Jasmine's Blog
Day 1-
12-6-12
I am sitting in the Louisville airport. Everyone's spirits are high and everyone is super excited to be going on this trip. We had one late arriver who had us a little worried but everyone is here now.
My friend dropped me off at the airport and he was more nervous than I was.
We're sitting here talking about s new app called snap chat. It seems cool. I can't believe how much I had to get done before I left. I took the GRE and two finals in one week. I still have to take a psych final while I'm over there.
Day 2-
12-7-12
2 hour flight delay in Seoul Korea and a 4 flight later we are finally in Cebu! The airport was hot and muggy. After stepping outside I found it hard to breathe. That's how humid it was!
We took a short bus ride to Bluewater Maribago resort. Its gorgeous! In the lobby there is a wicker Christmas tree that is huge. We were all in awe at the Beauty of the hotel and its still dark outside so we can only imagine how beautiful it will be in the daylight. WiFi works great in the dining area which differs from the Botswana trip. we went up to our room to change clothes and wash up. There were sliding doors made out of wood. Our doors lead to a perfect hotel room with the most comfortable beds you can imagine.... Tempurpedic maybe? Right outside of our hotel was one of three pools. There is even a water slide!!!
We had dinner, or maybe it was lunch, I don't know. It was small burgers with cucumbers and baked chips. I was craving a coke after drinking so much water on the plane. It was really sweet. After dinner my room mate Lauren and I went back to our room. We talked about how we were going to hit the beach first thing in the morning, after breakfast of course. I crashed after like 5 minutes of laying there! That was the best sleep I've had in weeks!
Day 3-
12-8-12
Early morning. We rose at 8am willingly. I opened the doors to look outside and literally gasped at the beauty of the resort pool outside of the hotel room. The hot air rushed inside and took my remaining breath away. We went to the dining hall for breakfast and there was so much variety in the buffet. French toast, pancakes, bacon,and more native meats. Fruits, oatmeal, pastries, sushi, and rice. Coconut and watermelon juices, and some other juice that tasted like companies. It was all very delicious and the service was great. We couldn't wait to hit the beach which we kind of stumbled upon.
We started taking pictures immediately, not wanting to miss anything.
We went into the private beach which was filled with sea urchins, hermit crabs, and starfish. It wasn't overwhelming though. Brett and I rode jet skiis which was my favorite part of the day. I had been on a jet ski before in Daytona but I was too scared to drive it. I actually drove this time and went so fast pushing the gas button almost all the way down. The wind in my face, the water splashing up cooling us off.... What a rush! We stopped at some points to look at the water, it was indigo blue yet still clear. Then Brett wanted to drive again and almost killed me I'm sure, we did doughnuts, spins, and wave jumps.
Later we played volleyball with Mike, Paul, and David (the dentistry students) and our new Brazilian friend, Julian. I had to keep jumping in the water it was so hot and I was burning from the sun.
We had lunch and again it was very delicious. The corn/potato soup was my favorite. We all had a taste of each other's plates to try different things out.
Not long after that we went snorkeling. The guys insisted on bartering with the man for a lower price which worked out in the end. We rode out on two man made rafts. Elliot, the engineering student, gave us quick lessons on how to use the masks. I dove in and although I didn't see many fish at first, it was cool seeing how my hair and skin looked under the water. I saw little schools of fish, colorful starfish, anemonies, and coral reef. I'm a pretty good swimmer but it was hard to swim in these waters.
We took a short walk to the local grocery and that was our first experience in the "real Cebu." little ones were selling things out of boxes and everyone seemed to stare. People drive crazy here. We got in the store and that was interesting.
We washed up and got ready for dinner which was another exquisite meal. There was a local band and even a native performance. I loved every minute of the performance!
My camera went dead halfway through recording it but I still got some good footage. All in all it was great day!
