Home Sweet Home!

After almost 4 weeks of traveling and 6 flights, 4 ferry rides, a bus ride and a car ride, on August 16, 2009, the Team Swangelista Summer 2009 Odyssey came to an end. That morning we flew from Manila to Puerto Princesa and we're finally home.

For the first week in Palawan, we stayed with my mom and dad as we got some basic necessities set up in our new house. Marcus’ good friend from university and Taiwan days, Alan, arrived for a visit a few days after we arrived, and was a trooper with helping us get settled in our new home.

We finally moved into our place on August 25^th and it feels amazing. Our house was designed by my favorite architect – my brother, Alex. It is beautiful and airy and spacious and is the first house that Marcus and I have ever lived in together. In addition to the lovely design of the house, it also has a spectacular view of Puerto Princesa and of Honda Bay. Every morning when I wake up and gaze out the window I am amazed by the beauty of it all. Some days it still feels surreal to be here and I’m not sure it has really sunk in that this is where we live now… but we are here and happy and thankful for this new chapter in our lives!

We’ve begun the Roots of Health work, and I invite you to read all about it in my blog devoted to the organization - http://rootsofhealthphilippines.blogspot.com/

July 29th - August 16th

I just posted the blog entry I wrote in late July and am attempting to catch up on events in the last few weeks.

The rest of the Team Swangelista Summer 2009 Odyssey was amazing. We had an awesome time in Seattle, despite the record-breaking heat (104 degrees when we landed – hottest day in Seattle history!) We got to see New York friend Aminah who was in town visiting her family, as well as have a reunion with Brent friend Raquel and her husband Richmond. We had an awesome time catching up and also doing some sightseeing. Seattle is such a lovely city – it was so nice to spend a few days there.

From Seattle we moved on to Vancouver, Canada, where we spent a wonderful 6 days with my family. It’s always amazing to spend time with Ced, Lindsey, ate Sheila, Melo, Mark, Bella, tito Chong, tita Ogie, Malia, Breanne and Branden. We did lots of fun stuff, including a trip to Whistler and to Victoria where I got to catch up with old elementary school (UPIS) friends Joanna and Edurado, and meet their adorable babies, Raine and Bell. In Vancouver, we also got to meet up with my middle school in Japan friend, Brandi, and her boyfriend James. Brandi introduced me and Marcus and we hadn’t seen her since our wedding, so that was another fab reunion.

After we left Canada, we flew on to Hong Kong where we stayed with a university friend of Marcus’, Graeme. We had a really fun time hanging out with him as well as with Ed, Sage, Bethany and Damien. We took in the sights in the city, and also went on a day trip to Macau. We were a bit under whelmed by Macau but in the end, I think I am glad we went. We only had 3 days in Hong Kong so we had to pack everything in, but despite the exhaustion and jetlag, we had a really great time.

After Hong Kong, we finally flew to the Philippines!

As much as we’d had a blast traveling, it felt so good to finally arrive home and to be with my family. We stayed with my ate Sara, brother in law Mark and their kids, Matthew, Andy and Joshua. Our stay in Manila was also way too short but we did get some quality time in with my sis and her fam, my kuya Alex, my sister’s in laws, friends Karen and Len Trinidad, and my Brent guys Paulo, Frankie, Joel, Chino, DJ, and DJ’s girlfriend Abby. Fun times!

On August 16^th, Marcus and I got up early to catch our flight to Palawan. I checked my email on my phone as usual, and was crushed to find an email from my good friend Nick telling me that his aunt, my beloved Susan Smyly, had passed away after a 5 year battle with scleroderma and a nearly 4 month stay in a hospital in NYC. Marcus and I had visited her regularly at Mt. Sinai in the last couple months we had in NYC and we were just so sad to get this news. Smyly was my mom’s best friend from the third grade, and I knew that my mom would be devastated by this news. By the time we arrived in Palawan, she already knew. As much as I wish that we could have been in NYC to be some support for Smyly’s husband, Tom, I am glad we were here in Palawan so I could be with my mom. It’s still hard to believe that she is gone and I still think about her so often. I am glad that her suffering is over but I miss her.

