Our First Week in the Philippines: Zamboanga!

"It's More Fun in the Philippines!"

Zambaonga City, Philippines

"Asia's Latin City"

We arrived in Zamboanga on Friday, February 8th 2013...after a very long flight starting in Medford, Oregon to San Francisco, California, to Manila...a 12 hour layover in Manila airport was enough to drive one mad, but we handled it like champs and had a good time.  We even practiced our dance there.  

This is what we looked like in the Manila Airport...they turned the a/c on high, so we were trying to stay WARM in the Philippines! Who would have thought?? Ha ha!

Upon arriving to Zamboanga's airport...we were greeted like celebrities by all these wonderful Rotarians and family members!!  Everyone was so very excited, as were we!  Oh, and it was HOT and Humid!!

We enjoyed our first Filipino feast with the Zamboangan Rotarians at the Lantaka Hotel restaurant outside on the beach front.  Hello friends!!  From here and for the week, we were to meet our host families and go to many amazing places in the city!

 

We went to many places including the Pasonanca forestry park where the Rotary Watershed project was installed along with many other neat parks and recreational areas.  We were able to see the Chinese School's   annual Chinese New Year's Lion dance team perform at Paseo Del Mar!

Paseo del Mar; perfect for Valentine's Day couples to stroll along the water and watch the sunset :)

My host family (minus my Host Brother, Roel and their daughter Kayla)

Nanay, Patay, Me, Minette, Gaby

My Host family again!  Roel, Minette, Gaby, Kayla...we're all going to Santa Cruz Island!

Hello ladies! The GSE Team and the Fabulous Anna ...Santa Cruz Island, across the way from Zamboanga.

Lyn serving up some delicious crabs!  Sea food here is amazing and plentiful. 

And we were plenty protected...with a bunch of Coast Guard guys escorting us the entire time!  Plenty of armed guards around the Philippines!  However, right now in the Cities they have a Gun Ban for the duration of the upcoming elections.  

Yes, we went to a real cockfighting arena, filled with so many (mostly men) people!  It was both sad and yet induced a feeling of hunger within us.  Chicken...yum...

We met the Mayor of the City of Zamboanga!  That was a nice time.

We visited many schools, hospitals, and other vocational areas.  A very nice thing about Zamboanga City is the mixture of cultures and religions in a peaceful manner here...Many Muslims and Roman Catholics are located in this area and there are no major conflicts with the locals here from what we observed.  :)

 This is John bringing the 4 of us (Lauretta, Beth, Emily, and I) BALUT to try for the very first time.  Balut is the duck embryo of an egg that hasn't hatched.  These were 18 day old duck babies.  WE ALL DID IT.  I had the hardest time, look at my face here!  But...we did it!  Feathers, beak, and all.

OREGON!!!  Go Ducks! (Not Balut ducks!)

And then I attempted durian (sp?) ...stinky fruit with a sharp spindly outside and a creamy inside and the smell of funky feet!  They say "It smells like hell, but tastes like heaven!"....we beg to differ.  :)

Our first Governmental/Public hospital visit.  Very eye opening. Very understaffed, too many patients per nurses (50 to 1?!?!), and so much old equipment, technology, and just not enough resources to provide excellent care.  The private hospitals are much better, but it's only for the people with $$$ who can pay...

The ICU...these nurses work 6 days a week...every week.

Their Crash Cart.  Cardiac arrest, anyone?  That's their defibrillator.

Well, overall Zamboanga was a wonderful stay, and this post doesn't even do justice to the amazing people we've met and new friends we have...nor to the area and the beauty of Zamboanga.  Everyone is so hospitable and friendly, even the curious local onlookers and bystanders.  I will hopefully have more time to do a better post about this area in the future.  :)

Vinta sail boats are the City's symbol...colorful sails on narrow wooden kayak type boats with stabilizers.  Beautiful! 

We love you, Zamboanga!!  

-The GSE Team-

Emily, Beth, Tommi, Lauretta, & Kendra

(Posted by Kendra)

Please enjoy some images from the Chinese New Year's celebrations we have just been treated to.

I had the good fortune for my first professional vocational tour to visit a protected watershed and an affiliated water treatment facility. The first several images show me with my guides learning about the watershed management. Later, our Team reunited to visit Harmony Village, a Christian and Muslim organization that operates to create cultural interchanges for tolerance and understanding between persons of different faiths. There were some fascinating and beautiful fresh seafood available at a roadside stop along the way back. That evening, I enjoyed busting out some dance moves and songs.

We are all happy but exhausted. It has been difficult finding time to post to the blog with such jam packed

days and nights.  But here is just a little taste of our timse in Zambuanga, with more images and information to come. We continue to be welcomed with open arms and are constantly wowed by all the things the Philippines has to offer. Thanks again to our sponsoring clubs for this opportunity!

The team at Santa Cruz island that Tommi described in previous post.

Me enjoying dinner with host family and friends from the club.

One of my first Filipino breakfasts in the family home.

Giving and receiving gifts with the Mayor.

Zamboanga and Santa Cruz Island

We have had a busy beginning but a fabulous time.  Our hosts are just wonderful.  We went to Santa Cruz island off the mainland of Zamboanga -- not too far.  We went over in a traditional craft that was adorable but felt a bit tippy.  We got there and enjoyed the warm water -- a great teal color.  The beach is know for it's pink sand.  the coral gets broken up and mixes with the sand creating a pinkish cast.  Very lovely. 
Snacks were brought by Beng, Beth's host mom.  We had seaweed and small crabs.

We had a lesson in how to open them.  Lauretta will demonstrate in this small video.  Will I tried twice to upload the video -- will post this now and later retry the video after consulting with my team of young experts!