Kamusta!
I’m finally here! Well, I’ve actually been in the Philippines for just over a week now but it has been a great experience so far. I haven’t officially started my internship just yet as we had to be placed in isolation for a week to self-monitor for any possible signs of sickness from traveling — we have all now been cleared to begin our internships but we’re still waiting for our IDs to be processed in order to be able to access our respective buildings.
My first week in the Philippines was filled with exploring the area of Los Baños, Laguna. Along with the other US interns, I attended an orientation where we given a general “Survival Guide to the Philippines”, we met multiple professors from UPLB and surrounding research groups, we learnt essential Tagalog phrases, and we went out to dinner together at an amazing restaurant called Kamayan at Palaisdaan Resto and Resort where ate traditional Filipino cuisine.
I never expected the surroundings to be so tropical!
Our ride to dinner after orientation – The Jeepney is the most popular form of public transport.
Kamayan at Palaisdaan
Dinner at Kamayan consisted of Chicken Adobo, rice, pork, and noodles w/ veggies
The rest of the week was spent adjusting to my new environment (the heat here is no joke — and that’s coming from a South African), grocery shopping, exploring the market in the surrounding area of IRRI, and enjoying the beautiful views that Los Baños offers all day, everyday.
Swaminathan Dormitory – where we spent our week of isolation
The view outside of the cafeteria – beautiful rice paddies!
The view of Mount Makiling outside of our dorms.
On the way to the market in Los Banos we passed the University of the Philippines Los Banos.
So far, everything has been great — the people, the food, the weather (especially the nightly thunderstorms) — and I’m excited to see what the next few weeks have in store!
Salamat at paalam!
“A new environment encourages us to be more mindful and present, as we’re more likely to notice and appreciate new surroundings.”
— Michael Klim