I'm going to be really scarce for the next few months......

damn i didn't know it was such a nice place.. nice pics!
even if your certified theres limitations isn't there? or will just be conducting it near the ship

Singapore is beautiful, but they give up a lot of freedom for that beauty. Taxes are astronomical, and the police are horribly strict. Fines for littering are over $5000 for a first offense, and there is a $2500 fine for spitting gum out on the ground. But, it is clean and very safe.

PI had been a blast. I am taking pictures tomorrow. Have a local that is going to show me around. Average income where I am now is under $50 per week, so we get treated like royalty here. The average cab ride is under $1 to almost anywhere, and girls literally throw themselves at us looking to find American husbands. There are trinket shops everywhere, where we can buy locally made stuff (bracelets, necklaces, wood carvings, etc...), and there are a lot of people selling counterfeit stuff. I will post pics in the next few days.

Oh, also. Just got word we might go to a few more countries soon too. Jakarta and Saipan are on the schedule now. Not bad for a4 month deployment!

~ Will Courtier ~

im joining the navy

Hahahahah, you haven't seen much of the rougher times I've had in the Navy. It's definitely not perfect. I've worked a lot of hours, spent a lot of time away from home, and sacrificed a lot to get to where I am now. But, I try to enjoy myself when I can.

~ Will Courtier ~

Here are a few pics I've snapped of PI. It's an interesting place. Very fast paced, but very serene at times too. We are in Subic Bay, if any of you want to research more where I am. The first pic was taken on a bridge that goes from the old US naval base to the city of Olongapao. I just thought it was a cool photo.

The best form of public transportation here is a weird bus like service. Each bus thing is called a Jeepny, and they are all beat to hell. They break down often, rattle, vibrate, and overheat a lot. But, the drivers take great pride in their Jeepnys, and decorate them pretty well. The colors determine the area they serve. Cost to ride is generally under 5 pesos, or about 12 American cents.

I'm hanging out on the ship tonight, and am working a24 hour shift tomorrow so I probably won't take any more pics for a few days. I'm going swimming on Sunday so I should be able to get some cooler photos then.

~ Will Courtier ~

Awesome!

Love the Philippines, my first duty station was Clark AFB from 87 to when the volcano blew. Can't come up with a work related reason to go back and definitely not going to be issued a kitchen pass so I appreciate the pics!

Welcome home Krod! How's every little thing?
My brother was stationed at Subic Bay/ Olongapo for most of his 25 year naval career. He loved it.

lol i know, most of my navy buddies just joke that it was battle stations, and running around a bit and i guess you got somewhat lucky to get deployed since i heard about all the cancellations cause the budget cuts, well great pics, and everything looks awesome

Here are a few photos I snapped of the sunset here just an hour or so ago. This island is absolutely beautiful!

~Willl Courtier~

I'm confused-- where are you now? That doesn't look much like Singapore but what do I know.

philippines i think?

Yep, I'm in the Philippines at the moment. Been a fun place to explore!

~ Will Courtier ~

So, we are set to be here in PI for at least a few more weeks. I have branched out some and went to a few local businesses so I could meet some locals and learn more about their culture.

In all honesty, what I discovered was pretty depressing. Most people in this area are living in tiny shacks that most people in America would consider too small for their lawn mowers. They live off of practically nothing, and fight from day to day to make ends meet. Many families will actually sell their children into the sex trade, just to survive themselves. I have met two different women who have only one dream in life: marry an American man and move to America. They have very little to look forward to here.

This has turned into a pretty eye-opening experience for me. We all know that I can't help these people to get out of this situation, but it still pains me to see how they live from day to day. Oh, and want to know the mind boggling part? These people walk around smiling and look happy all of the time, even though their futures are so bleak. The Philippinos are a very proud people, but they are also very polite and would give anything to help out another person.

~Will Courtier~

So, we are set to be here in PI for at least a few more weeks. I have branched out some and went to a few local businesses so I could meet some locals and learn more about their culture.

In all honesty, what I discovered was pretty depressing. Most people in this area are living in tiny shacks that most people in America would consider too small for their lawn mowers. They live off of practically nothing, and fight from day to day to make ends meet. Many families will actually sell their children into the sex trade, just to survive themselves. I have met two different women who have only one dream in life: marry an American man and move to America. They have very little to look forward to here.

This has turned into a pretty eye-opening experience for me. We all know that I can't help these people to get out of this situation, but it still pains me to see how they live from day to day. Oh, and want to know the mind boggling part? These people walk around smiling and look happy all of the time, even though their futures are so bleak. The Philippinos are a very proud people, but they are also very polite and would give anything to help out another person.

