The children sharing their feelings and experiences

 TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES, by Mr. Kishan Kislay, Patna, India
 MY MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINES, by Deepika Easwaran - Chennai, India
 A DREAM COME TRUE - THE PHILIPPINES, by Ms. Anupama Kumar - Cochin, India

TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES, by Mr. Kishan Kislay, Patna, India

Since my visa was delayed I missed some part of the enjoyable experience. I went with Nakul sir. We reached Manila at around 1p.m on 28th of April.

The skyscrapers, the Dunkin doughnuts, pizzas of Yellow Cab, the Mongolian bowl and the well maintained roads really attracted me.

In the Zambales I saw the traditional ‘Aeta’ dance performed by the villagers of the Aeta community. I learnt that life is not easy in fact it is very tough. I also learnt that one should respect all kinds of people. Then the trip to Subic was very informative and educative as we learnt about dangerous spiders, beautiful butterflies, hidden bunkers and how to live in a mangrove forest.

In Payatas and San Mateo I was really shocked after hearing their problems especially the garbage landslide in Payatas the next was PRRM-Philippines Rural Reconstruction Movement working for the betterment of the rural Philippines and CPF-Centre for Positive Future, a school for the children belonging to the Urban poor community.

The best thing I liked about the documentary shown in the PRRM was the mini dam built by the people of the villages. I felt that the problems faced by the people of Philippines was similar to the problems faced by the Indians .one thing that was common between the Rural poor and the Urban poor community was that they faced poverty, corporal punishment sexual abuse were the major problems faced by them. One thing that I liked was that they all loved each other. The Light and Sound Museum, THE INTRAMOROUS was one of the best part of the trip. There we came to know about the life history of Saint Rizal, but the Passic river surrounding it was very dirty. The next day was a tough one, the visit to Tagaytay where I had to eat the horrible seaweeds. However the Taal volcano in the middle of a lake was too beautiful to describe.

I was happy to know that there was no gender bias and the literacy rate was higher compared to India. Basketball, Billiards, Snooker, Karate were few of their favorite games, played even in rural areas.

However I was sorry to know that the children there too faced the same problems. I wish I could help them and at least create awareness about the Child Rights.

MY MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINES, by Deepika Easwaran - Chennai, India

Introduction
First of all, I would like to thank the team of Horlicks, Activity and the Charter of Human Responsibilities for making me part of the Horlicks Wiz Team 2006, thereby giving me a wonderful opportunity to visit Philippines as part of Indo-Philippines Cultural Exchange Program held in Philippines during April 28 – May 5, 2007. During my week-long stay in Philippines, I had some unforgettable moments, which I have tried to summarize below.

Day 1
We reached Manila via Bangkok from Bangalore. We were prepared for the scorching heat of Manila. We were received at the Manila Airport by Tita (aunty in Filipino language) Pinky and Tita Cowa. We drove down to the University of Philippines’ Hostel, where we stayed over the week. We were served with a traditional Philippines sweet, which was similar to an Indian sweet. From there, we went to Hotel Likha Diwa, where kids from a school called Center for Positive Futures (CPF) had assembled. Along with these kids, there were also people from Sanlakas Institute. After a brief introduction, Anupama and I got an opportunity to sing together. We also spoke to them about Indian culture and our dressing style. We also sang a song ‘We shall overcome …’ and the Hindi translation ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’. We ended the day with the national anthem of India and Philippines.

Day 2
This was one of the best days of the entire trip. We went to a village called Zambales and met the village chief. We were told about a volcano eruption that happened in 1991. We had an unforgettable visit to the beach there, where we went snorkeling. It was a moment to cherish. We got a chance to see the corals, seaweeds and the jellyfish. I never imagined I would ever try all this. I wish I can go snorkeling again. At the end of the day, we had a cultural exchange program where all of us sang, danced and played Filipino games. We witnessed the traditional dance of Aeta tribe of Zambales. We spent that night in a house in that village, of a girl named Rona, and her family. A day I will never forget!!!

Day 3
It was full of fun . We visited many places like Subic bay, butterfly farm, mangrove park and spider park. We had lunch by the sea. Everyday was a new experience for me. I even learnt to play billiards!

Day 4
We visited the Philippines Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) to see how the rural people live. Mr Gani Serrano of PRRM briefed us about PPRM and its activities, which mainly focuses on helping people in their day to day life. Then we visited the CPF, where we had a cultural exchange program. We all danced, sang and played games.

Day 5
We visited Payatas, an organization which works with the urban poor community. From here, we went to see a memorial built in memory of the families who died in the year 2000 due to garbage landslide. Then we visited another urban poor community Sitio Mendez.

