My new favourite country

Philippines

Please click on the picture above to see the rest of my pics from this trip.

I've gotten a little behind in my blogging, and since my last post I've travelled overseas twice, but I'll start with my most recent trip while it's fresh in my mind. During Golden Week (April 27- May 7) I went on a volunteer trip with 10 other ALTs to the Philippines. We went with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for families who can't afford to buy one. We flew into Manila, arriving late at night, and left early the next morning for Naga city in Bicol, where we would be working and staying. Our first impression of Bicol was the airport, which had been hit by a typhoon (in November?!!) and was still missing part of the roof, among other things.

Wating for us at the airport were our co-ordinator, Leo, and some local volunteers, ready to pile us all into the jeepney, our mode of transportation for the week.

After settling into our cottages, we were off to the local university for an info session. We learned more about the project, and I was saddened to hear that in Bicol, about 70% of the people live below the poverty line. We also visited a finished habitat site where there were people living in the houses, including tons of kids who were ready and eager to pose for pictures

That night, we had a welcome dinner, where we got to know the local volunteers a bit better. We saw our first glimpse of their musical talent, which would entertain us throughout the week.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to a waterfall to go swimming and then some hotsprings to relax. It was a great day:)


We started work on Monday. The houses are made of brick, so our job consisted of carrying bricks, carrying water, sand, and gravel to mix with the cement, mixing cement, laying bricks, filling holes with cement, and digging a hole for the septic tank.

TO BE CONTINUED....