KIVA: The Visit

Day 0

You're probably wondering why I loaned to Marlito. Maybe you're also wondering what I was thinking when I saw this loan on Kiva. You should be wondering. I would be wondering all day long if were you and I told you this. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this loan was, "Man, that is one sick-looking motorcycle."

Day 1

And that was why I loaned to him. 2 months later, I found myself on a plane; destination: Getafe, Bohol. I was going to visit and meet Marlito. I got to Getafe in the late afternoon. Marlito was waiting for me at the airport, and we took a taxi to his town. It was a nice village; everybody was very friendly there, and everything was in great shape. Marlito took me to his house, and I was greeted by his family. They all were so nice, with big smiles on their faces, and open, welcoming arms. They invited me to stay, and I gladly excepted it.

Day 2

The next day started with a fresh morning dew. I was greeted with smiles and a delicious breakfast, and Marlito and I were off to the garage. First, Marlito directed me to the tools and told me what to do with them. We gathered up some parts and started assembling. I started on the engine, which roared like a mad cow. First, I cleaned out the engine pipe, which was filled and clogged with grime. I then polished off rough edges, and then we cleaned the rest of the bike. It looked brand new. We finished the day with a test ride, and it now roared like Katy Perry.

Day 3

Marlito woke me up the next morning and told me to get up and get ready. Today was the day he would take me out on the job. He gave me his spare motorcycle, and we rode off into the sunrise. I had just realized that all of his motorcycles were awesome. We stopped at our first pickup area. There were a couple who we were picking up at our stop. One of them was a doctor, and the other was a shopkeeper. Their destination was the airport I was flown to. They were going to another part of the Philippines for three weeks for a business trip. It was mainly for the husband, who is the doctor, and he was going to a remote part of the Philippines where a new sickness had spread. When we dropped them off, they left us a tip for (an awesome motorcycle) great service. Marlito and I raced back home and the day was over.

Day 4

This day we had gotten a call from a stockbroker who needed transport to a business their company is having a deal with. Marlito let me use his motorcycle, and I almost fainted from amazingness. We had a race over to the stop, and I won (only because of the awesome motorcycle). When we arrived at the stop, the man said, "I need to be at this address in 10 minutes! Can you get me there in time?" I replied with, "How fast?" "Fast", the man replied. Marlito nodded and I revved the engine to full throttle. I was going so fast, that I got him there in 5 minutes. He didn't tip me, and he walked away looking sick. Marlito scowled at me. I said, "Hey, he said fast."

Day 5

Today was an odd day. We got a call from a blocked number, which was weird, and it was a weird address as well. It was in the rough part of Bohol, and he needed to go to a McDonalds to pick up a clients meal. We picked him up, and he was very suspicious looking. He had the whole deal with the trench coat, the weird hat, and the glasses. He also had gloves on, with was also weird. We drove him to McDonalds, and he got out. I told Marlito about the suspicion, so we followed him in. He then pulled his trench coat open, and he had bombs strapped all on the inside of the coat. He yelled, "This is a robbery! I want all of you on the ground, NOW! As for you McDonalds, hand over all of the money and get me 500 chicken mcnuggets!" Marlito and I crawled to the back door, and ran for the motorcycles. I couldn't just let him get away. I took the awesome motorcycle, and revved the engine. I told Marlito to grab the man in a hold, get the bombs off, and get as far away as you can, then throw it. Marlito snuck up behind the man and ripped of the bombs. He then ran towards the door, and got on the motorcycle. He took off, but I wasn't done yet. I yelled at the man, "Hey sh*** wad, eat tire!" I went full speed towards him, and ran into him. I sprayed dirt in his face, and took off.

Day 6

The next morning was exciting. Marlito rushed over to me with the newspaper in his hand, and the front page said, "LOCAL HEROES SAVE LIVES AND THWART THIEF". It had a picture of me and Marlito on our motorcycles with the bomb, and me running the thief over. Today was going to be a great day for business. We had so many calls, that we could barely keep up with any of them. I told Marlito that I was leaving, and that he would be able to pay of the Kiva loan very soon. I wonder who I would loan to next.

