Good-Bye

This is an article I was asked to write for a local paper. I thought you all might like to read it....

As I am about to say goodbye to Lamut, I take the time to think back over the past two years I spent in this place I now consider my second home. I arrived in Ifugao in June 2006 with the hope of making some kind of difference to the people in my new town. I was assigned to work at Lamut Central School in the SPED classroom. I did not have a degree in special education, but I was still full of hope and excited to get to work. But on my way here I started to feel nervous. I had so many questions running through my mind and many anxieties about starting my new life. Will I like my host family? Will they like me? Will I make friends? Will my co-teachers want to work with me? I had spent two months in La Union having language and culture training so I was not nervous about the language or the food. I had already learned simple Ilocano phrases, knew how to wash my clothes by hand, bargain at the market, and was used to eating rice three times a day. I had already tasted Balut, dinadaraan, and even barbequed dog. I had been in the Philippines for two months, so it didn’t take long after I arrived in Lamut to settle in again. I learned in La Union that Filipinos are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I have ever met. It is also true about the people in Ifugao. Within the first few days after I arrived, I was shown around the entire town, treated to halo-halo at Chow King, invited to 2 pila lunches, and even taken personally to the mayor for a visit. At the school, I was welcomed by my co-teachers and principal and introduced to some of the parents. I am sure many of them had no idea what I was doing there and were wondering why a young single girl would want to come from a place like the US, to live here for two years, without pay. Although they may not have understood my purpose right away, they were warm and friendly and very interested to learn about me.

Even with all the wonderful people around me, life here hasn’t always been easy. I have had many days where work did not go as planned, days when I missed my family, and days when I really just didn’t want to eat rice. Some days I didn’t even want to leave my house because I couldn’t face all the staring eyes and questions. But with the help of my friends and family, I started to feel more at home. I started meeting more and more people and developing stronger relationships. People stopped calling me “Americana” and instead all I hear walking down the street is “Madam Eva”. I get invited to parties and gatherings and know most people around town. I feel successful with my work at the school and I am proud to say that we are about to open new library at Lamut Central School. I don’t get lonely here anymore and if I miss home, I just go to the internet cafe and send my family an email.

Looking back, I would never trade my experience for anything. I came here to teach and to share my knowledge. Instead, I will leave having learned so much more than I expected. I have learned how to slice a pineapple, how to eat with my hands, that fruit can taste good with salt and even bagoong. I learned how to eat sweet spaghetti, red hot dogs, and bitter foods like pinapaitan and ampalaya. I have learned to be patient, to let the small things go, and to sit back and enjoy the people around me. Most importantly, I have learned that spending time with people is more important than getting work done. Now, I never hesitate to stop when someone asks me to take my seat or sit and have merienda.

It is going to be hard to leave this place. There are so many people and things that I am going to miss. I am going to miss all the lazy afternoons spent in front of our sari sari having chica chica with my family. I am going to miss all the picnics at the river, the town fiestas, videoke, sweet ripe mangoes and cutting up jack fruit. I am going to miss eating fresh fruit picked at the farm, cancelled classes because of rain, mass on Sunday mornings, halo-halo when it’s hot, and wag wag on market day. And surprisingly, I am even going to miss riding on the back seat of a jeep or being the one more person that fits into a tricycle.

The Philippines has become my home. It was hard to leave my family in Iowa but it is going to be even harder to leave my family here. I hope one day I can come back to visit and see the place that changed my life. It has been so much more than I ever imagined. Thank you to all the people that have been a part of my life here. I will never forget you.

Eva Jorgensen-Briggs

Peace Corps Volunteer

Lamut, Ifugao