Entry I wrote a million years ago (on July 29th while flying from Chicago to Seattle)

It’s been so long since I last wrote! So much has happened since the June 10th Board meeting of Roots of Health and my last entry. As I write this I am on a plane flying from Chicago to Seattle – Marcus and I left NYC on July 22nd and we’re currently heading to Seattle, the third leg of our seven-part journey west. Marcus was just working on his computer editing photos we’ve taken over the last few weeks. We were reminded again as we looked through everything how many fabulous friends and family members we have, and how many fun things we’ve gotten to do in the last few weeks. We feel truly blessed!

On June 16th I flew to Minnesota to celebrate the wedding of a dear grad school friend, Jess, and her now hubby Will. Marcus was on a trip to DC with his students so he didn’t get to come, but Sabrina was also flying solo so we went as dates and shared a hotel room along with Heather and Rachel. We had fun in the city and in our little hotel and had a blast at the wedding. The ceremony was lovely and Jess was a beautiful bride. Jess and Will picked an awesome bluegrass band to play the music in the church during the ceremony, and they also played during the cocktail hour and at the reception. They were great and a lot of fun to dance to. Jess and Will both have super great families and lots of fab friends and we really had a great time celebrating them.

A few days after getting back home from MN, I left again, this time for Houston, Texas where my dear friend Joyce Rafati lives with her husband Danny and son Adam. I hadn’t seen Joyce since 2007 when she was pregnant with Adam so it was a long-overdue visit – and so special, especially since I got to finally meet Adam and also see Joyce’s sister Teresa. I had a blast hanging out with the Rafatis, and the 3 days I got to spend with them went by way too fast. After I left Houston, I flew to Austin for a very brief but wonderful visit with close graduate school friend Michelle and her husband Thon. My time in Texas was way too short but I’m just glad I got to go!

Almost as soon as I got back from Texas, Marcus and I traveled to the Hamptons to spend a weekend with our friends Sage and Bethany. The four of us had talked for years about going on a trip somewhere together, and we were never able to swing anything big, but we had a blast together on our weekend beach getaway. Sage and Bethany are actually moving to Hong Kong. We are selfishly very happy about this – we get to see them when we are in Hong Kong in early August, plus we get to be neighbors in Asia with them. We’re all hoping we get to travel together again before too long.

Once we got back from the Hamptons it was all launch party all the time. In early June the Board of Roots of Health had decided that we could pull off a launch party by the end of the month, and though it took a lot of work and was pretty stressful during some points, we did indeed pull it off! We held the party on June 30th at a bar in the lower east side of Manhattan called Gallery Bar. The Board did a great job under Suneeta’s leadership and we had a great turnout (92 people!) and a really successful event. We even raised a little over $1,000 which was unexpected. (We had decided not to do a fundraiser at this time but simply throw an event to introduce the organization and the ticket prices covered the costs of the event. But because some people who bought tickets didn’t come, and a lot of people bought tickets at the door, we actually made a profit, which was definitely nice.) It felt amazing to talk to so many people about Roots of Health of the work we’re going to be doing and we all had a really great time. I was pretty nervous until after my speech was over (public speaking really scares me) but once I had that task out of the way, I got to party it up with everyone else. ☺ Keefe and Sabrina took some great photos from the event. Check them out!

Once the launch party was out of the way, it was all packing all the time. But we did have a very nice break after a few days of working – we headed to Vermont for the 4th of July weekend (and beyond). My aunt Marty and uncle Don, lola Alice and cousins Seth and Debbie all live there. To make the weekend more special, my aunt Juanita (who lives in Chicago) rented a house on Lake Champlain and her kids Miles and Whitney and their families, Judith, Kendall, Michelle, Sophie, Quinn and Lela, all flew in from Bellingham and Sebastapol. Don and Marty’s kids Rachel and Dan also came for the weekend from Ypsilanti and Boston, along with their families Jim, Celia, Eli, Lucy and Madison. We were quite the group! Sadly our cousins Mai and Simon and their kids Maya and Alice couldn’t make it, so all the US relatives weren’t complete, but it was fun to have such a large group together. July 4th had been my lolo Ray’s birthday, and if he were alive he would have turned 97 this year. It was really great to celebrate with the family, and see almost everyone before we left NYC and the US.

