"It's More Fun in the Philippines"

As most of you know, I am spending my summer break from school in the Philippines with my family. Right now I am living with my dad and brother, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mom and sister later in June. I am completing a seven-week internship at the Tuloy Foundation, just ten minutes down the road from where we are living. The Tuloy Foundation is such a special home and school for homeless and/or orphaned children who want to set goals and aspirations for a better future. At Tuloy, I am working in the Special Projects Department, implementing a five-week dance program, and later teaching English classes. God is doing amazing things at this place! (Pictured below)

I apologize for the late start to this blog. I meant to start it two weeks ago when I began my internship, but…well…you know how those things are. 

First of all, WOW. The Philippines is such a cool, exciting, and incredible country. Not even joking, "it's more fun in the Philippines" is basically their national motto. You can find it written on sides of airplanes, buildings, and basically anywhere else. Nine times out of ten, it's true! Filipinos have such fun and creative ways of celebrating holidays, which my family and I were able to experience this past Christmas and New Year's Eve. The beaches here are beautiful with crystal clear water and exciting things to do like zip-lining, tubing, jet skiing, karaoke, and so much more. Dancing and singing are super popular out here in the Philippines, too. My dad and I went to a restaurant that was literally called "Singing Chefs and Waiters" last weekend, and that's exactly what they did! The chefs and waiters all danced and sang around the tables as they served traditional Filipino food. 

Speaking of the food… yum! So far my favorite dishes are pata (pork knuckles), chicken adobo, and gising gising (awake awake). All the different fruits here, especially the mangos, are also so good! To be completely honest, it took some time for my stomach to adjust to the food here, and I'm still not completely accustomed to all of it. I get to eat traditional Filipino food everyday for lunch at work, though, so I'm excited to try all of these new things! But don't worry, I'm still not adventurous enough to eat the street food (which is probably a good thing).

Although the Philippines has its perks, it has a couple downsides (just like any place would). The traffic can be so bad sometimes that it takes one hour to get somewhere that would normally take just twenty minutes. When you need something fixed in your house and the maintenance people say they'll be there within the next few days to fix it, don't expect them to come unless you call back five more times…and even then, they might not ever come. Sometimes the service at restaurants can be fairly slow, too (it took us three hours to eat dinner one night…and it was not because we ate slowly). Most Filipinos don't care about time. This shows that Filipinos can be extremely patient, unhurried, and relaxed-which are all great! On the other hand, it can also be frustrating when you are in a legitimate rush or need something done right away. Whenever someone in my family catches him or herself in this position of frustration, we say, "But hey, it's more fun in the Philippines!" (And honestly, most of the time these things we call "frustrating" aren't even really a big deal.)

The Philippines is also a third world country. Despite everevolving definitions, the concept of the third world serves to identify countries that suffer from high infant mortality, low economic development, high levels of poverty, low utilization of natural resources, and heavy dependence on industrialized nations. Unfortunately, poverty is the most obvious aspect of this in the Philippines. It's really painful to drive by huge, gorgeous houses, malls, and hotels one moment and then small, poor huts the next. Skinny, hungry, and possibly homeless/orphaned children play on the sides of the roads in many areas. Most of them have no shoes or proper clothing. Poverty is everywhere here. You can't ignore it. 

There are many homeless shelters and orphanages in the Philippines, and praise God for each and every one of them. As I am working, I will obviously be focusing on Tuloy's specific impact on poverty in the Philippines throughout these next five-weeks. Tuloy's objectives are clearly implemented in the way it better prepares these children for their adult lives, and I am amazed at how far it has come and where it is headed. I can't wait to share my experiences with you all so that you can be just as excited about God's work in the Tuloy Foundation as I am! Thank you in advance for your prayers for the Philippines, the Tuloy Foundation, and specifically these wonderful kids that I've already come to love so much.