i looked out the window this morning to see a typhoon. wind blowing like crazy, sheets of rain, the whole nine yards. obviously our plans to go to makati city (i.e. the nice part of manila) went totally down the drain. scared into action by one of our team member's experiences during a typhoon last year at this time (after which manila was without power for several days), we waited for a break in the weather and headed out to stock up on supplies.
and not only did we head out, we headed out fully geared up. i was wearing my shiny new pair of galoshes - purchased this week when i discovered i will be going into the slums during rainy season. an absolute essential. anywho, picture it : umbrella, galoshes, rain coats.
we headed to the mall nearby & stocked up on water, candles, and food. feeling very proud, we came out of the mall to... no rain. and it didn't rain for the rest of the day. turns out, there are 5 levels of typhoons. this morning was basically a zero - just lots of rain. the typhoon last year was a level 3 (which happens only 15 years).
on the bright side, i am now the proud owner of a very well stocked kitchen.
September 29, 2007
September 27, 2007
campaign info
click on the image for info. dibs on being the blue guy.
if it says 'page not found' on the first try, be patient & reload. things don't always work on the first try here :-)
if it says 'page not found' on the first try, be patient & reload. things don't always work on the first try here :-)
September 25, 2007
knocking out tigdas
well, i made it! it's now the end of day #2 in manila, although it feels a bit more like a week!! we touched down yesterday at 4:30 am, and here's a little sampler of what dana & i have been up to:
- arrived at the hotel to find our rooms weren't ready, so we used a temporary room to shower & change, before heading up to the roof to watch the sun come up over manila, accompanied by one million dragonflies.
- went to the WHO regional office for the western pacific, where were got our ID badges & found that we had another meeting at 1:30 pm in the country office. luckily, my second wind kicked in right about then.
- did some grocery shopping at the mall conveniently located two blocks from the hotel. one of the employees took pity on two obviously confused, jet-lagged, women & acted as our personal shopper. he even delivered our groceries to the hotel in a cart! i have since learned that this is not standard practice.
- saw my first manila cockroach. thankfully not in my room....
- attended meeting #2, which lasted until 5:30 pm. (jet lag became a serious problem at that point...). i'll be working on the national measles immunization campaign, called 'knock out tigdas', details about which i will post later. (tigdas is tagalog for 'measles')
- my third (or fourth?) wind kicked in, and dana & i managed to have dinner (and a few drinks) before collapsing.
- and then today, off on a road trip to a province north of metro manila leaving at 7 a.m. and returning at 6 p.m.
- tonight, dinner at one of the fancy pants 5 star hotels down by the bay.
- and now, imminent collapse into bed since i have to leave at 7:30 tomorrow morning!!
did i mention i was jet lagged?
September 21, 2007
winding down in atlanta, gearing up for manila!
in some ways it seems that i've been in atlanta forever (two and a half weeks of hotel living and full days of training does wear on one), but as i prepare to leave today, it seems to have gone far too quickly! the training has been really fantastic, and i have met some truly wonderful people! one of whom i'm very happy to report is a fellow canadian also posted in manila, dana. and if the past few weeks are any indication, we are going to have a great couple of months in the philippines!!
i'm touching down in toronto very briefly late today (basically, long enough to do a bit of laundry, sleep, and re-pack) and will be leaving for manila tomorrow evening. with the long distance and the time difference, i will be arriving at 4:30 am on monday! i'll be on the same flight as dani a and we're getting met by a WHO driver, which is great because i'm sure i will be quite groggy & confused at that point!
here are a few pics from the past few weeks in atlanta to keep you warm until i post next!
ttfn :-)
the canadians! what a lovely bunch :-)
this one seems fairly random until....
... until you understand that we were all just trying to emulate leo, our african colleague who had the most amazing balance!
fat matt's rib shack! truly, an atlanta institution.
not an uncommon sight.... the ladies relaxing by the pool after a long day of training with a few drinks.
i'm touching down in toronto very briefly late today (basically, long enough to do a bit of laundry, sleep, and re-pack) and will be leaving for manila tomorrow evening. with the long distance and the time difference, i will be arriving at 4:30 am on monday! i'll be on the same flight as dani a and we're getting met by a WHO driver, which is great because i'm sure i will be quite groggy & confused at that point!
here are a few pics from the past few weeks in atlanta to keep you warm until i post next!
ttfn :-)
the canadians! what a lovely bunch :-)
this one seems fairly random until....
... until you understand that we were all just trying to emulate leo, our african colleague who had the most amazing balance!
fat matt's rib shack! truly, an atlanta institution.
not an uncommon sight.... the ladies relaxing by the pool after a long day of training with a few drinks.
September 11, 2007
another quick atlanta update
my technical difficulties are ever more pervasive than i previously thought!!! one of my colleagues from the cdc called my hotel on the weekend to invite me to dinner - an invite which i never received. apparently my hotel has neither voicemail nor the ability to leave a message at the desk! so, if you have tried to contact me through the hotel as a last resort (failing e-mail and cell phone)... you are apparently out of luck unless i happen to be in my room at the time! sheesh.
anywho, i spent my sunday at the altanta zoo, eating pecan pancakes, and wandering around the high museum (in that order). AND since i got myself a new camera, there are even pictures to show you! click here to see the whole collection. a few of my faves are here, here, here, here, here, and here. (i was going to include the photos at the bottom of this post, but surprise! technical difficulties!)
today is the last day of data management training, and we will be meeting up with the rest of the STOP 26 team tonight. the rest of the team includes surveillance officers, field workers and communications people. i think there will be about 40 or so more people arriving, which should be fun. not fun : re-locating from our current hotel to another one that is apparently not close to transit, restaurants, or anything else. oh well! c'est la vie!