Highlights of the last 10 days we had in NYC after we got back from Vermont included multiple dinners and meet-ups with our fabulous NYC friends, plus some big events: Marcus’ 30th birthday party, the Philharmonic in the Park concert, and our farewell party on Keefe’s roofdeck the Saturday before we left the city. Between packing up our apartment and trying to see all our friends as often as possible, our last few days in New York were physically and emotionally draining, but we had a great time. It was really quite sad to leave NYC as our friends there have been our family, and we had a really amazing life there. But we are hoping and trusting that we will stay in touch with our friends and that they will all come and visit us in Palawan. ☺

When Marcus and I first started discussing the summer, we had really wanted to try to do a roadtrip through the US as we made our way west. However, some important factors, including the fact that we don’t own a car, killed that dream pretty quickly. But we decided to try to stop in a few key places to visit other friends and family. So the Summer 2009 Team Swangelista Odyssey includes stops in Madison, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Manila before we finally fly to our new home, Puerto Princesa, on August 16th.

Our first stop upon leaving NYC was Madison, Wisconsin. My parents met in Madison when they were both there for graduate school, and our very dear family friends, the Doeppers, live there, so Madison has always been a very special place for the Evangelista family. I knew that Marcus would love the Doeppers and the city and I was right on both counts ☺ Dan and Carole took such good care of us while we were there, and we had a really wonderful time with them. Activities there included lots of great conversation, great food and drink, biking, canoeing, an outdoor classical music concert, an Indonesian music concert, and the Madison Opera in the Park event. We really had a super fun time in Madison and were so glad we went!

My aunt Juanita lives in Chicago and is also friends with the Doeppers, so she joined us for a couple days in Madison, and then drove all of us to Chicago. I’ve always loved Chicago and Marcus really enjoyed it when we were there 2 years ago, so we knew we would have a great time. Aunt J also took very good care of us, and again there was lots of great conversation, food and drink and many fun events. We had a lovely evening with aunt J, as well as with my good friend Megan and her parents Mickey and Phil. Megan and I were roommates when we both went to Australia for an International Baccalaureate conference in 1996 so we go way back. Megs used to live in NYC but recently moved back to Chicago so it was a special treat to see her and her fabulous parents. During the visit we also got to see my old friend Mike and our friend Rishabh. Another big reunion was with my Brent senior year roommate, Ginger. Gin and I hadn’t seen each other since 1998 so it was really amazing to reconnect. Marcus and I also got to meet her husband, Chris. We also got to see our friends Annette, Beth and James. And we got to watch a Cubs game, which was super fun.

Mission, Vision and Goal

We held the first official Roots of Health Board meeting last night, and I am happy to report that it went really well!! My mom participated via phone (she's in Palawan) and unfortunately Rachel was in Budapest, but everyone else was in NYC for the meeting and it was so great to have everyone's participation. We met for two hours and covered lots of ground. We still have a lot of work to do in organizing the budget and program activities, as well as sorting out our business plan and strategic planning, but overall we have accomplished so much. And the members of my Board of Directors are just brilliant and I know they will help Roots of Health be the best organization it can be!

One of the most important things we did last night was approve the language for our Mission, Vision and Goal. Here it is:

GOAL: To increase the reproductive health and overall well-being of women and girls, and decrease malnutrition in babies and young children.

MISSION: Roots of Health empowers women and girls to secure their right to health and freedom from violence, and to support and protect the health and well-being of their children. Roots of Health conducts educational workshops and provides health counseling and nutritional support. Our activities are guided by the international human rights framework, which includes a core belief that health is a human right, and are carried out using a community-based approach.

