I'm back

I apologize for the short break, but it seems my log in problems are solved!

I had a few really great stories to share with you that now seem a little out of date, but here are the highlights:

• There was a typhoon headed toward Manila, but its course veered a little further north and missed us! Hurray! This experience taught me that typhoon season should be similar to hurricane season in the US and is starting very early this year.


• I'm in love with mangos here. They are so fresh, ripe, sweet, and delicious. yum!


• I went to a wine tasting....and have a new found love for french red wines.


• The Ambassador invited another intern and myself to a wedding anniversary dinner with him Saturday night. I met Manny Pacquino, the Mayor of Manila, and the owner of Sam Migel, among other very notable people. It was an extremely lavish affair (I wore a full length gown -- pictures to come) that I really enjoyed.


• I've learned to wear bug spray all the time. I'm so glad I brough unscented spray.


• I attended a memorial day service at the American Cemetary in Manila. Its the largest one outside of the US and I wish I would have brought my camera.


• I've experienced several malls here -- Greenbelt and the Mall of Asia (the largest mall in Asia and third largest in the world). Filippinos LOVE their malls.

Also, a note about pictures and work related stories: there probably won't be too many. Until I do more touristy things, I can't share much over the blog.

And I do have to say, although I've already had my long weekend, I'm a bit jealous of all of you who will be waking up in a few hours with a full Monday ahead of you. Enjoy the day off!

And where to begin?

I was going to write this really great blog post about my Sunday; how I laid out by the pool, went to my first Asian mall and saw Kenny Loggins in VIP. But so much has changed since then. So, I thought it would be better – and more interesting – if I just cut to the chase.

I moved.

I moved into the townhouse I was originally placed in because the other housing wasn’t a great fit due to the dog. I’ll be living with 3 other interns this summer. One is already here, another arrives tonight, and the third arrives in a few weeks. I’ll also have more regular access to internet, a different pool, a gym, and my own washer and dryer.

I started my internship.

I work in a great office and will be working on some really interesting stuff this summer. This internship will definitely help me figure out where I fit best with the government, if I decide to pursue this further.

Everyone is incredibly nice, interesting, and speaks English .

The drivers, my coworkers, the staff.

Air conditioning is used excessively.

Who would have thought I’d spend my time in Manila shivering in the office and sweating outside.

Also notable: My jet lag is wearing off!

What day is it?

A 12-hour time change (and crossing the International Date Line) takes some getting used to. I continue to get tired here at 3pm (what my body seems to consider the middle of the night) and waking up between 4 -5 am (what my body seems to consider a reasonable hour because the sun is just starting to get up).

In other news…Here’s a picture of the cat I live with. There’s a dog too, but I’ll leave that for another post.

I’ve only been in Manila for 19 hours

I slept like a baby last night. While it’s only a little after 6am Saturday morning here, I thought I would get up to try to acclimate myself to both the new time zone and my work schedule. The shuttle will pick me up between 6:40 and 7 am Monday thru Friday. And I also wanted to share a little about my last couple days with you all.

First things first, the Internet connection here is spotty. I had it when I first came in but haven’t been able to get online since. It’s like that across the entire residence. I guess it’s so irregular, one of the past interns staying in my room frequented an internet café to complete an online class when he was here.

The Flight: wasn’t that bad! I left from JFK and had 5 hours in the air to Vancouver. The first meal was served, I watched a movie, and slept a little. In Vancouver, about a 1/3 of the passengers deplaned as Vancouver was their final destination, and new passengers got on. A cleaning crew also boarded and did a quick pick-up. Somehow, I slept through this entire part of the flight.

Before I knew it, we were off to Hong Kong – just another 11 hours, J. I slept some more, ate a couple more meals, watched a few more movies, and before I knew it we were beginning our decent. Easy. Even for the baby seated next to me; he only cried once (thank god!).

The Hong Kong airport is surrounded by hills and islands. I short layover and a quick flight later (with another meal!) and I was in Manila. My boss met me before immigration, which went smoothly. Once I had my bag, we were off.

My Residency: I’m staying in a village (the local term for gated neighborhood/community) in the guest house of the Deputy Chief of Mission and her daughter. Because of who I’m staying with, I’m not sure how many details I can give, but let me just say it’s very nice; and big; with my own bathroom; and a private swimming pool; and AC. If you’re still curious, lets skype.

But here are some generic pictures for you of my room and the backyard!

The First Day: was good! I unpacked, took a nap and a shower, and went out to dinner with the DCM and her daughter. I can’t wait to explore a little bit more today!