Day 68: Deaf and Hearing Band Night at Outpost

Its the 67th day of my ICS Volunteering journey. I went to DSWS office today to send sponsorship letter for our upcoming camp. It was a very long ride. Unfortunately, there is no current budget for 2013 for the activities for the PWD sector. DSWS has been supporting the Deaf community and just last year, they provided sponsorship for the Deaf Awareness Week. 

Packed goods as relief for residents affected by the recent fire outrage

At their office, I also noticed that they were so busy packing relief goods for the recent fire that burned several houses. After, I went back to the office to prepare the materials I need to bring for the Deaf and Hearing Band Night at outpost which Mike coordinated. I also printed additional 24 photocards for A Card for A Cause.

Friends who came to support the event!

Sonny and I stayed at the table to welcome guests, explain the the cause and ask them to support CAD.

Sonny Rey, on his post!

It was my first time to see how Deaf people party and I its so much fun to see them on stage, performing the song. Their expressive faces are very contagious and it touches the soul.

The boy musician and Janice on stage performing.

Musicians were also able to experience how Deaf people rocks the stage! I hope that this encounter will not be the end.

JP, Bea and I. :)

My friend Bea came to support our event. It's such an encouragement when friends come to support you. It's like having an ice cream in the hot summer sun!

Ctoss Culture-Music in the Ears and Eyes!

We ended around 2AM and happy to raise around P6,000.00. Every event, we are one step closer to reaching our fundraising targets! :)

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Day 67: Topps! :)

Its the 67th day of my ICS Volunteering journey. We had our regular team meeting today. Yesterday's Break the Silence Advocacy run was a success! This afternoon, we all went to Topps to celebrate together and have a little break. 

Denven and Raemar! Also waiting for the news on tv.

Before we left, we waited for the news feature on the television about the event. Everyone was very excited, made ready their cameras to capture one of the awesome moments of our volunteering adventure.

Everyone was so excited to see the Fun Run yesterday on the News

Funny to note that we all waited in vain maybe because there was not enough time to include it in today's show.

Stunning. Wonderful. City lights.

Topps is a very fantastic place that during the first few weeks our stay here in Cebu, my co-volunteers has been talking about how beautiful the scenery of Cebu City up the mountains. The place is also very cold and spending it with people who has been together with me in almost 2 months journey made it more unforgettable  :)

Sonny, Michelle and Rommel, making Eggplant salad

We cooked our food. We grilled some eggplant and made it into a salad. Aside from that, we had some barbecue chicken and hotdogs. Also, we ordered some Liempo and letchon Manok before we left the GVSP.

Dinner Time!Yum! Yum! Yum!

It was a fun dinner together. We gazed at the stars in the sky and the glitters of the city lights were like fireflies. 

"We should celebrate successes and honor those who helped us to reach our goals."

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Day 66: Break the Silence Fun Run 2013

Break the Silence! 

Its the 66th day of my ICS Volunteering journey. It was raining around 2 AM today and we needed to be in Ayala as early as possible to prepare for the Break the Silence Fun Run. My counterpart and I were a bit late and everyone was really busy preparing the venue.

Stage at the Ayala Terraces, Cebu City

We prepared the chairs facing the stage and set up the CAD booth where we plan to advertise our upcoming activities. We set up the display for the "A Card for A Cause" and hopefully with the crowd coming, we can sell a lot.

Are the runners ready?

There were around 1,200 participants from 4K , 8K , 16K and 4K PWD category. It was very motivating to see the first PWD friendly run in Cebu City. The fun run isn't just about raising awareness about Deaf child sexual abuse but also about accessibility and participation of PWDs.

Tita Gina, with her family. Joined the fun run and bought 6 cards
from A Card for A Cause

After the run, I started to share "A Card for A Cause". Tita Gina who lives in USA now joined the fun run. She came with her family and also ate Jingkay who is my mentor and friend from Mindanao just to take part of the cause. They bought 6 cards to support CAD for our upcoming camp on May 1-3, 2013.

Team Photo?

After the event, we had a group photo celebrating its success. The participants became Deaf aware and we were able to raise funds for the programs of GVSP.

