I entered Malawi from Tanzania on the Oasis Overland truck on February 17th. Shortly after arriving in Malawi, we could begin to see Lake Malawi. The lake is a HUGE fresh water lake and takes up a good portion of the country as a whole. I could immediately notice the difference in Malawi culture. It is often referred to as "the warm heart of Africa" and I think it definitely lives up to this name. Malawi kwacha is the currency used, but it is very unstable and so the people often handle US dollars just as well.
Our first stop in Malawi was Chitimba Beach, a smaller lake side area near the more famous town of Livingstonia. Our second day in Chitimba, we hiked up the escarpment to Livingstonia. The town is famous for being one of the first Southern African areas to receive foreign missionary and volunteer aid, and is named after one of the first European explorers/missionaries David Livingston. The town itself is quite small, but it's very pretty and well-developed. From the escarpment, we had a beautiful view out over Lake Malawi. On our way down, we hiked to a waterfall for a swim!
From Chitimba, we headed to Kande Beach, which is also along the shores of Lake Malawi. The lake was beautiful and clear here. The camp ground we stayed at was really cool as well! The bar was designed in the shape of Africa, with the cape pointing out towards the lake. There were many curio shops just outside the camp selling all sorts of different wood carvings. From the camp, myself and a few friends kayaked out to a nearby island, where we could jump of the rocks and snorkel! Walking along the beach, there were many locals, including many swimming naked and some doing their laundry. I found lost clothes in the water a few times while I was swimming!
Our last stop in Malawi was the capital, Lilongwe. We camped right in the city, which was great for exploring! Lilongwe has a very distinct mix of modern buildings and businesses, and your typical African markets and street stands. From Lilongwe, we headed southwest into Mozambique.
We crossed through Mozambique at the 'tete corridor'. We only had a day in Mozambique before crossing into Zimbabwe, but the scenery along the way was beautiful! What I remember most was that it was extremely dusty in the truck. I was also surprised that the primary language of the people in Mozambique was Portuguese. I think I may need to go back some day and explore more of Mozambique!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tanganyika + Zanzibar = Tanzania
I met up with the Oasis Overland truck in Karen, Kenya on February 3rd to begin my journey south through Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Overland truck is basically a big yellow truck that runs tours all over Africa and other parts of the world. The truck carries tents, cooking gear and food, so we stop to camp along the way! When I arrived, the where 8 people already on the truck (coming south from Uganda) and 5 other people that joined the tour with me. Mostly Aussie's and Brit's, 2 Dutch and 1 Canadian (ME)!
On February 4th, we headed south for the Tanzanian border. At first, Tanzania appeared to be quite similar to Kenya. But, as we drove, I noticed that Tanzania seemed much more flat (less hilly) than Kenya, and there was more open unpopulated/undeveloped space. Tanzanian people speak mostly Kiswahili, like in Kenya, but may also have different dialects depending on their tribal origins. The people are extremely friendly, even more so than Kenyans, and often greeted me on the street. Even though I was living and working in a Maasai area in Kenya, I have seen Maasai cattle herders EVERYWHERE in Tanzania!
Our first stop in Tanzania was Arusha town, just south of the Kenyan border. In Arusha, we stayed at Snake Park campsite. As soon as we arrived, we explored the site park where there were many African snakes, birds, turtles and even crocodiles. I actually was able to hold two snakes; a smaller sand snake and a pretty big grass snake. From Arusha, I split off from the tour group to head to Ngorongoro crater. Ngorongoro is a GIANT crater created where an active volcano use to lie. Now, it is a 20km wide bowl filled with wild animals! It is now a National Park, but since the land has been inhabited by Maasai people for a long time, they are still free to graze the area with their cattle. On my first day there, I took a local bus around the rim of the crater, stopped in a local Maasai village, and got a local Maasai man to take me down his cattle path to get an amazing view of the crater! From above, the greater looks giant but empty. On my second day at the crater, I joined a Safari group heading down to the crater floor. Their I saw buffalos, elephants, hippos, rhinos, gazelles, antelope and LOADS of zebras, flamingos and wildebeest. I think the wildebeest were starting to get ready for the big migration since there were so many of them. The highlight was 2 male lions resting in the shade of our safari vehicle, followed by a male and female lion mating only a few metres away from us!
