Bugs, Sore Body, Mysteries. Dated June 5th, 2013.

I am pretty sure that I warned you previously that this blog was going to be a "no strings attached" kind of look into what my life was like last summer. That, obviously, hasn't changed. I will not be editing out specific happenings of my days in the field*. Editing my journal for a blog would take away the authenticity of my experience. Being a girl who has known nothing other than Western comforts, I believe that my words paint an accurate picture of what this culture shock was.  I preemptively apologize if it makes you squeamish, but you're just going to have to deal. Such is life.

*Disclaimer: I will edit coarse language with ****. My Grandma may read this. She doesn't need to see that s**t.

06/05/13
-Early Morning- 6 Am

There are spots on my body that I didn't even know existed that are sore. I'm really excited about getting into the field today. My trench is so fascinating. Like a big mystery my group needs to solve. I guess there is an option to write a paper to present in Cambodia in January- I am really thinking about it. Especially because I could probably use that writing to apply to Grad School. 

The only thing I have issues with is the washing of artifacts. OH MY GOD, SO TEDIOUS. It sucks because it's like you take a shower (you get filthy in the field) and then you get to deal with more f***ing dirt that is all over the artifacts. So you get filthy all over again.

In other news: THE BUGS HERE ARE F***ING MASSIVE. OH.MY.GOD.  So, yesterday I rode on top of the Jeepney- they take us to the site every day and you can ride inside or on top. So, first day into the field, where do you thinkg Jessie Pope rode? ON THE ROOF LIKE AN IDIOT. I can't lie, the views were beautiful. but that's where the fun stops. The catch of riding on the roof is you get to dodge tree branches. Sounds easy, right? Just move the trees out of the way as you go. 

WRONG. Guess what is in those trees? F***ing red ants, bees, millipedes,  AND SPIDERS BIGGER THAN MY HAND. I sh** you not, Joff (a guy with us) warned me about spiders. A second later I turn around and BAM. A spider with a torso as long as a tampon and legs longer than my fingers. Sweet mother of god. It was traumatizing. In that moment I decided that it was perfectly acceptable to be terrified of spiders. And in that moment I was. 

An example of a giant ass spider. She was on our way to the field, roughly 3 ft from our heads. It took a few weeks to notice her.

Then, of course, the beetles. There was a Rhino Beetle on our door two nights ago  and I didn't even scream over it. I think I'm starting to becoming jaded. Alright, time for breakfast and more dirt. Just remember, everything is more fun in the Philippines.

If I could give you an example of how big this guy was: make a hang loose sign with your thumb and pinky. Measure the distance between the two. Yep, that was the length of this guy's antennae. 

<3
Coop

P.s. I finally feel a poop coming on. 
Late at night:
Big, Big P.s.- I will almost always write about my day the next day. Archaeology is exhausting, but at least my ass will be nice :).

Oh, and when I put something in bold: I marked what time of the day I was writing Tucker. It was usually whenever I could squeeze time in.

Being abroad without the person you love is a series of  challenges. The biggest challenge? Communication. And not in the "we just don't talk any more" kind of way. It is more in the "I don't know if there is going to be power or internet access where we are going" kind of way.

While I was in South America communicating was relatively easy. The hotel we stayed in had internet in the main restaurant and although the area was rural a few places had some sort of internet access. Communication in Ifugao is another story. On a daily basis we would lose power for hours at a time. When we lost power we would scramble around to make sure any electronics were unplugged; if they turned the power back on while something was plugged in, it would blow up. This happened twice. Not a good look. At one point a storm came in and knocked out power for almost two days. Or maybe three. I can't even remember. Those days were such a blur.

Facetime dates with my main piece. 

"Manila: Day 1" Dated 06-01-13

Before I actually get to what the letter to Tuck Tuck said, I have to let you know that I was emailed explicit directions to walk off of the plane in Manila waving a paper with my last initial on it. My last initial is L, I didn't read the email until I'd already arrived in Manila and I hastily drew an L on the second page of the Turtle journal. So now, almost a year later, the L is faded and got wet (the Philippines are wet). I wrote the journal entry over the big, blue, highlighter L.

Hey Sunshine!

 Sorry about the big L. The directions left for me at the airport explicitly stated that I was supposed to be waiting with the first letter of my last name. 

Today was surreal. First- Manila is humid as f*ck. Even the girl from Florida is losing it in this humidity. I constantly have frizzy hair. Other than that- this is such a beautiful place! The atmosphere, the landscape, and most importantly the people.  Everyone said hello to us this morning. People, (old women even!) tried to give up their seat on the bus for us!

Storm: Today I experienced my first Manila rain storm. It was beautiful to say the least. We were riding in a Jeepney, which is basically a campus taxi that is a jeep with a long bed and no windows. It was POURING. I've never heard such loud rain in my life. It flooded in three minutes and it was an insta-traffic jam. The thunder was SO loud too.  (I was completely wrong about Jeepneys, I found this out later when we rode Jeepneys everywhere in Ifugao.) 

At this point I fell asleep mid-letter. I just spent nearly 24 hours traveling across the world. Give me a break. 

"Sunshine" Dated: 5-30-13

I wrote my husband a bunch of letters while I was in the Philippines last summer. I will continue the tradition this summer after I jet off again. Writing was my equivalent to talking to him since I stay in an area without consistent internet access and I didn't really have another choice.

 I truly do love to write, even though my grammar may not be the greatest. I also abuse commas with little shame. Nothing that I am blind to, but anyway, I wrote my husband these letters in a faded turtle journal that traveled around Luzon with me. Since they are what I lived through while I was abroad, I felt like I needed to share them. Mostly because I want a double record of what I lived through, but mainly because I want to share the joy of being abroad with the world and let others read the types of experiences you probably with have in the middle of no where Philippines.

So here goes:

Post #1
Date: 5-30-2013

Sunshine,

I didn't tell you, but a week before I left I bought a journal just to write you letters and tell you about my time away, even when I can't physically tell you. Let me give you a forewarning-
-This will be all my intimate feelings, thoughts and experiences while I am away.

To start off, I am on my flight to Beijing right now. I am watching Wreck It Ralph and I am crying. It all just hit me at once when I started the movie. You are actually my entire life. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it was, it was the best decision I ever made in my life. You are the absolute most incredible human beint I have ever met. I love yo uto the moon, Turtles. This is going to be a hard month and half for us, but I have so much faith and absolute love in our relationship that I know we are going to be fine. You make me so happy and I am so so so so so glad you came to Cassie's that one September.

Love Always,
Coop

Ps- I can't understand anyone on this plane. FML.

So this was post #1, of many. Obviously if you are reading this you know exactly what you are getting yourself in to. A lot of this is mushy, a lot of this will be about my life in Kiangan. Prepare yourself.