Week Eighteen

General Dedications: All the August Birthdays!!! Oh my gosh. So many. Lol I won't put you all in this post specifically but Ill try to have a dedication to as many of you as possible. That being said, let me start with family dedications!!!

July 23rd-August 22

Leos!
3rd: Cousin Joshua
6th: Aunt Sharon
9th: Uncle Rodel
20th Niece Jen

Virgo!
23 - Eldest Sister Girlyne

Joshua: Though we may not be 100% compatible or be able to understand each other in more than one sense, I still appreciate everything you've done for me. There's a lot on your plate culture wise. Thanks for everything and Happy 22nd! (P.S: Your nickname is President Pastor. Sorry not sorry lol)

Uncle Rodel: I always looked forward to you visiting the house and I'm sorry that work and school have come in between the time I'm able to spend with you but I'm very thankful for you Uncle. You're a good man and fun to talk to. Athough, I know the language barrier can be an issue. Soon I will be able to communicate with you better!!! I look forward to seeing you next time. You always brought delicious food to the house. I hope that never changes! Happy Birthday, Uncle!

Aunt Sharon: You have always inspired me in your own way. You're a hard worker and dedicated to the people you love. I'm glad that I'm on that list. Life hasn't given me the chance to see you in a while but I'm glad you have a facebook now so that you can keep up with me and I can keep up with you. Love you and Happy Birthday, Aunt Sharon!

Sister!!!: You basically raised me. Although, I might have more of Jason's qualities and interest lol. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far between the culture barriers and language barriers and well... general barriers of life. I'm super thankful to have you as a sister. Thank you for everything. Miss you a lot. Im sorry i wont be there for your birthday this year. Or maybe even next year 😅 But. Always know that I love you and I couldnt have become the person I am without you!!! Happy birthday, see you when I see you.

Jen: I already dedicated a thing to you but hey. You won't be the only one I've mentioned twice! I don't remember what the last time we celebrated your birthday.  I do know that I miss you though!! Happy 24th I think lol. Love you and see you maybe next year xD.

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Song of Fire and Ice: A Clash of Kings: It take all my strength to limit myself on how much I read in this book. I'm limiting myself as to how many pages I can read because otherwise I'll need to get the 3rd book soon and I don't have enough money for that right now lol. I have the 4th book though. Because I'm awesome and grabbed the wrong book lol. I really wanted to read Lord of the Rings while I was out here studying but I stumbled upon Game of Thrones first and I'm not disappoint. In high school I read part of the first book lol. But I still have books back home that I havent read yet. Here, I don't buy the book unless I've read what I have and I make sure these books are thick so that I don't read through them quickly lol.

First Day of School: Culture here still gets to me. I made a few friends today!!! So I'm in Batch A-1 which means the other 30 something students are in every class with me. Back home, each class may have a student who is in a different major as you but here, everyone takes the same classes per batch and has the exact same schedule. I think it's really nice. It gives me time to get to know these other students.

  The first 2 classes were canceled. Go figure. First they push back school for 2 days then hey cancel the first two classes 😅. Unlike back home, the Dean will post on facebook any last minute announcements. Whereas, an email would be sent out to all the students if something were to happen last minute.

  The youngest student in my batch is 17 while most of them are 18 and few are 19. Im the only that exceeds that lol. I explained how the we have Basics is America that come before the actual course which is another way for America to take your money. Here in the Philippines you start right away in whatever course you want to persue.

  Some of the students wanted to call me Ate out of respect but I'm their classmate and I find it weird since I'm the only 'Ate'. Ate is a respectful term for 'older female' in Tagalog. It's like saying 'sister' in a way.

  I went through 2 classes. We skipped Understanding Self and Technology for Teaching and Learning. So our first classes was at Child and Adolrscent Learners from 2:30 to 3:30. My teacher was Mrs. Alma and she made it a point to make me the center of attention. Which. Helped me with my nerves but also set them off lol. Mrs. Alma is more of an interactive teacher rather than a by the book teacher and I like that. Although, I do feel odd when we start singing and dancing to children songs that everyone grew up with except me lol. The again, I could always teach them the songs I grew up with. I guess that'll be on my to do list. I enjoyed that class despite the culture barrier I mentioned.

