SL Ambassador's Blog★Introducing Philippines program [Activities]

Introduction of Program hosted by Silliman University (Philippines) [Activities]

I have been doing service activities for about a month from June 28th to July 26th, based in Dumaguete, Philippines.

I will introduce specific schedules and details in this first edition of the Philippines!

June 28-July 2 Orientation, city exploration, facility visit, etc.

About 5 hours from Haneda airport, transferred at Manila and 2 hours from there.

On the first day, as a service learning orientation, we received explanations about what services are and the specific schedule for one month. There was a welcome dinner on the first night. We were provided not only a luxurious meal, but also traditional Filipino dances, I think it was a good start for our service-learning program. After that, they guided us through Silliman University and the city of Dumaguete. Also, we visited the agencies we would like to take care of. We had a lecture about the history of Japan and the Philippines from a professor of Silliman University. It was interesting to learn about the relationship between the Philippines and Japan, from the perspective that we couldn't see with Japanese history education alone.

We mainly stayed in a university dormitory. We left large luggage in the dormitory, and when going to service, we packed what we needed in my backpack and went to each place.

July 3-July 7 Service activities divided into 5 locations (I worked in a temporary shelter for children who had been sexually abused)

From here, we did  service activities. One or two ICU students were accompanied by one student from Silliman University, and they were divided into five locations for five days at each location. Specifically, some people helped with soup kitchens in a village near the full of Garbage, while others interacted with children in places like orphanages. Everyone had a great experience and when we met for the first time in a while, it was very fun and interesting to talk about our activities and impressions with each other.

There was a day of reflection between each service activities. The most important thing in service learning is to reflect on what you felt during your service activities. It was a fulfilling time because there were some ideas that I noticed again by sharing everyone's opinions.

July 10-July 14 Service activities divided into three elementary schools

The second service activity was conducted in elementary school. A group of 3-4 ICU students with 2-3 students from Silliman University visited each elementary school. Although the activities there are also different, we organized the library and introduced Japanese culture as service activities. When we taught origami, children were particularly excited. After finished teaching we were asked to sign for some reason, and we felt like a star. We basically stayed at the home of elementary school teacher and were able to learn about the life of Filipino family.

July 17-July 21 Homestay + service activities in a village called Boloc-Boloc

The last service activity was taken place in a small village named Boloc-Boloc. There was no particular program here, so weI had a relaxing time. Still, in the evening, we played basketball and volleyball with the village children in the gym, taught origami, and made bread in the morning. Also, there was an opportunity to interview villagers, and it was interesting to hear about village life or future development. On holidays, I went to the sea with my host family and watched chicken fights.

July 22-July 26 Reflection, Solidarity Celebration, etc.

After all service programs will be completed, and we had a presentation as a final reflection until we return to Japan. There was also Solidarity Celebration which our host family came to say goodbye though sharing dinner. We also had a Fiesta, one of the filipino cultures,  we had a dinner in two different houses and enjoyed the meals. In addition to the service activities, we went to the sea or waterfalls to feel the natural beauty of the Philippines!

Thank you for your reading!

Next time, I will review about overall of my Service-Learning experience.

→Continue to read [Reflection]