Thank you, Philippines!

I am writing my final blog while I sit on my couch in my apartment in Chicago. I arrived here a few days ago and even though I’m still dealing with the jet lag, I can’t help but remember all the wonderful times I had in that beautiful country.

My internship at the Social Enterprise Development Unit at Human Nature taught me the importance of helping other social enterprises succeed through guidance and resources. This unit has such a vital role in the enterprise’s mission of “emboldening” other businesses so that with their hard work (both of Human Nature and other social enterprises), they can make the Philippines a better place.

The two encounters I had with the NGO Gawad Kalinga (a volunteer event and visiting the farm) gave me hope that even though problems may seem too big to be solved, they in fact can be resolved. Addressing the issue of poverty, little by little, or in this case, village by village, is something GK has done when all other entities have failed to do so. In this organization, no one is left behind and all the values they share are something I will always remember.

And of course… all my touristy adventures are memories I will always cherish.

So a big thank you to this country and the IWU Freeman Asia Internship Program for giving me the opportunity to discover the Philippines.

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An adventure at El Nido

My Friday started at 4 in the morning to make it in time to the airport because you cannot know how full the MRT will be here. So, we made it to the airport and I started to worry because the direct flights to El Nido were being cancelled due to bad weather. Thankfully, they did not cancel the ones to Puerto Princesa. After arriving there, we took a van to El Nido.

After a jumpy ride full of turns, we made it to our Airbnb which a couple of hours later would get flooded. With the water reaching our knees, the owner took us to other rooms that were in a much better condition.

Our bad luck did not continue the next day and we were able to go zip-lining and spend the day at the beach relaxing on a hammock while drinking a delicious mango shake.

Our good luck continued and after many promises from the tour guide that the weather would be great, we went on Tour A to discover beautiful islands, beaches, and lagoons. I enjoyed delicious chicken and fish with an amazing sauce… and of course: rice!

After  a long day, we rested for a while and checked out of our Airbnb. We waited for our van and at 12am we were sleeping as we made our way back to Puerto Princesa.

When we arrived there, Elizabeth and I said goodbye to the FNRI interns and we started our short journey to discover the beautiful city. We stopped at the baywalk, the cathedral, the Palawan Museum, and Shakey’s for lunch!

I had an amazing time this weekend! Definitely recommend exploring El Nido and Puerto Princesa as soon as you can!

Discovering Puerto Galera…

Early Friday morning, I was on my way to Batangas City to get on a ferry to go to Puerto Galera. My friend had been there a few weekends ago and told me about how beautiful it was, so I had to see it for myself!

We arrived early and were able to get on the first ferry. After a 2 hour ride where I was half sleeping and half dizzy, we finally arrived there. As always, men offering tricycle rides as soon as you step off the ferry. We got on one and got to where we were staying at. We hadn’t really planned out what we were going to do but luckily there was a guy offering a tour for a really cheap price!

So we went upstairs to our room, changed into our swimsuits and came back down to start our adventure!

Our first stop was at the store because we hadn’t eaten anything since 3am when we woke up. Then, we got on our fist boat and went to a lovely beach (where I picked up some shells) and did some snorkeling after changing to a smaller boat. We also went to a resort called FRIDAYS and walked along the beach.

Afterwards, we enjoyed an authentic Filipino dish and drove back to the hotel.

We were so tired but still determined to go out at night and try the famous Mindoro Sling, which did not disappoint! We enjoyed that drink which originated in that island while watching men dancing with fire next to the waves!

Well, we definitely cannot complain about this weekend!

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Makati!

We had passed by Makati on our way back home from our adventure in Taal Volcano. So we went back on Saturday and spent the whole day there. I thought it was a lovely, developed city… so different from the Commonwealth street I pass by on my way to work. This city has tall buildings, maps on every corner, hotels, huge malls with high-end stores, American restaurants — everything that will make you feel like you are in a developed country.

I still cannot believe how a country like the Philippines who still struggles with poverty can have such a developed city. It makes me wonder how the money is administrated and why the country has money for maintaining such a city while there are other people who struggle to buy food every day. This is not just representative of the Philippines but of most countries in this world. This made me reflect about the injustices that happen and keep happening.

