Catch up - Dumaguete at Easter

A few PCVs and I flew to the island of Negros in the Visayas region of the Philippines for Easter weekend. We stayed at a famous hostel called Harold's Mansion, run by Harold of course. Ate good food, went to Apo Island snorkeling and took a day trip to neighboring island Sigior.

We rented an underwater camera

Blue fish

These are everywhere

We finally got to see a sea turtle

Crown of Thorns starfish

Moooooon

Four lovely volunteers

Beach at Dumaguete

On way to Apo Island

Cool rock formations

Near the snorkel spot

Oh my God, a volunteer actually lives here!! Sigior

Tiny boat for two big Americans

Another version of the tricycle, Visayan style

While I have vacation days left I am really short on money, so vacations are not in the near future for me. I have been renting my home in America and have had no tenants for the past 2 months, no income means no money. New tenants arrive soon. Stress from home is really hard when you are on this end of an email. My mom has been in the hospital with hip replacement surgery and a few email lines from home are hard. You don't get to see facial expressions or body language so you just have to take the words as they are. It has been over a year exactly since I saw my family. I really miss them and the past 6 months have been hard. Yes we all chose to come and volunteer and serve our country and serve the people we are placed with, but it is still hard to be away from your family. Well, only a few months to go. Actually, PC says that going BACK to America is actually way harder that leaving, re-entry shock, reverse culture shock etc. So fam and friends, be patient with us. Our bodies may arrive in the US shortly but I bet our brains may be in the 'Pines for awhile.