area musings

Yeah!

third time i went to the area this month. was in brgy. mabantao, kapalong, davao del norte to facilitate with rhea and emma a participatory poverty assessment workshop. went out of the house before 6am, and checked back in around 9p. whew was tiring but definitely worth it.

on our way home, we rode a motorela to maniki and while singing galileo and ghost on end, thoughts formed in my mind. and before i forget them, here are a few things to remember when doing area work.

dont bear that grin
especially when riding a habal habal or at the top load. sometimes, i really could not prevent myself smiling, because of the lush of green that meets the blue of the sky, and the magic of colors that abound. truly amazing emotions contained in sight. but after the ride, i would feel as if a whole year's worth of tartar got stuck on my teeth. hmmmm, not exactly comfortable if i have to talk at my meeting.

prepare
for the area activity. it is not always i have the opportunity to go to the area to attend meetings or do trainings. but the thing is, whatever the reason, i would have to maximize the visit and bring as much agenda as i can.

listen
to the people and what they have to say. i always put it in mind, that the stuff that i am doing, while it boosts my ego is not really about me. it is working with the interests of people that is why i am there, not really to save them but to give them what is due theirs. and maybe, just maybe the best help i could give them is to listen to their stories. no matter how important or trivial, how sad or how happy they may sound.

save energy for the trip back home
because the trip back is sometimes the most dramatic. it would usually in the late afternoon. and as the sun sets in the horizon, my heart swells with the beauty around me.

keep eyes open
literally and figuratively. the countryside has so much to offer. it presents itself in hues and feelings that would be a pity to miss it. though at times the lulls of napping makes my eyes heavy, so i miss the beauty unfolding around. okay lang yun, no one's gonna take me away form my zzzzzz.

look at people in the eye
peer into their souls, and let them in yours. that is how i cherish every moment with the community. that way they are individualized and treated as a person. and i avoid the thought of treating them as a mere statistic and makes my work more alive.

share the story
when we talk about our personal "it"s with other people, it puts more value to it. the fish philosophy we have embraced at the beginning of the year, necessitates the telling of our story with other people. that is the amazing thing about sharing, it is a two way thing, the more i give, the more i seem to receive.

quite a list already. but i'll stop now, i'll probably let these stuff digest first and get on to writing more of it, as i move.