Manila, capital city of the Philippines and proud home of the 3rd biggest mall in the world:
My first two weeks in the Philippines were spent in Manila, a busy, polluted, and incredibly exciting city. My plans were up in the air, and after about 28 hours of traveling I spent the first two days adjusting to the time and wandering around aimlessly to get my bearings. I planned to spend some time in Manila to start 
contacting organizations, get a taste of city life here, and to pick up some Tagalog—the national language (although there are dialects in each province, and most people speak some English). After two nights in a budget hostel suggested by my lonely planet guide, a family friend contacted relatives in the Philippines and just like that, I was introduced into a Filippino family. I became the much taller, whiter, and innocently incapable of doing anything-new sister/daughter they never had. The Macquiling family generously hosted me for the first two weeks of my stay, showing me around, treating me to traditional Filippino dishes, and introducing me to their family and friends, who quickly welcomed me into their circle.
Struggling to explain my purpose for traveling to the Philippines, let alone, why I was traveling alone, we quickly
discovered that one family friend, called Tito Henri (“uncle Henri”) and some of my “family members”, were involved in charity work/aid, the primary focus of my research in the Philippines. Tito Henri had started an informal charity group, which donates books, clothing, bags and shoes to schoolchildren in the province where he grew up. The group is made up of community members in his area, which donate the items, and he delivers. The group has been ongoing for a couple years now, and seems to have become a family passion that will remain sustained over the years. Tito Henri has purposely not registered the group as an official NGO so that it will not be forced to undergo any rules or regulations necessary by the government for NGO’s in the Philippines (although what these rules or regulations are, I’m not yet sure).
I
was invited to join the next excursion, and of course happily agreed to accompany them to the destination 5 hours away—Pangasinan. Because college was not yet in session, my “siblings” who were old enough to be in college joined the adventure. Neither of them had been to the school yet and were excited to see who it was exactly they were donating to. We brought backpacks, used books, and flip flops for the students. The items were only given to students who were the most in need, which were self-selected, and the books were added to a community collection for the future library.
It was exciting to experience domestic charity work during my first week in the country. Although this experience was not part of my overall research for BGI, I was
glad to make this connection right off the bat. I imagine that the rest of my research will be slanted towards international organizations and groups, but to see Tito Henri and my “family members” express their beliefs on helping their country men was truly inspiring. Tito Henri is highly regarded among his friends as a caring and giving man, and watching his interactions with the school only affirmed these beliefs. He plans to start a feeding program for the school in addition to adding a library and better latrines.
