Welcome to Tanauan City, Batangas!

Friday, June 10

While I didn't have any particular expectations for this trip, I knew that Manila was not the Philippines that I wanted to experience.  A fellow teacher used the term "sanitized" to describe Manila and I could not agree more.  We were staying in Makati, which is the financial center of Metro Manila and a place of great wealth and consumerism.  It reminded me of a concept in AP Human Geography-placelessness.  Makati was no different that the big cities of the United States-the stores, the traffic, the construction, etc.  If I was hungry for anything that I could get at home, all I had to do was walk out my hotel doors and I could find it.  I didn't want this experience; I wanted something more authentic, which is why I was excited to head out to my host community-Tanauan City.

Our host teacher Amy Buban bravely travelled through Manila traffic to pick us up.  She brought along our new friend, Chef Jeff who is actually a fellow teacher at Boot.  Immediately, we started with a million and one questions and they answered everyone.  Chef Jeff became Chef Jeff because I asked Amy about cooking and she told me to ask Jeff.  The ride from Manila to Tanauan was eye-opening.  It seemed like it took forever to get out of Manila, but once we did, it was lush greenery everywhere.  If it weren’t for the surrounding volcanoes and tropical vegetation, I could say that it reminded me of home.  The placelessness of Manila was becoming a distant memory thanks to the province of Batangas.

Our hotel was very different from the one in Makati…let’s just say it took us off of our luxury pedestal we were on in Makati!  For example, the spotty wifi is the reason I am so far behind on my blog.  Just to make you a little jealous, my room does have these blue “mood lights” in case anyone is looking for some romance with a smurf. Haha! 

After dropping off our luggage, we headed out to Rose and Grace, a restaurant that is well-known for bulalo, a savory beef soup.  Upon our arrival at the restaurant, we were greeted in the parking lot by a guy selling an iPhone and another guy selling cleavers; it was quite a welcome to Tanauan City!  Lunch was delicious; I even tried bone marrow. 

 

We had a courtesy call (aka a visit) with the Superintendent of Tanauan City Schools and most of the high-ranking officials within the Division Office.  They were as excited to meet us as we were to meet them.  After our meeting at the division office, we went to meet the mayor of Tanauan City, the Honorable Antonio Halili.  He was definitely an interesting person!  He reminded me of a Filipino version of Wayne Newton with his hair and the way that he carried himself; he was even wearing Louis Vuitton sneakers with a matching briefcase.  He was very welcoming and shared with us some clips about Tanauan City as well as Batangas coffee. 

 

While at the mayor’s office we learned about the championship Tanauan City baseball team that had just won an international tournament in Singapore.  Many of the kids who play baseball see the sport as a way to get to college, so they spend countless hours practicing and playing with the encouragement of their parents.