Hey guys, this has been another crazy week, yet very relaxing week! We've been working on more of the social education planning with Joni and also we are going to start up some swim lessons with the kids pretty soon! I'm excited to teach these kids but I know it'll be a lot on our plates. Before we actually started the swim lessons, however, we were scheduled to go on our MAD Travel trip to Baler, Aurora, Philippines. MAD (Make A Difference) Travel is one of the social enterprises here at the farm and they are basically an enterprise that does trip planning for groups to destinations throughout the Philippines. I was extremely excited to go on this trip because It'd be a nice break from the farm and I also would get to see a completely different look at the Philippines. So after a long night of despedidas for four of the French interns' departure, we reluctantly woke up at 7:45 for and 8 am van ride to silver heights. I was not completely sure about the itinerary of the trip but this came as a pleasant surprise for me that we would visit another GK site In more of a city setting. We arrived to silver heights in the morning and were greeted by a very warm welcome from all of the community members there, especially the welcoming committee appropriately named, the mabuhay ladies. We were eventually paired with a family to stay with for the night and my Nanay was named Nanay Giselle. She had three kids and a husband and they were very welcoming! Very similar to Tita Brenda's house here on the farm community, this home was very welcoming and cozy. They becomes for me to come in and leave my bags in the upstairs room. I climbed the narrow staircase and when I arrived at the top, I was in my room. It was a small room covered in colorful wallpaper on the wall, ceilings, and floors. I set my bag down on a mattress pad set up on the floor with a set of children's sheets and pillows on it. I figured that this was the room that the kids slept in. I remember pondering how amazing it was that they literally have their only actual bedroom in the entire house to me, a complete stranger. And I think that is very representative of many of the people and families I have met so far in the Philippines. If I walk into a home or even a business where someone is eating, the first thing they ask is, "Have you eaten already?" I have really noticed and been able to see the selflessness of these people in the GK communities, and it is truly amazing.
Some Kids from the GK Mejares community and I
After a couple of activities with the silver heights folks the next morning, we got on the road and drove about 7 hours to Baler. The trip took a little longer than expected due to some unforeseen traffic and a flat tire, but once we finally got to the small surfing town, we were all very impressed. We stayed in a hostel called the circle and it was the most hipster, trendy place I could've imagined. There were hammocks, bean bag chairs, tables, cards, a wide assortment of board games, speakers, and extremely chill and friendly people. The thing that stood out the most, however, was the decoration of the walls and ceilings of the hostel. It was a hostel that was very open to the outdoors and made completely out of stone and bamboo, but the stone walls and bamboo floors and stairs were brought alive by the thousands of amateur paintings and sayings that were littered throughout them. This was hands down, one of the coolest things I've seen during my stay here. After walking a little further, I saw a sign posted on the staircase pointing to a bucket filled with assorted colors of paint. The sign read, "Leave your mark here! Grab a paintbrush and get creative! Just no name-tagging." In the middle of the main floor lounge, I noticed a large part of the floor dipping into the ground on a slant. In the back of my mind I had an idea of what it could be, but I knew that that would be crazy. Upon a closer examination, my initial suspicions were confirmed. There was a half-pipe skate ramp in the middle of the hostel. There was literally nothing about this hostel that was disappointing.
The Main Lounge Area at The Circle Hostel
We put our stuff down and went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant called "the good food" and my goodness, the title was nothing short of completely true. After eating we went to the beach, but that was short-lived because it was pitch black out and I'm not crazy. Later on we went to a couple bars and one of them happened to be owned by a man who had been raised in Tarragona, Spain. I was extremely excited to hear this because during my recent study abroad in Barcelona, I had spent a bit of time in Tarragona. I was able to talk to the owner in Spanish for a good amount of time and eventually when we switched back to English, the conversation moved the the extreme effects that the new president, Rodrigo Duterte, had had on the small town. If you do not know by now, Duterte won in a popular election recently regardless of his extreme vows to kill all drug users and drug dealers in the country. Many people believe that he is what the country needs to get it "back on track", and a common nickname for him is the "Donald trump of the Philippines." It has been reported that many people have already been killed over the passed two weeks, his first two weeks in office. The owner of the bar told us that two weeks prior two our visit, hundreds of drug dealers and addicts alike turned themselves into the police in fear of being killed. I found it very amazing how many people turned themselves in due to fear. Many people think that Duterte is very effective in his methods, but in reality, he is targeting the population of drug users/ dealers in the country who cannot afford to bribe their way into continuing their business. When you vow to end drug use, that will do nothing if corruption in the police force allows it to continue amongst the top 1 percent of the population. It may make them harder to find, but they will still be there.
Anyways, the next few days were simply amazing, we went to two more GK communities and played with the kids and enjoyed a couple more boodle fights as well. We were able to surf,climb a waterfall, and even climb up/ go inside the largest balete tree in Asia. This was hands down a trip I will never forget and an experience that added immensely to my experience as a whole in the Philippines.
Thanks for reading guys, and I'll hit ya with another one soon!
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