The Location of my Destination

I just found out where the Therma South project that I will be working on this summer is located!  If you type 6 57.71583' N, 125 28.83 ' E into Google Maps, you will be able to see exactly where I will be stationed.  Of course the satellite view is out-of-date and the picture does not reflect the current construction, but I will fill you all in with pictures when I get to the job site!

This site is 45 minutes from our condo in Davao City, so we will have to make the trek daily to get to work.

This is a prime location for any construction project.  You can see from the picture that we are very close to the coast of the Davao Gulf.  Another unique experience for me: living/working so close to an ocean!  Back home, roughly 1000 miles separate me and the ocean and that is a trip that I usually save for family trips or spring breaks.  I am definitely looking forward to this change in scenery and the smell of the brackish brine that will hopefully accompany each work day.

If the view to the east wasn't enough, Mt Apo will be standing guard over the project from the west.  This mountain is very interesting and majestic:

Mt Apo is the largest mountain in the Philippines and stands at 2,954 m (I am going to have to get used to metric, but that's about 9,692 ft).  It is a hiking destination for many people and yields many beautiful pictures when you search it on Google images (that's where I found this picture).  However, the beauty of this beast hides some surprising features.

Firstly, ITS IS CONSIDERED A "POTENTIALLY-ACTIVE" VOLCANO.  I am not quite sure what "potentially-active" means or where it falls between dormant or active, but Mt Apo is one of 452 volcanos on the Ring of Fire.  Why anyone would hike it is beyond me, but a volcano eruption is not an experience that I am looking to cross off my bucket list anytime soon.  However, I am sure the region is safe and I have nothing to worry about (fingers crossed).

We are less than one week away until we depart the United States!  We just finished our second day of orientation through the Construction & Procurement department and are getting all of our final, pre-trip questions answered.  We have two more days of meetings and activities, but I am most looking forward to our trip to Kaufman stadium on Thursday to cheer on the Kansas City Royals as an intern class.  I will have to root on my hometown heros from the other side of the globe for the rest of the summer!