Feel like I’m doing my best!
It’s been almost two months since I arrived to Bohol, and it looks like the first cycle has been closed.
The first week all volunteers stayed together in Tagbilaran (the only city in Bohol). We were in our “on arrival training”. It was a very excited week. I started to know my partners in this adventure, and everything was new. Every moment was intense. We also traveled to the main touristic points in the island. We went to Panglao Island to take a boat to Balicasag, and there we were snorkeling. See the corals there has been one of the most amazing experiences in my live! Then we went to Chocolate Hills and saw the beautiful landscape.
After the on-arrival training we split in two groups. I said good bye to half of the group, including my Spanish mates, and my Spanish conversations… Julija, Dominika, Piotr and me arrived to the Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc. and started our tasks here. Joanie, the manager of the foundation, taught us how to guide and we were planning a huge event, “Run Trek and Bike for the Tarsier”. During the first weeks we were mainly had on us. Eventually the event was postponed so the confusion grew up inside of us. It’s been around two weeks were we wasn’t sure about what we will do. I’ve been happy guiding, I like it, but it doesn’t make me feel like I’m doing my best. We are 7 people guiding and it is low season, so some days it’s been only two or three groups that I’ve guide. Now Joanie gave us new tasks. We will be working in the botanical garden, go to the schools to make students aware about the Tarsiers and try to find partners in the resorts to get more tourists. So it looks like a new period is coming, were I would feel like I’m doing my best!
About Pilipino people I’ve seen an evolution also. At the beginning it was amazing! Everybody was smiling all the time, very nice to us and I was thinking that I couldn’t have any problem with them. But then I saw the other face of the same coin. Of course little conflicts appeared, and because they are very nice, they didn’t say anything, but I could feel in the atmosphere that something was happening. It was difficult the first time, because I didn’t know how to communicate with them without hurt their feelings, but now I think I’ve got it, so I really can enjoy my time with local people and learn from them.
So, after go throw a lot of tropical diseases, (short fever, diarrhea, long cold, broken tooth and even an unexpected homesick) I feel like starting a new period. The shocking new experiences are not that common anymore, and I already feel like at home.