From Arusha, our truck continued to Dar Es Salaam (the capital of Tanzania). On our way, we got a good glimpse of Mt. Kiliminjaro in the distance. Our campsite in Dar was right on the Ocean! Our second day in Dar, we took the bumpy 2 hour ferry ride to the island of Zanzibar off the coast. We spent the first night in Stone Town. Zanzibar has a very diverse cultural background, and Stone Town is very relfective of that. Tall beautiful brick buildings, narrow alley ways, all right along the Ocean. We visited the Old Fort (built by the Portuguese), the house of wonders (first house with electricity and other amenities), and the old Slave Market sites where a Cathedral now stands. Zanzibar is famous for it's spices, so the group decided to go on a spice tour, where we were taken to a spice plantation. We got to test many spices and fruits. There was a crazy man who climbed coconut trees and sang while doing it. Apparently, he is also somewhat famous! I tried to climb the tree, but it was a lot harder than it looked!
We spent 3 more days in Zanzibar up at the Northern Beaches. We spent most of the time relaxing along the beach and swimming in the beautiful blue water! We also went snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll Marine Reserve. We saw many colourful fish, jellyfish, starfish, sea slugs and a very small octopus hiding under a ledge. After Zanzibar, we spent one more day in Dar Es Salaam to explore a bit of the city. Unfortunately Dar is very busy and not a very safe place for wandering tourists.
From Dar, we headed south on the truck towards the Malawi border. We drove through Mikumi National Park along the way, where we saw zebras and warthogs along the roadside. Our last stop in Tanzania was at a bush camp in Soa Hills 100km south of Iringa town. The bush camp was in the hills in the middle of no where, but was great because we were able to build a big bon fire!
Overall, Tanzania was a beautiful country with amazing wildlife! I really enjoyed my time on Zanzibar, and the National Parks proved to be as spectacular as they are said to be!
On February 4th, we headed south for the Tanzanian border. At first, Tanzania appeared to be quite similar to Kenya. But, as we drove, I noticed that Tanzania seemed much more flat (less hilly) than Kenya, and there was more open unpopulated/undeveloped space. Tanzanian people speak mostly Kiswahili, like in Kenya, but may also have different dialects depending on their tribal origins. The people are extremely friendly, even more so than Kenyans, and often greeted me on the street. Even though I was living and working in a Maasai area in Kenya, I have seen Maasai cattle herders EVERYWHERE in Tanzania!
Our first stop in Tanzania was Arusha town, just south of the Kenyan border. In Arusha, we stayed at Snake Park campsite. As soon as we arrived, we explored the site park where there were many African snakes, birds, turtles and even crocodiles. I actually was able to hold two snakes; a smaller sand snake and a pretty big grass snake. From Arusha, I split off from the tour group to head to Ngorongoro crater. Ngorongoro is a GIANT crater created where an active volcano use to lie. Now, it is a 20km wide bowl filled with wild animals! It is now a National Park, but since the land has been inhabited by Maasai people for a long time, they are still free to graze the area with their cattle. On my first day there, I took a local bus around the rim of the crater, stopped in a local Maasai village, and got a local Maasai man to take me down his cattle path to get an amazing view of the crater! From above, the greater looks giant but empty. On my second day at the crater, I joined a Safari group heading down to the crater floor. Their I saw buffalos, elephants, hippos, rhinos, gazelles, antelope and LOADS of zebras, flamingos and wildebeest. I think the wildebeest were starting to get ready for the big migration since there were so many of them. The highlight was 2 male lions resting in the shade of our safari vehicle, followed by a male and female lion mating only a few metres away from us!
From Arusha, our truck continued to Dar Es Salaam (the capital of Tanzania). On our way, we got a good glimpse of Mt. Kiliminjaro in the distance. Our campsite in Dar was right on the Ocean! Our second day in Dar, we took the bumpy 2 hour ferry ride to the island of Zanzibar off the coast. We spent the first night in Stone Town. Zanzibar has a very diverse cultural background, and Stone Town is very relfective of that. Tall beautiful brick buildings, narrow alley ways, all right along the Ocean. We visited the Old Fort (built by the Portuguese), the house of wonders (first house with electricity and other amenities), and the old Slave Market sites where a Cathedral now stands. Zanzibar is famous for it's spices, so the group decided to go on a spice tour, where we were taken to a spice plantation. We got to test many spices and fruits. There was a crazy man who climbed coconut trees and sang while doing it. Apparently, he is also somewhat famous! I tried to climb the tree, but it was a lot harder than it looked!
