I'd rather have a small cozy home than a mansion.

because I experienced mopping for about half and hour and it felt so tiring. >.< I felt pity for those who work as janitors because they have to do it for 8 hours or so. But then, I could hire a domestic helper to save me from the task. But then again, I'd rather not! Because, it's like passing the "job of the female" to another female thus reinforcing the thought that house work is only for women, which is NOT TRUE. I'd rather do it by myself and share it with the male specie/s who'll be living with me under the same roof. Anyway...

I spent the morning cleaning 2 dormitory rooms in the seminary that would serve as rooms of Kamalayan from the 28th to 30th. They will have "lakbay-aral" (the Filipino term for study tour) in Manila. The purpose of the lakbay-aral is for them to gain knowledge about urban poverty and its connection with rural poverty. Another objective is to show the historical background of war as one of the causes of poverty. By the end of the tour, we would like them to realize that it is not true that there are always better opportunities for them once they choose to work in the city. In the end, we would like them to value the life of farmers and fisher folks and move them to take action to solve poverty from the rural area.

Lakbay-Aral Program for Kamalayan
October 28 - 7 hour travel from Perez to Manila | Orientation | Dialogue with the Redemptorist priest, Fr. Willy
October 29 - Intramuros and Fort Santiago | Home stay at Smoky Mountain
October 30 - Discussion about the Push and Pull of Urban and Rural Poverty | Roaming around Makati (exposure to rich) | Solidarity dinner with Volunteers of ACCE (Japanese food. Yata!)
October 31 - Back to Perez

Kamalayan stands for "Kabataang Mabuti ang Layunin sa Bayan" (Youth who has a good objective for the nation). They are an organization of high school students and out-of-school youth aged 12-21 years old from a rural poor community in Perez, Alabat, Island, Quezon Province.

 Here is a picture of them after the success with the Cayacas Street Dance Festival
last June 2010. "Cayacas" pertains to the leaf of the coconuts which is highly regarded by the
people of Perez, since primary crop in the agricultural area is coconut.



They were my oo-facilitators at the "Workshop of Poverty in Perez"
for the children scholars, last May 2010 (Summer Tutorial Class).
 

I miss them! and after 3 months of not being able to go to Perez, I'm looking forward to seeing them again. <3