Hi, Mama. Sorry it has been such a long time since I've updated. I've just been so busy and so drained (physically and emotionally) to sit down and write.
Things are amazing at Regional Haven. I am so madly in love with the work I'm doing there and with the women I'm working with. Their optimism and sincerity inspires me everyday. I love being greeted every morning by 15 smiling faces yelling, "Good morning, Ate Alissa!" You know that unconditional love you receive from a dog when you walk in the door? The kind of love that our kitty cat refuses to give us? That's how I feel when I walk into Regional Haven every morning. It's wonderful.
the activities have been going really well. They seem to be really enjoying the crafts, games, etc. that I have been planning out for them. Their enthusiasm and excitement is incredible validation for me. I have also been journaling with them daily, and they really enjoy that as well. I like to give them prompts that make them think (eg. If you had three wishes, what would they be and why?). Sometimes I give them silly prompts just to make them laugh and have a little fun (eg. Who is your celebrity crush and why?). I love reading their answers. Some of them can write really well in English. Others don't know any English, and I have to have Ate Mary Ann translate them for me when I go home in the evening.
Things have been going wonderfully with my homestay as well. I absolutely adore my host family. I love coming home after a long day and just chatting with Ate Mary Ann. She never fails to put a smile on my face. Another member of the family who never fails to put a smile on my face is Budoy, my crazy little brother, who is quite possibly the cutest and funniest little boy in the entire world.
Case in point:
He cracks me up everyday.
I do find it interesting living with a 6 year old boy because I babysit a 6 year old boy at home. It's neat to me to compare and contrast the two who are the exact same age, but growing up on opposite sides of the world. You'd be surprised the universal similarities that exist.
Yesterday we took a day trip visiting various project sites within Volunteer for the Visayans. One main area that we visited was the Dumpsite Project. Poor families send their children out into the dump collecting plastic and cans that can be turned in for money. One kilo of plastic only equals 7 pesos (roughly 16 cents, 42 pesos = $1). The Dumpsite Project allows for the sponsorship of these children to get them out of the dump and into schools. The families of these children often don't send their kids to school because they need them to search for plastic all day. It's unbelievably tragic. Some of these children are barefoot and the rest are just wearing flip flops digging through the dump. They are so susceptible to potentially life threatening diseases.
When we first arrived, during the drive up to the dump we were immediately hit with a wall of odor. No description could do justice to the experience of hitting that wall. It was intense. When we pulled up and got out of the jeepney, we saw the children in action. A dump truck would pull up and the children would all run to dig to get the plastic before the others. Witnessing this was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. My heart was so broken. I felt so humbled and helpless. I got back on the jeepney and tried with everything I had in myself not to cry. I am so thankful for everything I have in my life. Everyday I see more and more what I take for granted and how truly blessed I am in the life that I live.
I think this picture speaks more than a thousand words.
On a lighter note, VFV hired a private jeepney to drive us around for the day to visit the different placements. I don't think I've talked much about the jeepneys. They are the local form of transportation, and they are absolutely hilarious. They are giant metal jeeps leftover from WWII, and each jeepney is painted and decorated really ridiculously. They cram about as many people as possible into the jeepneys, and when they can't fit any more inside, people hang off the back or sit on the roof. It is completely unsafe, and would not be legal in the US. It's all part of the charm of the Philippines though. The way the jeepneys work is you stand anywhere on the road and flag them down like you would a taxi. They'll pick you up and then when you want to get off you yell, "para!" and they'll pull over to let you off. There are no designated stops like there are with buses in the US. I'm going to miss the convenience of the jeepneys when I go home. Anyway...they hired a private jeepney for our day trip, and somehow one of the volunteers, Richard (Australian guy with long red hair), talked the jeepney driver into letting him drive! I was so scared for my life! I did make it out alive though, fortunately! He drove the jeepney for about 15-20 minutes! Driving in the Philippines is not like driving in the US...the lanes are merely suggestions. People weave in and out and drive on the opposite side of the road all the time. It was scary having him drive, but it was rather hilarious because every time we passed someone he would honk the horn and wave. Nobody knew how to react to a white man with a long red ponytail driving a jeepney. It's just unheard of. It was hilarious seeing their faces when he drove by.