We spent 3 more days in Zanzibar up at the Northern Beaches. We spent most of the time relaxing along the beach and swimming in the beautiful blue water! We also went snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll Marine Reserve. We saw many colourful fish, jellyfish, starfish, sea slugs and a very small octopus hiding under a ledge. After Zanzibar, we spent one more day in Dar Es Salaam to explore a bit of the city. Unfortunately Dar is very busy and not a very safe place for wandering tourists.
From Dar, we headed south on the truck towards the Malawi border. We drove through Mikumi National Park along the way, where we saw zebras and warthogs along the roadside. Our last stop in Tanzania was at a bush camp in Soa Hills 100km south of Iringa town. The bush camp was in the hills in the middle of no where, but was great because we were able to build a big bon fire!
Overall, Tanzania was a beautiful country with amazing wildlife! I really enjoyed my time on Zanzibar, and the National Parks proved to be as spectacular as they are said to be!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Lakes, Craters and Zebras
Over the past couple weeks I have enjoyed Kenya more and more! I am really getting used to the people and the culture. I am happy to say that I am finding myself able to speak more Kimaasai dialect every day, unfortunately, no Kiswahili. I have gotten to know each of my students a lot better as well. They are very sweet children and I am going to miss them all a lot!
Maasailand is extremely dusty during the dry season! All of my clothes are covered in a layer of dust/dirt and I wash my feet, face and hands EVERY time I come home. I primarily use two forms of transportation; a matatu and a picky-picky. A matatu is a type of truck that drives along several routes and picks people up to sit in the back. It's cheap, but slow. A picky-picky is a motorbike that is used as a taxi. It is fast, but the ride is VERY bumpy and they are known to fall over. Luckily, none of mine have fallen over yet, but I have almost fallen off!
I have quite a big family here. It definitely keeps things interesting, and they are all very good to me. There are 7 people not including me: Coco (my mom), Grace and Jackson (her children), Virginia (her grandaughter), Oloshorua and Samuel (boys hired to help manage the land), and Jon (a boy who lives with us and goes to school nearby). Virginia is 2 and a half, and an adorable, crazy ball of energy! Besides the family, all of our animals are constantly giving birth. In the last week we have had 2 calves, 4 puppies, and 5 kittens!
As for food, we typically eat; rice, potatoes, ugali (a floury and spongey sort of bread) and getheri (mashed beans). Every once in a while we may get chicken, beef, or eggs. The food is pretty basic, but it's filling. My favourite Kenyan treats are Chapati (fried dough) and Mandazi (deep fried dough).
This past weekend, I travelled North in Kenya to the rift valley, where Lake Naivasha, Mt. Longonot and Hell's Gate National Park are all in very close proximity. First, I visited Mt. Longonot, which is a giant crater that used to be an active volcano. It took us (another volunteer and myself) a 45 minute steep climb to reach the rim. From there, we could look down into the crater, as well as look back and see open grasslands and Lake Naivasha in the distance. It was beautiful! Later we took a boat ride of Lake Naivasha, where we saw pelicans, fish eagles, hippos and a number of other birds. At first, our boat got very close to the hippos, but when one started to swim towards us we had to keep our distance since they are very aggressive and powerful enough to tip the boat. Finally, we visited a wildlife sanctuary where we were able to get very close to zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck antelope and giraffes!
The next day, we visited Hell's Gate National Park, which is the location that was the inspiration for the Pride Land in the Lion King. The National Park has a lot of red rock formations, wildlife and a deep gorge. We went down into the gorge and explored waterfalls, hotsprings, and "the devils bedroom" (sort of like a cave). My favourite part of Hell's Gate was seeing warthogs (aka Pumba). They were VERY hard to get close to, but they certainly were as funny-looking as I expected they'd be!
At the end of this week, I leave Maasailand to begin my backpacking tour. I will head south to Tanzania, then Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Should be quite an adventure!
