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July 31, 2008
Back and Forth
So I totally ended my last post in a cheesy and abrupt way—what a terrible combination. I promise to never again joke about rising fuel prices, or compare networking efforts to wildfires (did I really?). More importantly, I’ll try to be more careful about the “humor” I inject into these posts, though I can’t make any guarantees. Frankly, time (and genetics, for that matter) is just not on my side.
Since the beginning of my stay, not one of my days has been typical. Because of the nature of my work—writing grants, crafting health project proposals, contacting various funds and organizations—I’ve been skipping from one wifi café to another, from Pampanga (where the center is located) back to Manila (where internet access is a godsend) back to Pampanga again. I was even present, unexpectedly, during a tribal council meeting of an Aeta community (one of the native peoples still left in the Philippines), where carabaos were exchanged as part of a livelihood project encouraged by a local organization.
So where am I now? Physically, I am at a café in Manila, which has proven to be the most reliable (though relatively expensive) and distraction-free work zone in the city. Mentally, I’m in a very good place. There are several reasons why:
First, I am really enjoying the work I’ve been charged to do this summer. Though at times it feels a bit repetitive and a lot managerial (I’m not as tanned as I expected or hoped to be at this point in my stay), there is something so concrete about the dozens of typed documents and downloads I have saved in the “Summer 2008” folder on my Desktop. Productivity is always rewarding, especially after having spent a semester abroad as a foreign exchange “student”.
Second, routine is my archenemy, and I’ve managed to avoid her (him? shim?) until now. Some nice surprises include finding out my cousin is a finalist to become the WORLD’S first Pinoy Idol, attending the State of the Nation Address (SONA) this past Monday, sitting in on a health conference for National Disability Week, where doctors were really responsive and agreed to visit the center the next day, discovering the Carpenters on my aunt’s videoke machine (I LOVE THEM!), and of course, eating a plethora of exotic fruits and vegetables whose shapes, colors, and tastes mirror the resplendent ethnic and cultural diversity found in the Philippines. Perhaps all this is not mutually exclusive with routine, but you get the point—I’m having fun!
Third, the center’s approach to community work is one that I appreciate and respect. I really get the sense that this is what health work, community service, volunteering, whatever you want to call it, are supposed to be. Obviously, the organization is not perfect and suffers from typical problems faced by NGOs everywhere, especially, as mentioned in my last post, its unavoidable—up till now—(in)consistency conundrum. But the interactions I have observed between Bart (the center’s only full-time staff), the physical therapists, the children and their families give me hope that bureaucracy, wasted resources, and distrust don’t dictate the state of all humanitarian aid projects and programs. Perhaps these sorts of relationships—doctor-patient, staff-visitor, helping-helped—can never be equal. However, piteous stares, high-falutin’ dogmatism, and stoic withdrawal have thus far escaped my scrutiny at the center. Instead, banter has been plentiful, and the ensuing laughter makes work consistently enjoyable and a lot less depressing than it might otherwise be. The question of professionalism in the workplace is subverted by efforts to entertain, teach, and connect to the children during frequently painful therapy sessions. Despite all this human investment, we still don’t have much money or the capacity to help all the kids and families we could—making grant-writing and fundraising all the more important. But as they say here in the Philippines, “Dadating din ang panahon natin” (‘Our time will come’). I hope that time is soon!
Until then (or until my next post), http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/ is a good resource for anyone interested in the daily happenings of the Philippines.
Ingat kayo! (‘Take care!’)
Posted by Belinda Navi at July 31, 2008 07:00 AM