~Will Courtier~

I finally got some sense of happiness among the misery here. I have gone to a massage parlor and spa a few times in the last few weeks. The place is relatively small, kind of dingy, but it is a pretty fun place to hang out. They have pool tables, give massages for $10 per hour, and will do foot scrubs for about $7 that make your feet feel awesome. Anyway, me and some of my friends got to know the girls there, and actually took them out drinking one night. That night, one girl was not feeling too well. The next day, her situation worsened and she started running a fever of 103*F and her abdomen was killing her. She went to the hospital a few days later. The second day she is at the hospital, the ailment is found. She had some sort of a tumor on one of her ovaries.

We heard this, and also heard she had to have an emergency hysterectomy. We then heard the day after that she had run out of money. Two days after the surgery, she could no longer afford pain meds. Antibiotics were given, but pain meds were stopped cold turkey. I heard this, and told a few friends. So, this past Sunday I went to the shop and talked to one of the girls (cousin to the girl in the hospital). We left the shop to go to the hospital and see the girl.

Let me say, this hospital was horrific. No air conditioning, 8 single sized beds to a room, one nurse to all 8 patients in a room, very filthy, and patients were required to have one family member with them at all times to give medications (pills, shots, even narcotics). Each day the family member is given the full days worth of meds at once, with directions. The family member must give the meds to the patient. Food consisted of rice and gravy. The family member was responsible for all bedding and linens (supplying and washing them). Its a pretty rough place.

Anyway, the girl was ecstatic to see me. She was absolutely in tears, as she hasn't had many visitors. We talked for an hour or two, and it was obvious she was in a pretty major amount of pain. But, she still laughed and demanded she sit up so me and her cousin could sit (there were very few chairs). I asked her how much her pain meds cost, and she said 4000 pesos (~$100) would cost her for the next month. I pulled out the cash and handed it to her and she immediately fought for me to take it back. She started bawling, asking why I would ever help her out. She also asked what my wife would think, me giving money to a foreign girl. Little did she know, I had already talked to my wife and she agreed that we needed to help her. This girl was in total disbelief.

She then asked to add my wife on Facebook, and thank her personally. Then, she said that wasn't good enough and wanted tho meet my wife face to face and give her a hug. She then explained how big of an impact this had on her. Her entire hospital bill (8 days in the hospital, diagnosis of the problem, hysterectomy, antibiotics, and pain meds) totaled out to 11,000 pesos (~$275). I just paid over 1/3 of her entire hospital bill. Also, another friend gave another $100 towards her.

Now, she has essentially pledged to do anything for us she can. She said her house is our house. She wants our entire family to visit and meet her entire family now.

Its amazing to me how such a simple act had such a huge impact on this girl's life. It really justified me being here, and helped to put me at peace helping out another person who was honestly in need. Really, though, the effects reach further than that. She has two kids, and a mother she supports. This basically helped to make their lives better as well.

It's good to know that I have helped out at least one person here. She told me she would do whatever she needed in order to pay me back, but I refused. I just told her she needed it more than we did. Although we can't help everyone, at least I helped someone. I'd consider yesterday a good day.

~ Will Courtier ~

It's all relative. We, as Americans, don't realized the depth of our wealth without the contrast of other areas of the world to show us.
We waste more than the rest of the world uses. Thanks to you and your buddies for being a good ambassador. The world needs to know that we're not all greedy rich bastards hell bent on sucking the world dry.

It would feel good to help someone like that. Especially considering 99% of us (Americans) piss away $100 without so much as a thought. Good for you.

I have a feeling you woulda given it to her even if it was your last hunnert.

Well, we finally got direction to leave PI. We are heading out of here in a few weeks in route to Japan. We will be there for a short while, and move on to somewhere else that had yet to be decided. I'm really looking forward to going somewhere else. I have made some incredible friends that ion going to stay in touch with, but would like to get a little time for my mind to recover from the things I have seen here. It has been a great experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, it's tough to remain indifferent to how life is here, and act separate from these people to maintain your own sanity.

Anyway, on to another topic. Where we are going, there is apparently a great amount of history and a few good museums. I'm planning on checking out the atomic bomb museum, and checking out as many sites I can while I'm there. From what I understand, where we are going there is a lot of historical significance which I look forward to.

Going to be a fun time!

I honestly would have. If I can help someone, I do my best to do it. I have paid dearly doing this, but the few people that honestly appreciate the help make everything worth while. I've been helped a lot in the past, and plan on helping out everyone I can.

~Will Courtier~

Life is about learning to pay it all forward rather than back. [big thumbs up]

Guess China's out, then, right?

thats good stuff will, and jesus hospitals are cheap there.. you guys weren't affected by the budget cuts?

The budget's out the window if it'll justify closing the distance to NK.