Welcome to week 2-3! This will be a bit longer since I wanted to fit the entire 8-day deployment to Marinduque on one post!
Weekend
Two fellow interns from Illinois Wesleyan took a trip to our apartment through a 2 hour journey via bus and a grab (similar to Uber) for a weekend getaway. On Friday night, we went to the same rooftop restaurant within the BGC (business district) of Manila we tried the first weekend and loved. We had some delicious food and drinks while taking in the awesome view overlooking the city. After this, we walked to a nearby bar that a grab driver from a previous encounter recommended. It ended up being a super fun night!
The next day I went to Tagaytay with my roommates, Abi and Kennady. Tagaytay is a city in which borders Taal Lake, home to the Taal Volcano in the middle of it. The city is absolutely beautiful and provides a great place for pictures due to its breathtaking views. We spent the day walking around and taking it all in. It’s said that usually the area is packed with people but since the volcano is now active and thought to be the possible source of the earthquake that took place 2 days prior, it was empty. The area is known for a Filipino dish called “Bulalo”, composed of beef shanks and bone marrow submerged in a broth and topped with an assortment of vegetables. The large piece of bone floating in the soup was intimidating at first, but it ended up being delicious!
Sunday composed mainly of chilling by the pool within our apartment complex and heading to a nearby laundromat to prepare for our 8-day deployment the following day.
Marinduque
Monday
Deployment day! We departed from the FNRI building at 5am although we needed to arrive at 4 in order to prepare. Talk about bright & early (well… more like dark and early)! Marinduque is an island, causing us to take a ferry in order to carry the supplies within the vans across the sea. Altogether the trip composed of a 3.5 hour van ride to a port in Batangas (city on the southern coast of the province) and a 3 hour ferry to the island. Upon arrival we got oriented to the place we are staying at by local officials. Our residence for the week is a small floor within a community center. We’re all sleeping on the tile floor, side-by-side to each other. It composes of 2 bathrooms. There is a lack of running water so the toilets don’t automatically flush as to how I’m used to back home. They use a tool called a tabo- a bucket of water in which you continuously scoop into the toilet until it slowly (and very much hopefully) flushes. I will never take an automatic-flushing toilet for granted again! In addition to this, showers aren’t exactly existent. You pour water on yourself, scrub, then pour more water on yourself to rinse using the water in the tabo (bucket of water) and a handheld pale. All of this is done in the tiny bathroom so the room itself is always soaked. This will get some getting used to that’s for sure! Later in the evening, some team members went into the local market and gathered ingredients to cook dinner for everyone. We all sat outside around a table to enjoy and it was delicious!
Tuesday
I’m happy to announce I took my first ever make-shift “bucket shower” this morning! Mission accomplished. I wasn’t alone either… a massive spider in the upper corner kept me company. I made sure not to take my eyes off of it… definitely wasn’t going to give it an easy chance to pounce and initiate battle. I’m glad to say things remained peaceful. After this, the team enjoyed breakfast outside before we began our tasks.
The two other interns, team leaders, and myself headed to the mayors office to have a meeting with him with the mission to introduce our business on the island. Everyone is super friendly and thrilled about the presence of foreigners! Something I’m assuming they don’t see much of. After this, I joined a researcher to observe him interviewing one of the locals that consented on us collecting data from for the next few days. Although the language barrier is very much present and the entire thing is done in a Filipino dialect, I was able to pick up a few things through following along on the interview document and reading facial expressions. It was very impactful to get an inside look on how many Filipino people live and I’m excited to continue to be exposed to it! I can already tell this is going to be an eye-opening experience, granting of many takeaways.
Wednesday
We started taking anthropometric measurements at 6am with all of the respondents who agreed to participate in the nutrition survey the day prior. These include measuring the clients’ blood pressure, height/weight, and circumference of their upper arm, waist, and hip. Along with this, biochemical specimens are collected. This includes taking a blood sample to measure hemoglobin, vitamin/mineral levels, and liver enzymes. We ask the client to fast for 8 hours prior to getting the blood drawn in order to maintain accuracy of the lipid panel and levels of insulin/glucose. We have the client turn in a small urine sample too. One significant thing assessed through urine is the content of iodine being excreted, as 90% of iodine is excreted through urine causing it to be an easy and effective way to measure an individuals’ levels. Iodine is one of the largest deficiencies among Filipino adults, to the extent that it is a law for all markets to sell iodized salt. Fun fact… this intervention was implemented based on data gathered from a previous survey completed by the FNRI! Later in the afternoon, I joined a researcher on taking a journey to the individual clients’ households to record what they consume for each meal… meaning we take three separate trips to account for each meal that day. Along with recording the weight and types of food they consume prior to the meal, we weigh their leftovers as well.
Thursday
We finished up with recording anthropometric measurements for the remainder of the respondents in the morning and gathered the final dietary data (recording food consumption at each household) throughout the afternoon. I experienced a few “firsts” in my life too. I butt heads with a goat using my fist, pet a couple cows, and held a chicken. It’s like a natural petting zoo! After the work day, we traveled to the local market to gather ingredients for dinner that night and snacks to take on our endeavor planned for tomorrow. The mayor arranged for the team leaders and us three foreign interns to travel via boat to one of the islands just a bit off the coast of Marinduque (the main island we are staying on).
