Mental Gymnastics

Construction Workers..not!

It takes a while for locals to digest the idea of having volunteers from all over the world, freely offering their labor to help rebuild the disaster-stricken communities. Most of these volunteers have been there for at least 2 months. Those from Manila usually stay only for the weekend. I guess the apprehension of these disaster victims were exactly the same as my Mom’s. I can’t seem to extend the sense of excitement and fulfillment that I felt during my volunteer work for HODR in Sto. Domingo, Albay last weekend when I called her up. She questioned the fact that I did some construction work. So, I had to cut our conversation short. I keep forgetting how differently they see things. (Here's the group photo that I took.)

I traded my Anilao trip where I hoped to try wind surfing, for a weekend of construction work as a volunteer for HODR. HODR offered a sure view of Mt. Mayon but beyond that, we didn’t really know what to expect.

So my girlfriends and I hopped into a bus bound for Bicol. It’s probably one of my best long bus rides (royal class!) since I felt rested when we arrived the next day. We had a little mishap on our way since the bus driver forgot to drop us off on the designated location. We lost about an hour before we finally reached the HODR house.

Upon arrival, Mark gave us a brief orientation and prepped us for the work ahead. At the school, we were turned over to Ken who was working with Tim on putting up the ceiling for a classroom. Solo and Norman were working on the roof of another building while Susie was trimming a classroom window. (They looked like construction workers!) I can’t help but wonder..”what am I doing here?!”

I met Rosario, the school principal. I got a good background info on the work being done by the volunteers, as well as the staffing problems that she has. She provided merienda for the volunteers as well. We gave her the supplies that we brought from Manila.

When I returned to the group, they were ready to install the first board. I provided support (literally!), and eventually, hammered my way through. After setting up 2 boards, we already established a system to install the ceiling boards. I still had to work on my hammering skills, especially since we were nailing upside down. Later that afternoon I got to use a saw. I was too scared to scratch my hand since the edges looked rusty. Heck, even the nails all looked rusty. (Having a Tetanus shot prior to this is important!) I appreciate Ken’s patience though since it was obvious that none of us had any construction experience so he had to demonstrate/ explain each task.

We’ve met a lot of the school children who lived in the area. They were milling around us the whole time! They seem to be fascinated by our presence and had a kick out of memorizing our names. Susie’s been great with the kids and is able to utilize their presence to help her work.

Apart from the kids, there were your typical mang-iinom, who kept inviting Ken and maybe the others to join them in their drinking session whenever we’d pass by. Ken said that the old man helps them find bamboo materials so he gets to tolerate their drinking spree.

Work ended before sundown. It gave us a couple of minutes to take a stroll towards the beach. Parallel to the road is a path of mud and lahar which still shows remnants of the destroyed buildings and houses. There were actually plenty of these by the bridge on the main road, just before going into the town of Sto. Domingo. The coconut trees all looked like they’ve been bombed at the top. Their leaves drooped and one wonders if the trees are simply recuperating from the choking ash fall during the recent volcanic activity.

Back at the house we finally met the rest of the volunteers who returned from their assigned work sites. I’m surprised with their friendliness. Or maybe it’s just a cultural difference. Filipinos usually wait for their host to introduce them to the other guests. There were more volunteers who arrived that day, including the HODR director.

The group meeting after dinner was quite amusing apart from being informative. We had a birthday cake and some ice cream for the birthday boy, James. They headed off to the beach for some drinks to celebrate while the rest of us took an early night cap.

The next morning, we took a walk by the main road to take photos of the volcano. It was a clear day and it was great to finally see Mt. Mayon! After the group photo by the school, we headed off to a nearby barangay to paint the roof of a school building. It was another trying moment since I do get scared of heights. My knees felt wobbly much like while I was working with a crowbar on top of that scaffold at the San Isidro school. But at least we covered a lot and could have finished the entire roof had we not ran out of paint.

The HODR volunteers were invited for lunch at a hearby lodge which was just blessed that morning. They served lechon, spaghetti, sandwiches, puto and some fruits. It’s a good break from the painting the roof. We finished the ceiling later that afternoon back in San Isidro, just in time for a cricket match. We didn’t get to see the game coz we had to catch the bus in Legaspi. It was business class so the ride home was bumpy.

So there goes another weekend for me. Something that I'll probably do again this April. I wonder how many people can I bring next time.

posted by kquill @ 4:03 PM 0 Comments

Leap of Faith

I was once asked "What do you want to do?" I almost blurted "travel, and never go back to the office!" But I had to restrain myself. I was talking to an old colleague who's definitely working big time at a prestigous asian bank. He was prying on my career status I guess coz he even offered his assistance should I consider joining their company. Well, it was professionally unethical for me to give in. Besides, I haven't really thought hard enough on what I would really want to do.

When asked, so what do you do? Uhmm, my guess would be as good as yours. "I don't know!" I mean, ever since I got into this post, the only hands-on work that I get to do is solve problems not only for our client but for the entire team as well so yes, that includes people problems too, lots of it! I do enjoy it sometimes especially since I'm often left to handle it on my own. Sometimes, I even get a kick out of it when they rely on my word. I once told a colleague "how do you teach someone processes, and tricks, when you yourself had no training on how to handle such things?"

I still look forward to the carefree days of being just a plain worker, following orders, and never having to take matters seriously outside the 8-5 window. Those were the days.

All it takes is a leap of faith and God knows where I'll be had I not taken the chance. Regrets? Nah! It still adds up to the spice of life. And yet, I'm still not satisfied.

posted by kquill @ 6:39 PM 0 Comments