Day 7

You're probably wondering why I loaned to Marlito. Maybe you're also wondering what I was thinking when I saw this loan on Kiva. You should be wondering. I would be wondering all day long if were you and I told you this. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this loan was, "Man, that is one sick-looking motorcycle."

KIVA: Getafe, Bohol

KIVA: Language & Currency

Language

English	Tagalog
Welcome	Maligayang pagdating / Mabuhay
Hello	Mabuhay! (frm) Hoy / Uy (inf) Hello (on phone)
How are you? I'm fine	Kumusta? (frm) Musta? (inf)
	Mabuti po naman (frm) Mabuti naman (inf)
Long time no see	Tagal na ah! Long time no see! Grabe ang tagal na nating di nagkita!
What's your name? My name is ...	Ano po ang pangalan nila? (frm) Anong pangalan mo? (inf)
	Ako po si ... (frm) Ako si ... (inf)
Where are you from? I'm from ...	Taga saan po sila? (frm) Taga saan ka? (inf)
	Taga ... ako
Pleased to meet you	Kinagagalak kong makilala ka
Good morning	Magandang umaga po (frm) Magandang umaga (inf)
Good afternoon	Magandang hapon po (frm) Magandang hapon (inf)
Good evening	Magandang gabi po (frm) Magandang gabi (inf)
Goodbye	Paálam
Good luck	Suwertehin ka sana / Magsumikap ka / Pagbutihin mo Mapasa iyo nawa ang suwerte (old fashioned)
Cheers/Good health!	Mabuhay! (long life)
Have a nice day	Magandang araw sa'yo!
Bon appetit	Tayo'y magsikain (frm) Kainan na! (inf) - Let's eat
Bon voyage	Maligayang paglalakbáy!
I don't understand	Hindi ko naiintindihan
Please speak more slowly	Pwede mo bang bagalan ang iyong pagsasalita?
Please write it down	Pakisulat mo naman
Do you speak Tagalog? Yes, a little	Nagsasalita ba kayo ng Tagalog?
	Nagsasalita ako ng kaunti lamang
How do you say ... in Tagalog?	Paano mo sabihin ang ... sa tagalog?
Excuse me	Ipagpaumanhin ninyo ako!
How much is this?	Magkano ho ito? Magkano to?
Sorry	Ipagpaumanhin ninyo ako! Paumanhin (po)!
Thank you Response	Salamat po Maraming salamat po (frm) Salamat Maraming salamat (inf)
	Wala pong anuman (frm) Walang anuman (inf)
Where's the toilet?	Nasaan ang kasilyas / banyo / CR? (comfort room)
This gentleman/lady will pay for everything	Siya na po ang magbabayad ng lahat
Would you like to dance with me?	Sayaw tayo? Tara sayaw tayo? Gusto mo bang sumayaw? (inf) Maari ko bang hingin ang kamay mo para sa sayaw na ito? (vfrm)
I miss you	Hanap-hanap kita (inf) Ikaw ay hanap-hanap ko (frm)
I love you	Iniibig kita / Mahal Kita / Minamahal Kita Iniirog kita (old fashioned)
Get well soon	Magpagaling ka na, ha
Leave me alone!	Iwanan mo ako mag-isa! Hayaan mo ko mapag-isa! Lubuyan mo ako! (go away) Lumayas ka sa harapan ko! (get out of my sight!) Huwag mo akong pakialamanan! (don't bother me!)
Help! Fire! Stop!	Saklolo! Sunog! Para!
Call the police!	Tumawag ka ng pulis!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year	Maligayang Pasko / Manigong bagong taon
Happy Easter	Maligayang pasko ng pagkabuhay
Happy Birthday	Maligayang kaarawan (Happy Birthday) Maligayang bati sa iyong kaarawan (Happy/Joyful/Merry Wishes on your Birthday) Nawa'y pagpalain ka ng Diyos ng marami pang kaarawan (May God bless you with many more birthdays to come)
One language is never enough	Hindi sapat ang isang wika lamang Hindi sapat ang isang lengguahe lamang
My hovercraft is full of eels What!? Why this phrase?	Puno ng palos ang aking hoberkrap/hovercraft

