Volunteer Work: Things I Learned From Project Bohol

It's been more than a month since I left camp at Maribojoc, Bohol to help out in deconstructing homes of the earthquake victims last October 15, 2013. The trip has been incredible as I have never had such a heartbreaking yet rewarding and truly remarkable experience such as this. I met locals from Maribojoc who have shown immense courage and strength after the quake,  from a 78 year old Grandpa caring for his 80 year old wife and rebuilding his home by himself, to a 28 year old farmer who's starting a family, to a 19 year-old nursing student who stopped school for a while to help her family recover from the quake while her parents are away. I'm very thankful that none of them had lost their loved ones.

Apart from the locals, I have met a committed and inspiring team of local and international volunteers from All Hands Project Bohol. They have traveled far and wide to get to Bohol and have dedicated their time and effort to make sure that the earthquake victims are on their way to recovery after this calamity.

Entrance to the Project base camp

It's really not rocket science. A lot of these things, we already know; but from experiencing logistical mishaps and packing woes to discovering meaningful realizations, here are the some mental notes and important lessons that I've learned on my short stint at Project Bohol:

 

Waterproof ALL your belongings. It will save your sanity!

For the most part of my stay, it was raining buckets in Bohol and my saving grace were these plastic bags and ziplocs where I put all of my clothes and gadgets in. Some items were not spared, but I did not regret waterproofing my essentials. My sister was more unfortunate as she didn't get a the chance to do the same. It's not really fun wearing wet clothes throughout the day (although it has become a way of life for some) or sleeping on a wet sleeping bag while feeling like a vegetable from all the muscle pains. For future volunteers, pack for both wet and dry weather! 

Also, bring an extra pair of gloves. Mine were destroyed by my 3rd day.

Alona Beach in Panglao, Bohol, before heading to camp

Keep your itinerary open

Before going to Aghao which is the All Hands headquarters in Bohol, my sister and I have already booked hotels in Panglao so that we could stay at the beach. We were thinking of having a good rest on Sunday before heading out to camp and then frolic by the shore and get a massage the following Saturday after our volunteer work. It sounded like a good plan, until we realized that 5 days is too short and that we wanted to stay a little longer. Add the fact that it was pouring and it didn't make sense for us to go to Panglao anymore. I personally didn't mind staying at the All Hands Volunteers base to render another day of work and spend more time with locals and my fellow volunteers. But because we didn't want to waste money and forfeit our paid reservation with the hotel, we had no choice but to go. Advice to future volunteers, keep your itinerary open! You'll have a place to stay if you wish to extend your service.

Toploading is the commuting style of choice from base camp to work site

You can overcome all sorts of discomforts when you volunteer

I definitely do not fall into the high maintenance category of human beings, but squeaky shoes, insect bites, flooded tents, dirty bathrooms, painfully cold showers, sweaty clothes, muddy gloves, body aches are things that I do not experience every day.When I signed up for Project Bohol, I knew what I was getting myself into--the living conditions there is not the most comfortable, but it is inevitable given the nature of the work, the weather and the number of people living in camp. It is something I have learned to embrace because I knew I was sharing space with selfless volunteers who are doing something good for my country and I was a part of an effort that made a positive impact on other people's lives.

Sea of tents! The green one on the right was our sleeping quarters for 5 days.

Be open to learn new skills

Fact: I have never worked with a sledgehammer, shovel, rebar cutter or hammer and crowbar in my life. Never have I imagined that I'd be excited over new tools at the base and even consider sledging as my favorite deconstruction activity. Volunteers who have been onsite for a while already knew what they were doing, but on my first day, I had no clue where to start at all! Thanks to my teammates who were willing to teach me the basics, I have learned to become more comfortable with my chosen tools. All Hands does not expect volunteers to work at a certain pace and my team leader was very helpful when I asked questions. By my third day, things got better for me and I have gotten more accustomed to working on the field.

That's me, deconing wood beams. This used to be someone's roof.

Don't underestimate yourself. You are stronger than you think!

While I did not physically prepare myself for volunteer work (and I deeply regret this!),  I knew that I was in for rigorous manual labor. Coming from an office job that requires sitting on my ass the whole day and then going to a work environment that involves sledging walls and ceilings, carrying huge beams of wood and blocks of cement 8 hours a day took its toll on my body. Everything hurt by my second day! I would literally wake up in the middle of the night because of the muscle pains. The funny thing is, whenever we go to the houses and proceed with deconstruction, my body wouldn't hurt as much, and seeing my teammates work their asses off became a motivation for me to continue the work. Rock by rock, wood by wood and swing after swing, we managed to make good progress together as a team. Quitting never crossed my mind (errr, or maybe it did...but I carried on), knowing that we were doing something worthwhile. 

