Now that I’ve been here 2 months (wow, time flies!) I thought it might be a good time to share with you what a typical day looks like (although, to be honest, no day in the Philippines is ever typical!).
My alarm wakes me at 6am and Aruna and I walk to the gym we have joined just down the road from our place. I work out for about an hour and a half to the program the trainer prepared for me. One thing we have come to understand is that Philippinos are quite open in talking about such things as weight, age etc, and the trainer had no qualms in telling me I need to loose weight! But I knew I should take it in the cultural context in which it was delivered! By the time I’m walking back home, a blonde foreigner in gym clothes seems to create quite a spectacle for the early morning commuters.
After a refreshing cold shower (fingers crossed that the water pressure allows more than just a trickle) I make myself a tropical fruit shake for breakfast while watching the news on channel news Asia. Before heading out the door I make sure I’ve packed my umbrella and toilet paper and then lather myself with suncream and insect repelant. Malaria is present in the Philippines but not a big issue in the urban areas, dengue however is, and that’s the daytime mozzie. Despite my daily ritual I’ve been bitten many times, but none as yet leading to a fever (touch wood!).
From the coffee shop on the corner, I grab a take-away espresso and jump in a trisikad (the Philippino answer to a rickshaw). For P10 (25c) he pedals me to the main road (1km) from where I get a jeepney to the office. Jeepneys are quite a unique Philippino icon. They actually began as surplus army vehicles left by the American troops after WWII which were modified to carry passengers and are flamboyantly decorated. It was an inexpensive way to re-establish public transportation which was virtually destroyed in the war. When they became widely used, the government began to impose specialised licences, regular routes and reasonably fixed fares. It costs me P8 (20c) for the 3km trip to the office. I’m still trying to work out the all routes and make myself a map.
The office is situated on the first floor of a commercial building. The space they ‘rent’ for P1 a year is actually the Couples for Christ Centre which GK uses as a base. It is also used by the Kids for Christ, Youth for Christ, Singles for Christ etc for prayer meetings and so on, so there are different groups coming and going all the time. It is open plan with simple wooden desks and plastic chairs. The minimal spend on admin related items in favour of channelling the funds directly to the poor where it is needed is very much in keeping with the GK motto “Less for self, more for others, enough for all”. My desk is in the middle of the main space that fronts the busy street, between Uncle Molo (the QS) and Marj (Singles for Christ Coordinator). Closer to the window sits the head of the health program (Uncle Russel), the head of partnerships (Aunty Mik Mik), the head of values formation (Uncle Johnny), and the head of shelter (Uncle Butch). There is one air conditioned room where the older workers sit.
As I walk in I say goodmorning to all the ‘Aunts’ and ‘Uncles’, turn the fan on and take out my laptop from my backpack. Despite the rustic appearance, the centre is actually Wi Fi enabled. I check my email and chat to my colleagues. I might work on a site plan or do some reading. By now the R&B music from the sound system will be mixing with the noises from the street of traffic, jeepney horns, barking dogs and street vendors calling out their wares. If there’s a prayer group in the other room, add to that the singing of songs of praise accompanied by acoustic guitar. And of course, the non-stop txt message alert tones, as everything is done by sms in the Philippines. It is about now, mid morning, that the lady comes around selling her basket of goodies for merienda. We might have some slices of pineapple or a caramalised banana on a stick (‘banana kew’) - yum!
Then it’s time for lunch! A group of us will go to either Margie’s down the road or head to the food court in the mall where P60 ($1.50) will buy you a serve of rice with a topping, a small bowl of soup and a soft drink. The lunch break is usually about 2 to 2.5 hours. We make the most of the air-conditioned mall and do a bit of shopping. When we head back to the centre we usually find the Aunts and Uncles having their siestas – heads down on their desks. At 2.30 or thereabouts the music and the lights are switched back on. If we’re lucky they will stay on for the rest of the afternoon, but most likely will be interrupted by brown outs.
In the afternoon, Butch and I might make a site visit to check on progress on one of the GK villages. Butch will drive us there in his well loved 4x4. I wouldn’t be game to attempt to drive in Bacolod – there’s no other way to describe the traffic but organised chaos! Alternatively, we might have a project meeting with a benefactor at one of the cafés in the uptown area. 4.30 and it’s time to pick up Marbie (Butch’s daughter) from school (school hours are 7.30am to 4.30pm!). Sometimes I’ll go with him and we’ll take her to have some pizza or an iced chocolate before they drop me home.
