SL Ambassador's Blog★Introduction of Program hosted by Silliman University (Philippines) [Reflection]

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

SL Ambassador Itsuki
　January 7, 2020
　#Silliman University #Philippines #Summer 2019

Read [Activities]

Hello everyone!

This time, I will mainly write about what I felt throughout the service activities in the Philippines!

First of all, the reason I decided to go to the Philippines for international service activities was because there were so many kinds of programs. In the Philippines, we mainly visit three facilities and communities, and conduct service activities for about 5 days each. I thought that I could learn about multiple fields such as education and poverty because I could interact with various people in various places such as child protection facilities, elementary schools, and villages.

I also visited the Philippines once when I was a child, but I wanted to know more about the general life in the Philippines because I was staying in a very upper class home.

In fact, I am most impressed by the experience of the child shelter. Before meeting children protected as victims of sexual abuse, I was worried about how to interact with them. However, when I actually met, the children were very cheerful and friendly. Thanks to them, I was able to get to know immediately and had a fulfilling 5 days. At the same time, I became strongly aware of the problem of violence against children in a closed place called sexual abuse. And now I want to know more about the impact of abuse on the mind and body of children and the support and prevention measures. I cried on the day I left the facility, and I think it was such a wonderful 5 days for me.

In elementary school, I was able to watch lessons and school, compared with Japan, and think about Philippine education and Japanese education. Although the schools in the Philippines are not as rich in facilities as in Japan, I thought they were very nice because of the open atmosphere.

In the last village, we had a very relaxing time. There are many places where the house and the living are completely different from Japan, the road is only paved halfway, the toilet is flushed by yourself, and it seems inconvenient for us living in Japan. However, we interviewed how the people living there feel about the future of the village, and what is not so common in Japan and the differences in values ​​created by way of living I was able to notice and was very interesting.

 

Through service activities, I met not only the people in each community, but also the students at Silliman University who supported us for a month. They mainly interpreted between the local people and us, and supported us in various activities.

At each activity place, we often do service activities together, think about service learning through reflection, and on the other hand, we often go out together. Thanks to them, we had a great time.

The month in the Philippines was a really important time for me.

The people I met there, food, life, insects, cityscapes, etc. are all wonderful memories.

Wherever you go and no matter what your life is in there, it would be a month that will make you feel “good to go”

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I think that service activities are “what I do for myself”. The activity itself is only a means. In many cases, there are motivations in human behavior and emotions. What fields are you interested in, why are you interested, and what values ​​affect you in the background you took or felt that action? I think that it is a thing that understands yourself and digs in by using the means of service activities. If you can be conscious of these, it will also surely be a good decision to think about your future.

Then you may think that there are plenty of opportunities in Japan to create self-understanding opportunities, not just service activities. However, service activities are not one-way activities; It can only be realized if there is an action and a reaction from the other person. What was the reaction of the others as a result of the acting? By thinking about it, I think that not only self-understanding but also understanding of others would be possible. We also thought about various kinds of social issues. I think that if you think about service learning itself as well as individual activities, you can deepen your own understanding.

And I think it is important not to end this service learning after going back to Japan.

I would like to be able to work in Japan to help cross-cultural exchange between children.

That's all for introducing activities in the Philippines! (Lastly, it was my way of thinking about service learning...lol) Thank you!