Maasailand is extremely dusty during the dry season! All of my clothes are covered in a layer of dust/dirt and I wash my feet, face and hands EVERY time I come home. I primarily use two forms of transportation; a matatu and a picky-picky. A matatu is a type of truck that drives along several routes and picks people up to sit in the back. It's cheap, but slow. A picky-picky is a motorbike that is used as a taxi. It is fast, but the ride is VERY bumpy and they are known to fall over. Luckily, none of mine have fallen over yet, but I have almost fallen off!
I have quite a big family here. It definitely keeps things interesting, and they are all very good to me. There are 7 people not including me: Coco (my mom), Grace and Jackson (her children), Virginia (her grandaughter), Oloshorua and Samuel (boys hired to help manage the land), and Jon (a boy who lives with us and goes to school nearby). Virginia is 2 and a half, and an adorable, crazy ball of energy! Besides the family, all of our animals are constantly giving birth. In the last week we have had 2 calves, 4 puppies, and 5 kittens!
As for food, we typically eat; rice, potatoes, ugali (a floury and spongey sort of bread) and getheri (mashed beans). Every once in a while we may get chicken, beef, or eggs. The food is pretty basic, but it's filling. My favourite Kenyan treats are Chapati (fried dough) and Mandazi (deep fried dough).
This past weekend, I travelled North in Kenya to the rift valley, where Lake Naivasha, Mt. Longonot and Hell's Gate National Park are all in very close proximity. First, I visited Mt. Longonot, which is a giant crater that used to be an active volcano. It took us (another volunteer and myself) a 45 minute steep climb to reach the rim. From there, we could look down into the crater, as well as look back and see open grasslands and Lake Naivasha in the distance. It was beautiful! Later we took a boat ride of Lake Naivasha, where we saw pelicans, fish eagles, hippos and a number of other birds. At first, our boat got very close to the hippos, but when one started to swim towards us we had to keep our distance since they are very aggressive and powerful enough to tip the boat. Finally, we visited a wildlife sanctuary where we were able to get very close to zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck antelope and giraffes!
The next day, we visited Hell's Gate National Park, which is the location that was the inspiration for the Pride Land in the Lion King. The National Park has a lot of red rock formations, wildlife and a deep gorge. We went down into the gorge and explored waterfalls, hotsprings, and "the devils bedroom" (sort of like a cave). My favourite part of Hell's Gate was seeing warthogs (aka Pumba). They were VERY hard to get close to, but they certainly were as funny-looking as I expected they'd be!
At the end of this week, I leave Maasailand to begin my backpacking tour. I will head south to Tanzania, then Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Should be quite an adventure!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Kenya Massai
I arrived in Kenya on January 8th. Africa is a completely new experience for me and totally different from anywhere I have been thus far! I was very excited and also a little bit unsure of what to expect. Luckily, I have been extremely happy here!
Kenyans are very friendly and most people greet me with a smile. Children are especially excited when they see a Mzungu (foreigner) and they will often call out to me: "Halo" or "Mzungu!" I am staying with a host family in Massailand. The Massai tribe is one of the last tribal societies and inhabits rural areas in Kenya and some of Tanzania. The Massai people are slowly starting to modernize, but they are still also trying to hold on to their culture, traditions and way of life.
My host family is very nice! They speak to me a lot in Kimassai dialect and I am starting to pick more of it up. My Massai name is Namunyak, it means lucky, and they all call me by it. Our house is in Kimuka - a small rural area of grassland and accacia trees. The house is very basic (it is made mostly from sheet metal, has no running water, and limited electricity). The kitchen is separate from the house and is a small hut made of wood and mud/cow dung. Almost all of the food we eat is grown on the land or from the farm animals, and it is cooked over a fire in our kitchen. I am currently quite happy with the lifestyle! It actually feels a lot like camping to me!
I am volunteering at Kimuka Primary School in Massailand. The children are great! They are all very eager to talk to me and to learn. The school is about a 20 minute dusty walk from my homestay. I am teaching a couple different subjects to children from Grade 4-6. I have found it difficult to learn names, because they all wear uniforms and must keep their hair extremely short. They have all been giving me these beaded bracelets that they make and trying to out-do each other with their bracelets. It's quite funny, but troublesome when they catch you without THEIR bracelet on!
I saw about 9 giraffes yesterday on my way home from school! I am excited to see more wildlife, apparently there are frequently baboons and hyenas also in my area. Yikes!!