  The second class we went to was Math. There's a long name but I'll simplify it lol. The teacher asked us to write about ourselves and said we would share it when she returned from an errand. Once she came back she asked if anyone wanted to introduce themselves and since she was the only one who didnt know I only spoke English I decided to go first and I ended up being the only one to introduce myself because she decided to hold a philosophy session.

  While Mrs. Alma is more of an empath and direct with her emotions the teacher in math is straight forward. Mrs. Alma is very expressive and I like that about her. I feel bad for not catching the math teacher's name but she is very inspiring. For a moment I thought we were in philosophy instead of Math.

 I'm looking forward to learning with these students and sharing my experiances with them. Some of them have already seen and read part of my blog so that makes me really happy.

  At school I go by DJ because it's not easy to butcher. Cho sounds weird with their accent and Shinar is never said the same way twice. Agh. These dorm kids are singing and I want tslo sing with hem but there are so many I'm nervous to go down there by myself.

  Well i gathered up the courage to go down there. I guess i'll get used to the Ate DJ thing. It's more effort to stop than I feel like putting into stopping. One of the kids were in my class. He was nice. Everyoe was nervous and they liked my voice though I admitted that in the US I was too nervous to sing in front of people. They despersed after i went to go get my charger so I'm guessing I intimidated them. 😅 I really do like to sing and I'm willing to teach them English. But they have to help me eith Ilokano. However, there are many other languages that the students know so this might be mote challenging than I thought. I'm looking forward to this semester. I hope I can become less intimidating over time.

  Me and Dimer have to wait to get a key made for our apartment. I forgot to get a spare lol. These little things that matter. My guts still twisted from signing in front of them. I sang Your Guardian Angel - Red jumpsuit Apparatuse and rhey loved.

  Since I left a picture of me and Alan as my profile picture literally everyone is hitting on him lol. I dont know how he feels about 17, 18, and 19 year olds gawking over him but that's what's happening. Lol

  Overall, today went well. School was pushed back to noon tomorrow because of a holiday. It's like the school was even reluctant to start lol.

  Let's see. What else? I dont think there's anything. Im attempting to make friends. The language barrier is the hardest part but I will break it. I'll be sure to drop updates thank y'all for tuning in.
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Carabao Languages: Each day I will have a post that will be in one of the 4 languages I'm trying to learn or in English..tune in to learn something new each day!

Thanks for supporting me everyone. Love and miss all of you back home. -DJ/Nar/Cho

P.S: DJ stands for Danieljames Joaquin. 😎

Short Update! (Sort of Short lol)

  I know I havent posted week 8 or 10 and this next post should be 11 so here's a short update to make up for those.

  School starts in August and I should be able to turn in my stuff next week. My cousin Dimer is sick so we didnt go on Tuesday to go get his transcript. Hopefully he'll be up to it tomorrow but I dont know. I need to ask his brother Joshua for an update on his transcript. I have everything I need for my application but all three of us are renting the apartment so it would only make sense if I waited for them before I turned in mine. We all have to take the entrence exam anyway and hopefully theyre not full when we finally get our papers together.

The Santiago Beach is currently dirty due to the Typhoon. My family wants to wait 2 weeks before we go to the beach again and even though I'm reluctant... the water isnt safe for me. I currently have a mild case of staph infection. But because I've kept myself clean and dry it's not getting worse. If anything, it's getting better. On Thursday I want to go to the dermatologist to ask for antibiotics.

  Other than that I have load for the next 4 days. I've let my mom  talk to Inang and I've talked to Alan so that makes me happy! I got to read up in the president here and I COMPLETELY understand why many of my friends are worried for me but rest assured my family will keep me safe. I dont go anywhere without them.

  I'm writing again. (Lol yay carpel tunnel). The journals here are $.03 and this will probably become a problem for me buuut I dont care. That and there's CHEAP Japanese Candy that's sold at 7/11's. Like I got so excited you have no idea.

