Training for the Peace Corps

Who knew living in Oakland, CA really would turn out to be training for the Peace Corps?? I always joked while I was living with Leisa that I was just in training for the Peace Corps. Even before I was seriously considering applying. Now, a year and a half later, let's take a look back at the experience and compare...

2008 - Living in a nice little neighborhood in Oakland, CA with my aunt and two cats.

2010 - Living in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines with another Peace Corps Volunteer. No pets

2008 - Living in a little house that was, in a nutshell, not in the greatest condition.

2010 - Living in a massive 4-bedroom, 2-story, newly renovated house overlooking the ocean.

This is the view from the end of the upstairs hallway... essentially the same view I have from my bedroom.

2008 - I had a bathroom with no outlets, christmas lights to light the room, a shower and a toilet that had to be flushed using a bucket. We were never without water, although with the drought in California we did try to conserve water as much as possible.

2010 - I have a bathroom with no outlets, a ceiling light (assuming there are no brownouts) and a toilet that has to be flushed with a bucket. I also have a shower room filled with buckets of water for showering. We only have running water in the house for a few hours a day from 6am to 8am usually. It has cut off as early at 7am which is no fun when you've forgotten to get up to refill the buckets for the day!

2008 - No washer, dryer or dishwasher. I had to plan weekend activities around trips to the laundromat. Or plan my morning routine around getting out of the house early enough to drop laundry off on my way to work. This was often preferable to spending my Saturdays in scrubby cloths getting hit on by creepy guys. Leisa and I had an arrangement where she usually would wash the dishes and I would put them away. This started as a way for me to learn where things went but was more an excuse for her not to have to unload the dish rack.

2010 - No washer, dryer or dishwasher. Laundry is done using a washtub and a bucket in the middle of the kitchen floor. I bring down my fan and usually pull a chair over and put a movie on (again, assuming we have power) and get to work. It takes an hour or two to wash and rinse everything, depending on how long I've put off doing it, and then we move outside to hang everything on the clothes lines we've put up out on the patio. It's not too bad. Unless you're trying to wash a massive queen-size sheet in a washtub without making a huge mess! Dishes are also done in a small washtub (so much of my life in this house revolves around buckets!) on the counter. We have a sink but it's tiny. And with no running water it's pretty much impossible to do anything but wash your hands (using a "dipper" known as a tabo) and brush your teeth.

2008 - I had raccoons living in the ceiling of the house! They were no problem during the day but I'm sure they were playing soccer up there at night when I was trying to sleep. There was a constant fear of them crashing through the ceiling above my bed.

2010 - We have cats living in the ceiling between the first and second level. They stay primarily above the bathroom area but still make enough noise to make me feel like they're about to join me in the shower at any minute. Definitely not as scary as having raccoons up there, but the noise is similar. Luckily I can't hear them from my room so there is no loss of sleep as a result!

Well, that's all for now. I've got to get to school to present my remedial reading program to the teachers and staff! The next post will be about my Holy Week trip to the island of Marinduque for the Moriones Festival they hold every year. It was amazing! Stay tuned...