"Love: In tennis it means nothing. In life it means everything."

Back tracking in my life's adventures--The event I wrote about in this post happened in August 2013.
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My brother recently moved back to Ohio, and the timing actually worked out quite nicely. He moved back while the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament was going on. My brother and I are tennis fans, so I decided to get him an advanced birthday present--tickets to the men's and women's semifinals of the tournament! At first I only got us tickets for the men's semis, but after I found out that Serena Williams would most likely be there, I had to (okay, I didn't have to, but I wanted to haha) spring for the women's tickets as well. We had both gone to the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (at different times). When he was there, he caught a glimpse of Roger Federer. When I went, I didn't get to see any of the "big name" players...the closest I got to Rafael Nadal (our favorite male tennis player) was seeing him on a poster...

Needless to say, we were both very stoked to be going to the Open! My brother didn't have internet access at his apartment just yet, so we weren't exactly sure who we'd be watching in the men's semifinals. When we arrived at the tennis grounds, we found out that Nadal had made it...and our excitement level definitely increased! I was even more excited because Serena Williams, my favorite female tennis player, was in the semis as well!

Okay, let me back up to the morning of the tournament...I'm getting re-excited just typing about it haha. We left my brother's apartment and it took about an hour and a half to get there. As we stood in line to get in, we met a lady from Alabama. She told us about how she goes to the US tournaments and that the Cincinnati Open is one of her favorite ones to go to. She was definitely showing her American pride as she wore red, white, and blue--she felt that Americans should be more represented at the tournaments. She always sees flags from various countries, but rarely does she see the American flag. With John Isner and Serena Williams still in the tournament, all I can say is go USA! :)

We finally got in and took a couple minutes to realize that we were actually going to see our favs. We decided to take a walk around the grounds just to figure out where everything is at--courts, food, bathrooms, etc. Once we got our general bearings, we stopped by a court and watched Juan Martin del Potro practice.

After he was done, Tomas Berdych took the court to practice.

After only a few minutes, we went exploring some more. We were hesitant to go to another court, but decided to check it out anyway. And we were SO glad we did! Nadal was practicing!! The cool thing about watching the players practice is that you can get to the closest seats to the court--you don't need an extra ticket or anything. Of course, we stayed there for quite a while. :) At one point, I was sitting right at the wall behind where Nadal was hitting from and he went towards the wall to get a tennis ball...I was literally inches away from him. My brother was sitting somewhere else and as I turned in that general direction to find him, a lady must have seen my look of extreme excitement...slightly embarrassing, but hey, it's Nadal we're talking about! After Nadal was done practicing, he signed some autographs and my brother was lucky enough to get one!

SO. cute. :)

The match ups for the day were as follows:

• John Isner vs. Juan Martin Del Potro
• Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych
• Serena Williams vs. Li Na
• Victoria Azarenka vs. Jelena Jankovic

The men's semi-finals matches were up first, so we grabbed some lunch (I got a Philly cheesesteak) and then settled in at the stands. It was a bright, gorgeous day and wasn't overbearingly hot. It was perfect. Our seats weren't under the shade, so after sitting in the sun throughout that August day, I still have wonderful tan lines from my tank top and shorts in January--one good day in the sun gives me a tan that lasts pretty much the whole year. John Isner pulled off the win for America. :)

After the start of the Nadal-Berdych match, I decided to go to another court to watch Serena Williams practice. And let me tell ya, she hits hard. One of my wishes is to play tennis with Serena one day...although I might have difficulty returning the ball haha. It was SO awesome just standing there in admiration of one of the best female tennis players of all time. I considered sticking around to try to get her autograph, but I didn't want to miss too much of the Nadal-Berdych match. (After I go back to my seat, I definitely wish I would've stayed at Serena's practice session because there was still quite a bit more of the match to go.)

Unsurprisingly, Nadal defeated Berdych and moved on to the finals where he would later defeat Isner.

We had some time in between the men's and women's semi-finals, so we checked out the store and scoped out things to buy. The sun was setting, and our tickets for the women's semi-finals were for the covered seats which made it slightly difficult to take pictures and see the big screen--took some of the fun out of going "oooooohhh" when watching the digital ball on the bird's eye camera footage during a challenge. Anyway, Serena won against Li Na. :)

My brother and I were indifferent about the Victoria Azarenka-Jelena Jankovic match, but decided to watch it because we had the tickets for it. By the time Azarenka won, it was decently late in the night. (Azarenka later defeated Serena in the finals.)

On our way back to the car, we passed by the player's exit/entrance and there were people waiting there so that they can see Azarenka and Jankovic. We decided to wait around for them...and we waited....and waited some more. Apparently they were getting massages after their match. Not a bad gig, right? Eventually, Jankovic walked out first and I was able to get her autograph! We hung around a little while longer and I got Azarenka's autograph and a picture with her!

