Ending

So my time in Asia has officially come to an end. This experience was worth every minute. I want to thank everyone from FNRI. You guys have taught me about the work at the institute, culture, and life in the Philippines. Our friendships I will never forget.  

Thank you to SolidGrip Crossfit. You guys welcomed me into your home and made me feel like I was a part of the family. You made me a better athlete and stronger physically/mentally. 

This internship has changed me in some many ways and it will be nice to go home but sad to leave the beautiful country. 
Salamat Po and it’s more fun in the Philippines. 

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Blog Post 8

Monday_

Today, Began the National Science and Technology Week in the Philippines.  The opening ceremony was held at FNRI and it was absolutely beautiful.  There were so many photographers and set ups around the entire DOST.  It was nice seeing everyone in their corporate best and having so much excitement for the week to come.  We sat in on the opening ceremony which consisted of performances from the high school of the performing arts, speeches made by officials, and awards.  It was honestly so insightful and especially when they would preach the mission of Juan Science One Nation.

Tuesday_

We headed out to the Mall of Asia which is considered one of the largest malls in the entire world.  They were not kidding at all.  It was so big that it became almost overwhelming.  We were able to stop at a store called Kultura Filipino which sold beautiful souvenirs to bring back home.  I ended up buying assorted jams, chocolate mangos, shirts, and bags.  After we sat in on Dr. Acuin’s speech on the first 1000 days of a child’s life and how it really determines how the child will grow and live the rest of it’s life out.

Wednesday_

We wen out to Los Banos to go see Tito Mon’s Display for the NSTW.  The fair was mostly colleges, dealing with science and technology, promoting the school and getting kids to start thinking about school early.  Later on, we traveled to the Botanical Garden Trail in the area in which we went on a nature hike.  Not as nice as the Mt. Batulan because there was too many spider webs, mud, and bugs.

Thursday_

We spent the day at FNRI to hear the results from the 2015 survey they had administered in the past year.  Many of the results showed positive changes, but others either showed no change from the past years to now or negative.

Friday_

Back at the office, since the other interns headed off to Aurora.  I continued to correct and do other tasks for my research and internship essays.  My throat is still sore and overall very sick this week.  The weekend will be much needed for rest and comfort.

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Blog post 7

Monday_

Back at it in the office.  I worked all day on my research regarding the Food Insecurity of the Philippines.  I mainly worked through the articles and getting quotes/facts for my paper and writing down general ideas for each subtopic of the research.  What I found so interesting was how much the utilities the people own and their geographic location matters in being able to tell the economic status and food insecurity level the person has.  It is amazing though how the cycle of food insecurity works.  It seems to me that without education there can be no way to eliminate food insecurity because the rich will still become richer and the poor will be poorer.  The lower class has no possibilities and opportunities to secure their home and family and limits where they can live and work.

 

Tuesday_

I continued with my research and let me tell you it is no walk in the picnic.  Tina (head of food security portion) gave me a few more resources to use for my research.  She brought me to the National Nutrition Council web page which is a branch of the Department of Health.  It listed all the policies and laws that they have emplaced for nutrition and health.  Many of the policies have been influenced from the NNS that the FNRI had provided.

 

Wednesday_

Third day in the office alone.  It is starting to get hard sitting here all alone for almost 9 hours working on the research.  I am almost 75% done with this essay.  It definitely is hard to know exactly to keep and throw out in the essay and making the essay is analytical and not reciting.  I mainly am putting down the analysis of each of the components that affect and contribute to food insecurity.  Education leads to profession which then leads to utilities owned by the household.  Education needs to be another top priority for the Philippines because I see it as a solution to nutrition and food insecurity rise for the people.  They continue to make programs that provide staples and other food essentials to the people, but I think it would benefit and help households more by promoting education and giving the people money in order to go and build themselves a stable future.  Hopefully next week I can work with the data and maybe the time will go by faster.

 

Thursday_

Once again I continue the research paper in the office.  I am almost done with the paper and then hopefully I can go on to work with the data.  I very much looking forward to the weekend and to getting some rest.

 

Friday_

Continued work in the office.