-Jasmine Shadding-
- University of Louisville International Service Learning Program
Location:A. S. Fortuna,Banilad,Philippines
12-6-12
I am sitting in the Louisville airport. Everyone's spirits are high and everyone is super excited to be going on this trip. We had one late arriver who had us a little worried but everyone is here now.
My friend dropped me off at the airport and he was more nervous than I was.
We're sitting here talking about s new app called snap chat. It seems cool. I can't believe how much I had to get done before I left. I took the GRE and two finals in one week. I still have to take a psych final while I'm over there.
Day 2-
12-7-12
2 hour flight delay in Seoul Korea and a 4 flight later we are finally in Cebu! The airport was hot and muggy. After stepping outside I found it hard to breathe. That's how humid it was!
We took a short bus ride to Bluewater Maribago resort. Its gorgeous! In the lobby there is a wicker Christmas tree that is huge. We were all in awe at the Beauty of the hotel and its still dark outside so we can only imagine how beautiful it will be in the daylight. WiFi works great in the dining area which differs from the Botswana trip. we went up to our room to change clothes and wash up. There were sliding doors made out of wood. Our doors lead to a perfect hotel room with the most comfortable beds you can imagine.... Tempurpedic maybe? Right outside of our hotel was one of three pools. There is even a water slide!!!
We had dinner, or maybe it was lunch, I don't know. It was small burgers with cucumbers and baked chips. I was craving a coke after drinking so much water on the plane. It was really sweet. After dinner my room mate Lauren and I went back to our room. We talked about how we were going to hit the beach first thing in the morning, after breakfast of course. I crashed after like 5 minutes of laying there! That was the best sleep I've had in weeks!
Day 3-
12-8-12
Early morning. We rose at 8am willingly. I opened the doors to look outside and literally gasped at the beauty of the resort pool outside of the hotel room. The hot air rushed inside and took my remaining breath away. We went to the dining hall for breakfast and there was so much variety in the buffet. French toast, pancakes, bacon,and more native meats. Fruits, oatmeal, pastries, sushi, and rice. Coconut and watermelon juices, and some other juice that tasted like companies. It was all very delicious and the service was great. We couldn't wait to hit the beach which we kind of stumbled upon.
We started taking pictures immediately, not wanting to miss anything.
We went into the private beach which was filled with sea urchins, hermit crabs, and starfish. It wasn't overwhelming though. Brett and I rode jet skiis which was my favorite part of the day. I had been on a jet ski before in Daytona but I was too scared to drive it. I actually drove this time and went so fast pushing the gas button almost all the way down. The wind in my face, the water splashing up cooling us off.... What a rush! We stopped at some points to look at the water, it was indigo blue yet still clear. Then Brett wanted to drive again and almost killed me I'm sure, we did doughnuts, spins, and wave jumps.
Later we played volleyball with Mike, Paul, and David (the dentistry students) and our new Brazilian friend, Julian. I had to keep jumping in the water it was so hot and I was burning from the sun.
We had lunch and again it was very delicious. The corn/potato soup was my favorite. We all had a taste of each other's plates to try different things out.
Not long after that we went snorkeling. The guys insisted on bartering with the man for a lower price which worked out in the end. We rode out on two man made rafts. Elliot, the engineering student, gave us quick lessons on how to use the masks. I dove in and although I didn't see many fish at first, it was cool seeing how my hair and skin looked under the water. I saw little schools of fish, colorful starfish, anemonies, and coral reef. I'm a pretty good swimmer but it was hard to swim in these waters.
We took a short walk to the local grocery and that was our first experience in the "real Cebu." little ones were selling things out of boxes and everyone seemed to stare. People drive crazy here. We got in the store and that was interesting.
We washed up and got ready for dinner which was another exquisite meal. There was a local band and even a native performance. I loved every minute of the performance!
My camera went dead halfway through recording it but I still got some good footage. All in all it was great day!
-Jasmine Shadding-
- University of Louisville International Service Learning Program
Location:A. S. Fortuna,Banilad,Philippines
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