Satisfactory Review

I quite enjoyed the experience I had in Tacloban at the Boy's Holding Centre. Day to day work involved teaching math and English and extra-curricular activities with the children. It was great and I believe I was able to provide some of what the children needed while I was there through individual or one-on-one work with the children. One of the difficult things was that there was no translator present, though when submersed in a culture you find ways to communicate verbally and non-verbally. It would however have been beneficial to have had someone present to help with the language, as it would have had more of an impact for the children. When I absolutely needed someone to translate I did ask staff. My highlights with the children were often playing basketball. They are little NBA stars.

Another highlight was the transition from not knowing the community and city I was in to being able to walk through the city confident in knowing where I was going and feeling safe while I did it.

Also if I was smart I would have packed some aloe vera gel to help with the sunburn I got (self-inflicted I might add), because you cannot find it anywhere there.

I totally experienced what it was like to be an outsider because of race, though the experience was not one of negativity. The people were always quite pleasant and often tried to speak English with me. I felt safe all the time and overall thought the whole experience has had beneficial life learning outcomes for me.

If you are thinking of going to volunteer I would say "You only live once!"