On Thursday morning, right after I posted my week 2 blog, there was a 6.2 earthquake in Batangas which is a little bit southwest of us. We didn’t really feel much, but we still had to be evacuated. It was an interesting morning because we don’t have earthquakes very often in the midwest.
Over the weekend, Sam and Faith came to visit from Cabrini. On Friday night, we took them to Penthouse for dinner and then went to “Bolthole” afterwards. On Saturday morning, Abi, Lukas, and I went to Tagaytay to see Taal Volcano which is inside of Taal Lake. We went to a local coffee shop and also had lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the volcano. We then went back to Sienna Park (where we are staying) and went to the pool with Hunter, Sam, and Faith. On Sunday, Faith and I walked to Starbucks for breakfast then got some things for my trip to Marinduque with Lukas and Abi. I then worked out in the gym at Sienna Park and went to the pool afterwards with Lukas and Hunter. After that, Lukas, Abi, Hunter, and I went to a local Laundromat and did our laundry then found a place to get burgers and fries. My burger was so good- just like the burgers I eat at home! We then packed because we had to be up at 3 am for our departure.
On Monday, we reported to FNRI at 4 am for our trip to Marinduque. We had a 3 hour drive in the van, then a 3 hour trip on a Ferry. We then met with Barangay officials and introduced ourselves. The locals are very surprised to see Americans here and the children wave at us every chance they get. On Tuesday, we went to the Mayor’s office and met more local officials. We then went out into the field and interviewed specific households. We are walking distance from the beach, so we are able to watch the sunset on the beach every night. While we are in the field, we eat home cooked meals that our team leaders make. We have had tofu, lots of vegetables, mango, eggs, eggplant, okra, chopped suey, and so much rice. Everyone here is so kind and accommodating. Since we are in a rather rural area, we are sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags and the water supply is very limited. The water shuts off at 5 every day to conserve the supply, so we must make sure that we put water into buckets before 5 pm. We also have to take bucket showers, which has been very eye opening and interesting. The people live very simply here and take things slow which is very refreshing.
On Tuesday, we visited the Mayor’s office and met with local officials in the morning. In the afternoon, we assisted the researchers in the field. They collected basic demographic information from their respondents. On Wednesday, I woke up at 4:30 and went with a nutritionist to one of her assigned houses to weigh the families breakfast before they cooked it. We then went back after they ate and weighed their leftovers and plate waste. Lukas, Abi, and I then observed another researcher as she interviewed a different family about their daily food intake. It is a very eye-opening experience to see how resourceful Filipinos are. Some of them raise their own chickens for eggs and even have their own rice farms. The water is also very limited, and some families have to pump their own water. I take having access to drinking water for granted. Many of their kitchens are outside, so they have to go outside to cook their food whether it is hot or cold. On Thursday, we continued our observations and I was able to practice taking blood pressure and other anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, and upper arm circumference. I was also able to watch the biochemical samples be collected. They take blood and urine samples to test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. We were then able to go with the researchers to a home and observe a full day dietary recall. They even let us practice asking questions (with the help of a translator).
On Friday, we took a boat to a nearby island called Gaspar. It was so beautiful and the water was clear. We went with some other nutritionists. We were able to swim for a while then some locals made us fresh fish which we ate off of banana leaves. We then went on a beautiful boat ride around the island before returning to Marinduque. On Friday evening, some locals performed the “Tubong/Putong” ceremony for us where they serenaded us with songs then crowned us and gave us flowers. It was so much fun and we loved experienced this unique Marinduque tradition. On Saturday, we transitioned to another Barangay with another sub team and observed the process of data editing.
Overall, we had so much fun on our trip to Marinduque and we loved meeting locals and immersing ourselves in their culture. It is such a beautiful place and we can’t wait for our next field immersion experience!