 

Saturday_

We spent most of the day at Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm.  It was so much fun taking the tour of the entire establishment.  We learned how it is a community of people who were taken out of poverty and given jobs and a home to live in.  It was such an honor to talk to Sir Tony, the creator of Gawad Kalinga.  He believes in helping to solve problems rather than sit around and complain about the world around him.  When we sat down to eat lunch, the food was all so delicious and felt so healthy and clean.

 

Monday_Wednesday

I continued to work on the food insecurity research in the office.  It mostly consisted of adding final touches and details to the work.

 

Thursday_

We traveled with Dr. Acuin to PhilRice, where we heard her give a lecture on the first 1000 days of a child’s life and why it is so important to feed the child a nutritious diet right from the beginning.  Stunting and wasting has only stayed the same over the past years in the Philippines.  Children once being underfed or a non nutritious diet can hardly ever fully recover and get back on track health wise in terms of height and weight.

 

Later on, we took a tour of PhilRice and learned about the Golden Rice in which it is a rice with more vitamins and nutrients than regular rice.  We also toured the Carabel farm, the college of agriculture, and the Museum of Rice.  Their idea in the Museum is to expand rice farms, but also have farmers use some of their land to plant vegetables and fruits in order to increase the diversity of their diet and goods to be sold.

 

Friday_Saturday

Days of rest and a visit to Visoria. We were told that Visoria was a very dangerous place to shop.  People have been mugged and robbed for their purses and other valuables.  Luckily we did not run into any trouble of the sort.  It seemed like any big shopping town like in Chicago.  As long as nothing valuable is physically seen, then one would be fine.   The bargaining was rough and so I did not end up buying anything.  The prices were pretty much set and the seller would not take a price any lower.  The train getting there was so disgusting though.  People were all smashed together and at times it was hard to even breathe.  They do separate the men and the women though in order to avoid sexual assault and rape.

 

Sunday_

We traveled today and went to Mount. Batulao.  It was so much fun and a treat to go mountain hiking/running.  The view was absolutely spectacular and it was just an overall great way to spend the day with some of our co workers.  Being able to have the time and chance to do activities that I love just make it this trip so special.

 

Culturally I learned a phrase from the girls in Crossfit “Pak Ganern” which I guess can mean a lot of things.  I am still addicted to the ice-cream that the Philippines has.

 

Overall, the last two weeks were pretty much the same from day to day.  It is getting closer to the end and all I have to say is I am sad to leave the Philippines, but I am more excited though to go home and reunite with friends and family.  Everything I have ever taken for granted at home and did not get in the Philippines has made me realize how lucky I am to live in the U.S.A and have the amazing opportunities that I receive everyday.

 

Crossfit_

So at Solid Grip Crossfit, the coaches have all been wonderful.  My form has never been better for power cleans, squat cleans, snatch, and front squat.  I definitely am feeling it already this week.  My goal is to gain 5 more pounds of muscle before I leave the Philippines.  Going down in weight was definitely hard, but I have never felt stronger.  I am finally able to do a pull up. Woo! My energy and drive to become a stronger and better javelin thrower has never been at a higher level.

 

 

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Blog Post 6

Monday_Tuesday

We spent the two days at the 42^nd Food and Nutrition Research Institute Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  It was truly exciting and learned so much about the different types of research the institute does with the data they collect and undergraduates work in the nutrition and health fields as well.

One of the individual research topics that caught my attention was a project done on the Slaughter Houses of the Philippines.  The presenter discussed how the slaughterhouses in certain areas of the Philippines were contaminated in both the slaughterhouses and the transfer from the houses to the wet markets because of poor conditions.  Salmonella and E Coli was found in the majority of meats that were tested.  It was so shocking to see how poorly the slaughter houses were kept and the lack of health procedures that were used in order to secure the meat from the houses to the wet markets.  The pictures that the presenter had in her presentation really captivated the audience because of the graphic material.  It showed the reality though of the houses and the transfers to the wet markets.  Even though salmonella and e coli can be killed if the meat is cooked properly, there should be more regulations and structure for meat sold to the people.

The next presentation we attended was done by Juliette Dorado who presented briefly on food insecurity and where women get their information from on maternal health and government programs.  It started off by informing the audience that 65.9% of the households surveyed experienced food insecurity.  34.1% was moderate and 16.7% was mild.  There was a huge majority of people surveyed that were stunted and wasted in terms of physical body health.  There was high UW prevalence in the Argon I and Muntinlupa City.  Maternal health knowledge though had a higher rate of knowledge in low prevalence areas of UW levels and food insecurity and lower in high prevalence areas.  Health care workers and mothers were the most common information givers of programs for health and maternal health.

