Peace Corps Volunteers and Blogging

Thanks to Sassy Lawyer's Peace Corps Bloggers, I learned quite a bit about rural life in the Philippines as blogged by foreigners.

Elaine's site is frames-based, so I'll just link to the actual entry page:

Elaine's May 22, 2004 entry: "A week later, I was asked to judge the Miss Flawless contest during a barangay fiesta.... During another session, we asked them to define what it means to be a strong woman. The most common adjective was obedient. I still have a bruise on my chin from it dropping to the floor so many times."

Elaine's May 18, 2004 entry: "The Philippines held its national election last week.... Everyone knows the system is corrupt. Vote buying is rampant. All sorts of public works projects that had lain dormant for months were suddenly resurrected right before the election to make sure the laborers had a job to thank someone for.... Unfortunately, I don’t sense a great hunger among the masses to change the system any time soon."

(Sometimes I wonder what keep us Filipinos alive.)

Tommy Schultz has a colorful photoblog about the Philippines. He even got to download a Dave Matthews guitar with the help of the internet, photoshop, and guitar-maker Jun Reputana. Not only did the handmade 12-string guitar look good, you can even hear it in action! (Just be patient while the mp3 file downloads. You'll find the link near the bottom of the page.)
[ First posted on 06/10/2004 by Manuel Viloria ]