Tomorrow is one of my very closest friends, Melissa's, last day. One thing that is very difficult is that volunteers are continuously coming and going. With Semester at Sea, we were all in it together the whole way through. With this, we all are here for different lengths of time starting and ending at different times. In fact, most of the volunteers who were here when I first came have already left, and there are a lot of new volunteers. I'm going to be really sad when Melissa leaves. It's going to be so weird without her here.
Last night a large group of the volunteers went out to a club. I haven't really gone out at all the entire time I've been here, and I figured I would go out because it was Melissa's last night out. Well...I quickly realized why I haven't been going out. I was having a good time, and suddenly the wall hit me smack in the face; the wall that is the reality of the nightmare I am living in. This wall hits me from time to time and when it does I shut down. I can't bring myself to have a good time; I can't bring myself to enjoy myself. Naturally, I broke down and started crying. I felt so bad because the last thing I wanted to do was bring my friends down during a fun night out, but I am lucky to have such wonderful friends, especially Melissa and Ligaya, who kept telling me that my well being was more important to them than a night out. The two of them are always there for me when I need to cry (or laugh), and I appreciate it so much. I've been having a really hard time lately, Mom. The wall seems to be hitting me more and more often (probably because the reality of me going home to an empty house is getting closer and closer). I've caught myself withdrawing from social activities lately. I guess that's just what I need to do right now though. I'm trying to be as normal as I can, but there's only so much I can do. Melissa and Ligaya told me that the fact that I'm able to get out of bed every morning, get myself ready, and be strong for the women at the center every single day is amazing, and that they think I'm doing incredibly well. A lot of people keep telling me that. It's just hard though when I feel like I'm imploding on the inside. The truth is though that the only time I feel somewhat strong is when I'm at Regional Haven. I think the women are helping me more than I'm helping them. It really is a blessing.
I'm trying to hang in there as best as I can, Mom. Keep watching over me. I need you more and more everyday. I love you so much. I'll post a bunch of pictures later today or tomorrow.
Things are amazing at Regional Haven. I am so madly in love with the work I'm doing there and with the women I'm working with. Their optimism and sincerity inspires me everyday. I love being greeted every morning by 15 smiling faces yelling, "Good morning, Ate Alissa!" You know that unconditional love you receive from a dog when you walk in the door? The kind of love that our kitty cat refuses to give us? That's how I feel when I walk into Regional Haven every morning. It's wonderful.
the activities have been going really well. They seem to be really enjoying the crafts, games, etc. that I have been planning out for them. Their enthusiasm and excitement is incredible validation for me. I have also been journaling with them daily, and they really enjoy that as well. I like to give them prompts that make them think (eg. If you had three wishes, what would they be and why?). Sometimes I give them silly prompts just to make them laugh and have a little fun (eg. Who is your celebrity crush and why?). I love reading their answers. Some of them can write really well in English. Others don't know any English, and I have to have Ate Mary Ann translate them for me when I go home in the evening.
Things have been going wonderfully with my homestay as well. I absolutely adore my host family. I love coming home after a long day and just chatting with Ate Mary Ann. She never fails to put a smile on my face. Another member of the family who never fails to put a smile on my face is Budoy, my crazy little brother, who is quite possibly the cutest and funniest little boy in the entire world.
Case in point:
He cracks me up everyday.
I do find it interesting living with a 6 year old boy because I babysit a 6 year old boy at home. It's neat to me to compare and contrast the two who are the exact same age, but growing up on opposite sides of the world. You'd be surprised the universal similarities that exist.
Yesterday we took a day trip visiting various project sites within Volunteer for the Visayans. One main area that we visited was the Dumpsite Project. Poor families send their children out into the dump collecting plastic and cans that can be turned in for money. One kilo of plastic only equals 7 pesos (roughly 16 cents, 42 pesos = $1). The Dumpsite Project allows for the sponsorship of these children to get them out of the dump and into schools. The families of these children often don't send their kids to school because they need them to search for plastic all day. It's unbelievably tragic. Some of these children are barefoot and the rest are just wearing flip flops digging through the dump. They are so susceptible to potentially life threatening diseases.