Aside from the manual labor, Filipino volunteers also doubled as liaisons between the international volunteers and the Maribojoc locals. We served as translators to the locals about their requests while we worked on deconstructing their houses, and also became storytellers to the international volunteers about the experiences of the locals during the earthquake. My teammate said she's happy that she has a Filipino on her team because hearing the stories of the locals make the work more meaningful.

Sledging and deconning at a local's house

Take time to get to know people.

Prior to this trip, I have never experienced living with such a diverse set of individuals in my life. While I have met friends from my travels, having a motley crew of people from multiple parts of the globe in communal living conditions is a very interesting and totally new experience for me. From adjusting to a smorgasbord of accents, to picking up new terms for band-aid (plasties), underwear (knickers) and sweater (jumpah), or just having a great conversation with an extrovert when you're not much of a talker gives you a broader understanding of people.

My teammates, Howard, Laurel, Claire, Dan and Ben

Where are you from? What do you do back home? How did you learn about the The Project? These are just few of the questions being thrown around at the base, when volunteers have a chance to chat and just get to know each other. Whether it's in the morning when people are gathered in the kitchen to prepare their breakfast, or during the wait for my turn in the shower or during breaks there's always an opportunity for conversation and get to know people. I must admit that I'm not good at doing small talk, but then I learned that when you just really open yourself to other people's stories and be genuinely interested in what they have to say, everything just becomes interesting.

Team Bohol

Okay, perhaps not e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, but digging deeper through the small talk, I managed to connect with a bunch individuals from camp and I'd like to think they weren't single serving. I learned about their families, their peeves and had a chance to take a peek at their little idiosyncrasies. There was a bitin feeling when I left camp partly because I felt like I could still do more help and also because I wish I had more time to get to know the volunteers. Some of the folks I've met at camp googled for "Philippines disaster help" or "Typhoon haiyan volunteer" and ended up in Bohol. Being part of the Project made me feel like I was part of a tribe. It's as if I found my people--the sort who loved travel, kind that helped others, the people who sent good vibes and random hugs to well meaning strangers. These are good people, and they are the best kind that I'd like to meet again if I'm on their side of the world.

Goodbyes are always the hardest part.

You have the ability to make a difference.

So you think you're just a speck in the overwhelmingly massive expanse of humanity. I feel that way too. I'm just one person. What can I possible contribute to help?

It's normal to have these apprehensions, but the fact that you're interested to volunteer shows that you're already on the right track. All Hands Project Bohol started with just a handful of volunteers willing to take on the challenge of helping the earthquake victims and it grew to a community of almost 50 volunteers from all over the world. One person's effort might seem miniscule, but a month ago when we left camp, the Project has safely deconstructed 75 homes, 5 chapels, 3 schools, 1 barangay (district) multipurpose building and a church. All of this was completed thanks to the 14160 hours of donated labor by 147 volunteers from 17 countries around the world.

My teammates, Kiri, Ned and Isabelle with Lolo Ambrosio and Lola Adelaida. They gave us coconuts to drink after our day of work.

Remain grateful.

With Social Media showing us all the best things about other people's lives, it's easy to get hit by the jealousy bug. We end up comparing our lives to other people's bright and shiny Facebook timelines and the  result is frustration with what we have and accomplished (or not accomplished) thus far. It's really not a healthy way to live, is it? Meeting the locals of Maribojoc reminded me to keep things in perspective. Volunteers arrive at the worksite thinking about what needs to be done--deconstruct the place, recover personal effects, clear out rubble and segregate the items for rebuild. But we sometimes forget and heck, we needed to be reminded, that someone lived and built their lives in that place. Someone grew up and made memories there. There are days when I consciously make an effort not to cry, specially when the work has been done and we had to leave the site. After meeting these people who have lost everything, I've learned to be thankful for the fact that I have my family and friends, I have a roof on my head, access to running and clean water and I get 3 meals (or more) a day. Most importantly, I am reminded to be thankful that I'm still alive, and I have the freedom to choose what I make of my life, and the rest is just a bonus.

Temporary shelter boxes provided by the Project to the locals who have lost their homes. 

See more about Project Bohol here.
Find updates from All Hands Projects all over the world through their Facebook Page!
My sister and I have raised a fundraising page to further assist the team in getting tools, food and additional assistance to locals and volunteers. Click on the hand below to make a donation!