the Marakina Health Office. I am volunteering in their lab as a lab tech. I really like it even though I thought I had given up on the whole molecular/cell biology route.

Strangely they were surprised that I was not a snob. I guess I look like a snob? Maybe they assumed that because I have a B.A in Biology I would act like I know everything about lab work. Ha. Definitely not. When you get a degree in biology you usually only do the procedures in lab only once unless you do work study in the labs. Here out in the real world, even though I have taken more courses, these people have been doing the procedures for years. It is no longer necessary for them to debate whether the cell is a B-cell or a granulocyte. It is what it is. No question about it, it can't be anything else. Jeff was of course the first to teach my this when it came to analysis (of course he used bats to demonstrate, not cells). With the experience of working with an organism comes a sort of familiarity. You really know what it is, why it is significant. So in short I am really learning a lot. Drug tests, sputum smears, acid fast staining, sputum analysis (for TB), urinalysis, complete blood count, HIV tests. I get to do these everyday I go in.

It is just so fascinating to see how a lab like this works. Of course there is the added Filipino flavor. The hour long lunch break during which the lab shuts down and people eat or even take naps. There is always food in the lab - which may not be the best health decision, but at least we will never go hungry. Every one plays a little on the computer - games like "Plants vs. Zombies" or "Montezuma's Revenge". There is a very relaxed atmosphere about the lab and stress is little to nonexistent.

The lab techs are in short awesome. As long as I have questions they are willing to not only answer but teach me. One in particular (who I have labeled as my sensei) stands out because she is not afraid to put me on the spot, asking me questions to ensure I have really learned the material instead of just saying I have.

This week I will be returning to Borongan for the Fiesta. My family says that this celebration is even bigger than Christmas. One sad consequence of all this is that the large intake of food will be detrimental to my health...in the loss of my abs. Alas.

Manila, Philippines

Manila is completely crazy. It is so different from the province I was originally staying. More than 12 million people live here and the strain in the city's infrastructure is clearly evident.

I first noticed that people don't really follow the traffic rules. An American coming here would get stressed out just on a simple drive to the grocery. Also while I have been staying in the "nicer" areas of the city, the poverty is still visible. Although the larger squatter settlements and shanties are kept out of site, some are still viewed from the road. You can see the pitiful living quarters lining heavily polluted streams, children covered with dirt and grime sleeping on the ground, and countless people begging or picking through the trash. If anyone can remain unmoved by these images...they can't be human.

People move by the masses to the major cities. They are pushed out from their land by natural disasters, deforestation, violence, and other damages to their land. The result in Manila is heartbreaking. They have come to the city by the promise of health care, clean sanitation, and work. These happy images of course a beamed into their homes through satellites to their TVs. Yet when you see them begging in the streets they have already given up hope. You can see in their eyes and their defeated posture they have accepted that they will live like this until they die.

Many have resorted to robbery to alleviate their dire situation. They break into homes and even hold up whole Jeepneys of people at a time. This only escalates the mistrust and judgment that is initially evoked from their dirty appearance. They go from dirty and homeless to savage and dangerous just by what a person can read or see in the news.

Did my family and friends...even Ryan really believe that I was going on this little trip, almost like a vacation, just to play around with some snakes or microscope slides? I couldn't have predicted the feelings that would come from simply glancing out the window and seeing two boys huddled together sleeping on the street. Did I really believe that I would come back to the U.S slightly more tanned and ready for graduate school? That I wouldn't be affected by these images? I certainly couldn't see my almost non-existent faith grow not from reading the Bible everyday as my mother urged me to do, but by seeing these people and reading essay after essay on the situation of Human Rights in these 3rd world countries.

There is no way, absolutely none, that I could go back to the U.S and be the same person I was. My conscience simply won't allow it. Of course this seed was planted in Liberation Theology by Dr. Holler - that crazy priest everyone makes fun of, yet still dream of doing what he taught us needs to be done.

I just don't understand yet how all my interests and passions in Conservation Biology, Epidemiology, Human Rights can fit all together in one profession...

Back in Borongan aka Brownout Borongan

I'm back in Borongan and as soon as I arrive the tricycle driver charges me 20 pesos instead of the usual 7 peso fare. My initial reaction was "20 pesos?!" (giving him a hard look). He replies "Okay 15". I inwardly roll my eyes and mentally will him to leave before anger replaces my shock. Now I'm not mad because of the money (it only came out to like 33 cents). I'm upset because he charged me more because a) I look like a rich foreigner and b) my Lolo is known for his wealth. What happened to the famous Filipino hospitality?