The third presentation that I found really interesting was one on breastfeeding.  The national policy for breastfeeding is to encourage, protect, and support the practice of breastfeeding, rooming in with breastfeeding, and provision of safe and healthful working conditions for working mothers.  Breastfeeding is allowed in the workplace and public establishments and the incorporation of breastfeeding concepts are built into the formal and informal curriculums of education.  Key features of the R.A 10028, are the HMB (Human Milk Banking), public awareness and education through breastfeeding promotion.  One table showed the observations and excerpts from the Department of Health in which certification as Mother Baby Friendly Hospital initiatives are available, there is a monitoring of Milk Code, and a conduct of training in the promotion of Breast feeding.  Overall they implemented the idea that there is a need for a structural monitoring and evaluation system that needs to be streamlined for the promotion of breast feeding policies

Wednesday_

We spent the day at Fort Santiago in which we learned the history of the country’s hero Jose Rizal.  It was so interesting to read his last letter right before his execution by the Spanish.  We also explored the Cathedral of Manila.  The structure of the church was so beautiful and gave me a chance to be in the house of God after not being able to go to church for almost a month now.  Being Catholic it was really important to follow tradition with entering and leaving the church and show respect towards our Lord.  Religion truly influences the country’s governmental policies and how the people are supposed to act and represent.  We ended the day at a board game store in Bonifacio Global City (BGC).  It was so cool to see a shop where they only played board games and eat at the same time.  It was fun to play some of the board and card games that the Filipino people play.  Many we played dealt with wizards and Warcraft which were some what similar to certain games played in the USA.

Thursday and Friday

We returned to FNRI and spent most of the time in orientation with the team leaders and researchers we had previously met back in Bulacan.  The overall rationale for the local surveys being conducted during our stay is to provide data at national and regional levels despite the fact that the implementation of programs take place at the LGU level.  A 2015 assessment of the LGU nutrition situation found that the information mostly comes from the Operation TImbang.  Very little information is provided or available of the nutritional status.  The general objective is to “access the feasibility of and applicability of using local level food, health, and nutrition surveys as the methodology for a rolling survey design for the Updating and National Nutrition Surveys.  The categories of the survey are anthropometry, biochemical, health and clinical, dietary, socioeconomic profiles of households, food security, government program participation, maternal health and nutrition, and infant and young child feeding.  The selection of the provinces being chosen for the local surveys was based on the results of previous NNSs malnutrition results whose estimates have large sampling error, coefficients of variations, and those without existing provincial and HUC estimates.  The provinces are Aurora, Occidental Mindoro, Biliran, Dinagat Islands, Davao Occidental and Taguig City.  Most of the people are assigned to the Taguig area for the next two weeks in order to maximize and quickly move to Aurora.  My job for the next to weeks is to start and complete my research paper for my internship advisor.  I am spending the next to weeks researching the food insecurity issues of the Philippines.  The part of the survey on food insecurity of the Philippines is mainly based on questions asking the household if they had experienced food insecurity.  Questions specifically were if the household had to eat smaller or no meals during the week and if they could afford to buy nutritional food for the homes.  I will be working with Tina and Eldridge who are heads of the Food Insecurity portion in the office.

Saturday_Sunday

Days of rest were definitely needed after this week.  Heavy rains and wind came this weekend and part of Friday.  Saturday night we were able to have dinner with Dr. Acuin, her husband and son (Mico).

Crossfit in the Philippines_

I started Crossfit in the Philippines and already I feel physically and mentally stronger.  It was different lifting at a high speed rather than for weight which is what I did for the whole month of June.  The coaches and other people taking the class have helped me tremendously already in form, strength, and fitness.  Lifting at high intensity speed with heavy weight is extremely difficult, but the result has been so worth all the pain and sweat.  Having had no experience in crossfit, it was definitely a challenge.  It was so hard having to take weight off the bar in order to do complete the workout in the time given, but it is only making me stronger and faster physically and mentally.

