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.