VISION: In pursuit of its Goal and Mission, Roots of Health (ROH):

• Provides informal education programs on reproductive health and nutrition;
  
• Offers individual and group counseling on issues such as reproductive health, prenatal care, midwifery, and general well-being;
  
• Improves the quality of life of women and children by providing nutritional support and facilitating access to other health services; and
  
• Creates a supportive environment where women are empowered to make choices regarding their general and reproductive health.

Yay Roots of Health! :)

Here are some photos from last night:

Our delicious Thai dinner

Suneeta popping open the first bottle of champagne

Hard at work

My fabulous Board

May 25th.

I am constantly amazed by how quickly time flies by. Christmas was 5 months ago today. How crazy is that?! Today is also the (unofficial) first day of summer. This past winter was so ridiculously long and cold that it is hard to believe we’re done with it, and also with spring. I am very happy about this – I love the summer!

It’s also Memorial Day today, and I’ve been thinking about the men and women in the US and around the world who have given their lives to defend their countries. I hope and pray that their families can heal, and I truly hope that the world will some day be at peace. I know it sounds so hokey but I really do wish for that.

It’s been a busy few weeks since my last entry. Since May 4th, m parents came to NYC for a 2-week visit, I turned 30 (thank you all for coming out to celebrate and for the birthday wishes!!), close friends Sabrina and Scott got married (hooray!), I got to visit with high school friend Brian Gould and his fiancé Andrea (congrats again!!) and Marcus and I visited dear family friends, Jack and Janet Larkin in Buffalo, New York.

In the midst of all these visits and celebrations, I’ve been doing my best to keep up with Roots of Health work. I’ve had some breakfast and lunch meetings with key people in the reproductive health world, and I’m prepping for the first official Roots of Health Board Meeting on June 10th. Susan and I are really lucky to have 7 incredibly smart, passionate, talented women on our NY-based Board of Directors. These ladies are all working so hard already and when I momentarily freak out about this huge undertaking (this has happened a few times), I calm myself down by reminding myself that there’s no way ROH can fail with the strong leadership of my Board.

When I got up this morning I typed out a to-do list and there are 76 items on the list. I’ve been working hard today and have managed to cross off 10 items, but I still have so much to do so I’m going to share some photo highlights from the last few weeks, then off I go!

My 3oth birthday:
Me with my parents, and with my super yummy Ben & Jerry's icecream cake. We went out for karaoke after dinner at Sala. If you want to see some very entertaining photos, check out my FB albums. :)



Highlights from Sabrina and Scott's wedding:
The gorgeous bride and handsome groom.

Ready to celebrate!



A few photos from Buffalo and our trip to Niagara Falls:
With Jack, Judy and Janet.

At Niagara Falls.

Marcus opted to go into the "Cave of the Wind" - which allows one to stand underneath one of the water falls. Can you find Marcus in this photo?

Apparently the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is supposed to be magnificent, but the NY side was great, too! In fact it seemed a lot less developed than the Canadian side, which we appreciated...

May!

I cannot believe that it is already early May!
I have only 3 more days left of being in my late 20s. So not ready to be 30 yet.
So let's pretend that's not happening...

Marcus and I are back in NYC after an amazing weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. We went to attend the wedding of our friends Ann and Cody. The wedding was so beautiful. Ann looked absolutely stunning and Cody looked so handsome. They really make such a beautiful pair. I feel so lucky to have been part of their special day. It was so great to be there, and to meet their families and other friends. It was also really wonderful to spend the weekend celebrating with dear friends who we don't get to see often enough: Ann, Cody, Sabrina, Scott, Lee, Michelle, Thon, Caroline and Nikola.

In addition to having a blast at all of Ann and Cody's wedding activities, we also really enjoyed being in Charleston. The city is so charming and historic and we really loved being able to walk around the downtown area and just take in all the sights. We took a carriage ride through the city and also went on a harbour tour that showcased the city's skyline and took us past Fort Sumter (the site of the start of the "Northern War of Aggression" - aka the Civil War). We also got to meet dear friends of my brother's - Tim and Judith. We so loved hanging out with them and wished we could have spent more time together. I wish the weekend could have just gone on and on and on...

