Day 10: Another Day in Paradise

Waking up on yet another day in paradise, we were greeted with a lovely breakfast prepared by our hosts and some of our fellow team members. After breakfast, our group headed out to plant trees for the "Treetment Movement," an initiative by the Boracay Yuppies in combination with a few other local service groups to beautify their island home. These trees, aside from their aesthetic appeal, have medicinal properties. Their leaves can be burned to ward off mosquitoes, they help with diabetes and also function other homeopathic remedies. With the combined effort of over 20 people, the 40 trees were planted with relative ease and we finished earlier than expected. Our jeepney was not scheduled to arrive yet to pick us up so we decided to walk back to Little Prairie Inn. It wasn't a long walk, and we enjoyed the lovely view and exercise on the way back. We took the scenic route back, walking along the beach front, and we were all still struck by the amazing view before us. Some of us still felt nostalgia for Cavite and the members of DTC, and so stopped to write a message for them in the sand. 

When we arrived back at "Little Prairie Inn," we had lunch and some free time until 2:00pm. Some of our group members went to help the Yuppies prepare the food for our feeding program later in the day. They peeled hard boiled eggs and made chicken and rice porridge. 

At 2:00pm, our group headed up to Lapus-Lapus, a mountain community that has been adopted by the Boracay Yuppies for a biannual feeding program. We were greeted by the smiling faces of about 50 kids and their families. Before passing out the food to the children, we played a few games with them. We played, musical chairs, paper dance, tomato dance, and a spoon balancing game. Due to a sizable difference in our height and weight compared to the kids, we had to be especially careful with games such as musical chairs. In the heat of the competition, one GIEU member accidentally sat on one of the boys who made it into the chair first!  

After the intensity of our opening games, the kids were definitely hungry. GIEU members took turns passing out the boiled eggs and rice porridge. Music played in the background while the kids ate and we're sure that more than a few kids and family members got a kick out of the dance moves of our GIEU chorus line. When all of the food was served, we said our final goodbyes, exchanging hugs, flowers, and good wishes for the future. We learned from our fellow Boracay Yuppies that Lapus-Lapus is part of their community service outreach program in which they adopt underserved communities in Boracay and provide them assistance in the forms of food and education to the best of their ability. We truly enjoyed our time with the Lapus-Lapus people and admire the work of the Yuppies!

Back at Little Prairie, it was afternoon free time. Several members of our team went to Spider resort where they went cliff-diving! Although all agreed the experience was exhilarating, a few members were stung by sea urchins. Luckily, one of the staff members was an expert in removing the spines and they were better in no time. The less adventurous members of the group elected for a more relaxing activity and indulged in manicures, pedicures, and full body massages. 

  

-Katie and Binhan :)

Day 9: Water, Water Everywhere.....

Waking up to a thunderstorm overlooking the Pacific Ocean while the water glowed with an ever changing blue color, we were greeted with a breakfast of eggs, fried rice, and fresh mango on the beach. Some of us began our day by swimming in the warm water while other enjoyed looking at the surrounding scenery. As a group we took a small, open bus that took us higher into the island where we were able to overlook most of the island and the water surrounding us. We were also able to see a variety of animal, including a cat bear, Tasmanian devil, snake, and monkeys. Some of us were shocked to see the monkeys that were chained to a tree, seemingly unnatural. One even jumped and screeched, scaring Olivia. We continued our bus ride through narrow streets, dropping us off near a secluded resort. To arrive at the beach, we hiked through small trails and climbed many, many stairs. The forest opened up to a beautiful view of the cliffs within and hanging over the ocean. We spent a few hours swimming and enjoying the water and the views. The cove was astonishing to explore. The water was warm and inviting and the view was indescribable. Lunch rolled around and we were served delicious fish, mango, adobo, and pasta. The pasta tasted just like home with butter and bacon pieces. It was truly masarap(delicious).

We have been in the Philippines for a while now, but we still have not gotten used to the level of hospitality. Many people have welcomed us into their homes and fed us on countless occasions without asking for anything in return. It makes us all want to be better people and give back to our communities even more. So much has been given to us on this trip and it would be unjust for us not to pass the kindness along.

With much love, Robert and Oana :)

Day 8: Ang Pilipino Ay Ako!

