Adventure to Asia: Philippines Pt. 1

I've been struggling with how to present my trip because there was so much that happened. It's going to take a while to edit all the pictures, so bear with me. I was really sick the day before I left so I didn't do half of what I wanted to do. I didn't get much sleep either, but it was just enough to make me feel better.

Monday, July 14: Cebu, Philippines
I flew from Cleveland > Chicago > Incheon, South Korea > Cebu, Philippines. It was a long flight. When I finally landed in the Philippines I had to go through customs. In the Philippines the culture is much different. People were cutting in line and really just didn't care. I was getting so mad because I was hot, tired, hungry, and my backpack was so heavy. Eventually, I just decided to do what they were doing. I finally got to the counter and the officer didn't believe my passport was mine because I look a lot different than the photo. Luckily, I had my driver's license or else I don't know what I would have done.

After going through immigration I pretty much bribed my way through customs. This guy came up to me, looked in this plastic bag I had from the Korean airport, said that the candy looked good, I said he could have a piece, he took one and let me through. I finally got to my sister and we took a cab to our hotel. I had bought an outlet/surge protector and as soon as I plugged it into the wall it sparked and cut all the power in our room. I went to see if the power to the to the whole hotel went out. I thought I opened our bedroom door to the hallway, and I told my sister it was all out. She then went to the door and opened it up and we realized it didn't. Apparently I went into the bathroom, but I swear I was in the hallway. Jillian went to the fuse box and turned our power back on. I just hoped I wouldn't screw up like this the rest of the trip.

Tuesday, July 15: Cebu, Philippines
The next day we went into Cebu City and got our new hostel. I napped for a few hours then that night we went out with my sister's friend and his friend who also came to visit. We went to a French bakery where I tried my first macaron. Later we went to a bar and drank beer and listened to music. It rained a lot the first few days I was there because a typhoon was going through the country north of us so we were getting the outskirts of it.

Wednesday, July 16: Bohol, Philippines
The next morning we woke up and there were ants ALL OVER our stuff. The lady in charge of our hostel told us not to eat food in our room, but I didn't think much of it. I thought these ants were going to be a much bigger problem than they were, but my sister dealt with it before and said as long as the food was gone they would leave our bags. We threw away the food and shook out our clothes and luckily they were gone. So, if you ever have to deal with this problem just know that it seems a lot worse than it actually is!

We left Cebu via ferry and went to Bohol, another island in the Philippines. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to get there because all the other ferries canceled their trips as a result of the typhoon. Luckily, we were able to go. One thing I learned from my sister is not to get a tuk tuk/motorbike driver right at the port/airport/train station. If you walk a little ways away you'll always find a cheaper ride. We didn't have a hostel booked for Bohol, but my sister managed to get us a discount at hotel right on the water because a friend of hers recommended it.

We walked around a bit to get some food and find an ATM. Another thing you want to watch out for is that the motorbike drivers will tell you something is really far when it really isn't. It may be a walk, but nothing is really THAT far. While we were looking for an ATM we ran into an Australian volunteer my sister is good friends with and her boyfriend. It was out of the blue. When we got back to our room I went to sleep. One nice thing was that when I would take naps my sister would wake me up to do things so I never slept through the entire day which helped me get over my jet lag quicker. That night we went to a bar and dinner. I tried a lot of new foods. I think Filipino foods were my favorite out of all the countries.

Sorry for all the writing. I wanted to make these posts more pictures and less writing, but I'm really bad at making my writing concise. My high school social studies teacher told me I needed to write less. Oops.

Jeffry's Graduation

Saturday, May 3, 2014: That morning Haley made pancakes, and we just sat around talking and watching Cora play with her new gifts. I tried taking some more pictures just to practice with my camera some more since I never really use it. My brother called me sometime around noon telling me I could head up to his place whenever I wanted even though my parents wouldn't get there until the evening. I decided that was probably a good time to let Haley and Ben have their house back. It was really sad leaving. I miss the social aspect of life. Everyone up here is either a lot younger or a lot older than me and in very different stages of life. It was nice to go back to something that was familiar and enjoyable.

