Sunday, April 22, 2012


April 8th- 15th:
I spent the entire week in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. I went there with students and teachers from Marinduque to compete in the National Schools Press Conference for Journalism. Just a little background about Journalism- elementary and high school students are given the opportunity to participate in journalism. There are different categories that they can study and practice such as: editorial cartooning, photography, editorial writing, feature writing, broadcasting, and school newspaper committee. Each category has an English and Filipino contest, the young writers can chose which language they want to compete in.

The students compete at the local level (for me, right here in Marinduque). Then they go to the regional level (remember when I went to Tagaytay?), and then they qualify for nationals. At nationals, all 17 regions of the Philippines had a group of candidates who were competing for top recognition!

Palawan was an adventure from start to finish- I can’t decide where to start! I will just write about random details that capture and highlight the trip. When we arrived in Palawan we had lunch and then went to the school that was assigned to host the candidates from Marinduque. Each region had a host school- where they would sleep and eat for the duration of the conference. This had me thinking about when I would travel for swimming- we always just stated in hotels that were booked by our own individual families. Here, schools volunteered their space (plus foam, sheets and pillows) for each guest! There is an organizational committee that put everything together and it was very impressive and a more affordable and friendly environment. The best thing about it for me was the friendships I made with the teachers and students who I was living with. From braiding all the girls’ hair, to playing Monkey Monkey (my favorite card game- similar to old maid), taking walks at night, enjoying meals together- it was all a great way to get to know people from all over Marinduque. I actually went to visit one of the teachers I made friends with in Palawan yesterday; it was full of splashes and jumping in the waves.

On the second day we were there, we had to attend a parade around the town. Each region had a color (ours was blue) to represent the region they were from. We had matching hats, t-shirts, and backpacks- it was super cute! This was the first day that I was around people who had never seen me before. In Marinduque, most people already know me so the stares have already gone away. Hearing, “Can I take a picture with you Barbie, and Oh look, an imported person” was manageable but overwhelming too. Luckily, as I tried to hold in my frustrations, the smiling faces of my new friends helped me to keep smiling in all of those photos. I have no idea how many photos were taken of me that day, but it was a lot- no doubt about that. The parade ended with a presentation to help inspire the young writers to keep writing and following their dreams. They held the event at the coliseum in town. The eyes of so many people were wide open- they had never seen anything like it.

What else? There was another PCV who was there for the conference, Brian. He and I decided we had to see some of what Palawan had to offer. One day we climbed through a broken bridge covered with branches, dirty muck below our feet, to reach the seashore. It was a beautiful view and the feeling when my toes dig into the sand and salt water splashes onto my legs is always calming and enjoyable. The next day we went to Honda Bay to go island hopping. Once we had our neon gear we were ready to swim. The highlight of this trip was the snorkeling. As soon as we jumped off the stairs, tiny bright fish kissed our skin and the view we saw through the goggles was pretty amazing. I was happy that another volunteer was there to go on adventures with!

Palawan was a memorable experience from take off to finish for so many reasons. In the end, I will admit I was homesick for Marinduque. I missed my community, my bed, the food, my house, everything. It was a good feeling to have though, wanting to go back to my home away from home. Was a little taste of realization about how much I like doing what I am doing. Great feeling to have!

Lunch date in Palawan on the first day.

Mimaropa outfit for the parade! 


The swimmers are ready to snorkel.

Sabang, Palawan. Simply Gorgeous!

Crocodile Farm in Palawan! 

This is the classroom that we turned into a little house for the week.  It was a lot of fun but a  challenge to share one bathroom. 

There was an entire market or dried fish and squid- baskets and baskets full and it was hanging everywhere. The smell is not one of my favorites I must say, I prefer to smell mangoes. Many people who travel to Palawan buy this as pasalubong (something they bring back home with them). 

This was the last night- we had a dance party. 


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Holy Week!

April 1st- 8th:

On the morning of April one, I was in Santa Cruz, Marinduque. Catherine’s mother was on the island so I went there to meet her and have some fun in the sun. April 1st also marked the beginning of Holy Week. The streets were flooded with people carrying palms (real palms too!). They paraded around the town stopping at different residences to hear the beautiful tunes of groups of children standing on balconies. The swaying palms coupled with the melody of the children were a good way to start the festivities of Holy Week. This was also my first sighting of the Moriones. The costumes were colorful and pieced together ever so perfectly from head to toe.

Marinduque is the island choice for Holy Week festivities and the Moriones is one of the major attractions. The Moriones represent the story of the Roman soldier Longinus. I have been hearing about them since the first day I arrived on the island. I actually had a hard time finding a place to rent because some of the persons had vacant family homes so that they can host people during the Holy Week events. The festivities here are not just for Marinduquenos, people from all over board ferries to the island to join in on the religious customs that take place throughout the week. I actually saw traffic in front of my house when the boats came to shore. Traffic, can you believe that? Normally just tricycles and jeeps zoom by all day, only breaking for stray dogs and pedestrians but holy week was packed with cars and vans full of people. On a side note traffic is something I definitely do not miss… hehehe.

One day when I went out for my afternoon run. The Moriones were walking down the street through my barangay. There were many parades and the Moriones were always walking to and from their homes. Some of them started to run with me and it was a great moment. It was one of those times in my life when I did not realize how cool it was until a little while after it happened. What a sight that must have been and probably something I will never experience again. I guess every great moment can’t be captured on camera, good thing I know my memory will hold on to that piece forever. The parades are neat to see. Every costume is different. Some Moriones have been participating in the events for many, many years. When a person decides to participate it is for more than one year because the costume is expensive. Some of the masks alone can cost 10,000 pesos to make. The costumes can be male, female, adult, child, colorful, bold, authentic, native, but every outfit is exceptional!

The Moriones can be seen in parades, street dancing, and other performances through the week. There are also many people from around the Philippines that come to sell their handicrafts in Boac. There is a huge tented area where people set up their individual stalls for buyers, reminded me of county fairgrounds. I bought many souvenirs! There are also some food places and even a smoothie place to help keep the visitors happy, healthy, and full of goodness! I definitely had one or many smoothies. Splurge when you can, right?! At the end of the week, Good Friday is the reenactment of the story of Longinus and the Roman soldiers. When all is said and done, the week of festivities are unforgettable!

Hope everyone has a great Easter! I am a little behind in writing down my story but I am going to catch up this weekend! 

Love,
The Athletic Hippie