This week, we had our last excursion in Tagudin, Illocus Sur, and went home on Friday night. We did the same tasks such as interviewing locals with the expanded national nutrition survey (ENNS), taking measurements, and inputting data. This barangay was especially fun because I actually got to interview a local myself instead of just shadowing. On our last day, we hung out with all of the teams at the beach, went swimming, and ate dinner with the mayor. We also went boating. At 11:30 pm, we took a bus to Manila.
It was extremely hot in our room in Tagudin, and the A/C felt heavenly when we got back. We had two days to relax before work on Monday. On Saturday we went to the pool and just relaxed for a bit. On Sunday, we went to the Mall of Asia. It was very big and looked like a mall in the US.
Our living conditions were highly variable on this field excursion. We first stayed at a hotel which was very nice, but after that, we stayed in daycare centers with no AC, sleeping bags, and bucket showers. It was a great, humbling experience. On one of the first days, we had a power outage for the whole day with no running water. I saw this trip as an opportunity to live in the shoes of people less fortunate than me.
On Monday, we started working on our presentation where we described our work on the rural excursions. We also did some food validation which is the evaluation that provides evidence that food went through a particular process (cooking, frying, etc.)
Overall, the rural excursion was a blast. I think it felt like a leap of faith. I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a great time taking in a new culture, and distinct cultural perspectives. It was great trying new food, customs, traditions, and social atmospheres. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to witness a completely new way of life.
