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.