Days 2 and 3

Let's just say I skipped writing yesterday because of jet lag. Even now I'm laying in bed exhausted. 12 hours is a big time difference. 

I want to start with an observation from the airplane coming into Manila. The city seemed to sparkle from above. It was not like any other city. There was very little light pollution. In fact, driving back from the airport, I was wondering where all the street lights were. But the lights I saw from the air twinkled as if they were the night sky with the stars. 

Yesterday I got to experience the "grocery". I use quotations because it was really a mall. And when I say mall I mean super mega ultra deluxe mall, complete with a full grocery store, food court, shops, and a giant stage (in case you wanted to attend a dance party after picking up your milk and eggs).  The luxury of this structure was evident by all the fancy brands carried inside. There are two or three just like it within 10 minutes of where I am staying. 

This was starkly contrasted by this afternoon's experience. We were split into two groups to go on exposure trips. The other group went to visit an urban poor community. Looking at some of the pictures it was hard to believe people lived that way. Houses were built over the water because they don't own any land. Yet the sentiment the others brought back was one of hope an determination to escape the situation. There were plenty of smiles to go around. I went with a group to Migrante International. This organization is an advocate for migrant workers. The Philippines export around 5,000 people a day to work in other countries. And that's just the documented workers. Human trafficking is a big issue that the Filipino government is failing to address. Because there is so much money to be made, there is a lot of corruption and very little help for migrant workers in distress. We heard from 3 survivors of human trafficking. It was great to hear their stories yet scary to think that so many more are not that lucky. 6-10 Filipino workers arrive back in the Philippines in coffins everyday. Workers can be exploited and forced to work ridiculous hours with little food and sleep. There were several horror stories we heard about all the experiences the human trafficking victims had. And human trafficking doesn't just occur in the Philippines. Workers are exploited in several countries including the United States. This was a very eye opening experience that helped to focus why I was here. These people are not given the opportunity to live life abundantly. They are in need of advocates to inform them and help them exercise their rights so they are not exploited. Many of the workers that go abroad are very brave and hardworking. They are the bread winners of the family making much more than they could at home, but less than their counterparts in the countries they go to. If you would like to learn more information about Migrante International you can check them out on Facebook. They also have a website which may or may not be currently down. http://migranteinternational.org

On a happier note, the food here has been excellent. My eggplant omelet thing this morning was top notch. Yet when they served us fried chicken at the church I was pretty excited for some normalcy. We got to experience the church service at the University of the Philippines. Everyone was very welcoming to us. The service was very similar to the ones I am used to. I knew most of the hymns and luckily it was in English. Afterwards, they served us an unexpected lunch. And I guess they like food here because we had another lunch waiting for us when we got back. I am slowly mastering the art of eating with a spoon and a fork. I was trying to watch some of the locals eat to see how they did it, but I determined there is not really a method. Cut with the spoon. Eat with the fork or the spoon. Keep switching which hand you hold the spoon and the fork in. I mostly just hold the spoon while I eat with the fork, but hey! At least I'm trying!

The Philippines are so beautiful. All the greenery and flowers brighten up the city. Driving around today we got to see more of the city. I can't wait to keep exploring the area in the coming weeks!