My New Crib

I’ve moved out of my host family’s house here in Bacolod and now live on my own. I moved on February 13th but I’m only now truly getting settled in and acclimated to my new routine. I’ll do it in the WH- question style to give you a quick picture of how it’s gone down.

Who do I live with now?

I live with two Americans that do volunteer work here in Bacolod City, although not with Peace Corps. They’re 26 and from New York and I’m very fortunate to be able to live with other Americans living in the Philippines.

What do I still need to really make myself at home?

Well I’ve just this weekend got myself a Ref and a new foam mattress so my list is dwindling.
-Padlock for my closet (electronic and valuable storage)
-more (big) rugs for my room…I’m gonna fake having a carpet
-an actual bed
-some wall decorations, this’ll just take time and creativity
-wireless router
-some sort of closet/desk type organizer
-a ladder to put my specially made basketball rim up on a tree in the backyard

When do I get up in the morning now that I have to cook my own breakfast and commute to work?

Roughly 6:30 am if I need to cook and shower. Roughly 6:45-6:50 am if I’m just cooking breakfast. Roughly 7:05 if I’m just putting on clothes, gathering my things and rollin out.

Where did I move too?

I moved to the next Barangay inwards towards the city, Barangay Taculing, from where my high school is, Barangay Mansilingan. I live within walking distance of another Peace Corps Volunteer and about 15 minutes by jeepney to my school. It takes about twenty minutes to get into the city proper from where I live and maybe only 10-15 to get to Libertad Market.

Why did you move out in the first place?

The main reason I moved out was that I wanted to live independently again. Relying on having someone home to let you into the house is difficult for someone who’s been livin independently of their family for four years. Also, I wanted the opportunity to live independently in the Philippines. Buy my own food, take care of my own place, pay my own bills. Americans in general put an emphasis on being self-supporting and independent from a young age which is a truly foreign concept in this culture. I appreciate everything my host family did for me, they were wonderful hosts, but it was time for me to live on my own again after 6 months of being a dependent.

How do you like your new place?

I love it. The house is big and has enough space for privacy. I get to pick and cook my own foods now. We have 3 mango trees, a jack fruit tree, a chicko tree, a calamansi tree, and a red pepper bush. I have a pseudo-pet dog now, Yema. I can provide places for PCVs visiting Bacolod to sleep free of charge. I’m closer to the city proper than I was before. Finally, there’s an amazing little bread shop where I can buy Ube rolls, pastries, cheese rolls, and assorted other yummies for roughly 1-5 pesos each. Amazing.