We left our friends in Cavite today with tears in our eyes and inspiration in our hearts, genuinely not wanting to leave our new family. Over the course of just four short days we have been reminded of what is important in this life we live, learning more in this brief period of time than we ever could in the classroom. Not only have we experienced the power of genuinely caring for your community and it's members, but we have also seen the direct effect of being selfless with the little that you have. We have learned that raising up a generation of strong, passionate leaders and caring, committed members undeterred by daily tragedies and obstacles is key towards creating the kind of world that we all want to live in.

These lessons will stay with us always and we will all do our best to put them into practice, making Kuya Ef and DTC proud. We would also like to encourage others within the United States and in other locations to learn more about the Dynamic Teen Company and Efren Penaflorida. Our lives within the US are blessed more than we can imagine, and it is only fair to pay it forward when we can. It is incredibly difficult for us to convey the power of our experiences in Cavite, but if we could, we would talk about the amazing Filipino smile; the overpowering smell of polluted rivers, burning garbage and the sight of shoeless children who play there. We would talk about the kindness of strangers; how to precisely aim your bucket when you are flushing your toilet (okay, so we're still working on that one); the little girl calling you mommy, and the uncertainty of her future. These are just a few of the things that we have experienced so far, and we can in no way do them justice with words. Our hearts have been changed, and there simply are not words for that.

And so now we come from this incredibly inspirational, but also heart-wrenching experience, into the beauty of Boracay and are forced once again to confront the extremes that seem to define the Philippines. In this beautiful island paradise we were greeted with Beachfront Inn, where the waves lap only steps from our door and a string of bars and restaurants await us just down the beach. We are ready to take on our next adventure, but will always remember what we learned, the people we met, and the power within ourselves to truly make a difference.

All our love,

Matea & Rachel

Day 7: A Perfect Last Day with DTC

Today was a bitter sweet day here for the GIEU team members. We traveled to Tagaytay City for a day filled with bonding, traditional Filipino games, great food, and many fun experiences but also with the knowledge that this was to be our last full day with our new friends and host families.
After sharing our last family breakfast with our gracious hosts, we boarded the bus bound for Tagaytay City (up in the mountains) with anticipation of a great day in a little bit cooler weather. As we arrived in the park we were greeted with a breath taking sight of luscious green canopy cover and a landscape straight out of a National Geographic cover photo. After taking in our surroundings and amazement at the volcano across the way we were introduced to a traditional Filipino game called patintero, which involves one team of "runners" trying to get past the other team of "defense players" with a flag without being tagged out. Needless to say, our competitive nature kicked in and were exhausted by the end of the game but wanted to continue playing!

As a little rain started to fall we decided to make our way over to the zip line and pair up with buddies to ride the line across the canopy cover. Although some of us were quite nervous about being strapped into a harness and flying across a vast green forest we mustered up the courage and experienced the nature around us in an entirely new way. With our pictures of the adventure in tow, we sat down to a picnic with our friends from Dynamic Team Company (DTC) and were invited to eat in a new way called boodle fight. The significance of this type of eating is to symbolize the unity among the people eating together. Along with this meal came a new food for us to try called balut (fertilized duck egg) which many would see on fear factor. Some succumbed to the fear while others conquered it and finished the whole thing.

After lunch the presentations prepared by the members of each host family took place as well as a special dance number that the volunteers of DTC performed for us. We sang Tagalog nursery rhymes, recited poems, and danced along for our new friends. We were then challenged to transfer a single marble from one point to another using only cardboard which symbolized the opportunity for us as a team to work together and lift up a single person in our own small ways as long as our hearts are sama-sama (together).

To end a picture perfect day, we were presented with gifts from our host brothers and sisters as well as other DTC volunteers  that truly touched our hearts and made us realize just how much we are going to miss our new friends when we leave. Then we showed our appreciation for our host families through presents and  speeches from the bottom of our hearts, some even tearing up from the overwhelming emotions. As a final token of recognition and gratitude we presented the members of DTC with certificates from GIEU recognizing their outstanding work and dedication to their community.

After leaving the park we headed to a restaurant by the name of Mushroom Burger to sit down for dinner together and reflect on our day and the days to come. We enjoyed great food and company before boarding the bus for a long ride back to Cavite where some slept, others played cards, and some spent this time bonding with our new friends and contemplating how hard it will be to leave them tomorrow morning after they have extended such hospitality and made us truly feel like family.