Then we finally made it to the car and hit the road; we each drove part of the way back. By the time we were at my brother's apartment, we were both exhausted from our excellent tennis-filled day! I hope to make it to all of the major tennis tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) with my brother sometime. And in the spirit of the Australian Open men's semi-final that is going on as I type this, VAMOS NADAL! :)


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

Independent Woman

In America, the typical middle class family does not have a maid, cook, driver, nanny, etc. In the Philippines, it is quite common for a family to have one or more of these helpers.

When my brother and I were growing up in the States, we never had these people around. We did have a babysitter, who was our close family friend, but she didn't live with us. Our parents drove us to school and practices or we would carpool with friends nearby. My dad did the laundry and my mom typically did the house cleaning. When we moved to our house, my dad did the yard work and my mom tended to the garden(s). When my brother and I were old enough, we were taught and learned how to do things for ourselves. I mow the lawn and edge the grass, shovel the snow, do my own laundry, sometimes take out the trash, get the empty trash can from the curb and bring it back to the side of the garage, occasionally wash dishes, clean my room (or attempt to organize it). 

My mom works full-time and my dad works full-time and also has a part-time job. My parents were able to make ends meet to send us to private, Catholic schools from kindergarten to high school. We aren't what society would call "rich," but we're not "poor" either. We are a middle-class family. My parents are the prime examples in my life that taught me what hard work, sacrifice, love, and family mean...and I don't think I can ever thank them enough for everything they have done and continue to do. My dad watched cartoons with us on the weekends. My mom told us bedtime stories. They attended my softball and basketball games, tennis matches, dance recitals, science fairs, parent-teacher conferences, etc. They listened to me when I was stressing out over college and when I was homesick in a different country. Daddio and Mom: Thank you and I love you.  

When I was 16, I learned how to drive and got my driver's license. I'm able to drive myself to wherever I need or want to go. The only first world problem is when all four of us are home and my car is trapped in the driveway and we have to play tetris with the vehicles.

I am an independent 20-something who has help available if I need it. I told my parents that I didn't want them to worry about paying for my college education and that I would take care of it. I was fortunate to have some scholarships and my co-op job throughout college, and wanted to pay for college because they had already sacrificed so much for my previous years of education.

Living over here with family in the Philippines that have these helpers is definitely taking some adjustment on my part. People do my laundry for me. I get driven around to places. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are always waiting for me on the table. I'm so used to doing things for myself--being that independent woman. Even if I had enough money to have these helpers in the States, would I? Having a cook, I could probably get used to pretty quick. Having someone do my laundry, probably. But having a driver? I wouldn't want one--I like driving too much! 

Anyway, here's some old school Destiny's Child for ya: 

Peace. Love. Happiness.

--TR

Take Your Time

Back when I was in college (...it's weird that I can say that now haha), I seemed to always be on the move or doing something. If I wasn't in class, I'd be studying/doing homework, hanging out with friends, playing my guitar, working in the crash lab, attending a meeting. My friends know that sleep was elusive in my life because I always seemed to have stuff to do. My Google calendar was filled with various color blocks of time, and I did my best to be prompt for all my obligations. My fast paced life is much different than life in the Philippines.

I even tend to walk faster than most people over here. At home, I learned to walk at a faster pace in order to keep up with people that are taller than me (i.e. they have a bigger stride than I do, so to make up for the distance I have to move faster). But I guess now that I'm around people that are closer to my height and still walk at my same rate, I seem to be on fast forward when walking with people.

People take their time over here. Yes, it's busy and crowded in the cities and towns, but people aren't always in a rush. Back home, among the Filipino community, there is "Filipino time." Say there's a get-together that starts at 3pm. If someone shows up at 4pm or 5pm, they say that they must be running on Filipino time. According to one of the definitions in good ol' Urban Dictionary, Filipino time is defined as: "Filipino Time, which means things get done whenever they get done. Official Timing of the Philippines."

Speaking of time, it's crazy that I've been on this side of the world for almost a month, but I still have quite a bit of time to go before I return home. I miss my family and friends back home, and can't wait to them! I'll be home soon!...well, the Filipino version of "soon."


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

The Roller Coaster

Before I studied abroad in 2012, in order to give us a heads up on what to expect, our program coordinator showed us a graph similar to this one: 

Image URL: http://web.viu.ca/studyabroad/departsmart/graphics/previousmodule.gif

I call this the roller coaster because it is full of ups and downs. Many people think that traveling or studying abroad for an extended amount of time is just full of ups, but the reality is that downs do come with the deal. Lately, it occurred to me as to how long I'm actually going to be away from the USA. In the big scheme of things, it's not that bad though. 

Before embarking on this journey, I was wrapped up in finishing school. The week leading up to this was as follows (add in meals, saying see you laters, a bunch of naps, more hours of studying and paper writing, and some down time so that I didn't go insane):

Sunday: meetings for group projects

Monday: classes (with a group presentation)

Tuesday: classes (with a group presentation); celebrating my birthday

Wednesday: my actual birthday spent studying the hours away

Thursday: final exam

Friday: final exam

Saturday: final exam & paper due;FINISHED UNDERGRAD!; pack/clean & move out of my dorm room; drive back home; church; last minute shopping; pack for my trip

Sunday: leave the USA

...so in that whirlwind, things weren't able to exactly sink in. I was pretty much on autopilot trying to get everything done.