Overall, this week was really enlightening and resourceful in beginning my research for the internship on food security of the Philippines.  I already found articles and statistics done from previous surveys so hopefully the next two weeks will not be terribly difficult.  Not much of a reflection this week because Wednesday was a day off and Thursday-Friday were mostly half days due to the typhoon warning that came in.  I hope to have more information and to have progress by the end of this week in my research. Bye for now.

Blog Post 5

Monday_

We ended up with our final team in Pulilan Bulacan.  We mainly repeated the same thing as we did with the other teams in which we administered the survey on food recall of the previous day and food weigh in.

 

Tuesday_

We took a different kind of route and went with the Food Supply team in which we would go to small stores that carried food and would record what they had and how much was in each container of the food item.  They are mainly looking at the quantity and quality of the food these stores are selling.  I was able to learn that the people selling these foods in the shops really do not have any regulations besides pricing on the items.  It was difficult to account for every item in one particular store because it contained a vast number of items.  The prices were not always labeled clearly or you had to ask the owner of the store.  I learned that these food stores mainly sell soda, water, rice, chips, and candy.  This could contribute to the bad eating habits that the people of this country have obtained.  It is harder to find stores that sell vegetables, fruit, and fresh meats and fish.  These small stores though are one of the biggest suppliers of food to the people in the Bulacan area.

 

Wednesday_

Our final day out in the field in Bulacan was spent with the team that spends each day at a different restaurant in a particular neighborhood from open to close.  The team first surveys the people in order to find out which restaurants are the most popular and then the team goes to each of the most popular ones and studies the customers coming in.  The team showed us how they measure all the possible meals available at the restaurant and then observe the customers coming in to see how much they waste after.  When the customer has take out, they assume nothing is left over.  Most people I observed didn’t waste much or any at all which is a good thing because it shows that the people do not waste their precious resources.  Overall, I learned that restaurants like the one we went to, are another big contributor to the food supply that people obtain in the area.  People are eating out more because it is considered cheaper and easier to obtain a good size meal rather than going out and buying a healthy meal to cook at home.

 

Thursday-Sunday_

So we returned to Taguig City and let me tell you, I am very relieved.  Since I have gone back to the condo, made my own food, and gone to the weight room to workout, my health and overall mind have never been better.  I know that this internship is very important, but the health of oneself is just as important.  One thing I noticed at Siena Residence Condos is that the gym is incredibly small and has barely any equipment.  The one I am using right now has one bike, two tread mills, one elliptical, one lateral pull down/tricep extension, one leg extension, one bench press/incline/shoulder machine combination, and dumbbells ranging from 2.5kg to 25kg.  I think this is extremely important to write up because this is the second gym I have gone to while in the Philippines and it just very disappointing.  First thing to point out is that there are no sanitation wipes or cleaning products at all to clean the equipment.  The second thing is the lack of the available machines and equipment for any person to use.  I am huge on lifting and working out in general for health and for athletics at our school.  Diet is huge in having a healthy life style, but exercise and working out is just as important.  The Philippines needs to also look into how to better the gyms and creating more.  This could be the encouragement and push for the people to get out more and exercise properly.  With that, it would also promote the healthy nutrition diet of the people as well.  The fact that they charge 56 pesos for one day use at the gym is absolutely appalling.  45 pesos equals a $1.00 USD.  So it is little over a dollar a day for a day at the gym where there is barely any equipment.  A typical gym such as ZIP Fitness or a local community fitness center ranges $12.99-20.00 USD a month and they have 10x the equipment.  So in order to promote exercise and healthy diets, gyms need to be more affordable or at least provide more equipment for the people to use.

 

Overall, this week I really learned the lesson of limited choices pushes the people towards unhealthy living styles.  Because the food sold in stores are cheap and closest to the people living in the towns, causes the people to buy food that is not necessarily healthy for them.  Making unhealthy food cheap and healthy food expensive will never resolve the people’s diets and nutrition levels.  The limited choices in gyms and overcharging for barely any equipment pushes the people to not exercise.  There needs to be a change in how foods are supplied and priced as well as exercise facilities.

 

Blog Post 4

Monday_

We started out the day with Team 3.  We had our typical breakfast at a fast food chain and then went straight to doing the survey.  We mainly have done the same thing which is administering the questions, taking anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waistline, blood pressure), and taking food weigh ins for breakfast lunch and dinner.  We ended really late and got back to the resort around 9:30 p.m.