Day 6: Halo-Halo and Heroes...and a Happy Birthday

    Waking up early once again with out host families, it was hard to believe that we'd only been in Cavite for one day.  After a long and tiring but fulfilling day out with the pushcarts the day before, the morning routine got off to a much smoother start.  We had plenty of time to interact with our hosts and clean up before heading back to Karbuil where we had a big group breakfast with all of the GIEU scholars and the YAPC group (Young Adult and Professional Class), which leads a weekly Sunday school class.  On the menu was the most famous Filipino bread--pan de sal--and various spreads and toppings including white cheese, coco jam, and liver spread.  We also played games including "Pinoy Henyo" (Filipino Genius! It's similar to 20 Questions) and had a brief Bible lesson from Hebrews 13:5.
    From Karbuil, we then departed for a special service at A Blessed Church (ABC!) It was the congregation's 2nd year anniversary, and after a morning of singing, dancing, testimonies of faith and a sermon from Pastor Manalaysay, they prepared a huge feast for everybody in attendance.  Of course, there was also games to be played--namely "Pass the Message" with a twist: Americans who didn't know how to pronounce Tagalog for the life of them.  The winning team was headed by Robert the birthday boy, and they got a box of Wafu cookies as prize.  Tragically, they didn't get a chance to try them because Adam foolishly left them behind at our next destination: the shrine to Emilio Bautista Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines.

    The shrine was actually built upon the former house of Aguinaldo, and a tour guide was able to lead us through it and point out many of the features such as hidden passages and bomb shelters.  There was also an impressive collection of Aguinaldo-related artifacts and possessions.  Not unlike Greg, this guide was also filled with facts: for instance, Aguinaldo was the victim of the first documented medical mishap in a Filipino hospital (it wasn't too serious, he just had a piece of gauze left inside him after a surgery).

    After some group pictures, it was off to the famous restaurant Digman's for what many call the best halo-halo in the Philippines.  Halo-halo means "mix-mix," and that's just what it is.  It's a combination of ice cream, crushed ice, lots of fruits and beans, gelatin, evaporated milk, sugar, and leche flan all thrown together to be mixed up and eaten with a spoon.  It was a treat for everybody that was there, even those who had already tried it before.  It was also a fitting birthday celebration for Robert, who received his second (but not last) birthday song for the day at Digman's.

   Clamoring back on the bus, there was a minor setback when the bus temporarily stopped working on the way back to Karbuil.  It didn't take long however before the driver got everything up and running again and we arrived in time for our mentoring Q&A with some of the leaders of Club 8586: Harnin "KB" Manalaysay, Kuya Ef, Cris "Kesz" Valdez, and Emanuel "Em" Bagual.  We've already introduced KB and Kuya Ef on the blog, but Kesz and Em deserve their own intros.  Kesz is just 13 but he's already done so much for his community, having started his own organization called Caring Children at the age of 7 to distribute toys, slippers, and other things to his friends living on the streets.  He also famously spent his birthday giving hope packages to those survivors of the typhoon that hit the Philippines at Sendong.  Em also started an organization--M.Y. Rights--which aims to educate abused children on their rights.  Em was a runner-up for the 18-and-under Peace Prize for his work with this group.  Everyone in our group was deeply moved by the stories of these young heroes, who have already done so much at such a young age, and against such odds.  It left many itching to do more to help in some way, and we are all still in awe at the selflessness and sense of responsibility that the community of Cavite has for their town and each other.  It was an emotional time for all of us, and in our meeting afterward, we talked at length about how we could try and not let days and moments like this not just become memories, but the start of something more.  All in all, it was a long and important day, but we're excited for the chance to visit Tagaytay tomorrow and spend more time with our volunteer friends.

-Adam and Erika :)

Day 5: Push for Change

Our first night in Cavite was a somewhat of a shock after three glorious nights in the Bayleaf Hotel. No skydeck, employees opening the door for us when we arrived home, or running water. For most of us this is the first time we have lived out our first world comforts. We never knew that what we consider basic necessities are a privilege to many of our host families, or how disconcerting seeing giant cockroaches at 1:00 am can be. However, looking past all the discomforts this has been a very rewarding experience.

We all woke up at 5:00 am and were greeted by the smiling faces of our host family members (and their roosters) and a wonderful breakfast. Some common dishes that many of us ate this morning included fried rice, fried fish, and salted eggs.  After breakfast, we all met for orientation with the Dynamic Teen Company, and headed out to our first adventure in Cavite. With the guidance Kuya Ef and the DTC volunteers, we handed out school supplies to the children of the pushcart classrooms, and taught them a song with an accompanying dance.

