Site Placement

Wednesday was the day that we all found out where we will be spending the rest of our two years. The last two weeks have been filled with lots of chika-chika about where we’ll be placed, who will be our neighbors (closest PCVs really this can range from 10 minute walk to 2 hour bus ride), and expected jobs. We had the chance to give as many specific requests as we liked, but we were not guaranteed any of our requests would be filled. If you read the previous post you’ll already be aware that PC is basically a big rumor mill. Even before this week’s conference we were pretty sure that we had figured out about 10/18 placements, including mine.

So then we actually find out where we’re for sure going. There was a lot of build up and a surprising amount of emotions. In typical PC fashion we played a little game to discover our sites. Our facilitators would list off fun facts about our region then we’d guess where it is and then they would list out who is in that province. Many of the rumors turned out to be true, but there were also plenty of people who were shocked by their sites. My rumor turned out to be true, but I was pretty much assured of that by some very well certified chika.

DRRRRRRRRUMROOLLLLLLL!

I’ll be spending the next two years here in Bacolod City. I’ve already been living in a barangay 20 minutes outside the city proper. In a month I will be moving into the city with a new host family. I will be teaching 2-3 classes at a local teaching college. I’m not totally sure what classes I’ll be teaching yet, but my supervisor assures me that I will like my co-teachers. I can't really be anymore specific than that, so if you want more details let me know.

This is the beginning of the end of training. I'm excited to be a full volunteer and get down to actual, useful work. Even though I'm living in a city that I feel like I know pretty well it is still daunting to think about not seeing my clustermates everyday. The closest volunteer to me will be 30 minutes away in the barangay I was living in. Sitting at home in my new host family's house it is very clear to me that I will need to get out in the city and make some friends to make this a good experience. Immersion into local culture is a PC goal, but also a necessary part of keeping one's sanity.

One of the girls who lives near my new host family has introduced me to her sister and the sister's group of friends. They're really cool and exactly what I need in my life right now. I think these friends will probably merit their own post at some point. I think that things in Bacolod are going to be great and I foresee a positive two years!