  I miss my friends back home. I do appreciate the messages that are sent my way. It makes me happy that you guys think of me and dont worry, i think of you too!

  Those of you who do not personally know me but view my blog from Spain, Canada, South America, or anywhere else!! Thank you!! Grácias! Hable con mi!! Comentarios are siempre welcomed! I need to practice my spanish!

  I'm thinking of making a travel instagram specifically for my good photos. I'll post up the link if i do decide this.
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  As I said this one is short but I'll still place some dedications here. This time I choose Zach Nguyen, Jennifer Garcia, and Erik Gonzales.

Happy Fathers day to all the fathers out there!!! I know it already passed but best wishes are always a thing.

  Week 8 was supposed to he dedicated to Zach and I have it typed on my laptop but I cant post it because my wifi isnt working. Im currently using my cellphone's load. Im thinking of buying this thing called 'Load Wallet' so I can have a safe amount of load and i can make money if people need load lol.

  Zach always compares my life to an Anime and I want to post some Shorts up based on that idea! There are so many stories i can tell in Shorts and I'd love to see my friends draw some of them as comic strips! If youre interested let me know, we'll figure something out!!!

  Anyways, Zach is awesome and has always kept ul with me because I try mrey best to keep up with him. We met in band in 6th grade. He played French Horn. I appreciate Zach and even though we argue but agree A LOT it makes the friendship fun. He's blunt and says things that catch me off guard but I do that too so we break even lol.

  Thanks for being here for me, Zach! I'll always be here for you!

  Band was the center of my life for so long. Without it I wouldnt have met such amazing people like Zach or Jenny! Jenny and I also met in band. She played clarinet. Even though our actual 'meeting date' is up in the air the memories I've made with Jenny since then are far unforgetable! Jenny is very artistic and I can always turn to her if I need someone to talk to. She's one of the few girl friends I have lol. I love Jenny and spending time with her. It's nice to go adventures or talk about culture. I can learn so much from her! She has an amazing personality and even though we're physically seperated I know if either of us had the time we can meet up and catch up!

  I see her as a future travel buddy! Whether it's in the US or not. Hopefully, we get to have some of those adventures soon. Love you, Jenny!

  And lastly there's Erik! Erik was there for me when no one else was. He was the hope that I didn't think was possible and I wouldn't be the person I am today without him. Erik is by far my best friend and even though we dont always talk I know he'll always have room for me in his life and vice versa.

  I know that Erik will make a great father to his daughter Braelynn becaue he's hardworking, supportive, and overall a good person. It's hard to think of Erik as a negative person or a person who gets angry. Any negative emotion is hard to place with Erik lol. He cares so much for other people. And that makes them care the same in return. I'm glad that we met in 6th grade.

  When I think back on it we didnt have a single class together but we hung out with the same people and that's how we got to know each other. He was in Orchestra and I was in Band. He played Bass. A lot of our friends were nerds whether they were academically inclined, into videos games, or into Music. We all had a table at lunch we sat at in Junior High and then later in High school.

  Erik has always been an inspiration to me. He has seen an emotional side of me that not everyone has and that makes me respect him more because that side of me isn't easy to deal with. But he did it. And it didn't change how he treated me.

  Youre the best Erik! Thanks for everything.

  All the friend I've made have had an impact on me and my friends will always be family to me. They are the people who were truly there for me, whether they realize it or not, and that is something I apppreciate. People have said to me that making true friends is a talent but I feel that anyone can make 'real' friends as long as they present themselves as a 'real' friend and that's how I've always lived.

  Because what's the point in being friends if the friendship is fake? Not everyone that I consider a friend considers me a friend and that's a fault of my own. I treat people how I want to be treated and I'm good with connecting with people on an emotional scale. People say that there's a trust in me that they can see and I hope that never changes.

  Well, it's late for me so I'm going to turn in. If we're not connected on Instagram, follow me, and message me then I'll follow you back! My facebook is meant for people I meet in person so I dont always accept friend request on there. But my instagram is open to anyone so follow me and I'll be sure to follow back!