 

Tuesday_

We met up with Team 3 again for the second and final day.  We continued to do the same work in which we went to several different households and continued to administer the survey. We ate hot peppers with our meal for lunch and then David had the opportunity later on to learn the basics of riding a tricycle.  I learned that Kubo means hut in Tagalog, Pennoy is a hard boiled duck egg, there is no drinking and smoking age in the Philippines, mild is hardly ever in the fridge, and there many dialects of the Filipino language.

 

Wednesday_

We had to go to Mercury Drug before we set out for the work day with Team 4.  I bought Laxatives for my digestive system because it is still acting up.  I found out that at the counter for medications such as Laxatives, the pharmacy representative takes 3-4 people’s orders and puts them into baskets and then goes around and collects the medicine and the change for the people because you always have to pay up front.  We continued on to to McDonald’s for breakfast and then went to the barangay’s office to introduce and start the survey.  The office was very beautiful and decorative.  There was even a secret door to the kitchen and the bathroom.   We did the same thing with the other teams which was take measurements, ask the questions in the survey, and food weigh ins.  They served us Talpia, chop suey, and rice for dinner which was a nice break because I have been craving vegetables for sooooooo long.  The main foods we have eaten almost every meal is fried chicken, fish, or pork with rice.

 

Thursday_

Breakfast/ Lunch somewhere in between today was at Shakey’s which looks like aa Filipino version of Portillos was fantastic.  I ordered a Pizza with pepperoni and potato strips on it and it was sooo good.  Later on we continued with the interviews and weigh ins of food and from there we a party at the barangay captain’s house.  It was incredible.  The house was huge and modern.  The pool and backyard was beautiful.  It was so incredibly kind of him to invite us over.  It was also very fun to see everyone else in the group relax and have fun.

 

Friday_

Closing in towards the end of the survey here in Bulacan, we went with our second to last team, Team 5.  My main job today and overall experience was learning how to get into a narrow, rocky, boat and converting age.  The converting of age consisted of taking the person’s birthdate and seeing how old they are from the time that they were administered the survey.  It was more tedious and time consuming work rather than difficult, but it was still a good experience to have when it came to editing and finishing up the forms from the survey.  Overall, it was interesting to learn how to work with the forms from the survey after all the data is collected.  There is so much to be done even after going from house to house.

 

Saturday_

We spent the last day with Team 5 going from house to house taking height, weight, blood pressure, waistline, and hip measurements like we have done with the previous teams.

 

Sunday_

We ended up relaxing mostly for the day at the Robinson Mall.  It is crazy how many retail assistants are in the store.  There is one for every aisle that you could possible enter.

 

To reflect on this entire week, I have learned that the teams work very hard as field researchers and they do not get a break.  The FNRI are sending out their employers to give these surveys for the betterment of their country.  On Thursday, when we went to the Captain’s house, I really found it incredible how a single man has so much money and then as soon as you step outside his house from left to right there are broken down homes and the people are either starving or if they do have money are still not living in the proper conditions.  Again I am now forever grateful for the life I was given and that I do not have to live in the situation those people are.  Keila and I bought food for this child while we are at a 7/11 for an ice cream break.  The kid was wondering around the streets alone because his brother was at a low paying job, his grandfather is home sick, parents deceased, and going hungry.  He came up to us asking if we had any food he could have so instead of just giving him half of an ice cream cone, we bought him a meal.  It felt so good and an incredible experience to have.  Seeing the indigenous and poor people in a third world country is very different than seeing homeless people on the streets of Chicago.  The reason behind this is is that we have more available resources for the less fortunate in the USA whereas the Philippines do not.  The FNRI is trying to accomplish two main goals it seems.  The first goal is to better the people’s diets and health with proper food choices and to provide the necessary supply to the people.  The second is to better the country by encouraging the people to take their surveys and educate them more on the government programs such as PhilHealth. The purpose of educating the people is so they will be able to make better choices in the future and become aware of how serious their diet choices can affect their lifespan.  It is really hard to fully understand what the people are going through.  It seems such a long and hard journey to try and change the diets and health of the Philippine population.  It definitely is not going to happen overnight or even in a year, but progress can be made with more data and rock hard evidence that will convince the government to address the issue at hand.

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