Currency

5 Pesos

The 5 peso note depicts Emilio Aguinaldo, a Philippine resistance hero who first fought the Spanish, and later the American occupiers of the country. The first president of the Philippines. On the reverse you can see the proclamation of Philippine independence, from the balcony of Aguinaldo's house. You won't find this note much in circulation today, as it has been replaced by a 5 peso coin.

10 Pesos

The 10 peso note depicts Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio. You can also get across an older version with only Mabini. On the reverse is the church of Barasoain.

20 Pesos

The 20 peso note depicts Manuel L. Quezon. On the reverse you can see the Presidential Palace, the Malakañang.

50 Pesos

The 50 peso note depicts Sergio Osmeña. On the reverse you can see the Executive House. Be careful not to confuse it with the 20 peso note, as the color is nearly the same.

100 Pesos

The 100 peso note depicts Manuel A. Roxas. On the reverse you can see the buildings of the Philippine National Bank.

200 Pesos

Introduced in 2002, the 200 peso note commemorates the the June 12 Independence Day, and the EDSA II uprising. It depicts president Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is also depicted on the back of the note.

500 Pesos

The 500 peso note depicts Beningno S. Aquino Jr.

1000 Pesos

The 1000 peso note depicts Jose Abad Santos, Vincent Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda. On the reverse you can see the rice terasses in Banawe, and some tribal artifacts. You won't come across this note very often, and you shouldn't expect your taxi driver to have change from it.

KIVA: Meet Marlito

This is Marlito.

He lives in the Philippines where he has a motorcycle transport job.

I supported him with a kiva loan so he could repair his awesome motorcycle.

PEACHES!

The Cup: Bir, India (Himachal Pradesh)

The Cup: Language & Currency

Currency

$1= 6.12 Yuans

$5= 30.61 Yuans

$10= 61.22 Yuans

$20= 122.44 Yuans

$100= 612.21 Yuans

Language

Hello. 

Tashi deleg (བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས)

Hello. (informal) 

Demu (བདེ་མོ།)

How are you? 

Khye-rang ku-zug de-po yin-pe ()

Fine, thank you. 

De-po yin. Thug je che.

What is your name? 

Khye-rang gi tshen-la ga-re zhu-gi yod? ()Or Khedrand ming Gangyin.

My name is ______ . 

Ngai ming ___ yin.

Nice to meet you. 

Khye-rang jel-ney ga-po joong ()

Please. 

Thuk-je zig ()

Thank you. 

Thuk-je-che (ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ།)

You're welcome. 

()Yin dang yin

Yes. 

hon (རེད།)

No. 

Ma-ray

Excuse me.

gong-pa-ma-tsom / gong-ta

I'm sorry. 

Gong dag

Goodbye 

Chagpo nang, as in take care

Shug dan ja (when other person is staying): kha-lay-pheb (when other person is going)

I can't speak name of language [well]. 

nga pö-kay yak-po kyab gi mey

Do you speak English? 

khye-rang yin-ji-kay rgyab thub gi yin pe?

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Dhir Engi shenyan yod Pai.

Help! 

Rog pa jed

Look out! 

Phar toe

Good morning. 

ngado deleg

Good evening. 

gondo deleg

Good night. 

Sim jha nang go

Good night

I don't understand. 

Nai she gyi med

ha kho gi mey

Where is the toilet? 

Sang chod gawa yod ray.

The Cup: The Film

The Cup: My Visit With Orgyen

India. A place of serenity, peace, and culture. For a week, I will embrace this culture by visiting a Tibetan Refugee monastery, and will visit a young novice monk named Orgyen.

