Sagada

HI all! So the internet has been down in Lamut for three weeks now! Its been so frustrating. I cant do anything about it. i have to go to the next town to check email and its so expensive. TOday i took the day off school to come to solano to check email, run errands, get a bunch of things done to make it worth the trip. But good news is that i just found a place in lamut where i might be able to check email. its only 15-20 minute walk from my house. so a bit of excercise too. its not free but the trip is free. 30 pesos an hour where in nayon (where it isnt working) it was free but 24 pesos round trip to get there. to solano its 44 pesos round trip and then 30 an hour. so nayon is best cos i can do unlimited there but this new place will do for short visits.
so whats been new with me? three weeks ago adam came to visit again...jill was gonna come but ended up with other plans. seriously, my host mom is always asking me when i will invite them. if it goes two weeks and no one is coming, she is asking me to invite them. its nice, i alwasy feel comfortable having people stay with me. tho it usually mean bembol loses his room and has to sleep in the basement. too bad for him! he has been so funny lately. we get along great. just last weekend he played a trick on me and drew a clown picture with his pastels - it was scary! and it said hi eva on the botton - he stuck it in my room at night....nice one!
anyways, adam came that weekend and saw my classroom - he showed up friday during a retirement party at the school and so everyone got to meet him. he said he liked what id done with my class - the first person well american to show off my work - nice to have someone appreciate my hard work and all my home made materials. saturday we made a big batch of potato salad. He had to go back to banaue on sunday for his host grandmas birthday party so he wanted to make something to bring. i suggested potato salad - requires no baking - we have no ovens and farely cheap ingredients. he said they really liked it. on sunday after he left i made another batch cos we were having a birthday party out at the farm and auntie buggan said i should make some for them....and they liked it too! if any of you have any suggestions for other things i can make send me the recipes. i like to cook when im bored but its hard to come up with any ideas. sometimes i get recipes online. and grandma sent me some no bake dessert recipes - thank you!
the next weekend after i decided to go on a trip to sagada. stan is staying there - he was the older man who stayed with us in saytan and i havent seen him since our swearing in. I tried to get a group of us to go...jill and stan and anyone else....itd be a saytan reunion - but it turned out me and adam just went. so i went to banaue again! adams host grandma is really starting to like me - adam says she talks about me alot and even prays for me at dinner! shes very sweet , funny and about four and a half feet tall. she loves text twist and scrabble ...and shes mostly deaf so she doesnt really hear much of what you are saying - usually she is cracking up at herself. i love her.
ok - friday we went to sagada and stayed two nights. there is another peace corps volunteer there - dan - from the year before. we stayed at his place for free. stan showed us around town and we ate a great meal - sandwiches and french fries!!!! just some background - sagada is known for its caves, hanging coffins (old stone coffins hanging outside on the rock faces), their weaving, yogurt, and now really good coffee. we got to experience all of these. we saw the coffins in the rain but on saturday morning the weather was great and we did a cave exploring trip - you get guides and they take you through. it took about 3-4 hours to climb through them. our trip was called the cave connection - two large caves connecte in the middle. its completely dark inside - the guides bring lanterns. you have to climb through tiny little holes, repel down rocks, walk steep ledges, swim in little pools. it was the coolest hting ive done here so far. i wish i could have taken pictures of it. you can probably look it up online if you want to see some picutres. afterwards we walked with dan and stan to some falls - it started to rain so by the end of this whole adventure we were completely soaked and covered in mud and freezing...and it was so worth it. we showered and then treated ourselves to a feast. then just relaxed the rest of the night. sunday back to banaue then to lamut.
not much since that trip - last weekend was the first time i really got bored at my house. nothing to do, mae was gone, and so it was really just blah. i have started reading - i finished two books in about a week! ive only read one since ive been here but last week i was on a role. i read case histories - the book carolyn gave me and i really liked it. i also read the book about the two americans kidnapped in the philippines a few years ago - written by the woman who was kidnapped. very religious but still interesting.
this weekend i might go to kiangan to see jill. i havent spent time with her in ages and i miss her. she is moving into a new place so i am going to help her shop for things to fill it and then stay with her. tomoro i am having a hogop - a welcome party at the school for me since im new. when there is a new teacher the teacher throws herself a lunch or snack. so mama zonya is going to help me make puto - a little sweet bread dessert thing, and im gonna make ....potato salad - again!!! dont worry about making it for me when i get back cos im sure i will have had enough - no cravings for that!
well im about worn out with this blog. ill write next time about work , school , etc. lots of news about that. hope you are all well. keep emails coming. and send me pictures if you can. i can never have enough. i miss you all. love you eva
aand vicky...nice work at your own place!!!!! congrats on the job and staying ashley free for so long. write me an email sometime - evajb1228@gmail.com miss you tons!