But I suppose vacations and special occasions wouldn't be so special if they happened with regularity. I'm not too bleak that the weekend is over because there are many more fun events coming up to look forward to. My parents fly in tomorrow and I am so excited to see them. Then it's that event that I'd rather not really think about (although it is a good excuse to get together with everyone and party!). And then the weekend after that, Sabrina and Scott are tying the knot. Lots of fabulousness to look forward to :)

Ok, some photos.

The newlyweds:






New York ladies (even though C and N have deserted us!):


Me and my honey:


My girls and some fabulous guys, too:

Miscellany

So I clearly am not really used to having a blog yet, as evidenced by my sporadic posting. I’ve resolved to try harder to post more frequently!!

Thanks to all of you for all of the encouragement and support for Roots of Health. Even though my mom and I have been planning and talking about all this for months, it is all still daunting and it means a lot to have all your support!

Since quitting my job, I’ve had a lot more time to devote to ROH, although I still haven’t gotten as much done as I’d like. It’s amazing how busy I get! Because I’m working from home, I end up getting distracted by all the cleaning, sorting and packing I have to do, and I end up spending more time on that than on ROH. But on the plus side, I have accomplished a few things… I held an organizational meeting with the other two Directors listed on our articles of incorporation, and we approved the bylaws and our conflict of interest policy and we turned in an application to the IRS for nonprofit status. So things are moving!! I’m having our first Board meeting with our NY-based Board on June 10th, and we’ll elect our officers then and speak about and approve our program activities and a bunch of other things. I’m so excited!

Oh and I’ve already put together 4 balikbayan boxes to send off to Palawan. The majority of things in the boxes are the hundreds of books that Marcus and I have accumulated over the years. We’re not sending any of our furniture or much of our appliances but I couldn’t part with all our books!

Since I’ve been sorting through my stuff, I’ve found all these old photos from grade school, middle school, high school and college. And scarily, there are already some faces in the photos whose names I can’t remember! To be fair, they’re mostly from big group shots that include people I was probably never very close with. But it’s scary that the memory loss is already starting. Turning 30 in a couple weeks. When did I get so old?!

Anyway. Back to ROH. A few weeks ago, the Guttmacher Institute (very well respected think tank that specializes in sexual and reproductive health through research, public education and policy analysis) published a new study - "Meeting Women’s Contraceptive Needs in the Philippines". The report found that low levels of contraceptive use in the Philippines results in high rates of unintended pregnancy and numerous negative consequences for women, their families and the national health care system. From the press release highlighting the findings:

"Expanding access to contraception could result in 800,000 fewer unplanned births, 500,000 fewer induced abortions and 200,000 fewer miscarriages. What’s more, it could prevent as many as 2,100 maternal deaths each year—nearly half of all deaths from pregnancy-related causes. Better access to contraceptive services could also save 120,000 productive years of women’s lives, years that are currently lost to ill-health resulting from unintended pregnancies."

While the results are of course upsetting, they reinforce the importance of the work that Roots of Health will be doing in Palawan. By providing women and girls with information and knowledge about their bodies and their health, we’ll be empowering women to plan their pregnancies, and hopefully help reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies in the province.

What else?
It’s been a busy few weeks with friends and family in town. My ate Sara and oldest nephew, Matthew were in town and we had a fantastic time. We did lots of sight seeing and hanging out, and also had visits from Kavi (visiting from London!), cousins Mai and Rhoda and one of Sara’s oldest friends, Karen. It was a fabulous few weeks!! Next up on the horizon is a visit from one of my brother’s good friends, Gerry, then a trip to Charleston, South Carolina this weekend for the wedding of dear friends from grad school, Ann and Cody. So very excited to see them and also be reunited with other Columbia friends. And then we get back and my parents come into town for a couple weeks. Exciting and fun times! ☺