Philippines Volunteer Journals
A marriage of Eastern and Western cultures in a paradise-like setting, the Philippines has been described as the best-kept secret of the Orient. Azure seas cradle its seven thousand islands; a hundred cultures spawn its hundred tongues. The country is full of contrasts; a study of western style democracy and iron-fisted regimes; peopled by men and women of deep piety in the midst of liberalism; land-marked by skyscrapers beside old stone churches and walled cities; a place where one finds in its lakes the smallest commercial fish and in its seas the largest fish in the world; an environment where both the earth's biggest raptor - the Philippine (monkey-eating) eagle - and the smallest primate - the tarsier live. Every visitor gets to taste and experience the world in a day in the Philippines.
The Global Volunteer Network's partner organisation in the Philippines is a newly established NGO. Their objective is to assist and develop local Filipino communities through education, integration, research and volunteerism. Their programs are nationwide, assisting local communities with their basic needs, focusing on children.
The volunteer opportunities are in the following areas:
- teaching programs
- health program
- cultural exchange
- school building and maintenance program
For more information about the program please visit the Philippines volunteer program on the Global Volunteer Network website.
August 7th, 2010 by Brian Barbero
If you come to the Philippines, be careful. You will fall in love with this place. Time truly flows slower in the province. Its only been a month but it feels like six. I still have one more to go. I’m not complaining though. The community of San Agustin has been so welcoming and I’ve grown very attached. We have an unusually high number of births in this area. It’s like a glorified pediatric and OB clinical rotation. There are so many deliveries. Each one is special and scary in their own way.
The brown outs and power outages take us [...]
Posted in Philippines
June 21st, 2010 by Brian Barbero
My trip to the Romblon is drawing near! I leave Thursday!
You know that feeling when something hits you or you just realize some BIG event is about to happen? Well it just happened!!! My excitement and anticipation for this trip just doubled five sentences into my first journal entry. Christina, Allison, and Alicia all said this is going to be a great opportunity. I didn’t really believe them until just now. Feels pretty exciting I can tell you!!! A natural pinch of fear and uncertainty lingers in the back of my mind too. You know, the what ifs?
I’ll have five days in metro Manila to tour as much as I can. I’m [...]
Posted in Philippines
July 24th, 2009 by Maricatharine Eggenberger
Hello! I am now at the end of my trip and making my first update on the blog..oops. It has been hard to find good internet on Tablas Island, but now I am in Boracay and there are so many internet cafes. The trip has been amazing. For the last three weeks I have been living with more palm trees and beaches than I have ever seen before in my life. The people I have been have been so incredibly nice and hospitable. I will be taking the ferry back on Tuesday to stay a few days in Manila until [...]
Posted in Philippines
June 27th, 2009 by Maricatharine Eggenberger
So, tomorrow I leave for my trip to the Philippines! I cannot wait to be there! Traveling there will take a while but I am sure it will be worth it. I will report more once I get there, hopefully then I will know a whole lot more about it all.
Maricat:)
Posted in Philippines
May 18th, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
I have now completed my time volunteering in the Philippines. Unfortunately, we were unable to complete the cabinet for the library while I was there. But CERV is completing the work as we speak. The daycare center and surrounding community will have a library complete with many textbooks in the very near future!!
I am very sad that my work is now complete. I’ve been thinking about how best to describe the experience and am at a loss for words. I feel that this is certainly one of the very best things I have done with my life thus far. I [...]
Posted in Philippines
May 15th, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
Magandang hapon (good afternoon)! I greet you once again in the fourth and final week of my volunteer project with CERV-Philippines.
At this point, we have completed work at the Carmen Daycare Center on Tablas Island. It was very gratifying to finish after all of our hard work. The roof turned out very well, as did the painting (although I think I got more paint on my pants than on the walls…). The Daycare is now a much more happy place, and I’m sure the children will love it!
There has been a change of plans for my project, and after finishing [...]
Posted in Philippines
May 5th, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
Hello everyone!
So it has been a while since my last entry. I apologize for the delay, but the internet access here in Romblon (Particularly on Tablas island) is unreliable and very slow. Luckily on the main island of Romblon has a high speed internet cafe, which is where I am right now!!
The last two weeks have absolutely flown by. The Philippines is a wonderful country, with wonderful people, food and festivals! And I have learned so much.
Romblon is absolutely gorgeous!! Manila was so crazy and chaotic, it was really nice to get to a more peaceful area. Most importantly for [...]
Posted in Philippines
April 21st, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
Today we officially began our projects, and had our first lesson on the Philippines. I found the orientation very useful and very helpful, as the Philippines is so very different from my country (Canada). It’s nice to have an understanding of their customs and their history. Everyone in the CERV office is really great, and are making me feel right at home. The other volunteers are also really nice and very friendly. Tonight we will be having some traditional Philippine food (ie. balut, a boiled duck egg which I’m told is a local favorite). It should be very interesting!
It is [...]
Posted in Philippines
April 19th, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
Well hello everyone! Here I am in Manila. I’ve safely made it to the other side of the world It is pretty chaotic here, and very very hot! But it is beautiful. So far the food is great and the people are really nice. I begin my volunteer project orientation tomorrow, which I am looking forward to very much. I’ve met one of the volunteers I will be working with, and will meet more tonight. Everyone is very friendly! As I mentioned above, I am looking forward to getting my project started and to getting adjusted to the [...]
Posted in Philippines
March 31st, 2007 by Lorelei Johnson
This is just a quick post to ensure the journal works properly. My trip is coming up fairly soon and I am getting very excited to leave (18 days left!)! Hopefully everything will go smoothly Talk to you again soon.
Posted in Philippines
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