Adventures in Iloilo

I am very fortunate that I’ve been able to see so much of this world, and infinitely more fortunate to consistently come across people who take me in and treat me like family...or better. I can name countless times where this has been the case. The most obvious of these are the Villagran family who, without ever meeting me in person, picked me up at the airport in Guatemala City, took me into their homes, and to make a long story short, made me feel like someone who had been a member of the family since birth. I think I’ve found that again here in Iloilo.

First, Iloilo is the antithesis of Manila. Whereas Manila is fast paced, congested and busy, the Ilongos take life slower, it’s less crowded and you are surrounded by the natural beauty of the country. I think that this is why the people here are so friendly. It’s your classic small town hospitality versus the apathy of the big city.

I stepped out of the airport on Saturday to see a group of people holding an American and Philippines flag. The principle of Zarraga National High School, Ms. Dordas, grabbed me by the hands and welcomed me to Iloilo as if I had been born there and hadn’t been back in years. Among the others there to greet me were Zoilo, the filipino teacher that I have been paired with, as well as Rita and her husband (they own a car and have volunteered to chauffeur me while I’m here), and a contingent of teachers who came out to say hello. As we got in the car I was informed that it was time to eat (this is still the Philippines by the way). We sat down to a feast and it became clear that things were different here. In Manila, we had gone from one fancy buffet to another fancier buffet with snacks in between of course in ever more posh hotels. This time, we were seated at picnic tables in a covered pavilion. It reminded me of the carab houses along the Chesapeake Bay. This is where I belong. I suspect my new principal will be my standin mother while i’m here, as she sat next to me refilling any spot on my plate as soon as I was able to clear it. But this isn’t what makes this story different from all of the others.

After a brief rest at the hotel, I was picked up again, this time a few new teachers were with us. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but since we hadn’t eaten in more than an hour, we were going to a restaraunt. It wasn’t until we walked in and I saw the karaoke machine that I knew what I was in for. From there, a night that started with my hosts ordering me 3 beers at a time (I truly felt like a stereotype) ended with us all eating balut eggs on the sidewalk (I think the video of that will wait for my food blog still to come). What happened in between were the kinds of experiences that old friends have, and outsiders don’t get to share in. Listening to them talk made me realize that they’re a lot like the Social Studies Department at the Mill. Rita explained to me that they often come here as a group to hang out and relieve stress from school. You can tell thatt they have a special relationship. Apparently, Richard and Jason, the two teachers that came with us, went back to sing some more and stayed until 5am.