If it is a Wednesday, I’ll be heading to our language class at 6pm with Aruna. Our 1 hour lesson takes place in a tutorial space set up by one of the full time GK workers to earn some extra cash on the side. After class, if we don’t feel like cooking, we’ll probably grab some BBQ chicken with rice and kalamansi (small lime the size of a cumquot) which Bacolod is famous for. We might also drop into Café Bobs and use the Wi Fi to update our blogs or skype with family/friends. In the cool of the evening it’s a pleasant walk back to our apartment, although, we’ll be dodging the planter boxes, parked cars, fruit stalls etc that take over the pavement, and politely refusing multiple offers of taxi’s or trisikads to take us to our destination – why would we want to walk?
Sitting at our dinning table, we debrief on the days challenges, sharing the funny and the frustrating moments. And that was a typical day in my life in the Philippines!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
8 - Groundbreaking
Saturday 13th September was the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new GK village in Handumanan. It is very exciting to see my first project taking shape right from ground zero. Butch and I were on site for the few days leading up to the weekend ensuring that the preparations were on track. We really didn’t have to do much as the Project Director for the site had things under control and the Alumni of St Johns who are funding the project are very well organised. They are calling it the 50 homes for 50 years project – 1 house for every year that has graduated from the school to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
The first priority was to install the first of 4 artesian wells with hand pumps to supply water for the site. The pumps had been donated by the local lions club. It took 2 men 3 days to bore the well manually.
The tropical afternoon storms hindered the progress of the grader which was forging out the road network, but thankfully, the weather stayed fine for the big day on Saturday. A tent and chairs were set up for the audience. A stage was erected. Signs were planted to indicate the locations of where the school, basketball court, Multi-purpose hall, office and wellness centre will eventually stand. The sound system was strung up. Holes were dug for the border trees. And meanwhile, a hoard of curious local children had discovered that the site made a great new playground – forget OH&S!
Just before 3 in the afternoon the guests started arriving. There were teachers, students, staff and alumni of the school, the GK team, the media and various dignitaries. They numbered around 200 in all. The ceremony began with the singing of the Philippines National Anthem. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri gave an address, and in the hype of the moment, quadrupled his commitment from P500,000 to P2 Million! With that we should be able to build not only the Multi-Purpose Hall but possibly the school as well. Still seeking donors for the basketball court, office and wellness centre.
The documents including the Site Development Plan and the Memorandum of Agreement were placed in a time capsule and ceremoniously lowered into the ground below where the entrance marker to the village will eventually be erected. It will be opened in 25 years time. So when I’m 53, I think I’ll have to make a trip back to this site for the occasion!
The priest blessed the site and after a few more speeches the ceremony concluded with the planting of trees along the site boundaries by the current students of St Johns. Then, of course, we all ate merienda!
The first priority was to install the first of 4 artesian wells with hand pumps to supply water for the site. The pumps had been donated by the local lions club. It took 2 men 3 days to bore the well manually.
The tropical afternoon storms hindered the progress of the grader which was forging out the road network, but thankfully, the weather stayed fine for the big day on Saturday. A tent and chairs were set up for the audience. A stage was erected. Signs were planted to indicate the locations of where the school, basketball court, Multi-purpose hall, office and wellness centre will eventually stand. The sound system was strung up. Holes were dug for the border trees. And meanwhile, a hoard of curious local children had discovered that the site made a great new playground – forget OH&S!
Just before 3 in the afternoon the guests started arriving. There were teachers, students, staff and alumni of the school, the GK team, the media and various dignitaries. They numbered around 200 in all. The ceremony began with the singing of the Philippines National Anthem. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri gave an address, and in the hype of the moment, quadrupled his commitment from P500,000 to P2 Million! With that we should be able to build not only the Multi-Purpose Hall but possibly the school as well. Still seeking donors for the basketball court, office and wellness centre.
The documents including the Site Development Plan and the Memorandum of Agreement were placed in a time capsule and ceremoniously lowered into the ground below where the entrance marker to the village will eventually be erected. It will be opened in 25 years time. So when I’m 53, I think I’ll have to make a trip back to this site for the occasion!
The priest blessed the site and after a few more speeches the ceremony concluded with the planting of trees along the site boundaries by the current students of St Johns. Then, of course, we all ate merienda!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
7 - Taal Volcano
With my first month up, I decided to call a meeting with my counterpart and my supervisor to reflect on the month past and review the objectives for the next 9. As we sat down, my supervisor asked “Is this an Australian style meeting? :-)”, as I had placed a 1 page agenda on the table. The meeting went well though, and I came away feeling a lot clearer about the goals for the next 9 months. During our meeting, various people breezed in and out again, Mik Mik being one of them and she looked over my shoulder for a while at the agenda on the table. Later that afternoon I attended a meeting Mik Mik had called to discuss the use of funds on projects. An agenda was distributed and the meeting ensued. Afterwards, I turned to Butch and said “So, agenda’s aren’t so unusual after all, Mik Mik prepared an agenda for this afternoon’s meeting”. “Actually, I was surprised, that’s the first time she’s done that” he replied. I couldn’t help feeling pleased that perhaps I’d had a small influence there, and, as we learned in Orientation week, it’s important to celebrate the small wins.