Thanks for checking in with me everyone. I appreciate every single one of you!! Till next time!! 

-Shinar/Dj/Cho

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Week Five: First Week Without My Mother

Week Five
Sunday: Del Pilar and Hot Spring after Church (Happy Mother's Day!)
Monday: To Candon then Labayug with My Cousin Gilbert to see mom leave
Tuesday: Labayug. Antong Falls then Bottles Up
Wednessday: Learn What Not Bus To Take
Thursday: Rest Day! Back In Paltoc
Friday: Another Chill Day
Saturday: To Vigan!

  I will be buying wifi this saturday. It makes me sad that I couldn't post last weeks on time but I did write it for you all! As I said I can't schedule post through the app which is annoying but I'll at least be sure to write to you all what I did this week. I'm making a small progression on my Tagalog and Ilokano. There is some progress with Itneg but it still doesn't stand out to me. I can see the difference with words between Tagalog and Ilocano. I know what my family is saying but I can't tell you what language they're speaking. I'm happy enough that I can understand them lol.

  My mother went home on Monday. That's why me and my cousin Gilbert went to Labayug to see her off. A lot of people expected me to go all the way to Manila but to be honest I've traveled so much I don't want to travel for a while. It was sad to see my mom go but I was happy to know that she made it home safely.

  This will be the first official week without my mother! Woo! I made it through the first week and this is my 5th week of being here. Next week will be a full official month. I want to thank the friends that read this and that message me on Facebook to see how I'm doing. I appreciate it you guys.

  My skin: It's doing a lot better now that I've been here and changed my diet. I still can't keep up with how many times these people eat here but I've been able to eat every time they do. I eat small portions is all. I also eat the way I do because it makes my Inang (grandma) happy. She gets really upset if she doesn't see that I've eaten so I try to show her that I'm not starving myself.

  The sulfur soap has helped a lot. I'm running low on the aloe lotion my sister Lynn gave me but there is fresh aloe here so when I run out all I have to do is go upstairs. Now that my skin isn't breaking out in heat rash it's becoming SUPER dry. Which I can handle. All I have to do is put lotion but sometimes it takes layers of lotion to break though how dry it is. It doesn't itch as much so that's an improvement.

  I'll be sure to try and get a better schedule running for these things. I have many pictures that I want to post that I need to upload to my laptop and organize it that way. Generally, if I have connection I try to post one photo at least and my family thinks its a great idea that I started a family album with people's names labeled.

  Sunday: Del Pilar: My Uncle Henry is the mayor of Del Pilar. He has limited facial expressions but he's a good guy, He took us to Sibol Hot Spring that is sulfur based. The water was too hot at first so my family said that we were going 'up' for a while until the springs cooled. What I DIDN'T know was that 'up' meant hiking/rock climbing and the fact that I made it through the hike/rock climb AND back made me feel super accomplished.

  Because we made the hike/rock climb I was already tuckered out by the time we got back so when we finally sat in the hot spring my muscles relaxed and I almost fell asleep. Although, because the water was so hot my skin healed slower I guess? Since then my skin has been SUPER dry but at least I have hardly any heat rash. I need to go back again but the road to Del Pilar might be worse than the road to Paltoc and that's why I don't want to go there too often. I need to either go there or to the beach and the beach seems like the easier drive. We took a small group to Del Pilar. I thought that it was only going to be four of us because we all had to go on motorcycles but we ended up with eleven people lol. After we got finished at Del Pilar we went home and I passed out. I took another shower because I was starting to itch and that was the need of the day for me lol.

  Monday: Mom was going to be leaving Tuesday so I asked my cousin to come with me to Labayug. Here everyone travels in pairs. It's safer that way. We took a bus which was four hours long and ended up in Labayug. I was upset because I brought two cds of the audio book I was listening to and I finished them faster than I thought. Due to it being Election Day the bus was filled even in the aisle and it was uncomfortable. My car sickness kicked in and when we finally got off the bus I thought I was going to hurl but I didn't. It cost me being able to eat much food. I drank soup and added rice. My mother, Aunt Helen, Uncle Alex, and Manang Ambit were waiting for us at the bus station. After that we slept I believe.

