First Exploration at CLSU

7/FEB/2020

Time: 8:45 Morning breakfast

The next morning of arrival day, we went to Carabao Center where we had our breakfast.

That was the first school meal (since the canteen is in the campus area), and I was excited to try my first Philippino school meal. I first got surprised that people in the Philippines eat rice and fried fish in the morning because it was quite a big amount for me. As a Japanese I eat rice at least once a day, but not in the morning. Also, eating fish in the morning is not what I do in Japan. So it was interesting too know that people in the Philippines eat the high-energy food in the morning to start their day.

9:00 Visit fish tank

After the breakfast, we went to see fish tanks inside the campus to observe the fishes they grow. There were many fishes and I got to touch one of the big fishes among them.

11:00 Small Ruminant Centre

The next we went to Small Ruminant Centre to see gouts they nurture there. Because CLSU focuses on agriculture, they have a lot of facilities and centers for various aspects of agriculture. There were few baby goats in the center and the staff there let us hold them. It was a good experience and relaxing time to hang out with the babies.

12:30 Lunch at UMART

Our lunch was at UMART. I would never think that it would be the place to have our lunch until the leaving day! Every meal they served was tasty and I enjoyed them every single time. UMART is a restaurant located within the campus area. Most of the dishes are Philippino foods so you can not only eat delicious foods but learn Philippino dishes as well.

14:00 Orientation

We had our first orientation with the school president and faculties. During the greeting, we learned some of the basic Tagalog words as well as its culture such as currency and food. It was very nice to see all the members at school before the school started.

17:00 Grocery shopping at Watermart

After the orientation, we went to the closest shopping mall called Watermart. We bought groceries for the coming week and looked around Philippino products in the mall. I enjoyed the sugary donut at the end.

It was a busy, yet exciting day meeting new people and having fun with them.

I am ready for the coming week and start our observations !