Kenyans are very friendly and most people greet me with a smile. Children are especially excited when they see a Mzungu (foreigner) and they will often call out to me: "Halo" or "Mzungu!" I am staying with a host family in Massailand. The Massai tribe is one of the last tribal societies and inhabits rural areas in Kenya and some of Tanzania. The Massai people are slowly starting to modernize, but they are still also trying to hold on to their culture, traditions and way of life.
My host family is very nice! They speak to me a lot in Kimassai dialect and I am starting to pick more of it up. My Massai name is Namunyak, it means lucky, and they all call me by it. Our house is in Kimuka - a small rural area of grassland and accacia trees. The house is very basic (it is made mostly from sheet metal, has no running water, and limited electricity). The kitchen is separate from the house and is a small hut made of wood and mud/cow dung. Almost all of the food we eat is grown on the land or from the farm animals, and it is cooked over a fire in our kitchen. I am currently quite happy with the lifestyle! It actually feels a lot like camping to me!
I am volunteering at Kimuka Primary School in Massailand. The children are great! They are all very eager to talk to me and to learn. The school is about a 20 minute dusty walk from my homestay. I am teaching a couple different subjects to children from Grade 4-6. I have found it difficult to learn names, because they all wear uniforms and must keep their hair extremely short. They have all been giving me these beaded bracelets that they make and trying to out-do each other with their bracelets. It's quite funny, but troublesome when they catch you without THEIR bracelet on!
I saw about 9 giraffes yesterday on my way home from school! I am excited to see more wildlife, apparently there are frequently baboons and hyenas also in my area. Yikes!!
A Philippino Christmas!
Celebrating the holidays in the Philippines was a unique and unforgettable experience! I have never been away from home for Christmas, but I decided if I had to be on the other side of the world, the Philippines was the best place for me!
When I first arrived, it didn't really feel like the Christmas season at all. I think the lack of snow/extremely warm weather threw me off. But there were lot's of lights and decorations, and the Christmas music playing everywhere got me in the Christmas spirit. I have decided that there are 3 important components to a Philippino Christmas. First, the firecrackers. Loud firecrackers... everywhere... constantly! The first time (or maybe the first twenty times) I heard one go off, I thought someone had been shot, they are really that loud and can be set off as close as a few feet from you. Second, the Christmas caroling. Philippino's love to sing! Carolers, generally children, will show up outside your door singing as early as December 16th and this continues until New Years. The tradition is that the home will give the carolers money or sweets. Because of this, by December 18th most people try to hide from the carolers. It's quite funny! Third, the food! I thought there was a lot of food at home at Christmas time... not like this. In the days leading up to Christmas and even following, there was food everywhere, at least 2-3 whole pigs being roasted over a fire in my barangay (village) every single day!
Gifts are not really a part of the Christmas tradition here, or at least not to the extent that they are at home. I think this is mostly just because people cannot afford it. Instead the focus is mainly religious and most Philippinos are very catholic. There are morning masses at 4am every day starting on the 16th right up until Christmas. I actually did attend one of these masses, because my nanay (homestay mom) was in charge of organizing it and had asked me to come. The mass is all in local dialect, which makes staying awake during it at 4am quite a difficult task. There is also a "midnight mass" on Christmas Eve at the big St. Nino Church in downtown Tacloban city. I went with a group of friends. The church was PACKED and even outside there were masses of people. The service ends exactly at midnight when everyone begins to excitedly tell each other "Merry Christmas"!!
My Christmas day itself was quite similar to at home. I spent the day with family and friends, eating, drinking and watching "The Grinch". Myself and the 3 other volunteers that were around did a secret Santa. New Years was also similar to home in that there was a lot of partying. I started out celebrating with friends and family on my street and later went to the "gym" (sort of like the village community centre) that had been turned into a big dance party! It was a fantastic night!
When I first arrived, it didn't really feel like the Christmas season at all. I think the lack of snow/extremely warm weather threw me off. But there were lot's of lights and decorations, and the Christmas music playing everywhere got me in the Christmas spirit. I have decided that there are 3 important components to a Philippino Christmas. First, the firecrackers. Loud firecrackers... everywhere... constantly! The first time (or maybe the first twenty times) I heard one go off, I thought someone had been shot, they are really that loud and can be set off as close as a few feet from you. Second, the Christmas caroling. Philippino's love to sing! Carolers, generally children, will show up outside your door singing as early as December 16th and this continues until New Years. The tradition is that the home will give the carolers money or sweets. Because of this, by December 18th most people try to hide from the carolers. It's quite funny! Third, the food! I thought there was a lot of food at home at Christmas time... not like this. In the days leading up to Christmas and even following, there was food everywhere, at least 2-3 whole pigs being roasted over a fire in my barangay (village) every single day!
