mis na mis kita

This is my second time embarking on the Youth Expedition Project journey. Both are enriching and fulfilling in different way. This project to the Philippines particularly offers me a new perspective in looking at the community-in-need and their living conditions, of which is in many ways different from ours.

Walang Iwanan, as the term explains, no one is left behind. To me, only during and after this trip that I realized, how important welfare is to every human being, no one should be left behind. As mentioned by the GK founder Tony Meloto during a short chit-chatting session with us at the construction site; everyone deserves to be treated just like the others, they are human beings. His words struck me.

As we have always been living in a relatively comfortable and established society, as we have also been traveling to different fascinating tourist locations in the world, as we think that we have seen the world, we have been ignorantly neglecting and forgetting what we have not yet seen, of which I still dare not say that I have seen all of it, but enough for me to firstly, appreciate how fortunate we are to be given what we are having now, and secondly, to feel for these communities.

For these 15 days in this particular GK village, the term ‘community’ comes to me very meaningful. I never felt how well bonded a community could be until I was there in this village. The sense of community is overwhelming when you see the villagers come together to build their new village, and when you see the neighbors can just enter each other’s house from the front or behind, watching television together, chatting and laughing. There is no remarkable boundary within the village, I just feel like I am in it all the time, for the 15 days, that I enjoy my time so much with them.

I had always been sympathizing how less fortunate these people are before I embark on this journey, but from now on I will not use the word ‘less fortunate’ on these people anymore, because they simply have those things that are sought after by many of us – a rather simple life with laughter and love. We are all on equal ground, because we own different things, we are still lacking of something.

“Poverty is everywhere; poverty in terms of money and materiality, poverty of emotions in most developed countries; there is always something to be compromised” Tito Tony Meloto

Coming to something lighter, I set myself an objective for this trip; I am here to serve and to give, I want to help in whatever way I can. However, I think throughout the 15 days in this community, I think I have taken in more than I have given out to them. I really can’t express how much I have enjoyed myself with the community, for the foods they cooked for us, for the ‘hi-5’ from the kids, the smile and laughter they offered to us whenever we see them, these little things form an unforgettable memory we had together with them.

It is a colorful village, the people and the life there I will never forget.

I did not really cry when I was leaving the village on the last day, because I have a feeling I will be seeing them again, or at least, I will be missing them a lot. Salamat po, thank you for the experience, and to all my YEP teammates, thank you for being there with me, may our friendship lasts forever.

Chuhwai