I made it.  to the place that I will live, for the next chapter of my life.  It’s crazy, and it still doesn’t feel real.  I think part of that surreal quality comes from the fact that I arrived here in the dark last night, and there is no one here except the lady guard (yes, that’s what we call her) and me…

Last week, when Catherine and I went to Puerto Galera (stories and pictures to come), we drove in the same general direction as the place that I live, and I was blown away by the jungle beauty.  Everything is incredibly green, and most of the plants have big fronds instead of leaves.  Palm trees heavy with coconuts are everywhere, and there are mountains that sort of rise out of the mist every direction you look.

So yesterday, after class at the office, which was basically a social and political history survey, our secretary and I piled into the company van - which is huge, it’s more like a small bus - and set off south of Manila.  Traffic was backed up most of the way, and after we made it to the town our secretary lives in, it was pretty much stop and go.  At this point we had been driving for a couple of hours, and it was dark.  Dark in the city is one thing, but dark in a rural area of the Philippines is another.  All the lights are incredibly dim, and most of them come from the jeepneys driving by.  There are street lamps along the main road, but only every third one is lit, and the light barely illuminates the spot just under it.  Of course I was crazy curious about where we were, and what might be close by, but for the most part I couldn’t see anything except little huts and shacks and the occasional Jollibee (which is the biggest fast food chain here, boasting hamburgers better than McDonald’s).  For the first time since I left the states, I felt scared about living in a third world country - where am I going? what am I doing?  We kept driving, and kept driving, and then when we turned off the main road I knew I was going to be living in the middle of nowhere.  Houses and stores were replaced by more palm trees, dark silhouettes against the purple sky, and then we came up to a large white stone wall and honked the horn.  I was home.

My room is quite large, and I have my own bathroom complete with hot water.  And I have air con, and wifi, and things are pretty posh for the middle of nowhere.  However, I did take a shower with a spider this morning (it was small, and it left me alone) and there are ants everywhere, and roosters and cows in my backyard.  It’s definitely going to take some getting used to, and I’m looking forward to when my supervisor comes tomorrow, to give me the tour and introduce me to everyone and help me get settled.  Until then, I will keep busy posting pictures and sending emails, and just generally rest.