Another win was that we went to inspect the Handumanan site prior to the weekend, and the earthmoving was well underway. Apparently a small amount of compensation was given to the squatter who planted the rice crop on the site. Construction of the first lot of houses is scheduled to commence this coming Saturday!
I have now met the Dean of the School of Architecture in Bacolod. La Consolasion College is reputedly the second best Architecture School in the country after Manila. I have been invited to give some guest lectures in second semester. I will also be engaging the 4th year students in a project for a new GK village.
On the weekend, a selection of AYAD’s and their host organisations returned to Manila to participate in an AusAID workshop aimed at piloting a more programmatic approach to the placement of AYAD’s, which up to now has been on an ad hoc basis. This was the brainchild of Jonas, our fabulous In-Country Manager, and if successful, will be rolled out across all the countries in the Asia Pacific where AYAD’s are sent. GK was one of the chosen host organisations. We were all put up in a very nice hotel in Manila. It was funny the things we appreciated, such as the hot showers with water pressure and mixed salad leaves! It was a full-on 2 days and exciting to be a part of this new direction for the AYAD program.
Rather than returning to Bacolod straight after the workshop, Aruna and I decided to take the opportunity of making a side trip. So we delayed our return until Monday, and headed a couple of hours south of Manila to Taal Volcano. Lou, another AYAD, joined us and the 3 of us stayed 2 nights in a fabulous bamboo cottage on a ridge overlooking the volcano which sits in the centre of Lake Taal. On the Sunday we took a boat across the lake and climbed the volcano (which is still active by-the-way!). At various points along the walk there was sulphurous gas leaking from cracks in the earth! It was good to get some exercise after all the good food at the workshop, but locals took a lot of convincing that we really didn’t want a horse and we were quite happy to walk! When we reached the top, there was a lake within the crater and a tiny island in the middle of it – it looked spectacular – a lake within a lake! Very matrushka doll like.
Monday morning we relaxed in “Sonya’s Garden”, making the most of the pleasant mountain air and had a fabulous lunch of fresh garden produce. Then it was time to head back to Manila for our return flight to warm, humid Bacolod. But unlike the first time we took this flight, just over a month ago, it was nice to know we were going ‘home’ to our own place.
There’s now less than 2 weeks until Jordi comes to visit. I can’t wait to see him and show him around!
Another win was that we went to inspect the Handumanan site prior to the weekend, and the earthmoving was well underway. Apparently a small amount of compensation was given to the squatter who planted the rice crop on the site. Construction of the first lot of houses is scheduled to commence this coming Saturday!
I have now met the Dean of the School of Architecture in Bacolod. La Consolasion College is reputedly the second best Architecture School in the country after Manila. I have been invited to give some guest lectures in second semester. I will also be engaging the 4th year students in a project for a new GK village.
On the weekend, a selection of AYAD’s and their host organisations returned to Manila to participate in an AusAID workshop aimed at piloting a more programmatic approach to the placement of AYAD’s, which up to now has been on an ad hoc basis. This was the brainchild of Jonas, our fabulous In-Country Manager, and if successful, will be rolled out across all the countries in the Asia Pacific where AYAD’s are sent. GK was one of the chosen host organisations. We were all put up in a very nice hotel in Manila. It was funny the things we appreciated, such as the hot showers with water pressure and mixed salad leaves! It was a full-on 2 days and exciting to be a part of this new direction for the AYAD program.
Rather than returning to Bacolod straight after the workshop, Aruna and I decided to take the opportunity of making a side trip. So we delayed our return until Monday, and headed a couple of hours south of Manila to Taal Volcano. Lou, another AYAD, joined us and the 3 of us stayed 2 nights in a fabulous bamboo cottage on a ridge overlooking the volcano which sits in the centre of Lake Taal. On the Sunday we took a boat across the lake and climbed the volcano (which is still active by-the-way!). At various points along the walk there was sulphurous gas leaking from cracks in the earth! It was good to get some exercise after all the good food at the workshop, but locals took a lot of convincing that we really didn’t want a horse and we were quite happy to walk! When we reached the top, there was a lake within the crater and a tiny island in the middle of it – it looked spectacular – a lake within a lake! Very matrushka doll like.
Monday morning we relaxed in “Sonya’s Garden”, making the most of the pleasant mountain air and had a fabulous lunch of fresh garden produce. Then it was time to head back to Manila for our return flight to warm, humid Bacolod. But unlike the first time we took this flight, just over a month ago, it was nice to know we were going ‘home’ to our own place.
There’s now less than 2 weeks until Jordi comes to visit. I can’t wait to see him and show him around!