Gifts are not really a part of the Christmas tradition here, or at least not to the extent that they are at home. I think this is mostly just because people cannot afford it. Instead the focus is mainly religious and most Philippinos are very catholic. There are morning masses at 4am every day starting on the 16th right up until Christmas. I actually did attend one of these masses, because my nanay (homestay mom) was in charge of organizing it and had asked me to come. The mass is all in local dialect, which makes staying awake during it at 4am quite a difficult task. There is also a "midnight mass" on Christmas Eve at the big St. Nino Church in downtown Tacloban city. I went with a group of friends. The church was PACKED and even outside there were masses of people. The service ends exactly at midnight when everyone begins to excitedly tell each other "Merry Christmas"!!
My Christmas day itself was quite similar to at home. I spent the day with family and friends, eating, drinking and watching "The Grinch". Myself and the 3 other volunteers that were around did a secret Santa. New Years was also similar to home in that there was a lot of partying. I started out celebrating with friends and family on my street and later went to the "gym" (sort of like the village community centre) that had been turned into a big dance party! It was a fantastic night!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Return to The Philippines
Arriving back in the Philippines was extremely surreal! I was very happy to be staying in the same village that I had on my previous visit. After travelling for 3 months, it was nice to be somewhere familiar with familiar faces! After several flight delays/problems, I arrived in the town of Bliss on December 14th late in the evening. Walking into the town I was greeted by MANY old friends with smiles and hugs. It was such a wonderful feeling!
In the first couple days, I was involved in a Christmas gift giving program run by the volunteer organization I work with (Volunteer for the Visayans - VFV). We drove to all of the VFV sponsored sites in the area (orphanages, clinics, a woman's rescue home, a centre for abused girls, and under-privileged schools), and gave Christmas gifts to many people who are in need and otherwise would likely not receive anything. It was awesome to watch the faces of both the children and the adults as they unwrapped their gift!
I started my volunteer project, the Community Nutrition Program, the first Monday after I arrived. The Program has identified 30 children between the ages of 3 and 6 in the village of Tanaun that are extremely malnourished. The children (and generally their siblings) are invited to come to the community centre for one meal a day 5 days a week. My job was to facilitate the purchase, preparation, and service of the food to the children. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with the children and get to know them (which was my favourite part). I loved being a part of this program and I was really able to see the difference it made in the lives of the children and their families!
Since my volunteer project took place in the morning, I had plenty of free time to spend on other projects, such as the tutoring program and the sponsor kid's program. I also was able to visit my old friends at the Rural Health Unit in Jaro (where my volunteer placement was on my previous visit), and spend time with the friends and children from Bliss that I had gotten to know on my last visit. I have really enjoyed being able to maintain these relationships and watch the children grow!
The Philippines is still the same happy place I remember it to be. Many things have changed within the area where I live (mostly for the better), but the people and the culture are still as wonderful as I remember!
In the first couple days, I was involved in a Christmas gift giving program run by the volunteer organization I work with (Volunteer for the Visayans - VFV). We drove to all of the VFV sponsored sites in the area (orphanages, clinics, a woman's rescue home, a centre for abused girls, and under-privileged schools), and gave Christmas gifts to many people who are in need and otherwise would likely not receive anything. It was awesome to watch the faces of both the children and the adults as they unwrapped their gift!
I started my volunteer project, the Community Nutrition Program, the first Monday after I arrived. The Program has identified 30 children between the ages of 3 and 6 in the village of Tanaun that are extremely malnourished. The children (and generally their siblings) are invited to come to the community centre for one meal a day 5 days a week. My job was to facilitate the purchase, preparation, and service of the food to the children. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with the children and get to know them (which was my favourite part). I loved being a part of this program and I was really able to see the difference it made in the lives of the children and their families!