Tuesday: Mom left for Manila. I asked my brother in law if I should stay in Labayug and he said to go home. I should have but I didn't. I wanted to spend some time with my cousin Manang Ambit. Her real name starts with an M but only my Aunt Helen calls her that lol. My mom made it safely to Manila. While she was heading there Gilbert, Rhanie, and I went to Antong Falls. That's like all you can really do in Labayug and it's not even in Labayug lol. Rhanie is actually my nephew but I don't call him that. I barely got the guy to stop calling me Auntie because that's weird when you're only months apart in age. He's born in September and I'm in April.

  Rhanie thinks it's funny that the english way to spell Rhanie is Ronnie. But in english we say ron-ne where as they say rah-knee. He thinks the way to say Ronnie is Roe-ne and to them that's correct lol. The fact that I got him to talk to me is an accomplishment in itself. He's really shy but I tend to be able to talk to people who are shy. Most people are afraid to talk to me because they don't speak english well and the other percentage who do know how to speak english take it to pride and speak only english to me and I don't appreciate that because that doens't help me to learn the language.

  We ended up going to Antong and hiking farther than last time when I went with my Aunt Lorie. Rhanie introduced me to my favorite snack here Mang Juan Chicharon (vinegar and salt chicharon lol).  I have to be careful when I eat those though because they make me feel hungry even after I ate a whole bag of them lol. We hung out at Antong from 8 to 12 and then headed back to the house. When we got back we ended going to my Manang Ambits and drinking a few beers and singing songs. It was a fun social time that I haven't had in a while.

  Wednesday: After we cleaned up Rhanie drove me and Gilbert to Paldit to find a ride to Candon where we were supposed to meet our cousin Joshua. We ended up getting on a local bus instead of one of the franchised ones. Those buses are good if you want to be dropped off at a specific place but they stop a lot of literally anyone and everyone. We even had to switch buses at one point but the ride was cheaper. We left around 10 and got to Candon around 3 and then we got home around 4-5. That was probably the worse ride I've had yet on a bus so I know better next time. Gilbert said I'd probably memories the route from Labayug to Paltoc.

  About my Dad: The more I make the trip from Paltoc to Labayug or vice versa the more I'm awe inspired about the drive. Used to, I'd sleep through it. But I don't do that as much anymore. Back when my Dad was dating my mother he would ride his bike (not a motorcycle) from Labayug to Paltoc and he would do that EVERY weekend. My father would bike from Pangasinan, through La Union (La Onion), to Ilokos Sur and up the mountain to Paltoc through the fantastic dirt road they had. Like whoa. That's freaking dedication. It's also why my dad had monster thighs lol. (That's where I get mine from x.x)

  Thursday: Rest Day! Thankfully! I'm so tired of travel it's ridiculous. I can't spend my rest days in my room unless it's later in the day. I wait for it to get dark then I retreat to my room. Until then I hangout in the living room or upstairs. Usually in the Living room because it's cooler downstairs than upstairs. All I did that day was listen to the rest of my audio book (I found out that I'm missing CDs so I'm going to have to look for the book to read the rest of it lol). I wrote in my journal, watched cartoons, and worked on a story that I'm trying to pick back up.

  Friday: Another chill day. We went to a wedding to eat and I got to meet another one of my crazy aunties who insisted that I dance but I told her no lol.

  Saturday: To Vigan! I told my cousins that we need to leave at 8am. We didn't leave the house till 8:30 which isn't bad for Filipino time lol. (Filipino time is when the event starts at 5pm and everyone shows 7pm). We spent most of the day waiting for a bus or being on the bus. Once we got to Vigan the first thing we did was eat at Mang Inasal. I had sisig while Gilbert and Joshua had chicken. Then we try to pay rent. Which we'll have to do Monday because the landlord lady wasn't there.

