One girl lives in a family whose daughter is in Saudi Arabia, but whose granddaughter is living with them going to college here. They are very serious, and don't interact much with the volunteer, although their upper middle class standard of living is wonderful.
Another girl lives with a doctor and his family - he has a wealth of rules that she must follow and she also says that she is in a serious household.
One of the boys lives with a woman who performs witch doctor services for the locals for 20 pesos a visit. She suffers from arthritis and gets drunk on wine every evening to still the pain. Another volunteer lives next door in her daughter's house - the daughter of the witch doctor is a college trained nurse.
Our only married couple lives with a member of the NBI - the Philippine equivalent of the FBI. The mother is British and is working in Canada while the family is here awaiting visa approval. The father has a girlfriend here and says that both the girlfriend and the wife are aware of each other. The eldest son is 24 and has a very pregnant girlfriend who is to deliver in October. In preparation of their move to Canada, none of the younger children go to school - the family did not want to pay for a semester of private school with their imminent departure.
Another girl lives with a family who has a blatantly gay son...on her 2nd day here, the son asked her if he could wear her clothes - and they had a fashion show.
My family is Mormon and doesn't drink or smoke (lucky for me!) and all live in a family sort of compound with 4 houses. It seems matriarchal, with Tess (61 years old) as its head. Her son Joseph, lives with his wife and son in the back house (we can pass dishes between the houses), while another son, Oliver, lives in a front house with his wife, three daughters and his wife's sister's son.
Family ties seem strong, although overpopulation is terrible here, and Catholics do not believe in birth control - in fact, while there is "sex-ed" in the high school, they never discuss how condoms are to be used...thus, even if one wished to cross the Pope, he/she wouldn't know how to use a contraceptive. Today we visited several social welfare agencies - one was started by a woman who had been approached by a man with 5 children - one an infant. He asked if she would purchase his infant for 1000 pesos so that he could feed the rest of his children. Such is the condition here.
On Friday, Tess purchased her first refrigerator - probably with the money the Peace Corps gives her for housing me. It was a great day for all of us...especially me. I didn't really notice the refrigerator because I saw the box. The refrigerator is 7 cubic feet and the box stood about 5 feet high. My eyes lighted up as I grabbed the box and stashed it in my bedroom - a closet!!! Think I've said that I have a lovely bed in my room, which is large...but nothing else. I went to a Peace Corps party that night contemplating how I was going to paint it and where I would find a dowel to put in it. To show you what a wonderful family I have: I arrived home a little early from the party and opened the door...my squeal of delight scared Tess and Joie away from their task.
They had taken the opportunity of my absence to drive to the palengke (market) and buy wrapping paper (in my favorite color), and I surprised them trying to surprise me with my new closet of pink and purple roses. I will post a picture of it as soon as I can. A more loving family I couldn't imagine.Tomorrow is Joseph's 40th birthday and I'm taking the jeepney tonight to the bakery to order a chocolate cake to surprise him.
What a wonderful human experience I'm having in this amazing place!
It sounds like you have bonded with your family so much more since this time. I am sad to hear that you have since parted! We should go visit them when I come to visit : )
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