In America whenever I meet or have to interact with a foreigner I go out of my way to treat them well. Especially at the Gap and they need help, but don't speak English. I do things for them I wouldn't even consider for a local shopping at the gap. So to be treated like this is just...annoying.

Back in VSU, I received the surprise of my life. As I was sitting in on a class the professor of marine biology (who I am reluctant to admit is my uncle) actually fully embraced creationism and only reluctantly discussed evolution and the theories of earths early formation. He explained that Creationism had no holes in the argument and that it is easy to explain and understand. He said that evolution was "just a theory" and that it had many "holes in the argument". Strangely enough this is exactly how Dr. Lorentz , a professor at TMC who teaches the Evolution class, explained creationists make their argument. I was so surprised by what the marine biologist was saying that I didn't know what to do. Should I speak up? Say something to explain evolution better? No. I just sat there and didn't say anything, because honestly people stare at me enough. I just can't believe evolution is viewed in such a way in a university level biology class. Hopefully this is just an isolated case.

Also back in VSU I was given the opportunity (I was definitely not forced by an extremely resourceful and strong woman) to teach English at an elementary school. There I had to teach English using Biblical stories and songs. It was just plain...weird to split my attention and focus the lesson on Bible morals and English pronunciation. In addition I only had one day to prepare (in between scuba dives). And the director of the school was disappointed that I didn't prepare a PowerPoint. Ooops, sorry about that.

Now in Borongan I have started volunteering at the Provincial Hospital's Lab. The first two hours the lab techs ignored me and did their work. I did not come to the Philippines to be ignored or feel useless. I began asking questions. Lots of them. Even if I already knew the answer. I just needed to do something to break the ice so that they would accept me and allow to me to help out. They eventually let me look at urine, stool, and blood samples after they had analyzed them. By the second day I actually learned more about HIV and Hepatitis testing. I helped repair their incubator, which wasn't broken they wanted the actually temp. to match the set temp. I tried to explain that this would naturally fluctuate by a small degree, but they were insistent. The lab is already adequately staffed and they already have a volunteer - a German named Mathis. Since there isn't really any work for me to do there (and I have already read all the lab prep manuals) I will try volunteering at the pharmacy...and do the whole thing over.

I am not upset over the recent events at VSU or Borongan. I'm just observing human nature.

Visayas State University 30-6-2010

Okay so here is the first blog (which I promised about a month ago....).

I have been in the Philippines since May 10th. I haven't really done any of things I came here to do. I was supposed to meet up with a herpetologist in Manila and volunteer at the National Museum. I was supposed to volunteer on some field work outings. I was supposed to get involved with some NGOs. None of this has happened. The herpetologist in Manila never emailed me back once I arrived. So in the recklessness of youth (and thanks to a perceptive Auntie Mirla) I disregarded my former plans and took a one hour flight and a 4 hour drive to Borongan, Eastern Samar...to stay with my grandfather (Filipino: Lolo).


As soon as I arrived in Eastern Samar I came down with some terrible flu...thing. At first I thought it was Dengue Fever and I was convinced I was going to die a horrible, but preventable death... if only airport security hadn't confiscated my bug spray. To my surprise I learned the symptoms didn't match up to Dengue and a few days later I started to feel better.

Since I recovered from my illness I have been able to accomplish quite a bit here (even if these so called accomplishments don't match up to my original plan). I have been to numerous fiestas, eating way too much food and certain things I never thought were edible (i.e - Pig intestine cooked in the pig's blood called dinuguan)


Ever since the first bite I have refused to try it again...for obvious reasons.

In addition to immersing myself in the culinary culture of the Philippines I have also made several friends with the nurses and doctors at the provincial hospital (introductions made possible by my wonderful Auntie Marietta). I was even able to accompany some of them to a Medical Mission on an island near Guian. There I learned to decipher a doctor's handwriting, dispense medications, and to preform circumcision. The last of which my Aunt taught me how to do. However nothing could prepare me for one of the boys who had Rhino skin so an expert was called in to finish it up.

Last week I made my way to Baybay, Leyte where my uncle teaches Marine Biology at Visayas State University (VSU). I have since been SCUBA certified (overcoming my initial mistrust of the scuba equipment). I saw so many marine animals I had never seen before from a sleeping sea snake to a crown of thorns.

In addition to these strange turn of events I have found myself teaching English at a nearby elementary school where another of my aunts is a teacher.

I am trying to stay on track so that I'm not just having a vacation. Hopefully these experiences will come in handy for Grad School...