At one of the households I visited to gather dietary information, they were incredibly welcoming to me. I was introduced to the entire family (15+ people), enjoyed a cup o’ joe they offered, and was even invited to join them for bingo later that afternoon… unfortunately had to turn that down due to it being in the middle of the work day. However, I played basketball with two of the kids around my age for an hour or two during my lunch break.
Friday
Island day! We left at 6am for the long trek to the nearest beach… literally our backyard haha! The real reason we left so early was to be able to hangout on the sandbar that’s only existent early in the day before high-tide when it get’s engulfed by the rest of sea. We boarded the boat which was made of wood and bamboo with a super loud engine on the back. I can’t get enough of the water which is crystal clear in transparency and a beautiful blue tint. Upon arrival, the local Filipinos that call the island home prepared two dishes for us. The first was pancit, a traditional Filipino noodle dish. The second of which was a big, freshly caught fish accompanied by mangos, rice, vegetables, and two different types of eggplants. The usual way to eat it is with your hands while using banana leaves as your plate… I can now safely say that forks are overrated. After enjoying the food, meeting the most welcoming people, and swimming in the beautiful, crystal clear water, it was time to head back to the mainland. The boat took us around the island enabling us to see all of the beautiful sights before arriving back.
Later in the evening, the local people of Marinduque had a surprise for our team. A gathering occurred right outside of where we are staying and they greeted us with a traditional ceremony they put on when visitors come to the island! This was a super cool/enriching experience and something I’ve never came close to experiencing before… except from seeing in movies of course. This ceremony consisted of singing to us in Tagalog (the local language), dancing, giving us crowns and flowers, throwing candy and coins, and tossing confetti. At the end of it, we all chowed down on the feast that the local Filipinos prepared for us! Some of the best food I’ve had on this journey thus far. This was an experience I’m certain will never leave my memory and will be forever cherished. The people here are above and beyond in terms of making visitors feel welcomed, regardless of how much I stand out. Not once did someone greet me without a smile and or a lack of positive vibes. Their attitudes are truly inspiring especially after getting an inside look at the conditions in which they live in everyday. This is something I think everybody should be exposed to as I truly believe there is much to learn from their positive attitudes towards everything in life!
Abi, Kennady, and I are being transferred to another team stationed within a different barangay (similar to a city/region) on Marinduque tomorrow morning. My time within the Bacong-Bacong barangay is something I will forever cherish!
Saturday
Transfer day! In the morning we were moved to another barangay within Marinduque to join another team of researchers for the day. This one is called the Caganhao barangay. Our new place for the night consists of sleeping on a tile floor again with no air conditioning… so cozy! The other team members are super friendly and make me feel so welcomed which is awesome. Good company is all I need… air conditioning or not! We arrived at lunch time, so we all gathered and ate outside like usual. In the afternoon, we observed the researchers entering in the data they collected from their select group of respondents within the community prior to our arrival.
In the evening, another ceremony took place to welcome us visitors! It was very similar to the one I experienced at the previous barangay but the feast that followed was composed of different foods. This time, we all ate around a long table covered in banana leaf, which we used as our shared plate. The food consisted of fish, rice, duck egg, etc. Oh yeah… we ate with our hands of course! I had the best pineapple ever too! Once again, the most welcoming people I’m so glad to have met.
Before going to bed, I went to fetch some water with a couple other team members from one of the pumps down the street. One thing I found interesting was how in order to pump water out, you need to feed the machine water itself. Anyways, we had to replenish our supply in order to have enough in the tabo for the remainder of the night and morning. As a reminder, the tabo is the water bucket in the bathrooms used to flush the toilet and take bucket showers.
Sunday
Transfer day part two! The entire team was getting transferred to a new barangay for the next several days. This one is called the Isok barangay. Our place here composes of another tile floor with no air conditioning; however, we were given mattresses! I have a feeling my sore hips from sleeping on the hard tile will be thanking me haha! Upon arrival, we were oriented by the local authority as we introduced ourselves and the mission we come to accomplish. After this, the team and I took a stroll into town to find a local place for lunch and to familiarize ourselves with the community. We got a free tour of the local museum too! On the way back, we stopped at a pharmacy to gather some necessities that have run dry… aka deodorant. Something you can’t go a day without in this climate. This is especially true when sleeping in no air conditioning and wearing pants at all hours to maintain professionalism.
In the evening, guess what we were surprised with again… another ceremony to welcome us visitors! It was composed of the same thing and wonderful food after. I guess it is traditional for each barangay to welcome visitors, hence our three separate exposures to it! I’m not complaining at all… it is super fun and the people are absolutely wonderful!
Tomorrow is a travel day back to Manila for Abi, Kennady, and I. The rest of the teams will stay in Marinduque to continue gathering data/research! My first deployment and overall time in Marinduque has been incredibly eye-opening and fruitful, an experience I won’t forget!
Photos (chronological order for the most part)