Day 6
We visited Tagaytay, a beautiful hill station. It was truly an unforgettable journey to this hill station. On our return, we went around Manila and did a lot of shopping. I bought gifts for my family, friends and teachers.

Day 7
We visited Old Manila on this day. We got to know about the freedom fighters of Philippines. We visited a museum where we learnt how Philippines gained freedom from the Spanish. The light and sound show was wonderful. We visited a Mongolian Restaurant, the specialty of this restaurant is we can choose ingredients and ask them to cook that for us. I chose rice, vegetables, tofu and Mongolian sauce for my lunch! In the evening we went to a mall, had dinner in an Indian restaurant. We were told to explain our Wiz Team project to the audience there.

Day 8
It was sad that the trip was coming to an end. We had such fun through the seven days and we all felt the same way. We reached Bangalore via Bangkok.

Conclusion
I still cherish all the great moments that we had in the Philippines. Not a single day was dull or boring. The week passed away so fast, I was wishing it did not have to end so soon and I look forward to more such trips, which are not only pleasure to undertake, but also informative. I was proud to represent the Horlicks Wiz Team 2006 and I hope I get another opportunity to contribute in whatever way I can in spreading the Indian culture across the globe.

A DREAM COME TRUE - THE PHILIPPINES, by Ms. Anupama Kumar - Cochin, India

Being to the Philippines was more than a dream come true. It was an opportunity to discover the side of the world we are usually blind to, and rediscover what I really wanted out of life.

First Day there
We were greeted by Tita Pinky and Tita Cowa at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. For a small town kid like me, seeing skyscrapers and highways in an Asian country was quite a surprise! That even we had dinner at Likha Diwa Restaurant with some of the students from The Centre for Positive Futures. It was fun interacting with them, and Aunty Pinky’s message that despite our diversities, we were all human beings, felt even more relevant in the setting.

Aeta Community
We had the opportunity to spend a night at the indigenous Aeta community in the Zambales province. It was amazing getting to see an indigenous community up close and noticing how similar they were at home. It was also fun getting to meet Capt. Willy, Carl, Alberto, Rona and Ronalyn. It was also touching to experience their hospitality, and the way everyone opened their door to strangers who couldn’t speak their language. And yes, the solidarity night where everyone let their hair down was fun too. The quail, animal and courtship dances were performed with very infectious vigour.

Urban Poor Community at Sitio Mendez and Payatas
One of my most vivid memories here is the little factory we wandered into where people made ceramic models. The room was small, dirty and odorous and the pay was appalling; yet there was laughter and banter all around. I also remember seeing the garbage mountain, where the garbage landslide had occurred, and noticing the spirit of the people to move on. There was such love on their faces as they offered us drinks and food. I’m not a very sentimental person, but it was one of those moments when I was nearly moved to tears…as Tita Pinky so aptly said, it was a very powerful experience.

PRRM
Meeting Mr. Gani Serrano was unbelievable. Apart from his wisdom and experience on matters of rural reconstruction, I was honored to be treated not as a child, but as an intelligent, full-grown adult. It was one intense learning experience.

CPF
We had pure, unadulterated fun at the Centre for Positive Futures. It was fun performing and watching the Filipino kids perform as well. In addition, we are grateful for the hospitality we received, and honored to be invited to dance!

Tagaytay
The sheer beauty of Tagaytay let loose our creativity. Here, we had a reflective session on all that we had done over the past few days, and it was here that we finally sat down and coordinated all those thoughts. I have to say a big thank you to Tita Chit for the time we had there! Tagaytay also served as a reminder that luxury and beauty, such as the sort in the resort, are sometimes born of exploitation of poor and ignorant people.

The lessons
The lessons we learnt were many and very valuable. I for one learnt of the two sides to the same world- the side that’s seen in tourist brochures and the other, uglier side where poverty and malnutrition exist. I also learnt about struggle and the sheer determination of societies like PAMA to achieve what is rightfully theirs. I also felt humbled by the work people my age were doing in their communities and reminded of my obligation to be a useful citizen. And in the process, I learnt to let my hair down and have fun.

I’d like to thank The Activity, Tita Pinky, Tita Aleli, Tita Chit, Tita Cowa, and everyone else who worked tirelessly for this trip, especially Ms. Sudha Reddy, South Asia Coordinator of the Charter (aka, Aunty Sudha).Thanks to Aunty’s efforts, the whole idea of the Exchange, the Charter and all the fun we had came true. I’m not going to forget it in a long, long time.