  This is something that I think is weird in the Philippines but I guess since they don't have to pay as many taxes or have as many regulations as we do they don't have 'business days'. There are day shops and night shops. Most of the night activities area cheaper shopping, street food, or drinking. The reason why I bring this up is because I asked my cousin what time the dorms start taking money so we could go and put down our deposit the moment the landlord opened her doors. But he said that we could go at any time because she lived there too. I understand that being more convenient but normally I'd call or check on google what time she'd be open and I'd go the earliest in the morning. Here, there may or may not be a phone number or a google reference so there might not even be store hours.

  We traveled around Vigan. We went to UNP to get more applications then we went to the studio (photography studio) to get a picture for my applications and went shopping for some necessities. Gilbert tried to convince me to get on a plan with Globe (Their version of Verizon/Suddenlink and AT&T combined lol) so that I could always have internet but the truth is I don't really use internet all the time. I spend more time taking pictures on my phone than being on the Facebook app (I depend on messanger but that's free). The only reason for me to have internet all the time is when I'm in school and right now I'm not in class so I'm not worried about that. If anything, there should be a library where I can use a school computer to do research. It was a long day. We got home around 5 but it gets dark starting at 6. I call Saturday a sucess though!

  Overall: I think I'm adjusting pretty well. My body is at least with all the hiking/rock climbing. I say hiking and rock climbing but these people don't use their hands to rock climb. They have super good center of gravity which I normally have a good center of gravity but it's not while going up slanted rocks and what not lol. I can't wait to go swimming again. Swimming is my favorite outdoor thing to do even though I can only swim at the beach. (The Baybay).

  I'm sad that my mom rushed herself in the last week but that's how my mother is. I wanted to get something for some of my friends back home but as I said but my mother was rushing so I wasn't able to get any souvenirs for my friends of my family for that matter but this these post are all I have for you guys lol. I also have pictures. My phone cleared at one point which upset me but I have more now. 600-700 lol so expect more pictures when I can get this blog working right. I know I have to fix the pictures and the text. Ask me questions and email me. I'll answer as soon as I have connection. I really look forward to comment, emails, and messages on facebook so send one if I come across your mind!

  Thanks everyone, I hope to hear from you some time! (Tune in next week!)
Dj/Nar/Cho

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Week 2

April 26th: Flight Touch Down! Drive to Labayug, Pangasinan.

April 27th: To Ilocos!

April 28th: Baybay! Santiago Beach

April 29th: Church and  Getting To Know The family (To Candon!)

April 30th: Infinity Wars  San Fernando, La Union

You'll have to excuse me if i skip details. I've written this entry twice now and something has always happened when I try to save it. Either the app crashes or I press the wrong button and it exits without saving (which is annoying because it automatically saves most of the time). Now that I've gotten that off my chest. Let me begin.

  Whoa! I can't believe I've been here a week already! It'll be a 2-3 hour drive home so I figured I'd try to write this again right now. So far we have a wedding to attend and we need to get my papers in order but my mom hasnt been feeling good. I hope her health improves. I'd hate for her to deal with being sick for the 2-3 weeks shes here for.

  Turns out my goal is to go to The University of Nothern Philippines

  Major changes I've dealt with so far are traffic laws (which are still bad but they exist). There still isnt a seat belt rule for anyone except the driver and front passenger. There are also more police to enforce the laws and dont think I've seen a single beggar. Vans and cars are more frequent. The seats are comfortable but still uncomfortable for more than an hour trip (which is literally anywhere). Roads are better but the road to San Emilio is worse than Bell Street back home lol. (Think dirt road and holes while going down hill or up hill).

  Two years passes by so fast! The last time I was in the Philippines was in 2015. Now that I'm here the kids are older and I can actually spend time with them. Not that I babysat them in the past but I didnt get to talk to them and take them places like the mall.

  Today i got to watch a movie with a group of kids. There should be some pictures coming up in the queue (which im trying to do but the app sucks and my phone doesnt like viewing webpages). Hopefully, I can get my laptop set up soon. For now, all i'm doing is uploading photos to my Blogger and typing captions and tags as I go then when i get connection i can post one. Im trying to limit my text post to once a week. It give less for y'all to read and for me to Babble lol.

