Welcome to Cebu On Sunday we woke up in a very nice location refreshed after our travel day. We spent the day getting to know each other and our area. The Ranch hotel took us to a shopping area for supplies and a local market for fruit in Toledo center. Back at the Ranch there were many families and friends enjoying picnics as the kids played in the pool. A nice meal and then early to bed to shake the last of our jet lag. Monday morning started at 6:15 with yoga led by volunteer Joe who has done this with many volunteers in multiple countries. He says this is the first time we have done it in the rain! After breakfast, which was delicious and well organized, we were greeted by our hosts Marie and Gab of Rise Above. After a half hour ride in the back of a jeep we were greeted at Sam-Ang Elementary School by teachers, parents and special guests who welcomed us with a loud cheer of Mabuhay!. They explained how schools are currently closed while professionals do safety inspections following recent earthquakes. The 12 year old student council president gave a small speech which included the words’School is a small space where big dreams are born.’ After a safety orientation included advice for the young ones and the once young to work within our limits! Initial Jobs were assigned; me carrying water, Penny, Clayton and Joe mixing cement, Nancy cutting tie wire. Lindy, Jen Jen and Colton began painting plywood for walls. After lunch we got to work making the mortar and laying the bricks. This involved scaffolding which Joe and then Colton worked off of. Painting continued and everyone was busy most of the afternoon. 12 sheets of plywood painted both sides and 4 new rows of bricks. Not bad for the first day. A beautiful jeep ride to the market for more fruit and supplies got us home just in time to relax in the pool before supper.
Day 2: The Drowned Rats
The day started with Christmas music and ended with a deluge of rain, both of which were a wonderful experience.
After a delicious breakfast at the hotel with Christmas music playing to ensure a festive spirit in October, we were off to the worksite for day 2. We settled into a solid groove and completed several more rows of bricks on the walls, and painted ceiling boards by lunchtime.
Lunch was another delicious meal prepared by Marie and Jessa, and we spent the latter half of our lunch break providing Marie with a list of requested fruits for the next day – she was so happy to be able to accommodate!
In the afternoon we continued with the walls, and painting the ceiling boards until the skies opened and the rain came down with a fury. it pummeled the tin roof like a thousand tiny hammers, but we stayed dry underneath. It signaled time to wrap up as we had just finished applying the last of the mixed cement, and it was too wet out to mix another batch. So we embraced the downpour and thought it a perfect opportunity for a group photo, with drenched clothes, soaking wet hair, and huge smiles all round.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Dalai Lama
Day 4
At 6:15 on Thursday, day four of our trip, the yoga group was ready for stretches and strength before we all had breakfast and hit the road for the worksite. We were hoping to complete a number of pieces to the project but needed the cooperation of Mother Nature.
The painters had about 11 boards left out of the 50 we started with and were sure we could get the job finished. Unfortunately it seemed every time we were ready to paint it would start to rain and, as we were painting outside, the boards would go on the stage for protection and we would carry on elsewhere. We still have seven boards to complete! Inside things went much better and by the time we called it a day all of the current walls had been completed. Our contractor, Tata, is incredible as he is always aware of what we are doing and how quickly things are progressing while still carrying in with his own tasks. Gabriel is with our partner NGO, Rise Above, and works closely with Tata. To see them discussing the next steps or how things should have gone or what was wrong (we never knew) was all part of a days work.
Two destruction projects started as the end wall was one row of bricks too high and the initial pillars were too smooth to hold the finishing layer. We easily knocked out one row of bricks but pitting the pillars was much more difficult. We did start sifting the sand for the finishing coat. The biggest news of the day was the door and window frames!! They arrived in the morning and took five people just to lift them. Heavy, strong and large they should add a great deal to the strength of the complete structure. We finished the day with a lovely dinner out at Gabe and Marie’s favourite restaurant and will have to see what tomorrow brings.
Typhoon
November 7
Despite heavy damage from the typhoon around Cebu, our team, hosts and families from the school have remained safe. For safety and practical reasons, we were sent home after lunch on Tuesday and got to see the weather first hand Wednesday. The school was used as an evacuation centre for local families. Having been in the emergency preparedness and weather emergency business, I was impressed by the organization and safety precautions, including wellness checks after the storm. People’s outlook was upbeat and helpful to each other and us. After the storm, Jen C led Russ, Penny, Clayton and Joe on a night walk, and people were surprised to see us. We had a great long talk with some teenagers just hanging out. On the job site, our whole team is very happy with our 2 weeks’ progress. Colton had a contest at supper where Lindy guessed closest to 1725 nails hammered into window frames, and Jen and Jen collaborated to pick very close to the 387 bricks placed. Their strategy of counting bricks from pictures taken was marginally within the rules, if not lengthy! Special note to the all-female painting team of Lindy, Penny, Nancy, Jen and Jen. Penny pointed out that the women had more brain cells to spare to complete both sides of 50 sheets of plywood to be used as interior walls and partitions. We have some great pictures of mothers and sons working together, including Nancy lifting bricks over her head while Clayton waits below. Several good ones of JenC and Colton working and looking for Colton’s adventurous water bottle! Team leader Jen B was awesome as usual, keeping us safe, productive and happy and had us participating in song and dance with Joe doing his lightning McQueen smile pose and dance in a well attended farewell thank you celebration. Short heartfelt thank yous and please come back, along with some special personalized certificates. However, the star of the show was Clayton, who had many screaming female fans and was asked to pose for countless selfies! It was a great trip and a big thank you to DWC and our hosts Jessa, TaTa, Gab and Marie of Rise Above Foundation and the parents, students and teachers of Sam-Ang Elementary School, Toledo City
