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Rest Day - Phillippines, March 2023, Blog #2

Today was scheduled as a day of rest with tomorrow being the first day of the distribution.

Despite the long journey to arrive here we all agreed we were somewhat disappointed that we were not starting the distribution today and meeting the wonderful Philippine children and our host Kiwanis Club partners.

Our car was not available to us as the vehicle designated to us was not permitted on the road. This is a measure government is using to assist in controlling traffic in this densely populated city.

Kindness was offered to us by coordinator Millette whose vehicle was allowed on the road after 10 am.

She chauffeured us to the Greenhills Market Place where we enjoyed a delightful morning of browsing, and for some of us shopping, followed by a delicious lunch and time to socialize and learn more about the Philippine culture and the products the Philippines are known for. The market had many many kiosks selling their renowned pearls.

Our afternoon was spent organizing for our first distribution tomorrow. As you can appreciate, review was essential  in light of the Covid hiatus. We are fortunate to have Sue and Jim’s past experience here as well as their expertise in leadership.

We anticipate a day tomorrow of many smiles on faces as the children receive their bedkits which we will see despite the precaution of masking.

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Arrival - Phillippines, March 2023, Blog #1

After arriving midday yesterday,  today was our first full day to settle in. It was a “free day” but totally filled in quickly. It started out with our driver taking us to a US War Memorial for the Pacific Second World War relative to the Philippines. There were a few miscues before finding the right one but it was worth the effort and almost overwhelming - the size with the number of crosses of fallen soldiers. It is a touching circular structure with all the names included, rooms with geographic illustrations  highlighting the activity around the Philippines.

Dr. Ito then took us, his personal attendant and driver out to lunch. As expected, he nailed it with a great place just next door to the hotel. After that, he kindly took us on a great tour of the highlights of the city. I think we all really appreciated his kindness and giving us so much of his time.

  One more day to settle in and then I sense all of us are excited to start the bedkit distribution process again after a three year hiatus. A few pictures of lunch and the Memorial.

Cheers,

Jim

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