I *think* I'm currently in the "culture shock/acute homesickness" stage, but I'm not exactly sure where I am on that part of the curve. Things are definitely different on this side of the world. I'm missing family & friends, but I know that is to be expected. By the way, I'm incredibly grateful for the internet, Skype, Facebook, and email because they allow me to keep in touch with people!--and I'm also incredibly grateful for my supportive family & friends who are there for me despite being oceans away! Oh, other things I miss: my car (even though I probably wouldn't want to drive it at the moment with the snow/ice back home) and my guitar (& ukulele!)--I really hope I can find one soon to play. 

Anywho, I'm taking in all the experiences as they come and as I see more of the world on this roller coaster ride. 

Peace. Love. Happiness.

--TR

Philippine Road Transportation

I don't remember if I mentioned this here before, but for the past couple years, I have been working with vehicular crash safety. Insert pictures of seat belts, airbags, crash test dummies (or to be more accurate, anthropomorphic test devices), twisted sheet metal, etc. and videos of vehicles smashing into concrete barriers, into poles, or other vehicles here.

In America, there are numerous regulations and tests that companies must comply with and pass in order to sell a vehicle on the market. There are also many rules that people must follow while on the road so that they keep themselves and others safe. Here in the Philippines, safety does not seem to be not held up to the same standard.

In addition, there aren't any stoplights in the smaller towns. And everywhere it's kind of like a free for all when it comes to staying in one's lane--that is, if there are any lane markers to begin with. Back home, it's unfortunately quite common to come across accidents, so I'm really surprised I haven't seen nearly as many over here.

Extremely low tread on tires. These would not do very well back home where there is currently ice/snow out on the roads--something the Philippines doesn't need to worry about.

There are (usually) seat belts in private vehicles, but people tend to not use them. Rather, the "oh shit handle" or other parts of the vehicle like the seats or dashboard are used to brace oneself. And from what I've heard, one has to pay extra if one wants airbags installed. Non-safety related differences are that most of the vehicles here run on diesel and manual transmissions are more common than they are in the USA.

Two main modes of transportation in the Philippines are jeepneys and tricycles.

Jeepney Image URL: http://my_sarisari_store.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/jeepney01.jpg

Jeepney image URL: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Jeepney_Philippines.jpg

Motorized tricycle.
There are still a few human powered tricycles, too. 

The view from the back of a tricycle.
I felt like I was going to fall out the first time I rode in one of these.

...live chickens and goats...taking a ride on a tricycle

People use motorcycles/dirt bikes here a lot....and most people don't wear helmets. Some people have trucks and allow passengers to sit or stand in the bed of the truck; some have vans and allow people to sit on the roof.

Many people sitting on the roof of a van.. And yes, that is a poor goat at the back. :( 

Okay, granted, in the towns they aren't going highway speeds or anything because there's always some sort of traffic since the area and country itself is densely populated. My uncle told me that in Manila (the downtown area) only certain vehicle license plates are allowed to be on the roads on specific days, known as coding, in order to decrease the traffic. For example: on Mondays, only license plates ending in a 1 or 2 can be on the road; on Tuesdays, only plates ending in a 3 or 4, etc. Saturday and Sunday are free. I can't imagine what traffic is like on the weekends!

Say what??

Road transportation here is definitely different than what I'm used to, and it makes the crash safety person that I am cringe. By the way, even though I am glad I don't have to deal with all the snow back home right now, I do miss driving my car!


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan: Part II

Pictures to go along with my previous post about Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan:

Continued prayers for my family's homeland. <3


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

Average

In America, the average woman stands at about 5' 4" tall. In the Philippines, the average woman stands at about 4' 11" tall. Then there's me--an American with parents from the Philippines--at 5' 1" tall. I'm below average in my homeland, but above average in my parents' homeland...therefore, I am average. Right?? :)

I admit that being "above average" in height for once in my life does feel pretty nice. I was at the airport waiting in line in the bathroom (or as they call it here, the comfort room (CR)), and I looked in the mirror at all the people in line...there was probably only one person that was taller than me. My friends back home who might be reading this are probably slightly shocked right now--I know guys, it's cray^2. After growing up in America, it definitely feels strange walking amongst people that are around my height. I actually feel kind of tall.


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

Pictures Coming Soon-ish

To my family and friends who don't have Facebook and/or are relying on this blog to see pictures:

Sorry I haven't been able to add any pictures yet!! Trust me, I have definitely been taking a lot of them! (especially pictures of food since we always seem to be eating :P) I just haven't been able to find a very good internet connection that will allow me to upload pics to my blog. :/ When I do, though, I promise I'll start posting them!


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR