Colleen in the Philippines

This past week has been an intense mixture of emotions for me. As of now, I have a little less than 2 weeks left in the Philippines. Although I have been patiently waiting for the departure date on my plane ticket to arrive, it’s coming a lot faster than I expected. On top of the ambivalence I’m feeling about leaving, I and my colleague had an emotionally exhaustive week with some new clients. Interacting with these clients has required, on my behalf, a mini-reevaluation of my life and the things that I don’t fully appreciate.

While living in the Philippines for the last eight weeks there have been many obstacles, challenges, and learning experiences that I have encountered. For example, taxi drivers here LOVE to rip you off (at least from my experience) so always make sure they turn on the meter for you. Another valuable lesson I have learned is that you should never assume that a restroom (or comfort room as it’s called here) has toilet paper for you, always come with a roll in hand. And it’s smart to be prepared for a torrential downpour at any moment. Facing these inconveniences has been enough for me to complain about on a regular basis, however, after this past week these “problems” of mine couldn’t have seemed more irrelevant.

Each evening when I sulk home from work and plop down on my hard, squeaky, futon bed I dream of the day when I will be re-acquainted with my fluffy bed at home. Needless to say I have taken that hard, squeaky, futon for granted. Late last Friday night I met a family, and for confidentiality sake I will refrain from going into detail, but in the short time I got to know this family they have without a doubt touched my heart. Long story short, they have endured more than anyone should be subjected to. They have nothing to their name…no money, no home, no travel documents. However, they remain some of the most resilient and positive people that I have met.

Something very valuable that I have witnessed while interacting with clients abroad is that people with nothing are so eager to give you what they have with no questions asked or favors requested. I was lucky enough to have bonded particularly well with the two little girls in this family and they were able to give me a much-needed reality check without even knowing it. All of the minuscule things that I complain about here make me feel so ungrateful when I see the trials and tribulations that they have already experienced at such a young age, yet they still strut around flashing their beautiful smiles and positive attitudes. Needless to say, I am beyond thankful to have met this family, they have impacted me in a way that they do not know and they have allowed me to grow as a person.

-Per usual below are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Short trip up to Mariveles Bataan with my colleague to visit some clients

My first and only attempt at eating balut

My first time seeing a farm where they breed chickens for cock fighting (which is legal here)

Well 5 weeks down and another 5 to go. This post will sort of serve as a recap about what has been happening on this side of the world. About a week ago our agency had their annual R&R (rest and relaxation). We went to the beautiful Laiya Batangas. It was a 3 hour commute from Pasay City but it was well worth the long bus ride and bumpy jeepney excursion to get there. However, before we went to the resort we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy a brunch sponsored by one of my co-worker’s. His mother cooked us amazing traditional Filipino foods and I got a tutorial about how to eat with my hands (you just sort of pick up the rice and dig in). This experience was awesome to say the least and provided me with an opportunity to get to know more about the Filipino culture.

Once we finished eating brunch we embarked on the second half of our journey to the resort. We stopped and did some grocery shopping so we were prepared to cook homemade meals while we were at the beach. After being packed like sardines with luggage and groceries all in tow we made our way to the resort. When we arrived at the resort it was beautifully rugged…almost like camping at the beach (or what I assume that would be like to do that…but with a comfy bed and running water). Okay so maybe it wasn’t like camping at all, but that’s okay. I tossed my bag on one of the beds in our shared room and made my way down to the ocean with camera in hand. The water was warm and welcoming as I dipped my toes in. When I looked to the right the view was breathtaking.

One of my favorite activities during R&R was when I, and all of my co-workers got to take a private boat to a small beach cove. Although it was only 20 minutes away (via boat) the water was the most crystal clear I have ever seen in person.  It was like we had our own private cove to do as we pleased. The remainder of my time at R&R was spent sharing delicious meals and maybe one too many shots of brandy with my co-workers. Although R&R was awesome, it was VERY difficult to get myself reacquainted with sitting in an office and not lounging by the beach, but nonetheless I was thrown back into the swing of things the following week.

