It has been a few days since we have last blogged and a lot has happened!
Our team was very excited because we got invited to plant rice like the locals!! Our group met up with some community members and traveled to one of the many beautiful rice fields to kick our shoes off and get dirty...literally. In order to plant the rice you must go barefoot in the mud, take different seeds and plant them one by one. It was such a fun way for us to experience the everyday job of our many community members. (And let me tell you, it is NOT an easy job to have!) Here are some pictures from that day.
After our rice planting experience we headed to the community of Spang Bato to celebrate the birthday of one of their members, Tony. This birthday party was complete with delicious rice desserts and dog intestine, which only a few of us brave ones tried. It had a chewy texture and tastes as bad as it sounds.
Guess which one the dog intestine is...(the black one)
After the festivities, we summed up the night with some dinner, showers and bed!
The next day we prepared for our overnight stay in the villages. We started off our day with a meeting targeted to figuring out the common issue of all of these communities. The meeting was led by the federation (selected representatives of each community) as well as some input from our team, but we were mostly there to observe. It was a successful meeting and our team gathered lots of much needed information.
We then split up into separate groups to become better acquainted with each of the communities we would be staying in. Hilary and I went into Spang Bato, Thomas and Ian visited Samanatayo and Ethan and Trent went to the village called KPK. All of us had great experiences with the families in each of our different communities. Some got to make traditional Filipino dishes, some farmed, and others rode the Water Buffalo. And we can't forget the unforgettable, Trent Ranney getting an accidental bite by a dog. Now, Momma Ranney, don't worry we took him to the hospital ASAP and he has been administered the correct vaccinations needed to prevent any diseases possible (rabies).
Overall, the community stays were a wonderful experience and a great time for us to build lasting relationships with the people in these communities. We woke up early this morning in the villages with the roosters and came together as a group to compare notes of our overnights.
It has been a very successful few days and SIFE and OI are starting to make some great headway to bettering these communities and their projects. We enjoy the memories we are making here and look forward to what each new day brings us. Tomorrow we are headed to a resort for a little R&R!
See you on the flip side, Kuya!
Team Asia
SIFE FOR LIFE!
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