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Day 65: On the Last Day of the Registration Booth

It's 65th day of my ICS volunteering journey. I went around 9:00AM at the GVSP office to help Jenny cook food for our guest from Manila. He is Rovilson Fernandez who's Mark Nelson's friend and partner during the Amazing Race. 

Today is also the last day of the registration booth and the fun run team is also very busy distributing the shirts to the participants. KP and I rode a taxi to bring the 6 bags of shirts to the Fun Run Registration booth.

KP sorting the shirts to be brought at the Fun Run Booth in Ayala Center, Cebu

 After helping them out with the registration. I went to print some photos for A Card for A Cause which I plan to pick up later this afternoon. I then went back to GVSP office to help them with the preparations.

Mr. Chef! Daniel!

They were almost done with the cooking so I went out and bought some Ice. Luckily, the sari-sari store didn't ran out and I was able to buy 20 pieces. 

Sonny, Rovilson, Me and KP.

Rovilson then came with Karen and Roslyn. We then had lunch together  with other CAD members and officers as well as the ICS Volunteers. 

After lunch, a short lecture about Deaf Culture and Awareness were given to our guest. Followed was the film showing of the Binisaya film "Abot Kamay" which is about a Deaf who wants to become a celebrity. And that of course stars Karen who is a CAD member. :)

Abdel Jamal, a close friend from Mindanao who formerly
worked at UN OCHA during Typhoon Sendong Emergency Response

I went back to Ayala to pick up the photos I printed which we plan to sell tomorrow at the Fun Run Event. I was so happy to meet Jamal whom I closely worked with during my volunteer work in Iligan City for Typhoon Sendong Emergency Response. He is one of the great leaders I was able to meet and he is also a very inspiring person. His friend Emil from the Asia Foundation as well as Stef who is with Rovilson invited him to join the fun run tomorrow. 

Say Cheese! Last day of the registration booth! We all had fun!!

Tomorrow is one of the highlights of our ICS volunteering journey! I'm so glad we all made it this far! I'm so excited to Break The Silence!

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Day 62: A Card for A Cause and A Fund Raising Night at Alejandro's

 It's the 62nd day of my ICS Volunteering Journey. Sonny and I went to Ayala to have sample prints of the Photos as we planned to sell them at P30.00 as suggested by my counterpart. 

Break the Silence! Join the run!

While waiting for the prints, we roamed around the place and saw the Break the Silence Poster hanged on the side. Fun run will be in 4 days time!  

Banco de Oro! Inquiring for Remittance

 Since we plan to receive overseas donation,we dropped by Banco de Oro to inquire. Its expensive to send remittances from abroad and it would cost at least 500.00 which is even more that the minimum donation of P100.00 for our Card for A Cause. The real best option is to create a paypal account.

Back to the office, Daniel and KP were doing a video of the FSL version of the  National Anthem and Doxology for the fun run since its hard for all to gather together. It's a nice plan by the way.  

BTS materials are arriving at the office!

Break the Silence Run sponsorship are arriving at the office and for sure many more in the next few days.

The Photographer! Katrina Prado!

KP was amazed seeing her photos printed. Later this afternoon, I put on watermark of CAD's logo on the photos and went back to Ayala to print some more. 

A Card for A Cause at Alejandros

 Finally, I went immediately going to Alejandro's. I was able to sell around 18 Cards today.

Alejandro's pop quiz is very successful. There were 3 sets of questions about the Deaf Culture and Awareness. Each team had a Deaf member on their group that allowed more interaction between the participants.

Balut and Raemar, GVSP Volunteer Interpreters

Many came to support our fundraising event especially from the Deaf community and also our co-volunteers and program supervisors. We're so thankful for the support of the GVSP especially the volunteer interpreters who shared their time and skills. They are priceless!

Alejandros Pop Quiz for a Cause!

 We were able to reach beyond our fundraising targets. By the look of the participants' faces, it was indeed a mind opening experience that will surely change the way they see Deaf people.

It's not that they don't want to understand- they just lack the opportunity. And, tonight, they know that they had one! :)

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Day 61: Cebu City - A Deaf Friendly Society

It's the 61st day of my ICS Volunteering journey. We had a short meeting with JP for CAD's role this Saturday for the guest that will be coming over to help us spread the cause for Break the Silence Run! 

