Since 2/3 of our friend group here at IRRI are from the USA, we planned a trip to the beach in Batangas to celebrate American Independence Day. We rented two IRRI shuttle buses for 15 people and took a 3 hour bus ride on Saturday morning to the coast on the Chinese Eastern Sea. When … More “Star-Spangled Banner”
Dr. Ali had me do some research on Plant Breeding and for the past two weeks I have been reading his books and publications and helping some of his technicians sow seeds in the field for his experiments. Now that I understand more about Green Super Rice we finally figured out what my experiment will … More Keeping the Farmer in Mind
Six IRRI students and I decided to travel to Manila during out second weekend at IRRI. At 930am on Friday morning we took a shuttle bus to the biggest mall in Asia, Mall of Asia. It looked like Mall of America, but on the ocean and with a lot more security guards and metal detectors. … More Manila
I am having a great time here in the Philippines but, I have discovered that the public transportation here is insane! For 20 cents you can ride a rickety metal bus called a Jeepnye with 40 of your now closest friends for 8 km. We went into town the other day to buy fruit and … More It’s the Experience that Counts
Our first week at IRRI consisted of a Rice Production and Research Orientation course. From 8am – 4pm we sat in lectures, touring campus and hands-on experience every day. We were joined by two very interesting ladies—Joy and Gladness. They were sisters who grew up in the Philippines and now travel the world for their … More Rice is Life
On the evening of Filipino Independence Day, Nine Illinois Wesleyan women and I set out on an adventure of a lifetime. Four of us were headed just north of Manila to GK farms, 2 of us were staying at St. Scholastica College in the nation’s capital, and I was traveling to the International Rice Research … More “Not all who wander are lost” – JRR Tolkein
I was awarded the IWU Freeman Asia Internship Grant to help build bridges between the American and Asian cultures. The foundation provides scholarships to send american students to Asian countries for career related internships. I am thankful to have the opportunity to travel to the Philippines this summer and work at the International Rice Research … More Oryza sativa
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