My week back after R&R was pretty run of the mill, however we did have to say goodbye to one of the co-workers on my team. We were filled with a mixture of emotions since we were saying goodbye to a valuable team member, but he was embarking on a new employment opportunity so there was an undertone of happiness. On his last day we had a despedida (which means farewell in Tagalog). We all pitched in some pesos and shared pancit (my favorite Filipino dish so far), cake and took lots of pictures. The last couple of weeks have been amazing, I’ve gotten to explore the Philippines while getting to know my colleagues and co-workers better. This week will be filled with traveling to other provinces to visit some clients who are farther away from Manila.

Brunch!

I thought they were joking when they said they would show me how to eat with my hands…

First time I’ve seen spaghetti cooked over a fire, very yummy nonetheless

Some of my beautiful colleagues

Group picture at little cove

Can you blame me for not wanting to leave…

The view from our resort

One of our homemade lunches…sooo good

Francis and his cake!

URP group picture- can I help you Bridget?

We’ll miss you Francis!

I’ve been slacking on the posts lately, so apologies. Anyways, guess whose 24 now?! That’s right this old lady right here. I knew before coming to the Philippines that I was in store for an interesting birthday being half way across the world and all. Usually at home my birthday celebration isn’t limited to one day; it might be a birthday weekend or even a birthday week long celebration if I’m lucky. So, I decided I was going to have a birthday weekend while here and treat myself to a massage, watch Jurassic World (because dinosaurs, duh) and maybe throw a bottle of wine somewhere in the mix.That was my plan at least…

June 12th is Filipino Independence day and that meant we had an extra long weekend to do some sightseeing and exploring. One of my lovely co-workers had planned a great day for us so that we would go to the National Museum of the Philippines and see the National Cathedral. It was a hot, humid and sticky morning but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the first half of our day. We walked to the Cathedral through a beautiful historic old town called Intramuros. In addition to the National Cathedral we saw the oldest church in the Philippines and got to witness a Filipino wedding (I can check that off my bucket-list). We got a few souvenirs and postcards and we made our way back to MOA (the mall of Asia, which is one of the largest malls in the world) where we were going to watch Jurassic World, this is where my day took a turn for the worse.

As we walked along the stretches of the mall I had unknowingly left my purse unzipped after the security guards checked my bag upon entrance. I went to reach to get my wallet and pay for the movie when I realized everything was gone. Within the span of about 3 minutes, and while intensely window shopping, everything was gone. My IPhone. My ID. My ATM card. My pesos. My heart stopped and I searched myself to see if I had mindlessly put in somewhere else, but no, it was all gone. That’s when the tears started to pour. I have received many warnings about pickpockets throughout my travels across the world and I always thought to myself, how can someone let that happen? How are they not paying attention? Don’t they feel or see anything? Well, I now understand (the hard way of course) how easy it is to get picked.

Thanks to my amazing co-worker and colleagues we were able to cancel my card within minutes and file a police report soon after (they really are the best). Just to clarify, my crying wasn’t an isolated incident. I would ugly cry for about 5 minutes, compose myself then return to my state of ugly crying. After I was able to (somewhat) calm myself I thought about what my mom would say to me. She would ask, “Is anyone hurt?” “Is everyone alive?” “Are you physically okay?”. The answer to all of these questions was yes. My mom has consistently had the ability to bring me back down to reality by reminding me that material things can all be easily replaced, but YOU and I cannot. Remembering my mom’s words of wisdom definitely made this situation easier to swallow. I was lucky enough to have understanding and supportive colleagues who treated me to a birthday dinner, drinks and Japanese cheesecake (which is delicious FYI).

The following Monday at work (which was my actual birthday) ALL of my co-workers wished me a happy birthday and went out of their way to make me feel special. By the end of my birthday they surprised me with an ice cream party and gave me an amazing homemade card that everyone signed. Their generosity warmed my heart so much and made the sting of being homesick a little less severe. Oddly enough, getting my valuables stolen made for a pretty excellent and unforgettable birthday because I was able to remember what truly matters in life, which is not material things but the support, love, and kindness that I am surrounded by.

