Tuesday, April 15th

( Sorry for posting these so late- I suck at blogging lol)


Our first stop of the day- sunshine homes. dozens of families found refuge in a cemetery, and built squatter homes there. the minute we stepped out of our Van, we were greeted by young kids, and the first one I spoke to Tonya. She followed right behind me our entire stay there. Immediately on either side, we say small Moslems and gravestones lining the streets as we entered their living space. There was a strong smell of garbage  and urine, and bottles, paper, shoes and other in recognizable items littered the walkways. Everyone there was so inviting and greeted us with a "Hi" and a huge smile.

I almost felt guilty for intruding their homes and their neighborhood with our police protection, cameras and tape recorders. I hope they didn't feel as if we viewed them as a spectacle..

We had the opportunity to interview three different women (Myleen, her daughter and Norma) and learned their origins, how they got there and whether they planned to leave and such. Even though they love in such quite quarters with one another, they each had a completely different story, which reminds me that every person has their own history and circumstance. There are honestly no words to describe how I feel after seeing all that...

What stuck out the most though about the sunshine homes was one little girl on particular, Tanya. She was eight years old and had an infectious smile. Right as we unloaded our van, she was the first kid to greet us, and asked for my name. From that moment on, she was my shadow- flowing me everywhere, holding my hand, calling me Ate, and taking pictures with me. Her and her friends had trouble saying my name, so they just called me Isabella haha. I didn't even mind haha it was the cutest thing!
Now, we are sitting on bamboo huts overlooking the most beautiful water line and ordering food for our lunch at the Island Cove Resort.

Again, I feel almost guilty for being here. .. We could easily pick up and leave the sunshine homes as soon as we felt we got enough footage, but most families have been stuck there for decades. We are literally 5 minutes down the street from that neighborhood, yet we are now in a completely different atmosphere.. Just wow. I am so grateful to be able to eat all this gourmet food and drink with five star service, but it makes me realize that that's not the most important thing in life.

Thank you to the people of sunshine homes for showing me that happiness is a lifestyle, not a product of privileged circumstance... Happiness is about perspective.

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Later that day, we visited another roadside slum and also our first GK village  (Olaes) . What an amazing experience! The contrast between the slums we had seen previously and that village was night and day. This particular village was very well developed, after 8 years of existence. As we pulled up, we were greeted by a drum.line, color guard and xylophones band!  They put on an entire show for our arrival that really showcased their unity and sense of community.  Everyone was smiling, dancing and speaking to us so graciously. The entire time we were there, people continuously thanked us for what we are doing, and helping create villages across the PI  such as that.

What is awesome about these villages are the values that are instilled in their residents from the very beginning. Before they are awarded a home, they must help build each other's houses for a total of 1,500+ hours. This allows the residents to bond with one another and  work on each other's homes, forming a send of community. The houses they are given from the beginning are simply concrete shells with a kitchen and bathroom- the basic necessities. However, over the years as they gain stability and collect savings from an income, they being to renovate their houses- buying furniture, painting and even adding upper stories! It's just so admirable to see these families that begin with very little, then are granted this new start and completely flourish!

I'm really behind on this blog and I apologize, but I will slowly be updating my blog about the past few days as I find more time! Thanks for reading!