The Beggar's Hand: Experience: Jesuit Volunteers Philippines

Contents : Experience : Jesuit Volunteers Philippines

From The Area: Volunteer Experiences
(actual reflections written by volunteers assigned
in different areas in the Philippines)

Norie Malazarte
Assignment: Payatas, Quezon City, Philippines
Date: August 27, 1996

Ako sa Payatas, okay naman. Kay rami rin ang nagbabago at patuloy na nagbabago. Hindi na lang tutoring at monitoring ang ginagawa namin pati regular home visitation ay hawak na rin namin. Kailangan gawin para makilala din ang mga pamilya nila. Nakakapagod na rin minsan lalung-lalo na kung trabaho ang pag-uusapan pero sige lang. Minsan sa pagod mo rin masusukat and kahalagahan ng ginagawa mo. Siguro ganyan mo kamahal ang ginagawa mo at nahahatak nito ang buo mong lakas at kakayahan.

(I'm okay in Payatas. A lot of things have changed and are continuing to change. We're not only doing tutoring and monitoring, but we're also visiting families in their homes. We have to do it in order to know their families better. It's tiring sometimes, especially when you talk about nothing but work, but it's okay. Sometimes, in your fatigue, you get to measure the importance of what you're doing. I guess, that's how much you love your work and it pulls all your strength and will.)

Mark Lopez
Assignment: Mindoro, Philippines
Date: July 22, 1996

Ako dito, medyo pumayat na (medyo lang). Siyempre, alam kong hahataw ulit tayo sa zonals at Midyear. Si Nette naman, 15 pounds na ang na-gain! Well, what can I say...ako naman parati kasi ang cook niya kaya ganoon. Ano na ba ang mga nangyayari sa amin so far? Ayon, naligo kami sa ilong tapos muntik akong lunurin ng partner ko na di marunong lumangoy (gandang headline sana nun!). Nung minsan naman, nakikain kami sa birthday ng pari na di namin kilala. Nang matapos ang party (mga 11 p.m.), saka namin nalaman na wala palang masasakyan noon. Kaya naglakad kami ng four kilometers na highway at halos bukid na yung paligid. Ayan nag-gate crash kasi. Noong nag-erya naman kami, walang maniwala na di kami mag-asawa ni Nenette. As in wala.

(Well, I got thinner here (well only a little). Of course I know I'd get back into shape during the zonals and Midyear. Nenette on the other hand, gained 15 pounds! Well, what can I say, I'm her cook anyway that's why. What has been happening to us so far? Oh well, we took a bath in the river and I almost drowned because my partner didn't know how to swim (it would've been a nice headline!). There was also the time, we ate at a priest's birthday party, but we haven't met him yet. When the party ended (11 p.m.), we found out that there was no ride available anymore. We walked for about 4 kilometers along the highway and everything around us was farmland. That's what we got for gatecrashing. When we did our area, nobody believed that Nenette and I weren't a couple. As in nobody.)