Settlin Down

I realize its been a month since my last entry and a lot has happened so I'll try my best to catch you up. This is evidence to the fact that I have been starting to settle down here in the Philippines. Im gettin into a routine and living a new life, so thinking about home is something that naturally is giong to decrease a bit. I say that now, watch, Im about to hit a streak of homesickness now. Well, first things first, I have moved into my new home. Got my own place now, 2 stories, great views of rice terraces, can sleep a bunch of ppl, toilet seat YEAH, tv, ref (dont use tho b/c electricity is expensive), bought some nice speakers, and nice wooden floors and walls. Its in a nice safe neighborhood and next door is my host aunt and grandma and 2 kids both in high school. I got the governor up the road and my new language tutor is right nextdoor. I had to get a new language tutor b/c my old one, the one i had in Saytan as great as he is, is very unreliable as he works 6 days a wk as the governor's right hand. This new lady, Susan, is also an LCF( langauge and cultural facilitator working for Peace Corps). I really need to get more motivated to learn the local dialect. The meetings with farmer leaders are in the local dialect and I cant understand a word. It really is a difficult language to learn, the pronunciation requires a lot of glottal stops so I end up saying sentences like "I know I do not know" or "I do not I know". "Agge a inila" Where to put the stress and where to cut off your voice makes all the difference. Anyways, onto work. This past month I have been visiting with the inspectors I was trained with back in the quality control seminar. I am assessing the quality of the harvests of the farmer leaders and validating their pledges that will undergo inspections in mid-sept. Sounds busy hey, well the reality of it is me going to their farm and looking, feeling their bundles of tinawon(native rice) and saying, "ok now, be sure to keep this dry and clean and when you hand pound it, I am going to need 80% whole grain" If they dont pass inspections then I personally have to hand their rejected bundles back to them as the retailing firm state-side will not buy it. This is, i imagine, going to be very difficult to do at the least. They, the farmers, are so interested in becoming a part of this project, you should see their eyes light up at the prospect of 50 pesos/kilo buying price. What the US market is demanding is 80%whole grain, clean(american stds) hand-pounded rice. Their whole life they have been producing a product that when sold on the local market, has been machine-tilled and processed to meet filipino demands - which bluntly put, want it anyway they can, rocks, bugs n all. Vicky told me about 40% makes it to manila to be exported, that means I am handing back 60% HAND-POUNDED YET FAILED rice. I tried first hand the mortar and pestle and could only pound enough for a midnight snack. But hey, I guess thats why I am here assigned to this ngo - to be that guy who has to be the bad guy who represents the intl mkt. ON the other hand,it is good that these farmers are learning basic business skills. They are on their way to becoming indeginous cordilleran entreprenuers understanding the importance of quality and how a consumer driven demand guides the market they are attempting to enter. For example, asipulo farmers shipped 15 kilos to manila for sampling. It was raining at the time and they opted to place the kilos in a cardboard box, thus rendering the rice worthless as it got wet. A lot of them just lack that extra step inherent in proper business standards. This may be a positive outcome/effect of globalization huh. Well anyways enough on that. Outside of work things are great. I spent a week hanging out with Eva - the corn-fed iowan. She came one weekend to visit my house and we cooked fried chicken - disaster and she met my grandma next door who now loves her, not hard to do figuring she is open and friendly with people right away. We then went to manila and did what everyone does there - shopping at the hundreds of HUGE malls. We ate some great italian and korean. Eva is diong special education in a nearby town. She is responsible with a counterpart to get a new SPED program up and running at the local school. I have never seen anyone so passionate about their work - (sorry mom but you come a close second) so its very inspriring. And i should clarify, its not just about the work but its about the kids that she is working for. I try to adapt the situation to the farmers, that I am ultimately working for, and have the same attitude. She is definitely my best friend here. W are trying to plan a trip to Palawan - maybe around christmas time. Well I'm gonna run to the market and get some papaya and mango - haha just had to throw that in there for you tropical fruit lovers. Claire bear i love and miss you very much and mom and dad thanks for the phone calls. Big Ranes DOgg let me know whats up with your new gig in ohio- i bet your lovin it. Kelly safe driving to you, give me a holla after med school starts up. N jules i know your doing your thing in Dakota, respect for that for sure. OK CATCH YA'S