My Last Month in Rosario

My host family in Rosario. After the thefts I experienced while living in my original house, Mayor 'Tidot' Miranda offered for me to stay with his family. Especially given my resignation from the Peace Corps, I cannot begin to express the hospitality and generosity Tidot and his wife Regi demonstrated during these last 3 months.

On July 5th, the Baraks Boys, my 'barkada' (group of friends) became entrepreneurs and started their own convenience store and fast food restaurant, under the encouragement and guidance of local parish priest Father Roni. Modeled partially after 7-Eleven, Baraks 24/7 is intended to be the first business catering to customers at all hours. Given the lack of local job opportunities, I was thrilled to see these guys take matters into their own hands.

My good friend Father Roni (right) attended the Grand Opening of Baraks 24/7, treating some friends to food and drinks from the business. Above, Pug-Pug serves them a tower of beer and 'sumsuman' (snacks to be eaten while drinking, a necessity in the Philippines).

Jhuly and James serve pork barbecue kabobs from 4 PM on. With Father's culinary assistance, the guys have developed their own specific marinade and sauces which make them the tastiest in the community.

Head Chef Rik-Rik prepares a short-order of pancit (a traditional light asian pasta with pork and vegetables). Short-orders quickly became the largest source of income for the business, as word-of-mouth spread about the quality of the food. Among several types of pandit, available short-orders also include sizzling platters of pork face and 'lomi' (a traditional soup especially served late-night).

Ken-Ken sells fried fish and squid balls to customers along the street.

Given the demand of the business, all of our time this past month has been spent at the business. But despite the flurry of activity, there has been ample downtime to enjoy each other's company.

From July 10th through 12th, I was privileged to participate in a disaster response training conducted by Catholic Relief Services as part of Rosario's delegation, alongside Father Roni, my counterpart Bobi, and others. Rosario is one of two municipalities in Northern Samar that was selected as part of a pilot program by CRS to improve the capacity of local parishes in disaster response. We took the opportunity to present and coordinate our soon-to-be approved MDRRMP with CRS.

After two busy months of nonstop fiestas, July proved to be fairly sparse. I only attended one fiesta myself; the local fiesta in Barangay Salhag on July 22nd. I joined Father Roni and his staff for the procession and mass in the morning. At night, the Baraks and I attended the vesper night 'kuratsa' (traditional dance) and disco.

The night before the fiesta, I joined Mayor 'Tidot' and Regi at a friend's house for a feast of delicious Filipino foods. After being in Africa, I have been amazed at the sheer numbers of traditional dishes available in the Philippines. Five months in, and I was still experiencing new, delicious foods. My favorite new discovery was stuffed 'bangos' (milkfish). The head of the fish is cut off, and the meat and bones are delicately removed, leaving the skin intact. The bones are discarded, while the meat is mixed with a variety of vegetables and stuffed back into the fish. Once the head is sowed back on, the fish is placed on the grill. Great presentation and tastes even better!

I later joined Father Roni (to my right) and friends, to chat over food and drinks. I already miss Filipino fiestas.

The Municipality through me a 'despedida' (farewell party) at the office this past Saturday night, celebrating the work we've accomplished together and friendships built.

Then on Sunday night, my last in Rosario before heading to Manila for my flight, Father Roni and the Baraks threw me their own 'despedida' at the church. The plan was originally to camp overnight at a nearby beach, but was prevented by torrential showers.

They prepared a delicious 'lechon' (roasted pig) for the occasion.

Throughout the night, we enjoyed our final night together chatting and singing karaoke. I will really miss these guys, until we meet again...

Monday morning, my good friend JM (center) accompanied me in taking a bus to Manila. While out on the town Tuesday, we met Milo, my former Peace Corps Response APCD/ Supervisor, for lunch. Despite my resignation from the motorcycle debacle, Milo and the PC staff in general have always been great towards me.