Since my volunteer project took place in the morning, I had plenty of free time to spend on other projects, such as the tutoring program and the sponsor kid's program. I also was able to visit my old friends at the Rural Health Unit in Jaro (where my volunteer placement was on my previous visit), and spend time with the friends and children from Bliss that I had gotten to know on my last visit. I have really enjoyed being able to maintain these relationships and watch the children grow!
The Philippines is still the same happy place I remember it to be. Many things have changed within the area where I live (mostly for the better), but the people and the culture are still as wonderful as I remember!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thai(land of temples)
I re-entered Thailand with my GAP adventure tour group on December 10th. We started in the North in the area of Chiang Kong, since we came from Laos/the Mekong River. I was definitely looking forward to having more time in Thailand, since my first stop there was so brief!
In Chiang Kong, we visited the White Temple. As it's name implies, this temple is all white, and has the most intricate architecture. It houses a large Buddha statue. You have to cross a white bridge over a small lake to get to it. From Chiang Kong, we drove to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, but I was able to explore the city and it's markets a little. The markets have EVERYTHING you could imagine, I even got a foot massage in the middle of the market for less than a dollar. It was a nice massage, but not the most relaxing environment!
After Chiang Mai, we took a sleeper train back to Bangkok. In Bangkok, I visited the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the Big Swing (which isn't really a swing at all) and Khao San Road (the touristy area with many shops and restaurants). The Grand Palace was amazing! There are many buildings of gold, marble and gems, including the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. We had to rent clothes that were more "covering" just to get in. We had to cross the river on a ferry to get to Wat Arun, "the temple of the dawn". The stairs of this temple were so steep I felt like I was going to fall backwards, but the view from the top of Wat Arun was completely worth it. I spent my last night in Thailand and my last night with my tour group enjoying the club/bar scene on Khao San Road.
I left Thailand for the Philippines on December 13th, exactly a month from when I arrived. I experienced Thailand as a country of beautiful temples with a very majestic feel. On the other hand, it is developing very quickly into a more modern country with a fun and light vibe. I think it will be a very different place in the near future. My time in Southeast Asia seemed to fly by. I still can't believe how different each of the four countries were from one another and yet they are so close together. I am glad to have gotten a taste of each of the countries, but it does leave more to be explored! In some ways, it was a little more touristy than I had expected it to be, but I have had some pretty unreal experiences because of that. I am very thankful that my GAP tour group was such a great group of people to travel with. I have made some good friends and shared some unreal moments with them! Overall, I am glad I chose to tour Southeast Asia and have certainly made many memories that will last a lifetime!
In Chiang Kong, we visited the White Temple. As it's name implies, this temple is all white, and has the most intricate architecture. It houses a large Buddha statue. You have to cross a white bridge over a small lake to get to it. From Chiang Kong, we drove to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, but I was able to explore the city and it's markets a little. The markets have EVERYTHING you could imagine, I even got a foot massage in the middle of the market for less than a dollar. It was a nice massage, but not the most relaxing environment!
After Chiang Mai, we took a sleeper train back to Bangkok. In Bangkok, I visited the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the Big Swing (which isn't really a swing at all) and Khao San Road (the touristy area with many shops and restaurants). The Grand Palace was amazing! There are many buildings of gold, marble and gems, including the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. We had to rent clothes that were more "covering" just to get in. We had to cross the river on a ferry to get to Wat Arun, "the temple of the dawn". The stairs of this temple were so steep I felt like I was going to fall backwards, but the view from the top of Wat Arun was completely worth it. I spent my last night in Thailand and my last night with my tour group enjoying the club/bar scene on Khao San Road.
I left Thailand for the Philippines on December 13th, exactly a month from when I arrived. I experienced Thailand as a country of beautiful temples with a very majestic feel. On the other hand, it is developing very quickly into a more modern country with a fun and light vibe. I think it will be a very different place in the near future. My time in Southeast Asia seemed to fly by. I still can't believe how different each of the four countries were from one another and yet they are so close together. I am glad to have gotten a taste of each of the countries, but it does leave more to be explored! In some ways, it was a little more touristy than I had expected it to be, but I have had some pretty unreal experiences because of that. I am very thankful that my GAP tour group was such a great group of people to travel with. I have made some good friends and shared some unreal moments with them! Overall, I am glad I chose to tour Southeast Asia and have certainly made many memories that will last a lifetime!
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