Week 1: My Arrival

Hi everyone! My first week in the Philippines has been extraordinarily. I have done some much and seen so many beautiful things.

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My flight left out of O’hare on June 10 at 12:35 with 19 other Illinois Wesleyan University students. First, we took a 15 hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan and then a 2.5 hour flight to Manila, Philippines. The flights were surprisingly faster than you thought they would be. I was able to see the beautiful city of manila through my airplane window.

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Things I noticed about the Philippines.

1. The Weather

As I stepped out the Manila international airport, I was hit with the beautiful tropical weather of paradise. The weather is somewhat windy mixed with a blend of humidity and heat. Everywhere I went I would sweat. This is when I realized it was very important to bring a sweat rag with me everywhere I went.

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2. The Landscape

From the airplane you can see the beautiful mountains and the city of Manila. It was breath taking because it was the first time I have seen mountains. The more I explored, the more beautiful thing I was mesmerized by. The first thing we did was have a big orientation with the IWU Freeman Asia Group. We were taught some Tagalog and went to a restaurant on a pond (Kamayan Se Palaisdaan). After the first couple of days, my IWU IRRI group along with some other IRRI Interns went to Makiling Botanic Gardens and Dampalit Falls.

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3. The Food

In the Philippines there are five meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. These snacks are called merienda. So far everything I have eaten has been amazing!

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4. The people

As soon as I landed in Manila, I was greeted by professor Amoloza’s Family. Ever since then, I have notice that everyone here is very accepting regardless of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, and sexual preference. I was able to make a lot of friends here too!

Stay-Tuned to see more fun experiences!!!