Cebu City Hall! 

 Mike, Janice and I then went to the Cebu City Hall to send a letter to allow us to use the bus on May 1 and 3. We were able to meet Julie who is also a GVSP volunteer. I was surprised that the government employees here knows sign language. Ms. Julie told me it is important because they are serving the community and they will encounter Deaf people. It was around 2 years ago that they had the training and they could still remember it.

Ms. Julie, Mike and I

Ms. Julie even shared to us the FSL manual she made to train people in government service. I was so inspired by what she has done. It's true indeed how PWD friendly Cebu is, especially to the Deaf community. Finally, we also left 5 Movie tickets for our fundraising event hoping it would sell.

Basma, checking on the registration sheets
and putting  race numbers and names on the shirts.

 I went back to GVSP office to lend some hand putting names and race numbers on the shirts, then, packing them in groups and bundles. Team CAD is really busy for many matters like fundraising and the upcoming camp. I also miss spending time with my other co-volunteers. It was fun helping them even for this little task. I hope I was able to lighten a bit of the burden for the preparations. 

Small things brings us true and everlasting joy. It is when we forget about the basics that we fail in becoming experts. 

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Day 60: Out of Camotes Island

It's the 60th day of my ICS volunteering journey. We woke up around 2:30 AM so we can go back to Cebu City as early as possible. The stars were seen very clearly and it decorated the skies like stardust on the wall.

Finally, arrived at Danao Port!

We reached the port on time and I felt so at ease knowing that we will be able to join our team meeting. Although our Camotes trip is a total rip off, I know I learned a lot of things.

Danao Jeepney Terminal

We then walked to Danao Jeepney Terminal going straight to SM Cebu City. It was nearby the church. It was more than an hour travel and I rested for a little to re-energize myself. 

Monday Team Meetings!

Back to our Monday team meetings, we then shared our experiences the past week and share developments on our current work placements. I thanked Amy, KP and Phillip for sharing their photos and I asked helped from them to help us push the website.

Team Impact Case Study

A short briefing about the reports we need to make and submit on May 6 was discussed by Jeduard. It's about the Personal and Team Case studies. It's one of the program requirements that we need to make. Its also an opportunity to share what we have experienced and learned while we are in the program. 

Later this afternoon, Sofia and I had a one on one session on Fundraising. She shared to me how to make websites. There were three important aspects I learned - Urgency, Color, and , Font Style and Size. 

I started redoing the website and tried to apply what I just learned however my skill in making websites is just so frustrating and that dissatisfies me. Made me think of getting another degree in college - Computer Programming or Information Technology.

Well, as they say, "If it does not challenge you, then, it won't change you.". I couldn't agree more! :)

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Day 59: CAD Fellowship at Camotes Island

CAD officers 2012-2014 with their active memebrs

Its the 59th day of my ICS volunteering journey. I woke up around 3:00 today to meet with Mike and Sofia so we can together ride a taxi going to the North Bus Terminal. We're off the Camotes Island together with CAD officers and members.

Where is Camotes Island?

We arrived late for the 5:30 am boat ride so we have to wait for the 7:00 AM trip. I decided to walk around Danao for a while to see the old church we passed by.

Old Danao Church

I returned to the port and we bought our tickets at P180.00 each. The travel to Camotes Island from Danao City is about 2 hours. 

Mangodlong Paradise Beach Resort

At the port, we rode a jeepney at P50.00 each to Mangodlong Beach Resort. The scenery is very beautiful and they have cheap accommodations for tourists. We had to pay an entrance fee of P10.00 each to enter and have some sight seeing of the resort. The food is very expensive. 

Native Style cottages around the beach area.

We moved out and went down to the public beach where a Deaf friend who studied at Cebu Technical University came to our rescue to help facilitate our outing. It was fun talking to our Deaf friends. I was a bit frustrated because it turned out that it was purely social because we though we will be having a lot of things to discuss with the officers and members. We then left around 4:00 PM going to Poro Port.

The feeling when you really wanted to go home and the
transport where you are suppose to ride just won't allow you to.