Entry 1

4:00 PM. No, this was not when I departed (duh). This was when I landed. I had to leave at 7:20 PM at night to drive to LAX, and then at 9:00 PM, I departed for Himachal Pradesh. At 3:50 PM, I woke up to a beautiful blood orange sun, and the vast, open Himalaya Mountains below me. We landed, and I was jet lagged the heck out of my body, mind, and soul. I fetched a taxi, and I was off to the monastery. When we arrived at the monastery, I was amazed at the beautiful site in front of me.  

Entry 2

Orgyen. After I arrived at the monastery, I met a novice monk named Orgyen. He is small, young, and a large handful to deal with. He doesn't pay much attention during sessions, but he's trying to get better at doing so. He likes origami and paper art. But one thing he likes the most is soccer. He and his monk friends all play soccer, and they sometimes break the rules, and sneak off in the middle of the night to a building to watch soccer games. He also keeps soccer magazines in his room. Every single one of these monks has been through a lot. They had to come from Tibet, hike over the Himalayas, and come all the way over to India. What a journey.

Entry 3

At the monastery, I was introduced to many different things. I was taught some sand mandalas, prayers, and important parts of their religion. I also learned about a Tibetan monks diet. This was good, and also not very pleasant. Such as the yak butter tea. This, I found, tasted like crap (pardon my French). Orgyen introduced me to this "yak butter tea" as a prank. Later on that day, I got to play soccer with Orgyen and some other monks. it was exciting, and I had a great time. Orgyen also taught me about the daily life of a Tibetan monk, and how much studying and memorization is involved. I then realized why Orgyen screws around so much.

Entry 4

I came to the monastery at a great time. It was that part of the year when the soccer world cup was raging across the world. Orgyen had told me that every year, they rent a tv and a satellite dish to watch the world cup, and they all gather in the center of the monastery. The games each night were amazing. I had never put any thought in how great watching soccer could be, but it was exhilarating. Orgyen and I were cheering for our favorite teams, and each time our team scored, we would go crazy. At home, we could just turn on the tv and watch the world cup easily. But here, it means so much more to all of the monks.

Entry 5

It was the last game before the semi-finals. Orgyen and I were practically standing up and cheering the whole time. I couldn't exactly recognize the teams, but the game was tied 8-8. Number 7 had the ball for the home team, and was sprinting up the field on the left side. 7 passed the ball to 5, and 5 fired a corner shot at the goal. The goalie blocked the shot, and made a blazing kick directly to the center of the field. Five minutes later, 5 made a flaming shot into the goal, and the game was done. 11-10 was the final score. Orgyen and I screamed and jumped up and down. Our team was going to the semi-finals.

Entry 6

5-4. Our team was losing. 9 on the other team blazed a fiery shot for a goal, and it was now 6-4. Orgyen and I were furious. It was a major upset. Next it was 7-4, 8-4, 9-4, and then 10-4! Orgyen and I were throwing stuff at the tv and acting like witches and cursing the other team. I almost broke the ceiling when I saw that a ball flamed into the opposing teams goal. 10-5. It was a heated match. 10-10. Orgyen and I were bowing in our knees at the tv. Time was running out. 5, 4, 3, 2, it was a slow-motion moment. 10 was taking the ball down the field, passing it to 7, who then dodged an oncoming wave of players, and then passing it to 3, who drew his weapon back and fired. The ball was on fire. The crowd was screaming. Orgyen and I were almost having a seizure. Then we did. The ball broke the wall that was standing in between winning the game. Foam was coming out of me and Orgyen's mouths, and our eyes were rolled back into our heads. What a game.

Entry 7

15-13. Our team had done it. They won the cup. The day after the finals was the day I was coming home. I thanked everyone at the monastery for a great experience. Especially Orgyen for showing me so much. My journey had ended, and as I left, I took one last look at the yak butter tea and shuddered. What a great time. A journey is not what you experience during, but what you learn and how you grow, and how you use that knowledge in the future. And a journey it was.