September 9, 2007
in atlanta, y'all!
(sorry naomi - had to do it.)
my time in atlanta so far (still have almost 2 weeks to go!) has been good, but plagued with technical difficulties. i can't access my personal e-mail through the cdc firewall at the training sessions, and my cdc issued laptop seems to have some kind of bug (winsock error, anyone?) that is preventing it from connecting to the internet. and believe me, i have tried. i have used two different network cables and two different wireless adapters, so i think that i have exhausted the option that it's the network hardware. plus, it will connect sometimes for a few minutes before it dies. the technical difficulties also extend to my cell phone, which apparently does not work in atlanta. so, if you have left me a voicemail or text message... sorry, can't get it!
anyways, a little about the training. i arrived in the training session on thursday to find that i'm one of only three data managers here (there was a 4th who could not get a visa). my counterparts are two men : sojail from pakistan and ajiba from malawi who will both be posted in kenya, but supporting surveillance in south sudan and somalia (respectively). the general consensus is that they won't be going on any field assignments due to safety concerns, so in that respect i'm very happy i'm posted in the philippines where i think there is more of a chance of going out into the field.
as today was a day off, the three of us decided to check out some of the more touristy things to do in altanta. unfortunately, my technical difficulities continued today with my camera deciding to die it's last death, so i don't have any photos to post! we managed to hit three attractions today, which is a very good start!!
georgia aquarium : well worth a visit if you happen to be in atlanta! the galleries were fantastic, and the main attraction is the huge tank with 4 whale sharks, as well as assorted rays, small sharks and fish. there are lots of little spots that you can sit quietly and watch the fishes swim past overheard. also, i touched a stingray AND a bonnethead shark. very cool. the downside : as an apparent reaction to one person throwing a piece of gum into one tank, you are no longer allowed to bring gum into the aquarium. they make you throw it out!!
the world of coke : if you are interested in signing up for a coca cola love-in, this is definitely the place for you. they make you sit through a commercial (which they refer to as a "documentary") called the happiness factory. there is a tasting room where you can try coke products from around the world that's neat, but since i don't really drink soda i just ended up with a tummy ache after a few sips. the upside : seeing a small exhibit of andy warhol's work (coke themed, of course!) was neat, as was the first set of Santa paintings commissioned by Coke in the '30s.
the cnn center : honestly, snooze inducing. not too many highlights or lowlights to mention. no anderson cooper. boo!
you will be pleased to know that i picked up a new camera tonight (so much for picking up a cheaper one in manila!!), so if all goes according to plan i will be taking lots of pics very soon. take care, y'all ;-)
my time in atlanta so far (still have almost 2 weeks to go!) has been good, but plagued with technical difficulties. i can't access my personal e-mail through the cdc firewall at the training sessions, and my cdc issued laptop seems to have some kind of bug (winsock error, anyone?) that is preventing it from connecting to the internet. and believe me, i have tried. i have used two different network cables and two different wireless adapters, so i think that i have exhausted the option that it's the network hardware. plus, it will connect sometimes for a few minutes before it dies. the technical difficulties also extend to my cell phone, which apparently does not work in atlanta. so, if you have left me a voicemail or text message... sorry, can't get it!
anyways, a little about the training. i arrived in the training session on thursday to find that i'm one of only three data managers here (there was a 4th who could not get a visa). my counterparts are two men : sojail from pakistan and ajiba from malawi who will both be posted in kenya, but supporting surveillance in south sudan and somalia (respectively). the general consensus is that they won't be going on any field assignments due to safety concerns, so in that respect i'm very happy i'm posted in the philippines where i think there is more of a chance of going out into the field.
as today was a day off, the three of us decided to check out some of the more touristy things to do in altanta. unfortunately, my technical difficulities continued today with my camera deciding to die it's last death, so i don't have any photos to post! we managed to hit three attractions today, which is a very good start!!
georgia aquarium : well worth a visit if you happen to be in atlanta! the galleries were fantastic, and the main attraction is the huge tank with 4 whale sharks, as well as assorted rays, small sharks and fish. there are lots of little spots that you can sit quietly and watch the fishes swim past overheard. also, i touched a stingray AND a bonnethead shark. very cool. the downside : as an apparent reaction to one person throwing a piece of gum into one tank, you are no longer allowed to bring gum into the aquarium. they make you throw it out!!
the world of coke : if you are interested in signing up for a coca cola love-in, this is definitely the place for you. they make you sit through a commercial (which they refer to as a "documentary") called the happiness factory. there is a tasting room where you can try coke products from around the world that's neat, but since i don't really drink soda i just ended up with a tummy ache after a few sips. the upside : seeing a small exhibit of andy warhol's work (coke themed, of course!) was neat, as was the first set of Santa paintings commissioned by Coke in the '30s.
the cnn center : honestly, snooze inducing. not too many highlights or lowlights to mention. no anderson cooper. boo!
you will be pleased to know that i picked up a new camera tonight (so much for picking up a cheaper one in manila!!), so if all goes according to plan i will be taking lots of pics very soon. take care, y'all ;-)
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