Here we are South Est Asia. Philippines.
I have read and study a lot about, and now finally the chance to been here for some great project.
Has been a long travel: bus, plane, running from gate to gate, from airport to airport, small planes (the ones you just see on the TV documentary) flying over the 7000 and more islands that shape this country.
When I reach the port I looked around and I thought: NO! that one cannot be the boat booked for me. “Please Mam, follow me”. Yes, it is my boat and will be the one crossing the two mile that separate the island of Aklan to Boracay.
“Take off the shoes, you are not in Europe”, 38° at seven in the morning made me realize that. I’m travelling with some excited tourists sitting next to me, their holidays are definitely starting in one of the most beautiful island on this side of the world.
Me? I soon realize that will be difficult to spend here 2 weeks without thinking that I would love to be all day long on the beach with a coconut drink on my hand.
A crowdy road full of tricyles (kind of sidecar which can host 8 person at time), cross the island and my driver stops in the middle of the road to enter in a narrow street that reach my lovely room that will host me.
As soon as I start to meet people from the project I realized that I won’t be that upset to spend more time with participants of EUROASI project participating at the “project writing and management” module , then being on the beach.
The sea is clear blue water and white sand, but people around never stops to smile at you and share their thoughts and their impression about being involve in European projcts.
It makes me happy to travel and skip the touristic places and being around with local who are happy to share their stories, to tell you the origin of their surname, the story of their family and for which reason they are living in this island.
Participants are happy to see those funny Italians speaking loudly that arrive very punctual at the lessons (then I discover that being punctual, here, might be not polite). What can we do? We are weird Italians J
The participants of the training are young people that mainly lives in the island because they have found job here in the tourism sector or they work and volunteer in other NGOs.
Some have participated already at the past training and some are new as our local partner keep promoting the training on the webradio and on social media.
I’m sure that these weeks head will be full of surprises, I want to share my experience with these youngster aiming on challenge themselves in learning something new and to developed and improve their impact in the society and to give a better image of this island known just for the touristic side.
Now I have to go out, to enjoy tropical weather, and sudden rains space out the sun. I have a lunch appointment with April and Leo, two Filipino friends sent by the local partner to volunteering in Cagliari last year in TDM 2000. I’m very happy, it means a lot for me, it is a demonstration that work done till now has been good and is leading us, hopefully, far with this new capacity building project and that more Filipino youngsters will access to more mobility project granted both from European Commission and from their government. I’m quite curios to experience Filipino food and to talk with people around to discover more and more of this amazing province and its traditions.
Ah.. yes I promise that I’ll save some time from work to enjoy this extraordinary sea.