From Manila to Iloilo!

17th January.

It was great to be back in Manila for Friday night. A city that seemed so foreign for us when we first arrived, is now easy to navigate to get the essentials (Internet, food, and laundry, and yes at times it is in this order) at least in the area we have become familiar with.

Saturday morning most of us took advantage of sleeping in a bit. Dr. Fowler-Kerry and Troy went on a quick shopping trip, at 0700, with Ma'am Bethel and Ma'am Carmelita to an area known as "168" (one-six-eight).

At 1230 we were all checked out of our rooms and picked up by Dean Josephina of The University of the Philippines to tour the historic part of the city in central Manila called Intramuros. She gave us a brief history from the colonization by Spain, the occupation by the United States, and the devastation of the Japanese during World War II. Intramuros was the center of Spanish rule in this area which was a walled city, and a military installation, Fort Santiago. The walls are still there along with many period structures. The architecture is beautiful. We toured the San Augustin Church and Fort Santiago in addition to enjoying all there was to see as we drove through the area. Dean Josephina treated us to lunch at a restaurant which serves Spanish dishes that are more traditional. Following our time there we were back to the hotel to pick up our bags and we carried onto the airport.

One thing that seems almost surreal at times is the economic disparity you can see as you look from your left to your right. An example would be the mall that is around a block away from our accommodations that we have stayed at during both of our times in Manila. Inside it is beautiful, with more stores than you can see the contents of during several visits, teeming with affluent Filipinos. While across the street outside are street vendors peddling pirated DVDs, cigarettes, candies, various foods, etcetera. There are also people begging. This is on the same street, within one block, not across town somewhere. Just an observation that will hopefully make you think a little differently. Seeing it has had an impact on all of us, though I don't think it will sink in to the degree it eventually will until we have time to reflect on all of our experiences here. We see new things all the time that are of a similar vein, like the kids crouched in the middle of the busy street, which we were told is done in hopes of being struck by a vehicle. The driver would be sued, which would be income for the family of the unfortunate child. You see desperation here which is driven by poverty. As Canadians, with the life we have known our whole lives it is hard to wrap our heads around the situation, and understand the full impact of the glimpses we have been witness to.

Our flight was without incident and we arrived in Iloilo City just before 2000. As we are waiting to get our luggage we notice the banner outside being held by some excited people. It is faculty and students from the University of St. Paul holding a banner which read "Welcome Canadians from the University of Saskatchewan". How cool is that? Very cool, but it gets better... Once we get outside to meet them we are presented garlands around our neck that are ribbons and fresh orchids. Following brief introductions we are whisked away in a van to go get something to eat before going to our accommodations. We drive up to a hotel that has trees with white lights in them on each side of the lane. It is a very nice hotel. As it turns out it was an Alumni Homecoming dinner and dance for St. Paul University. Yeah, we are a bit under-dressed and less fresh than when we started our day, but our hosts assured us we were fine. As we enter the room that the event is being hosted in we are introduced over the sound system to all in attendance. There are also two photographers and a videographer capturing our images from all angles. We are led to the buffet table for our meal. As we sat and ate we are introduced to many people by Sister Carol, who was also waiting to greet us as we arrived. It was like a dream, a fairytale if you will. From the banner to this it was almost too much to believe. Our hospitality has been great wherever we have been, but this was so much all at once it was hard to compute.

Following our meal and conversation as we enjoyed the people dancing to the music we took our leave to get settled in our new home away from home. We are staying in student accommodations at St. Paul University. By 2230 most of us are going to bed. What a day!

18th January

The day started with attending mass with Sister Carol at 0730. The singing in the dialect of this area was pleasant to the ears. Following mass we were served breakfast on a veranda. The hospitality so far has been second to none.

The remainder of the day brought adventure as we toured different barangays. We stopped at a couple of cathedrals from the Spanish era. The architecture is amazing. A real contrast between the magnificence of the cathedrals when juxtaposed with the average home in the vicinity. We also got to sample some fresh seafood at a local establishment. The shrimp are whole and you peel them yourself, the oysters are boiled in the shell, and the crabs are complete as well. Much different than Red Lobster in Saskatoon! It tasted great and we had a good time getting to know our hosts a bit better in the process. Some of us visited a local fabric shop where the material is made on-site with traditional looms. There is a particular fabric renowned in this area of which Dr. Fowler-Kerry and Troy (for his wife) purchased several metres. It is an art form, really and cool to meet the people who made the fabric that will one day be a piece of clothing.

In the evening we were invited to have dinner in the convent with Sister Carol and the members of her order. Some of the students joined us as well. It is a rare exception that anyone dines with them. Another shining example of the special reception we have received here. The food and the company were again amazing. We were informed that usually they have very simple meals, but that they had special food for us today. On the menu was Blue Marlin, ripe mangoes, and ice cream to name a few of the most tasty items. We have all agreed that any thoughts of "losing weight" on this trip are simply not going to happen.

Thoughts so far by Troy;

One thing that has really impressed me about the way that Nurses work here is the real and tangible empowerment of people. In Canada we talk about it, but here we have witnessed it happening in many different and creative ways. It is the Nursing students making the most impact as they fulfill their clinical requirements in the community. The shortage of Nurses here is related to funding of positions, not lack of qualified Nurses. In Canada we must put a more concerted effort into empowering people at the community level to take responsibility for their own health as well as the way they access our health system. We have it so good in Canada that we take it for granted. Many of the things we have been a part of here so far inspires me to work hard for sustainable and appropriate change in our own populations back in Saskatchewan. It is about being good stewards with what we have, not about having more expensive technology.