At the same time, being in this city — walking through three malls, eating at Buffalo Wild Wings, shopping for souvenirs at Kultura, and buying Krispy Kreme donuts — made me feel at home. It’s so easy to get used to a life like this and therefore ignore all other injustices. This is why I think the work that Gawad Kalinga and Human Nature are doing is outstanding. Not many people can say that they have left what they had before to fully commit to uplifting the poor.

I think that all of us should have a social responsibility to help those who struggle more than us and help create paths to a dignified life.

This week…

We finally went to Quezon Memorial Circle! It’s a big park with many restaurants and a flea market… and apparently some fair rides that we missed (I don’t know how we missed them haha!) We went to a museum that displayed the life of Manuel Quezon, a former president of the Philippines and whom the city was named after.

After that, we walked to the University of the Philippines, or UP — how they call it here. It was very peaceful since students are not usually on campus on the weekends. We got mango ice cream and sat and enjoyed the peacefulness.

Well, not bad for a Saturday!

 

On Thursday, we had to wake up at 4am to be ready and go to the plant on the Human Nature shuttle. However, because of a confusion we were not able to get on it and we had to commute with two other employees. We (finally) got on a taxi and bus, then on a tricycle and then on a jeepney! So now, we can finally say we’ve been on all the methods of transportation! It was so much fun and we definitely enjoyed the wind hitting our faces on that tricycle.

We got to the plant and started our immersion/tour. It was very interesting seeing how the production, packaging, and labelling happens. I was grateful we were able to see the work behind the scene.

 

 

Next stop: Makati!

Visiting Taal Volcano

This past weekend, I went to Santa Rosa and stayed with the other interns that are also working for Human Nature there. After 3 hours in a grab (the equivalent to uber), Elizabeth and I finally made it to Santa Rosa. After eating some spaghetti, we went to sleep to be ready at 5am the next day. We got on the van that Kuya Mon so kindly offer to drive and we started our adventure to go to Taal Volcano. We got on a boat in order to get to the volcano. Then, I started my first hike on an active volcano!! The sun was so strong it made it hard to walk and the hot vapor released by the volcano was not helping either. But … when we got to the top, we all agree that the view was so worth the tiredness and sweat we felt. It was an amazing view of the water and the other small islands.

After we spent some minutes admiring that beauty, we went back down and got on the boat to go back to the island. We were all starving and Kuya Mon drove us to this nice restaurant called Josephine’s. The food was delicious and I could’ve eaten a lot more but the drive back was going to be a long one, so I decided not to.

The next day, Elizabeth and I got on all the methods of transportation available in the Philippines (except for the taxi because they’re extremely expensive) in order to go back home to Quezon City since we weren’t able to book a grab. I took the tricycle for the first time to get to the bus terminal! It was a pretty cool experience and I still wonder how so many people fit in those small vehicles. Then, we got on the bus and we arrived at Makati. It is such a beautiful city and we’ll for sure go back there for a weekend! We walked around for a few minutes as we looked for the MRT (metro) station. A few minutes later, we were in Quezon City booking our grab to go home.

I had such a great experience this past weekend and look forward to exploring Quezon Circle next weekend!

A first glance at the Philippines

After a very long flight, we finally arrived at Manila. I thought the trip was over but the traffic told me otherwise. We spent a couple hours stuck in the traffic on our way to Los Baños were we stayed in a hotel close to the University of the Philippines for two days. We learned about the culture and the history of the Philippines as well as some basic Tagalog. My first reactions to the people in general are that they are extremely nice and friendly and they are always laughing. It was so comforting to find smiling faces at the airport and the hotel after landing at a country that I had never been to before.

After orientation, we were all taken to our respective sites. Elizabeth and I, who are interning at Human Nature in Quezon City, were taken to our comfortable apartment on Wednesday. From there, we went to the office and started getting familiar to our new job for the next two months. I am working at the Social Enterprise Development Unit and will be focusing on the concept of “living wage” and “quality of life” in the context of the country. So far, I’m learning a lot about development in the Philippines and the different measures that have been taken to ensure that everyone is taken care of.

Last Friday was a holiday, but I had to come to the office because some of the workers, including the ones in my department, were going to volunteer at one of the Gawad Kalinga villages. I invited Elizabeth to come along and we both had an amazing time there! We read and played with the kids of that community and later in the day they danced two songs for us. They are so talented and energetic! It was really fulfilling to have been able to spend a couple of hours with them and share a good time together.

So far, we have been able to explore Quezon City and filipino culture and we look forward to learning more!