We then headed over to Jollibee, the Filipino version of McDonald's. There we were able to interact and get to know better the volunteers of DTC. We had a chance to here about their involvement in the pushcart classrooms, which they refer to as the Kariton Classroms. They have put in a lot of effort to this program and are very committed to helping the children gain a proper education. From lunch we went back to DTC headquarters and prepared for our journey with the push cart classrooms. Although the carts were not that heavy, with the scorching heat beating down our backs, the long walk was exhausting. That, however, was only the beginning of our trip. Once we got to our final destination on the streets of Cavite we met the students, ranging in age from 5 to 12, and assisted the volunteers in teaching the students. Olivia and I had a chance to assist with a little "color experiment." We taught the children how to mix different colors using red, yellow, blue, and white. It was surprising how much these kids already know. One little boy was able to read large paragraphs in English with very little assistance from us. This is a testament to how much progress the DTC has made. So many children are able to secure a better future through education with their help. There are fewer children in the streets, and more in the classrooms, and it is all thanks to the efforts of Kuya Ef and the volunteers if the DTC. After the pushcart classrooms, we headed back to the DTC headquarters for our daily reflections.

Our first full day in Cavite was exhausting, but seeing the smiling faces of the children as they received our gifts and sat through our lessons, made this entire experience worthwhile.

-Olivia and Binhan :)

Day 4: Off the Beaten Path

It just keeps getting better! After an enjoyable evening on the Bayleaf Hotel's beautiful skydeck and a solid night of sleep, we were rearing to go explore more of Manila City! We met up with our awesome guide Greg outside of Binondo Church near Manila City Chinatown, which interestingly is the oldest chinatown in the world. He led us down Onpin Street into the depths of the city so that we could get a taste of urban Filipino life outside of Intramuros. There were many sights to be seen, such as street vendors selling wares that ranged from fresh fruit to fortunes told by tarot cards, small tributaries that looked not too clean, and beautiful plazas and fountains.  The only thing that might have trumped the sights were the tastes! It seemed only fitting that we try out a local vendor's coconuts after the plethora of information given to us the day before by Greg. Many of us could be seen sipping juice from the coconut's insides with long straws or eating the flesh, whereas others instead opted to buy local pastries such as Hopia from Salazar's, a popular neighborhood bakery. We finished up by doing a  bit of shopping among local street vendors, checking out the San Sebastian Church, a enormous church built entirely of cast iron, as well as the House of Wood and Stone, the former home of a revolutionary and his wife who helped instigate the revolt against Spain as an occupying country.

After taking jeepney's, the best form of transportation ever, back to the hotel to clean up. We headed over to PLM for a Q&A with the community leaders of the Intramuros Volunteer Movement (IVM). Questions regarding Manila City's issues and future concerns were asked in English by members of GIEU, and were answered in Tagolog by the amazingly nice panelists, with Christina translating all the while. It quickly became apparent that big strides were being taken by these leaders to try and positively impact their community as much as possible, so it was really great when Richard praised their efforts with certificates of recognition from U of M. Shortly after we were led outside to meet a large number of elementary aged children from local schools. The kids were all very friendly, some even sassy, but all of them were SOOO CUTE! It was a blast playing with them, especially when we started a massive game of tag in which they had to get from one end of the walk to the other without us touching them. Afterward, we took them inside and served our little guests porridge along with our PLM student guides. After the children's brief dinner, we gave the children story books as gifts, which they all seemed to love, despite the craze of trading that ensued among kids trying to get different books. A few were sad when it was time to say goodbye (especially to Robert!) but our time with them was quickly over, so we said our goodbyes to the kids, PLM, and Intramuros and headed for Cavite City where we were received by the Dynamic Teen Movement and Efren Penaflorida! After a delicious evening meal, we got to hear a little about the pushcarts and meet our host families for the next 4 days. 

Today has been simply awesome and none of us can wait to see what new experiences and adventures await tomorrow!

-Ray & Patrick

Day 3 motto: Is This Real Life?

Where to start?! After finally catching up on some sleep we made our way to one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines. We were guided around the church by our guide Greg, an American who has lived in the Philippines for the past 24 years (he may or may not be in the C.I.A.).

I wish I could tell you that the stone building made for a cool tour, with our informative guide but that wasn't the case. We bought our first folding fans and got our arm workout for the day. At the church we visited the botanical garden where an Augustinian monk cataloged over 1,200 of the Philippines diverse plant species, including the coconut tree. Who knew that so much could be done with a coconut? The milk inside has tons of electrolytes, are a medium chain saturated fat which is found in only one other place in nature (breast milk). In sort, it is verrryyy good for you.

