“The story of the Filipino is not written on paper, but in music and dance.” – Ed Lapiz, Founder Kaloob Dance. The vision of the dance troupe Kaloob is to keep the story of the Filipino people alive through the “studious research, documentation, preservation, appreciation, promotion and creative reuse of fast-vanishing Philippine indigenous music, dance … Continue reading
One interesting aspect of our weekend adventure was stopping at the fruit stands and buying some new things to try. Probably the most bizarre is the durian, beloved by many in Southeast Asia. It is a large fruit with a hard and spiky outer shell. It has a strong smell that makes it hard to … Continue reading
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We all have clever ways of putting this slogan into action. But here in Bistekville, necessity has proven itself once again to be the mother of invention. Check out just a few of the many ways things get reinvented. Construction on the second floor continued again today. One new job was added: … Continue reading
Sweating standing still. This is what we are doing in the extreme humidity that is the Philippines. Despite…great work day today and only one short rain interruption. Luck or answered prayer. Cement mixing, bucket throwing, brick hoisting continues. We also started putting up walls on the second floor of our two-story apartment building which includes … Continue reading
Exhilarating drive to the worksite. Check. Safety orientation and morning stretching. Check. Cueing up for brick passing and cement hauling. Check. Having to stop work for the rain. Three times. Check. The rainy season gets underway in the Philippines in May. The worst rains come in August and September as typhoon season is in full … Continue reading
Everyone on the team has safely arrived half way around the world and settled in to our new digs in Quezon City, Manila. Everyone has showed remarkable flexibility considering just two weeks and two days ago we expected to be in Thailand and not the Philippines. What a wonderful group of volunteers. Our hats go … Continue reading
Friday, already? Our short time on our build site has come to an end. The work has been tough. At times slow. But always fulfilling. And now we must say goodbye. These are goodbyes that you are never ready for. Once the rhythm of the new routine has been established, it comes to an abrupt … Continue reading
Emotions. We were all feeling them today. This morning we were honored to meet three of our four partner family homeowners! The first two ladies, Wilhelmina and Sofia came to greet us at the site of their new homes. They weren’t sure exactly which of the four homes we are working on would be theirs, … Continue reading
Today on site I had a chance to meet and speak to Sue Johnson, Habitat South Africa’s National Resource Development and Communications Manager. Sue’s enthusiasm for her work is obvious. She spoke eloquently and passionately about the Pelican Park development and Habitat’s role in it. It is groundbreaking work actually (no construction pun intended). The … Continue reading
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