Yvanovich.com Family Portal

I'm in the process of recovering the data, and migrating it to the Mac Mini that is going to host the site now. I have no idea how long this is going to take. I'm also not sure if I will have consistent email access, because the linux box was also the mail server. Anyway, please be patient while we try to get everything back up and running.

We installed Leopard on all our Macs, plus bought a Mac Mini to act as a server. We will eventually be transitioning off of the linux box and to the Mac Mini for all services (web, mail, etc.). The new OS X is awesome, and having regular automatic backup is great.

My final post. I can’t believe that we have arrived at the end of the line and it’s time for us to move along. The new batch of volunteers will arrive the same day that Anthony and I will depart the Philippines. As they land and begin their lives as Peace Corp Volunteers, we will be ending ours. We will open a new chapter in our lives but close a very distinct one too. To put it simply, these past two years were everything I ever hoped and dreamed they would be and at the same time more than I ever bargained for.

This past week marks a very tragic time in our service as Peace Corps Volunteers. A fellow volunteer and good friend has passed away. Julia Campbell was assigned in the Bicol region with Anthony and I. She began her service in Donsol, Sorsogon before transferring to Legazpi to teach English at Divine Word College.

Happy New Year! We can hardly believe that 2007 is already upon us. After typhoon Durian slammed it’s way onto Catanduanes, Anthony and I are glad to say goodbye to 2006 and welcome in the fresh New Year.

Here is a satellite image of typhoon Durain as it bears down on Catanduanes. Notice how big the feeder band is to the north. The image was taken at 11/30/06 0 hours UTC. Sustained winds of 125mph, gusts to 165mph.

(click for bigger image)
Anthony and Katie were nearly in the direct path of the typhoon, but their apartment weathered the storm quite well. It took nearly 4 weeks before they had power again. We just got off the phone with them, and all is well with them. Construction on the Library was completed two days before the typhoon hit, and it survived with minimal damage.

Well, it's finally, finally happened. After a jumping through a LOT of red tape, the construction on the new library has finally started! Things may take a long, long time to get started in the Philippines but once the ball starts rollin' there's no stopping it! Construction started on October 25th and it is looking great!

So we have finally got our act together and had a spare moment to post pictures online. Be sure to check them out! I've posted pictures of the second part of Tudlo Minandao, our vacation to Bohol and Siquijor, the baptism of our godson, book club pictures, and GLOW & TOBE! Enjoy!

On August 5th and 6th Catanduanes National High School hosted a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and the first-ever in the Philippines TOBE (Teaching Our Boys to Excel) camp. Anthony was the first PCV to hold a camp for boys in the Philippines! We had 50 boys and 50 girl participants and 10 PCV facilitators. Anthony and Ate Tess spent the better part of 2 months planning for the camp. Because of all their hard work, the camp went perfectly for everyone!

We must be the luckiest two Peace Corps Volunteers ever! Thanks to all your love and support we have reached our goal of $2,295! San Miguel is going to get a beautiful new library and the anticipation has everyone giddy with excitement. Construction is set to start in two weeks. The library plans are well under way, even without a new building. We have been having weekly meetings with the student book club who have been helping organize all our new books. The students love helping Anthony and I paste labels in the books. The organization is going slow however, because half of the time is spent reading the books! The students are so excited and I've got more help than I've got jobs for them to do! The support from the community is continuing to pour in. The governor of Catanduanes has pledged his support along with the mayor of San Miguel. The PTCA (Parent Teacher Community Association) president, my school principal, and my counterpart have been working hard on gathering the promised pledges from the teachers and parents. The library committee has been meeting to discuss the logistics of running the new school library. Teachers have pledged to give up their free periods so that the library can remain open all day.
I can't say how, or when, or even where it happened but somewhere along the line something finally clicked. I never thought I would ever get to this point and I'm so happy to say that, if I have not yet arrived, I'm well on the way to getting there. I'm so proud of my community and myself for all the hard work we have put into making our dreams come true. I can't believe it's actually going to happen! I want to thank everyone who donated and those who have kept us in your thoughts. Without your support, our library would still be a dream. Updates and pictures will be coming soon, so keep checking yvanovich.com!

During one of the hottest heatwaves in some time in San Jose, CA, we lost power for 60 hours at your home (where the linux box that powers yvanovich.com lives). We spent the last day without power throwing away all of our food. We tried getting our generator running, but over the winter it had developed a fuel leak, and I couldn't fix it in time. Going without email for nearly 3 days is rough. Hopefully, our power will stay on fo a while with the new transformer installed (thank you PG&E, you guys were working hard!) and cooler temperatures in the forecast.