Our jeepney driver called the Management of the boat to reserve our tickets in the afternoon. The management said it was reserved but, when we arrived, they didn't save tickets for us. It was frustrating indeed seeing the boat leaving all of us. We needed to stay overnight at our Deaf friend's house and send a text to our supervisors saying we're stuck at Camotes.

Barbecue dinner!

We walked downtown to have our dinner. We had barbecue. Then,later tonight, one of our Deaf friend asked me to call his brother that he will not be able to go home. I slept early especially that I had a fever yesterday and my body needs to recover fast.

Downtown, Western Poblacion Camotes Island

Sometimes, things just don't go according to plan - but its when things go wrong that our character is tested - surely, our values will be our compass. :)

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Day 57: A Visiting Friend and Making a YAHE Powerpoint

It's the 57th day of my ICS Volunteering journey. My friend and mentor from Mindanao visited me in GVSP to know more about the NGO and learn something about what they are doing. I asked Thea ( 1 of the Placement Supervisors) this morning if its ok for my friends to visit. I was so happy that she approved it.

Isabelle, my host home counterpart explaining
the photos on the wall to my friends.

Ate Jingkay (wearing white shirt) is working and volunteering as the Youth Desk of the Bishops-Ulama Conference which is an NGO that promotes peace building in Mindanao through dialogue. She is one of my mentors who molded me to become more culture sensitive to my fellow Mindanaons. 

I Love you! Let's learn basic FSL!

I also invited them to join the fun run on the 21st of April and explained about the Break The Silence advocacy run which aims to promote awareness and understanding of the Deaf Culture and the challenges faced by the Deaf community.

YAHE is one of the programs of CAD which promotes self awareness
to the Young Deaf.

Sonny, my co-volunteer who is very good at drawing also finished his task for the Young Adult Health Education. I extended for more than an hour to finish the power point because definitely there will be a lot of things to do tomorrow. :)

For the Fruit! Akyat! Akyat!

Late this afternoon, JP and the others were so happy to have noticed the fruit tree near the office. They harvested it since many of the fruits were already falling on the ground. 

The branch server is down. Walking to Lahug Branch. :)

I asked mother for some money today because we are going to Camotes Island on Sunday and it's not covered by the VSO. I find it important to join them because it's an opportunity for us to get to know the officers and member of CAD, learn how Deaf people have fun, and , how they plan and do things.

I said to myself that I wont be asking any money from my parents while I'm in Cebu City and I have done quite a good job so far - not until today. I'm really frustrated about myself but I know I have to do this. I believe it's doing beyond what is required of you. :)

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Day 56: Camp Video Promotion and Sending Posters and Movie Tickets to SWU

Its the 56th day of my ICS Volunteering journey. Michelle, Rommel and I prepared the Posters and Tickets that we are to send to Southwestern University  (SWU) today. 

In the afternoon, we had a video shooting for the Camp promotional video performed by Janice and Ronnie. Only 20 days to go before the camp there are no registrants so far. It was really funny today especially that Adam, Sonny, Rommel and I have to go running with Ronnie and Janice before the end of the video!

L-R: Ronnie, Janice (artists for the video promotion),
KP (videographer) and Rommel ( volunteer Deaf artist from Manila).

After the shooting, we went together to SWU to send the posters and tickets right away since sir Chai will be going to Davao City tomorrow.

We're on a hurry! Straight ahead to SWU!

We left 35 tickets to the Graduate School and 35 tickets to the student body. We were able to meet up with Sir Danny who is the SSG president and we we're so happy that they said yes in supporting us.

Posters and Tickets for the Film Night!

We then tested the CDs for the Film at AVR 3 to check if its compatible. The venue can accommodate around 100 plus viewers.

AVR 3, Southwestern University

We found ourselves hungry so we stopped for a while to buy some quail eggs to fill our stomachs. Then, we walked to the jeepney stop straight ahead to Ayala.

Street Food time! Filling hungry stomachs!

Finally, our last stop for today was at the Fun Run booth. We dropped by to say hi to our co -volunteers and hopefully encourage them in some way. :)

So this is the fun run booth? :) Just so you know!

They say, there are so many things to do and there is so little time. But, the little things we do together will make us do many things even if there is so little time. :)

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