Mme Juneth escorted Julian and me to the province Lavezares, and the Branch that is located in the province. We arrived at 8:30 to a smiling staff and “sweet-potatoque”… yes it is as good as it sounds and especially good for breakfast. It is essentially a sweet potato (although not a sweet potato) quartered and then covered in a brown sugar glaze… then grilled… it is fantastic. Needless to say, the day started off great. After some discussions about micro-finance and the region (which I will discuss in a different post), Julian and I, along with the Branch Manager (Am) and Loan Officer (Fe), were off to the Biri Islands…. And a very popular site called “the Rock Formations” (I am not sure the actual name, but that is all the locals have called it).
The Lavezares branch is located approximately 50 meters from the boat taxi station so we walked to the dock to arrive at our boat. The boat taxis, called “Island Express”, are about 10 meters long (or as long as a palm tree, because that is what they are made of) and a meter and a half wide. They are a bit like a catamaran because they have buoy-type “skis” that extend out to the outside of the boat to ensure the boat won’t tip over. They have an inboard motor and it does not lack in noise. In order to get onto the boat you must balance on the bow of the boat for about one meter and the area is no wider than three-times the width of my foot. You may be thinking this isn’t very far, but when you have your phone and camera in your pocket and the boat is bobbing up and down, you may have nerves kick in a bit. I felt even more like a weenie when the crew-members, somehow, got a motorbike onto the boat with no problem at all… it was impressive.
The boat ride to the island was extremely scenic and loud, but more scenic. There were islands and palm trees everywhere. I tried to take multiple pictures, but when I turned on my camera I had realized my battery light was flashing at me (an item I forgot). I was quite mad at myself, but I figured I wouldn’t let this ruin my trip. Plus, I was not too worried because the Branch Manager, Am, had a camera and Julian had a camera. So, even though I wished I had mine, I figured everything was going to be okay. On our way to Biri, about an hour boat ride, Am told me that they went to these Center Meetings (as they do every week) in January and the waves on the ocean were three times as high as the boat. I am pretty adventurous, but I was hoping this was not the case for our trip. The sea was calm that day and we were fine, so I just sat back, relaxed and took it all in. One item to note, as many pictures as I can take and as much as I can describe this place (all of the Philippines), it can not even hold a candle to how beautiful everything is, or how nice the people are in person. It is simply amazing how green and plush everything is, everywhere. The water is a clean blue that you would only see in a painting (and you wouldn’t even believe it was real in a painting) and the hillsides are covered in palm trees and tropical greenery.
There were also some other items to see on the boat ride, like other people and a statue that looked like it was a statue of Mary helping Jesus out of the ocean. It was impressive and looked to be a tribute to keep travelers safe in passage and a sign of respect to Jesus (again, it did not surprise me that there was a statue of this, as the culture is very religious). I was surprised, however, to see this nearly a kilometer away from the nearest shoreline, just another surprise in how dedicated to faith Filipinos are.
The people we saw were mainly on the docks when we would arrive at the different ports. The first group we saw were about 10 kids jumping off of the dock into the water. They all kind of looked our way (not knowing who was on the boat, nor did they care) and then sprinted to the other end of the dock. They then turned around and sprinted to the water-end of the dock and did canon balls and dove into the water, waving their hands about in a manner that only kids do. When the boat arrived, the kids dangled off of the sides of the buoys and climbed on board, just to inspect the oncoming goods (various feeds, snacks, vegetables, water, and a motorbike). Once they were finished, the boat pulled away and the kids stayed on until they jumped off and swam back to the dock… I was entertained to say the least.
We went to three Center Meetings in Biri, all of which we travelled to by boat, and all of which I will describe in a later post. It was quite an experience and we got a taste of a true island nation. After our second Center Meeting, we went to the Biri “Rock Formations”. The rock formations are situated in a remote part of one of the islands and are only accessible by dirt bike. Our driver was extremely talkative and very nice. He was also very good and, with me and Julian as passengers, did numerous fishtails and traversed through muddy waters and even the beach. We stopped at the end of the beach and we could see the rock formations, I assumed we were just going to take a look from there, but (darn it, I am always thinking) Am immediately told me to take my shoes off and get in the water. I took my shoes off and got in the water, then, our driver, gave me his sandals and said that I would need them… we walked to the rock formations, wading in knee-deep water. I was not prepared for that, but we did it anyway and it was a great time. Like I said before, pictures cannot do anything here justice, the same held true for this instance. Julian and Am took a lot of pictures, but now that I have the pictures on my computer, it just isn’t the same. I will post some so you all can see them!
At the rock formations, the rocks were very slippery and first I ate it (fell down) and then Julian slipped and fell, twice. I commented to Am, “stupid foreigners” making fun of myself and Julian. Both of us are fine, but our pride is tarnished. After the rock formation we got back on the dirt-bikes and headed back to the town proper. We arrived at the next center meeting (our final one) and I gave our driver my mailing address. He was a very nice guy and invited Julian and me into his home before the Center Meeting for some water. His home was very nice and I enjoyed his company.
On our way to the final Center Meeting there was a basketball court with a few local young men playing basketball. I was feeling risky after my endeavors at the Rock Formations, so I spotted up for a 12-foot jump shot (jumping is not my strong suit), one of the guys passed me the ball and I nailed it! So, currently, I am 100% from the field while in the Philippines. That was the first time I have shot a basketball in about 3 months, but I plan on playing a lot more when we get back to Catarman… maybe I should just try to stay at 100%? Nah, I won’t.
Upon returning to the Branch, in which we arrived at 5:30, we sat down and Julian and I talked about various social and popular issues for a moment. I was starting to tire, but could only imagine how tired Julian was. We ate dinner and Julian retired. I stayed up and talked with the Loan Officers. All of them were very nice and spoke very good English. We discussed various issues including Barack Obama and his policies and the differences between Republicans and Democrats. We also talked about Missouri a bit and the “wealth” of the United States (more on that in a bit). One of the loan officers, Christine, had heard that I was coming to the branch and Sir Bembooy told her I was from Missouri (which I was surprised he remembered). She surprised me when she asked, “You are from Missouri, right?... and the Capital is Jefferson City?” Wow.
The rest of the night was spent playing a new card game that I learned from one of the other loan officers, Kristel. I think it was called “I win”, but I am not sure… just kidding. It was fun and I have had a great time at the Branch so far. One of the most enjoyable parts is my new “nickname”. It is only a “nickname” (in quotes) because it is a term that everyone uses for their older brother (everyone is a brother or sister), and since I outdate most everyone here by a few years, they call me by “kooyah”. It is endearing that they call me this, I feel like the culture is growing more and more on me everyday, with every little part added each day.
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