Some birthday banana-q!

One of the best homemade cards I’ve ever gotten!

Two of my lovely colleagues/classmates from Catholic.

At the National Museum!

While walking down the streets of Washington D.C. on my daily commute it wouldn’t be unlikely for me to come across someone less fortunate than I, sitting outside of a metro station with a small cup to collect change from those who pass by. Witnessing these individuals attempt to scrounge up enough money to get what they need will always tug at my heart strings. I thought the desperation that I felt for those who have to beg couldn’t be exacerbated, until I came to the Philippines.

As naive as this may sound, I was not familiar with the concept of children beggars. One evening, while on a jeepney with my colleagues we were stopped at a red light, once it turned green and we started to pick up speed I noticed a little girl gracefully sprinting behind until she caught up and climbed in the back, she couldn’t of been more than 5 or 6 years old. Barefoot and in dirty clothing with her hair pulled back she got her footing and started to walk up the aisle of the jeepney. She was handing out something to each passenger and as I looked down I found a small brown envelope in my lap. The only words that I could read on the envelope were “salamat po”, which means thank you.

I was very confused and curious as to what I was supposed to do with this envelope until she had passed them all out and made her way to the back of the jeepney. She began to sing a song in Tagalog, obviously one that I did not understand but listening to her soft gentle voice sing was heartbreaking. I sifted through my purse cautiously and pulled out 5 pesos and slipped it into the envelope. As she walked down the aisle again gathering her earnings all I could think about was what if this happened on a bus back home, or a metro train car, would someone call the authorities? Would they ignore the child as if they were invisible? Would they give them everything they had in their pockets?

The second thought that had come to mind was where are her parents? I soon realized that this was a ridiculous question. Although her story is unknown to me, her parents very well may have been the ones that sent her out. The more that I thought about it, I was almost certain that this little girl was not doing this to earn herself some extra pesos to get a treat, she was being directed by someone else. The foreign writing on the envelope was neat and concise, definitely not the work of a child, and as soon as she jumped out of the jeepney she ran to a large group of other children who seemed to share the same mission.

With more information from co-workers and colleagues I soon learned that this little girl was most likely working for a syndicate. For those who don’t know, a syndicate in this context is a leader that directs a group of children (usually 10 or younger) and orders them to beg for pesos. An article that I read interviewed a Filipino street vendor and stated that the children are often given plastic bags with model airplane glue to sniff before sending them out to beg. They then return their earnings to the syndicate each night. After completing more research about this I had some of my questions answered, but many remained. I wondered if the children received any compensation for their work. I also wondered what consequences they would face if they did not meet their peso quota for the night.

The week and a half that I have been in the Philippines has provided me with a lot of time to reassess the luxuries and commodities that I often take for granted. When I compare the life of this innocent little girl with that of the average american child who comes from a loving home, my heart aches for she will never know the comforts of this life.

Once again, this is a heavier post so I will add some pictures that document my travels to lighten it up a bit.

-Colleen

My obsession with dogs remains the same no matter where I am in the world, as you can tell.

I loved these funky flowers.

On the way to the world’s largest puzzle collection aka “Puzzle Mansion”..definitely not something I was expecting to see in my lifetime but awesome nonetheless.

These were ALL puzzles done by one Filipino woman, there was a puzzle for every occasion to say the least.

And this is the world’s largest puzzle, in case you were curious what that looked like.

My first time ever seeing a pineapple field, it was beautiful.

This is Taal volcano, the second most active volcano in the Philippines, there is lake inside of this volcano with a small island in that lake, it’s seriously beautiful (google it if you have time). I hope to take a boat there next time and hike up the volcano.

This is the view from Tagaytay, at a place called Sky Ranch where they have various rides and places to eat, as you can tell it was gorgeous.

Group picture of some co-workers in my project and interns after our food share.

Before going on the “eye” Ferris wheel at Sky Ranch.

Me and the wonderful Burmese translator that I was lucky enough to spend the day with while exploring Tagaytay.