finally internet!

Hi again....writing again so quickly...this internet place is really working out. There was a brown out when i came....(no electricity) but i waited around for an hour or so and now get to do all my email.
so last weekend i went to kiangan to visit jill. she moved out of her host family's house into a new place near the market. its really nice and cheap too. i think that she is getting such a good deal because she is a foreigner...so it seems customary for them to offer her the best place and not charge very much. Its pretty much the standard for other peace corps volunteers too. She has all wood floors, two bedrooms, huge living room and dining room and completely furnished. she also has an excellent view. First, I met her on friday in Lagawe and we shopped for some kitchen wares like plates and cups. Then we went back and she showed me her new place. I met her new friend Joy, a Filipina, her age, that lives in the high school boarding house with her daughter and husband. We slept over at her old place because there was still no water or gas. Saturday my host sister Mae and cousin Gay came and met us there. It was the first time Mae had been there. It rained all day so we couldnt do much but we still had fun. We helped jill move her things and clean her new place. She had the gas tank delivered and the water turned on so we slept there. We cooked dinner....full Filipino meal.....we were very proud! Sunday we woke up and went on walk through the country side...lots of rice terraces and hills and mountains. Its gorgeous there just like banaue. We meant to hike a mountain that morning but the rain kept us from going. It can get really slippery and dangerous if you dont have spikes for your shoes. Funny tho, we ended up on this really long walk...trying to find a wedding in another little barangay (like a rural suburb) we went the back way and nearly got lost. we thought we were lost but the trail turned out to be really long. We walked about two hours in the mud and up steep hills and i was basically crawling on all fours at some points trying to get up the hill. The wild thing is that old women do these walks every week and sometimes with all their purchases from the market. we ran into a womnan on the way who was carrying a baby and an umbrella. We were mud covered and soaked with sweat but no problem for her! After we finally made it to the wedding we didnt want to go. its an outdoor event with dancing and a huge line (pila) where the whole town lines up and people go to eat. i didnt want to deal with the crowd....believe me i stuck out. everyon thinks jill is chinese. so we went back and ate at jills old house.
what an adventure. ive sure had some wild treks these past two weeks. we were crabby during it but at the end it felt like an accomplishment.
an update about work.....i went today to the municipal hall and was told that I will still get my 2500 pesos for the class. they realigned the budget and found it from somewhere else. still not fixed the liza problem. Ive been getting a lot of advice about her. really, if she is going to stick around, our relationship is the most important thing. it is really hard for me to do. it will be my biggest challenge. i want us to get along and work well together. im not sure how that will happen but i am going to try my best. Thank you papa...you are absolutely right. and also thanks aaron (we talked on the phone the other day) you gave me some good advice and insight.
other news....today i was talking to the mom at lunch about food. she now tells me every meal about the oil content of the food....like if there is no oil in the food or if she fried something. she hasnt been sauteeing the veggies either. its great. she also noticed that i dont like to add salt to my food. today i explained to her that its bad for you. she had asked me why i dont like it. i dont think she knew that. she asked me about sugar. i said that too is bad for you in large quantities. we had a bean dish for lunch and i told her that they are really healthy for you...that they have a lot of protein in them like meat but without all the fat and cholestorol. i think she was surprised. adam is also health concious so i told her that he eats the same way - she asked me about him and jill both and their eating habits. i think it helped that he eats the same way. im hoping this can be a little project - helping the family eat better. i dont want to come off as picky and snobby so i just gotta make sure i praise her food a lot when she cooks it. oh and im also trying to get bembol to stop eating so much crap - pop and chips and things. itll be harder. he passes on a lot of the foods that she steams. anyways...seems to be improving....
when i was visiting jill i was talking with mae and gay. they were asking me why all the volunteers move out and if i would ever. and i was thinking...sure i would like my own space. i would really like to have just one more room to myself like an office where i can relax or a place i can sit outside and read. we have no outdoor area like that at my house. however, why would i ever want to give up the chance to live with this family. as mae pointed out, i only have two years to do this. i can live alone when i go home. i am really lucky to have them. and once i move out thats it. no more. i cant move back. so i want to stay as long as i can. to make that easier....work on the food thing. and also maybe figure out a place i can relax outside. and i need to figure out a way to get a wall in my room that goes to the ceiling. there is a big gap there so i can hear bembol in his room. actually we can talk through the walls which is fun but at night hard to sleep. i still sleep with ear plugs every night. and i can see his light on at night. anyways, im feeling good about it all.
other news....adam got dengue fever! its transmitted through mosquitoes only but on top of it he got a respiratory infection that is airborne and contagious. so hes been to the hospital three times now. i feel really bad for him cos he is all alone in his house. his host family is avoiding him a bit. they have a baby at the house and dont want to get her sick. i would go visit him too but he said not to come. instead we made him a package of goodies and i got a bus driver to drop it in banaue....i sent him some of those apricots grandma...figured he needed em more than me :)
okay...thats all for now.
great hearing from you aaron and jorgen. have a great time jorgen on your trip. good luck and live it up.
i miss you all. love you loads. hope the minnesota vacation was a blast!