I recently flew back to Manila. It has been the most insane few weeks, but in a good way. I�m really happy about the trip this time. It�s gone well, more good work and less frustration. It doesn�t feel as useless, thus *I* don�t feel as useless.

Notes from the field: I think that I do all this just so I can have moments where I clamber across a hanging bridge, throw myself into the backseat of a jeep, and do a double take at a live chicken clucking at me from the front seat (a new addition to our party). Live chickens! In real life! Look funny! And I can stop for a minute and think: this is my job and I'm getting paid to be here. And then I want to pinch myself.

In my bag at any given moment when I�m in the field:
-An umbrella for the sun and the rain
-Toilet paper
-A knife
-Water
-hand sanitizer
-A small thin cotton towel(they call them �good morning� towels here because they come from China and say "good morning" in chinese script. I love them because they are soft and white and somehow very comforting and beautiful whenever I get a chance to wash my face)
-Amazing L�Oreal face wipes (eek! They�re called �Anti-Aging face wipes�)
-sunscreen
-Mosquito repellent
-Afterbite
-A hat
-Many many pens
-My notebook with my interview field notes
-My journal
-My camera
-Vaseline

It�s a lot of stuff, but it keeps me sane. There�s something to be said for sanity, isn�t there? Even if the price is a heavy bag.

*

I've now read and re-read Jane Austen to death, so I'm moving on to George Eliot. I'll start with Middlemarch... It's Friday night and I'm lying on my bed with snacks, a bowl of cereal, Middlemarch, and a weekend ahead of me. I feel only glee. I know I'll be thrilled to get back to my real life, but sometimes I feel guilty at how much I enjoy all this time alone.

1:18 a.m. - 2008-06-21