  Overall, I miss home. But Im excited to be in the Philippines. My skin is okay except for the heat rashes but after two weeks we'll find out if I can do this. Three months at a time is the goal. School also might be free soon. The government is trying to pass a law for free education and honestly, I think it's a good idea! What better way to invest in the younger generations than free education. If people dont like it then they dont have to go. If they go and find that it isnt for them then that's okay as well.

  My end goal is to be a teacher and make enough money so that I can tutor kids for free or based off of their family's wages to where they can afford it. People ask me why I want to tutor specifically and not teach a classroom. Well, that's because I know it's impossible to teach 30 kids the exact same way in a 45 minute to an hour class. Why do I say I know instead of I believe? Because I was there. And any time I bring it up to people who ask they always admit some sort of problem when they were going through school. Whether it's their own personal problem or someone they know.

  Right now I'm dealing with a language and culture barrier between me and my family. I STILL fight the culture barrier with my mother so I dont feel that I'll win that battle but the language barrier I can at least do something about by learning their language and listening for words and phrases.

  Language wise, I have to thank my Brother In Law Jason (Manong [mah-nahg] Jason). It's ironic that the person who has taught me the most Ilocano and Tagalog is my White American Brother in Law. He also taught me how to drink but hey... That's not bad when being raised by some who's Irish. Unlike my Uncles I can hold my liquor.! (Lol) (Also dont ask me where it goes because I dont know. I have a high tolerance. I can thank my Dad's side of the family for that).

  Before I left I tried to write a prologue and failed miserably. So here's a little about my family. My dad's name is (Sergio Balaneg Compal) and my mom's name is Helen Gallardo Compal. My dad is from Labayug, * Pangasinan and my mom is from San Emilio, Paltoc, Ilocos Sur. I have two sisters. Girlyne Compal White and Lynn Compal. My whole family is artistic in their own ways. My dad own Miller's Family Haircutters. He can draw and write. If any of you have met him you also know that he's sarcastic funny.

  Mom works for the base currently but she can sew (with no hand!) Both my parents can sing and my mom is also book smart. If you've met my mom she probably acts really nice to you and is rude to me. She also makes jokes but a lot of them are bad humor jokes like racial jokes. (Which is still funny). Something you may or may not know about my mom is that she graduated bible college and is a legal Pastor.

  So far on this trip I have spent more time with the Gallardo side of the family (my mom's side). I'm still learning names but I dont think I'll ever get spelling right. There are K's where the C's would normally go and D's where the J's go. Lol.

  I'm picking up on the language slowly but thankfully they understand some Spanish being from Texas (North of Mexico) Spanish is helpful. However, their Spanish is Spain Spanish so there are differences.

Ex:
Viente - Spanish
Biente - Ilocano and Itneg

  Another major difference is that there is more technology. More of my family have cellphones and mobile wifi. Kids are getting lost on their phones playing games and being on Facebook. It doesnt help that Facebook is free with the sim cards that's here. The two major sim cards are Smart and Globe. I have a Globe sim card. I get Free Facebook as long as their is a connection (mobile or wifi). If i want to see pictures I have to use data which I'm not sure how it works because I currently have no load on my phone and I can still see Facebook pictures. Lol.

  Think of cellphones here like tracphones except yoh use whatever phone you want as long as it's unlocked to use any sim card you'd like. Facebook calling and messaging is easier then calling or texting. The message may take 10-20 minutes to reach the person your texting. Whereas a facebook message depends on the connection of the phone data or wifi wise.

  FYI this was supposed to post on April 30th and my app said that it did but when I checked the laptop it didn't show that it existed so here you go. I had a photo uploaded to this post but this'll be the 4th attempt for me to post these words to you and I don't think I'm going to try anymore lol. I still need to write you all an update for this week so. This'll have to do. 

Email: Lusterdragon72@gmail.com (Title your email:Forward Flight)

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Thanks y'all. Tune in next week!

Shinar