Mobilize Me: My Week With Royce

Royce

In Chibombo, Zambia, I stayed with Royce, a caregiver in a village. I helped her tend to those in need, and I met many interesting people with great stories to tell. It is amazing how much one person can do with a bike. Imagine, a woman who is the only one to tend to her patients, and has to walk miles every day just to take care of one person. Now give that person a bike. Imagine the difference that bike can make. Now that person can treat as many as ten to twenty people a day.

Day 1

The flight over to the Lusaka Airport in Zambia was nice. Besides the rough landing. I was awoken abruptly by "ground turbulence", which had caused me to spill my drink on my pants. At least I had a nice rest. After getting off the plane, I gathered my bags and found my cab, and then I was off to see Royce in Chibombo. In the cab, I slept more. I had an odd dream in which I went to Royce's village, and after I got out of my cab, I was gunned down by a group of elephants with the faces of Willem Dafoe. It was slightly disturbing, considering that the elephants had the faces of Willem Dafoe, but I just ignored the dream. When we arrived at the village, I was greeted by some happy villagers. I immediately recognised Royce and scurried over to her and introduced myself. Royce led me to her house, and I took a step inside. She welcomed me with a story, a cup of tea, and a warm smile. I was exhausted from the flight; she seemed to notice that, so she led me to a bed. I have to say it wasn't the comfiest thing to sleep on, but I coped with it pretty well.

Day 2

I woke up in the morning feeling relaxed. A beautiful sunrise lay over the plains and horizon, and the air smelled fresh and nice. It had the scent of tea in it, so I figured Royce was already up. I got dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I went to the kitchen, and I found Royce brewing tea. She gave me a smile, and showed me over to a table. She gave me some tea, and I took a sip. It was delicious; a nice warm brew with plenty of flavour. I thanked her, and then she cooked me some food. Royce and I set off to help some ill children, and as usual, they were better by the end of the day. On the way back from the village, I was exhausted from all the work. It was tough, but I found the job very interesting. I wonder what it would be like without a bike.

Day 3

The next day is described by one word and one word only. Snake. I woke up with a snake on my leg. It was terrifying. I tried not moving, but it struck my leg. I was in excruciating pain, and Royce immediately came to my room to help me out. I was a bit nauseous from the poison, and I couldn't see very well. I stayed in the rest of the day and kept applying something that Royce gave me. It was a cobra of some sort. I hoped for everything to be well.

Day 4

I woke up the next day sweating and in pain. It was not good; my leg was swollen, and it was red and purple. Royce saw this, and took me to a hospital. I don't remember anything that happened in the hospital. I woke up to people surrounding me. They told me I was in the US, and that I should be fine and make a good recovery. I saw Royce, and I thanked her. Without her, I would've been dead. How much a human can do with a bicycle? A lot.

Mobilize Me: Meet Royce

This is Royce. Before owning a bicycle, Royce would walk 7km a day to visit her four patients. Now, she can visit 18 patients in a single day.

Mobilize Me: Zambia Language & Currency

Useful Phrases 

“You are welcome” = Awe, cilifye, mukwai (“No, It’s ok”)

“My house” = Iɧanda yandi

“Thank you” = Natôtela (s), Twatôtela (pl.)

“How is your day going?” = Mwatandala shani? or “Mwabomba shani?”

“Welcome to Zambia!”  = “Mwaiseni ku Zambia! 

“Come” = Isa (singular), Iseni (pl.)

"Hello"= Atishani

"Good Morning"= Mwashibukeni mukwai

"No"= Awe/ ala/ iyô

"How Are You"= Mulishani

Currency

• $1= $5.51
• $5= $27.53
• $10= $55.07
• $20= $110.13
• $100= $550.66

 

Mobilize Me: The Place

This Is Where Royce Is From