Story for the SCALA booklet

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Article for SCALA Thank You Booklet By Lisa White on August 9th, 2005

I can’t believe that my time in the Philippines has come to an end so quickly. The past 3½ months have passed in a flash - it doesn’t seem so long ago that I was sitting on the plane to Manila wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into! What an experience this has been, and I was only just getting started! From my short time here, I have learned more about myself, leadership, and development work, the intangibilities of which are impossible to put into words. So I thought I would impart one particular experience of mine while living in Iloilo City, where I was helping to set up a SCALA center for 7 weeks, that encompassed a great deal of what I learned as an EWB volunteer.

There was a celebration going on in our baranguay (neighbourhood) in honour of their patron saint, and a few of the ladies that I worked with at the center decided to take me and my Filipino partner, Andrea, for lunch at a nearby work colleague’s house. So lunch time rolled around, and off we went for lunch. The house wasn’t very far away, but we took a jeepney (a small, colourful version of a bus) anyway because it was incredibly hot and humid outside. The house was on the edge of the Iloilo River, and as you can see from the picture, it was mainly just a concrete shell with a metal roof and some wood planks across the water to reach the front door. But what the house lacked in amenities was more than made up for by the spirit of the crowd of people within! They were all smiling, laughing and telling jokes and stories amongst themselves (most of which I didn’t understand because I can’t speak Ilonggo), and the food they gave us was fit for a king! We ate many delicious dishes including Pancit Molo (a specialty of the neighbourhood containing noodles and meat), as well as tapioca pudding, among many, many others. I ate as much as I could, washed it down with an orange soda, and mentally prepared myself to return to the center and get some work done without falling asleep from all of the food. 😊 But unbeknownst to me, we had yet another stop to make before returning to the center. I was willing to go along, but when I found out that we were expected to eat another full lunch at the next place, I thought they were having me on! But no, we arrived at the next house and we were welcomed by even more food! This time, the folks had prepared an entire lechon baboy (roast pig, as you can see from the picture), and it would be considered extremely rude to refuse food offered to you, so I dug in (again!). The lechon baboy was the best I have ever tasted, and I was convinced by my entourage to try the crispy skin of the pig too. So I gave it a try and, as promised, it was absolutely delicious!

We finally did make it back to the center and I ended up getting a lot accomplished that afternoon, even with my overfull stomach! And what I learned that day remained with me throughout my entire stay in the Philippines. Be patient and flexible, go into every situation you encounter with an open mind and be able embrace and enjoy things that don’t go according to your plans, because you might just be surprised at how much you can accomplish by adopting a new approach.

The rest of the pictures are for the booklet if there is need/room for them.

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Comments

[Jodi Graham]

Thanks heaps!
Lisa, it's been a pleasure to have a window to your world in your experiences with EWB. Thanks for sharing your reports, impressions, frustrations, enthusiasm and stunning photos with me! I look forward to talking to you about it once you're back in SK for a wee while.