Joining the Peace Corps in 1970

When we found out that we were going to the Philippines, I didn’t know what to think. Where was the Philippines? So we went off to training in Saxon’s River, Vermont, actually closer to being similar to a Filipino barrio than you think. We spent two months there learning Cebuano, a language of the central Philippines; our subject areas, math and science; and “cross-cultural” training. We had one more month in Lake Spofford, New Hampshire to do some practice teaching and then flew from New York to Manilla. September in New England is not warm. September in Manilla is not cool! Coming off the plane in Manilla, a wave of superheated, moist air hit us, I could barely breathe. We went to Dumagette on Negros to Silliman University for more training. A few day’s stay in a nipa hut with some volunteers was nice. A “baguio” (typhoon) was wet.