When we first arrived, during the drive up to the dump we were immediately hit with a wall of odor. No description could do justice to the experience of hitting that wall. It was intense. When we pulled up and got out of the jeepney, we saw the children in action. A dump truck would pull up and the children would all run to dig to get the plastic before the others. Witnessing this was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. My heart was so broken. I felt so humbled and helpless. I got back on the jeepney and tried with everything I had in myself not to cry. I am so thankful for everything I have in my life. Everyday I see more and more what I take for granted and how truly blessed I am in the life that I live.
I think this picture speaks more than a thousand words.
On a lighter note, VFV hired a private jeepney to drive us around for the day to visit the different placements. I don't think I've talked much about the jeepneys. They are the local form of transportation, and they are absolutely hilarious. They are giant metal jeeps leftover from WWII, and each jeepney is painted and decorated really ridiculously. They cram about as many people as possible into the jeepneys, and when they can't fit any more inside, people hang off the back or sit on the roof. It is completely unsafe, and would not be legal in the US. It's all part of the charm of the Philippines though. The way the jeepneys work is you stand anywhere on the road and flag them down like you would a taxi. They'll pick you up and then when you want to get off you yell, "para!" and they'll pull over to let you off. There are no designated stops like there are with buses in the US. I'm going to miss the convenience of the jeepneys when I go home. Anyway...they hired a private jeepney for our day trip, and somehow one of the volunteers, Richard (Australian guy with long red hair), talked the jeepney driver into letting him drive! I was so scared for my life! I did make it out alive though, fortunately! He drove the jeepney for about 15-20 minutes! Driving in the Philippines is not like driving in the US...the lanes are merely suggestions. People weave in and out and drive on the opposite side of the road all the time. It was scary having him drive, but it was rather hilarious because every time we passed someone he would honk the horn and wave. Nobody knew how to react to a white man with a long red ponytail driving a jeepney. It's just unheard of. It was hilarious seeing their faces when he drove by.
Tomorrow is one of my very closest friends, Melissa's, last day. One thing that is very difficult is that volunteers are continuously coming and going. With Semester at Sea, we were all in it together the whole way through. With this, we all are here for different lengths of time starting and ending at different times. In fact, most of the volunteers who were here when I first came have already left, and there are a lot of new volunteers. I'm going to be really sad when Melissa leaves. It's going to be so weird without her here.
Last night a large group of the volunteers went out to a club. I haven't really gone out at all the entire time I've been here, and I figured I would go out because it was Melissa's last night out. Well...I quickly realized why I haven't been going out. I was having a good time, and suddenly the wall hit me smack in the face; the wall that is the reality of the nightmare I am living in. This wall hits me from time to time and when it does I shut down. I can't bring myself to have a good time; I can't bring myself to enjoy myself. Naturally, I broke down and started crying. I felt so bad because the last thing I wanted to do was bring my friends down during a fun night out, but I am lucky to have such wonderful friends, especially Melissa and Ligaya, who kept telling me that my well being was more important to them than a night out. The two of them are always there for me when I need to cry (or laugh), and I appreciate it so much. I've been having a really hard time lately, Mom. The wall seems to be hitting me more and more often (probably because the reality of me going home to an empty house is getting closer and closer). I've caught myself withdrawing from social activities lately. I guess that's just what I need to do right now though. I'm trying to be as normal as I can, but there's only so much I can do. Melissa and Ligaya told me that the fact that I'm able to get out of bed every morning, get myself ready, and be strong for the women at the center every single day is amazing, and that they think I'm doing incredibly well. A lot of people keep telling me that. It's just hard though when I feel like I'm imploding on the inside. The truth is though that the only time I feel somewhat strong is when I'm at Regional Haven. I think the women are helping me more than I'm helping them. It really is a blessing.
I'm trying to hang in there as best as I can, Mom. Keep watching over me. I need you more and more everyday. I love you so much. I'll post a bunch of pictures later today or tomorrow.
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