That afternoon I made my way up to Dayton. It was nice to spend some time with my brother since it rarely ever happens. We sat around and talked. His roommates and their families came. Eventually, one of the families had a cook out. At one point my brother and I walked over to this bar that he frequented because he wanted to show me it. We got a drink then headed back. My parents eventually arrived and we just hung out with everyone.

Sunday, May 4, 2014: On Sunday my brother finally graduated from Dayton. It's so weird that the three of us have all graduated from college (although my sister and I went back to grad school). I always forget how long graduations can be. I had trouble with my camera, so the shots are really bad. I'm not good with indoor lighting. Of course my camera also decided to freeze when my brother went up, so I didn't get a good picture of him getting his diploma or on the screen.

Not sure what that guy in the background is doing, but he looks like he is about to hit my dad in the head with his cane.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I hated coming back to finals and never ending work days. It's definitely getting me ready for my trip to Asia this summer!

Cora's First Birthday

My trip down to Cincinnati worked out at a perfect time. I was able to attend Cora's first birthday! I actually met her for the first time on her actual birthday! It's so crazy how time flies. The last time I saw Haley she was pregnant and now Cora is one.

When we first got to the house we set up and then Haley asked me to take pictures of the balloons outside. As I was outside Haley's relatives arrive and she tells them she hired a professional photographer. Then she tells them she's just kidding. I got a laugh mostly because I'm so far from being any where near professional standards.

I made the carrot cake cupcakes off of Margaret's recipe. Funny thing was we didn't have regular sugar so Haley and I decided to improvise and use brown sugar. They still turned out alright. Thinking about the cupcakes now is making me so hungry as I write this.

Haley made the amazing banner and garland. I'm so jealous of her amazing crafting skills!

Ben and Haley with Cora!

Cora was so funny because she wouldn't really eat the carrot cupcake but smashed the chocolate one! She was eating it a lot better than most babies I've seen as well. Afterwards, she opened gifts, but my pictures didn't turn out to well. It was a fun first birthday party!

Cincinnati + Dayton Weekend

Life has been pretty monotonous lately, so I haven't had much to blog about. This past weekend I went down to Cincinnati and Dayton. My brother was graduating from the University of Dayton, so I decided to head down a few days early to see friends in Cincinnati.

Thursday, May 1, 2014: I left my house around 8:30 after a bad start. I accidentally set my alarm for 7:30 pm instead of am! However, I did wake up at 7:45 which was a miracle. I had to be somewhere at 1:00 in Cincinnati, and I was rushing around to make sure I'd be able to make it. I stopped for a bagel/coffee and gas then I was on my way.

When I drove past the University of Cincinnati I was amazed at how different it looks after just two years! It made me realize how much I miss living down there. I was amazed that I made it with 20 minutes to spare. I headed to the school I did my student teaching at and met with my old mentor teacher. It brought back memories! That experience was one of the best of my life. I cannot believe they are all about the graduate. I wish I could make it, but adult life requires bills that need to be paid. I talked with my mentor teacher for about 45 minutes, and it was really great to catch up on life.

Next, I headed to Rohs to meet up with an old friend and roommate. It was great to talk to her over cappuccino's and chocolate covered espresso beans. I was really coffeed out at that point!

Around 5 I finally headed over to Haley's apartment. It was so good to see her! It was the first time I'd seen her in over a year (at her baby shower) and the first time I was able to meet Cora. We ran errands and picked up Indian food which I was crazing for weeks before. Every time I go down there we have to get Indian because there just aren't Indian restaurants up here like the one's in Cincinnati. That night we made some cupcakes to get ready for Cora's party.

Friday, May 2, 2014: The next day I woke up to food and coffee! Then we got ready for the day. First, we headed down to Findlay Market to look around and eat some Gelato from Dojo!

Afterwards, we headed to the Twin Lakes Lookout at Eden Park. This was seriously one of my favorite spots to go when I lived in Cincinnati. It has a great view of the Ohio River and I could sit there for hours.

After the park we headed back to Haley's apartment and did last minute preparations for Cora's party! More for that later! :)

Hello, Asia

View on my instagram!

A year ago, this month, I wrote this post about my sister going to the Philippines for the Peace Corps. Well, I officially booked my ticket, and I'll be heading to Asia July 13-August 5! Now, I need your help! My sister and I are looking for suggestions of countries/places to visit! What do you suggest?