Next, we rode in a horse drawn buggies to Fort Santiago. This is the horse that Kelly, Ray, Adam, Bowen, and I (Broghan) rode in, his name was Rocky :). He took us around Intramuros and showed us the less touristy side of the walled city.

Then we split off into our small groups with our student leaders. Some of us went to the mall, while others did yoga on the skydeck. Those who went to the mall had a fun time trying different foods, and we realized that even fast food is different in Manila (McDonalds serves rice and KFC sells Spaghetti!) We then traveled to Riza park in Jeepneys and caught a glimse of various famous statues.

Next was dinner, we went to a Chinese restaurant and the food was never ending, literally. The highlight of dinner was the karaoke: Moon River, Disturbia, Don't Stop Believin', and Baby stole the show.

After that it was back on the bus for a quick stop to see the dancing fountains. As if they read our karaoke addled minds, Bad Romance came on and flames shot out of the water. It was magical. The most colorful and musical fountain that I've ever seen.

Peace Out, see you tomorrow. Kelly and Broghan :)

Day 2: A Day in the Life of Lady Gaga

Mabuhay!

Thanks to a fellow team member (Patrick), the news that Lady Gaga was in Manila spread quickly. Just falling short of trying to found out where she was staying in Manila, today we got to experience one of her songs first-hand: Paparazzi. How did we go from everyday university students to overnight celebrities? It was all thanks to the gracious hospitality and welcoming attitude of the students, faculty, and staff of PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila or the University of the City of Manila), the staff at the art and history museums, City Hall, and all of our other hosts today!

We started off our day meeting our student guides from PLM. From there, we headed to their university for a tour of their programs. Everyone was very welcoming and we were greeted with shell necklaces and a traditional Filipino dance performance. Most noticeably however, were the men recording our every stop with cameras and video cameras. None of us are too camera shy and we think we enjoyed our 15 minutes of fame. Before lunch, we watched a few videos by the College of Tourism promoting the Philippines. You can check out their campaigns at morefunmaker.com and see why it's more fun in the Philippines :)



After lunch and some more festive and lively performances by a local dance company (student dance scholars), we hopped on a bus to check out the National Museum in intramuros (or old Manila). Our very knowledgeable tour guide filled us in on the history of the Philippines as  it pertained to artwork, artifacts, fossils, and biodiversity. The next stop of the day was at City Hall where the real fanfare awaited us. When our bus pulled in, there was an entire marching band playing as we stepped off the bus on to a red carpet leading into City Hall. The Filipino people definitely know how to make their guests feel special!

We wrapped up our day eating at Barbara's, a buffet-style restaurant with good food and more cultural performances. We were also welcomed there and a few of our own even had the opportunity to show off their traditional Filipino dance skills in front of the entire restaurant (kudos to Patrick, Broghan, and Richard!) Overall, despite jet lag catching up to most of us, we felt very welcomed into a city halfway around the world, 8,000 miles from home, and we are looking forward to tomorrow! Mangandang gabi po!

~Amanda and Katie

Day 1: Welcome to the Philippines.

This has been a very, very long day.

Our GIEU team left for our adventure on Monday and arrived in the Philippines early Wednesday morning. As if the tedium of day-long plane rides was not enough, we were welcomed at the Manila airport by near 100% humidity as well as a mass of people at the customs gate created by twelve other flights arriving at the same time. After the cacophony that was the luggage claim, we finally got to relax on the air conditioned bus ride to the hotel.

Through the windows of the tour bus was a mixture of both the new and familiar. Between the cranky-looking jeepneys and bright neon lights of sidewalk shops were those ever famous McDonald’s golden arches as well as numerous 7-11 stores. Somehow, the combination of these two sights eased our anxiety of being in a new land. 

As we arrived at the Bayleaf hotel during the new Wednesday morning, we could not have expected what happened next. Our team casually rode the elevators up to the skydeck, and witnessed an amazing view of the city.

Some of us raised our arms in joy while others cheered; all in concert with the flashing of digital cameras. We were served delicious sandwiches and salads along with ice-chilled tea. As we all sat together and enjoyed the meal prepared by our gracious hotel hosts, the discomfort of the plane rides evaporated into the air.

As truly amazing as the skyline of Manila was to us weary travellers, it is not the sole reason for our trip.  We have come to the Philippines to give and take so much more from the Filipino culture , but the soft shades of light of Manila will do for now.
So now we take a well-deserved rest as the true first day of our journey begins in a few hours.