Second on the flashback list is my end-of-March trip to Baguio, an idyllic mountain city 6 hours north of Manila.  What sort of business brings me there, you ask?  Well, Baguio is one of the six research sites targeted by the study I’m attached to on worm infections in adolescent females (see my previous post on the trainings in Tacloban and Cebu).  

Preparing each site for the demands of the study requires a lot of legwork and several meetings to coordinate how research will be conducted on the ground.  There are two meetings for each site; the first meeting is the ‘groundwork’ meeting, when all of the stakeholders get to meet one another and learn about the project, while the second meeting is the training/orientation of local health workers.  This meeting at Baguio was the initial groundwork meeting.  It was my first time to join a groundwork meeting, so I was plenty excited.

The other research assistant and I met at the Victory Liner bus station at 6 AM for the epic 6 hour bus ride.  I definitely recommend Victory if you’re doing any sort of bus travel; it’s very comfy especially for the price.  The ride itself was super pleasant; for the hours I managed to stay awake, the windows filled with sweeping mountain landscapes and colorful shops scattered on the sides of the road.  The open, sprawling landscape was a welcome sight for Manila eyes.  

Upon arriving at Baguio, we immediately hopped in a taxi in search of the Baguio City Health Department (CHD), where the meeting was supposed to take place.  We eventually made it to the CHD in time to catch my advisor, who had already arrived and was talking to the staff there.  The other research assistant and I set up shop in the meeting room, getting the projector and snacks ready.  

Once everyone settled in the meeting room, my advisor kicked off his presentation, easing the meeting participants (a mix of DOH, local government unit and health center staff) into the particulars and the needs of the research study.  The Department of Health (DOH) National STH Coordinator was also able to join us, helping to convey that the DOH was fully supportive of our study.  The other research assistant and I were in charge of making sure that everything else ran smoothly, and brought up project-related issues to Dr. Belizario to make sure he didn’t miss anything during the presentation.  All in all, the meeting went over very well with the participants; all seemed pretty enthused to help with the project, which is always a good sign.    

After the groundwork meeting, my advisor, the other research assistant and I went over to the Good Shepard food store, which is famous in the Philippines for its variety of tasty goodies.

Once we stocked up on goodies to take home to our families (pasalubong, baby!), we went out for dinner and had a few beers back at the hotel, where my advisor told me and the other research assistant story after entertaining story.  Unfortunately, I can’t recall the stories at the moment, so you’ll just have to take my word for it :)

The next day, my advisor gave me and the other research assistant free reign to explore Baguio for the day; he was going to go back, as he had an engagement in Manila.  The other research assistant had been to Baguio before, so he was nice enough to take me on a nice improvised tour of the city.  Though he hadn’t been back since high school, he sure did remember a lot!  

The first stop was Mines View Park, which has a GORGEOUS view of Baguio and the surrounding mountain towns.  I could’ve stayed there all day, it was so pretty and peaceful.  Alas, time waits for no one, so on to the next stop…

Bulalo!  ok, that’s not a place, but it’s one of my fav Filipino dishes.  Imagine a big fat pork leg, boiled and cooked in savory broth mixed in with veggies and potatoes, and you have bulalo!  The bone marrow is also quite tasty hehe.  

After our bulalo lunch, we went to Burnham Park, the oldest park in Baguio, and took a nice stroll.

Our final stop was Lourdes Grotto, housing the image of the Lady of Lourdes.  Getting there takes a bit of effort, as there is a sizeable staircase (my old enemy…stairs!) but it’s worth the climb.

And that was that; the other research assistant and I boarded the next Victory Liner bus back to Manila and waved farewell to Baguio.  I hope I’ll get another chance to visit sometime soon; I can tell that Baguio is a nice place for “getting away from it all.”  

Stay tuned for more Fulbright flashbacks!