In Country Orientation

Arrived in Manila at 8 pm at night, to be greeted by the ANGLES, the team of local team who coordinate the projects in the Philippines; and were they Angles, there was cold water bottle and everything waiting for us on arrival.  The flights were awesome, loved the A380, it was massive and full of features.

We stayed the night in Manila and met some of the volunteers already in country, this was an awesome exercise as it gave great insight into the cultural differences. Manila is very hot, and a very large city with extremes of wealth.  It was a real eye opener.

So we spent a week at a camp, meeting other volunteers, orientating to the country and culture and learning how to Karaoke! It was fully fun and awesome to see everyone develop their confidence with the mic.  To get us to practice the language and learn how to catch local transport, we had a mini amazing race within the town we were staying at.  We were given clues at each check point and further information about the country.  Very creative and interesting way to learn.  I also met my host organisation, and first impressions are that they are really busy and have a heap of programs and project to assist people with disabilities.  The level of professionalism was very impressive.  I am very motivated to get started.  From here I attend a session with the Aust Embassy and then fly out on project.  The official start is very close!