SI MONTHLY NEWS June 2007 Travel and host reports, Brazil, Philippines
From SI Exco News
Servas dreamer from Brazil
I've started to plan my round-the-world trip with more attention recently and that's why I decided to share my ideas with you. This is an "old" and very special dream of mine and I'm pretty happy about putting it into action. My aim is more than backpacking, visiting amazing places, tasting new food, listening to new sounds and languages, meeting nice people. Few weeks ago I realized that my life only has sense if it transcends, overpasses myself – and I tell this without glamour or presumption. This is a very deep and true feeling that has come out of the blue and brought meaning to my recent and a bit unconscious decisions: I do want to share myself (= my skills, my love, my creativity) with the others, I can't live only for myself.
During this trip I'd like to visit humanitarian, sustainable or/and artistic projects and organizations. My idea is to know ways of living in this world with peace and dignity. As a journalist, I'll be able to write some stuff for Brazilian magazines and websites and also for Servas, if you find it convenient. As an (amateur) actress and clown, I'm able to show some performance for kids, teenagers and people in general. Actually I made this suggestion to Lilly, SYLE Coordinator in Mexico, and perhaps I'll try to put this plan into action for the first time there. Let's see.
I'm writing because, as a Servas member, I'd enjoy to be with Servas fellows along my journey and I think they can help me to know good projects, join interesting humanitarian activities and so on. Perhaps they know people who deal with those affairs. May I write to National Secretaries to introduce myself and ask about that? What do you think? This is very important to me: learning International Relations into practice. In my opinion, ignorance and intolerance walk together...
I haven't finished the route of the journey, because I depend on visas and more pieces of information about the countries. But, the first plan is: Montreal (+Ottawa)/ Vancouver >> Seattle/San Francisco >> Tokio/ Kyoto/ Hiroshima/ Nagasaki >> Beijing >> Singapore >> Bangkok >> Hanoi... For the time being, I'm sure about this – but trip continues with Asia, Europe and Africa.
What a long message!!! Excuse me for this (I love writing...). Last but not least, as north-american expert Joseph Campbell said: I'm following my bliss. That's it. My bliss – and I think this is bigger than me... ;-)
Maria Fernanda Vomero, Brazil
Canadian view of the Philippines continued:
Philippines has some of the world's largest and best-stocked shopping malls. Many more malls are planned for construction over the next five years. The malls provide a kind of total environment for daily life. It's a great relief to come into the Mall air conditioning, out of the city's heat and humidity. You can eat very cheaply, get a massage, go to a movie, and get your laundry washed. Some have Olympic-sized skating rinks with real ice, a novelty in this tropical country. Others have big playground structures for children. One hosted a large Catholic mass. Many of the stocked items sold are familiar internationally, e.g. Lacoste, Canadian Club, Canon, Louis Vuitton. Historic cultures of Philippines are not visible, except in museums.
Despite Philippines' trappings of modernity, a community development group told me today that as many as one in three Philippines children are under-nourished. Many of these 7 million poor Philippines children go to bed hungry. Philippines also has serious atmospheric and water pollution problems. Clean drinking water is a major problem, even to steel-stomached slum dwellers. These scarcities are not widely reported. On the surface of the media, everyone is just fine.
There are signals of a widespread malaise, especially among Youth: I was told that 2,000 health and community workers, most of them young, leave Philippines each day, in search of better careers abroad. Ex-patriot remittances from Taiwan, France, Britain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and many other countries are so large (valued in total at $10 billion [!] per year), they give valuable support not only to their families left at home but indeed to the entire country. Some of these Filipinos, according to an expert panel workshop I attended, perhaps many, are alone and afraid when working abroad. They are cut off from family and legal support and often abused or worse. They would be ideal ethnic communities for Servas to help connect in their adopted countries abroad.
Servas travelers with energy and preferably some expertise are welcome to take a working holiday with some Philippines community groups. And three such groups I met expressed interest in joining with Servas to celebrate the founding vision of our times, the period following the end of the Second World War, and before onset of the Cold War. They are hoping to get attention and help for their urgent work for people, the environment and development.
In countries where there is a lot of poverty local Servas people might prefer to day-host, and there may be value for Servas to partner with some NGO's like YMCA or International Hostels, to establish Servas orientation sessions for communities and travelers.
One of the big features of Philippines is the public's attitude to strangers, which is invariably positive.
Philippines is a land of smiles, of cheerful greetings, of gracious help and cooperation. It's a really interesting place to visit, and a land full of opportunities for people who want to learn and help.
Gary Sealey, Canada
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