Gawad Kalinga Taguig Village

I´m having a little bit of a difficult time right now. I am having a constant battle in my mind that of which is between wanting to just go home or stay here. I feel as if i am just so ready to go home. I am so tired mentally and physically. I am ready to have a normal life again, sleep in my own bed, have my own schedule, be with my family and everything else that has to do with Belews Creek. I think about how home is just around the corner and that makes me just ready to go back to my family and friends there. BUT then there is Taguig village which in fact has a piece of my heart. This place is what is in fact keeping me sane while being here. The people are so loving and welcoming. The kids make me incredibly happy and i want to take them all home with me( i know i said it in my last post too, but im serious). I feel as if i have established this amazing connection with this village that i am not at all ready to leave.

I do think that this amount of time left (a little over 2 weeks) is perfect though.
I do also think that it feels impossible that our tour is almost over. I cant believe that the end of Cast B 08 is over in 2 weeks. I have many feelings about this that i don't feel like writing about them because i just want to make the most of these next weeks and get everything out of it i can and not talk about leaving until it happens!

So just a random thought, but i just want everyone who reads this know that everyday counts for something and you should never waste it.

LOVEEEE KELLY

The Incredible Philippines

So i am now in Manila, Philippines and it is just mind-blowing.
Really, i absolutely LOVE it.
Except for the fact that the first 4 days i was here i happened to catch strep throat on the plane maybe. Lets see, but where to start. Well on our journey here we left Monday and got to Manila on Wednesday, so we got to skip a whole day of our lives. It was pretty interesting too because it was Shawna's birthday! When we go there i already knew i was going to like it because the weather is just wonderful. Anyway, on with this blog. Basically the driving here is crazy! I felt like i was going to die trying to cross. Mcdonald's delivers, the shopping here is extremely cheap and the people here are rediculously nice!
I got to my host families house and come to find out, they aren't even Flipino, but Iranian and German! They are very nice though, so it's awesome.
So then i got sick and stayed home for 2 days because i could hardly lift my head off the pillow. I felt so awful though because i just wanted to do communiy service with everyone, but i had to get healthy first.
Saturday was a reagional learning day where we got to learn the history of the Philippines, learn about the people we are helping (http://www.gawadkalinga.org/gkinthenews.htm), (go check them out, it is just amazing what this organization is doing for the people here.) and interact with one of the villages, and then go to a dinner.
I decided to go even though i still felt sick. I just had to get out of that house and go out and see everything. I just don't want to miss a minute.
So speaking more of our communtiy service, we are working with Gawad Kalinga. A little bit about them, Gawad Kalinga (GK) translated in English means to “to give care”, and it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.
I feel so lucky that i get to be a part of this incredible organization and i'm so excited to help out as much as i can.
Today i finally got to go to CI and it felt good to be able to see the village we are helping. (We are all split up into several different groups from the cast and working with different villages.)
It really is so sad though. The difference here in the Philippines is rich or poor. The slums here are just awful. It smells bad, trash is just overflowing in the river, and the houses are made out of anything possible. With the help of GK and volunteers, things can be built into something better for the people here.
The people are so happy that we are here to help. They greet you so greatfully and love to just see you smile at them. The kids are just adorable and i want to bring them all home with me. hahah but i got to interact with the people of the village and teach them dances.

Thats all for now, i'm so very tired.
goodnight!

Halloween

So i know i haven't been on here since ABQ, but i honestly have been so busy. I have definately realized that i just don't have any time for the internet. This is the first time i have even been on since about 4 weeks ago.  I'm very sorry to anyone who comes to my blog and there's nothing new. I can promise you though that i have been having the best time ever during the rest of our U.S. tour.  Here i have put up some pictures from our Halloween party last night. Just for fun :]

      I got to see my family last weekend in Cheyenne, and it was beyond amazing. It really felt so unreal because i hadn't seen them in so long. It was so wonderful to be with my family again.  I have realized how much they mean to me and how much i appreciate what they do for me. They are my blood, life and heart.  It was sad that i only got to spend about 24 hours with them, but at least i saw them :] 

     For our community service we have been going into schools and doing our Stand For Peace projects.  I love doing this because it's wonderful to get to teach children about diversity and how we should work together and just getting to represent Up With People and what we are doing!  I love working with kids too, so its just fabulous!  Also i got to work with this organization called community action. I got to help repair and build houses for homeless veterns.  I really felt so helpful during this and like i really made an impact. It's such a great feeling.

     We have a diversity fair tomorrow so i really need to go to sleep.  i hope to write again soon!

We do only have 2 weeks left in the U.S. though.  I can't believe it!

-Kelly

The Balloon Fiesta

Honestly i can't even describe to everyone how incredible today was. It is just something that you'd have to be at to understand. All i know is that the Balloon Fiesta seriously blew me away. I mean i was just amazed. I have never in my entire life ever seen something quite like this. It was just the COOLEST thing i have ever experienced. It's so awesome because Hans, Anna, Neele and I got to take part in making this possible for the whole cast. And i can definately say that this will be one memory that the cast will NEVER forget. I mean i personally will never forget this day. Just real fast to explain what happened last night, we had our show at the zoo, went back to our facility, had a sleepover for about 3 hours, woke up to some people screaming at 3am(but the only voice i really heard was Han's LOUD mouth), went to the balloon fiesta (all of us on NO sleep), worked for make a wish foundation, helped lauch and chase balloons, if you were lucky enough GO in an air balloon, go BACK to the event palace for an alumni pot-luck lunch, go home and pass out. That's basically what happened. I am quite happy with how smooth everything went in H.A.N.K.'s city. ABQ was definately beyond fabulous and i am quite sure the cast loved thier week here. The show was at the zoo and it was AWESOME! My cast did so well at the show. I mean it was just one of the coolest places to perform, i think. I mean it's pretty cool to have zoo animals all around where they were performing. There was a lot of people and i was very happy with the results of the show. So many families came and it was just incredible. Espescially to just be able to sit down and watch. Watch my cast. It felt so awesome while i was sitting there watching them perform. I was so proud to say that they were MY cast :] I just love them all so much and i was so glad to have helped set up ABQ for them. I actually am going to write more later because i have a lot to say about my advance work experience, but since i got about an hour of sleep last night, i need to go to bed.
Goodnight.
and here are some pictures from the Balloon Fiesta!

Mexico Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Mexico


At the fire department in Culiacan:]



Playing games with cute kids in a poor area of
Los Cabos.
i have different thoughts about this.





The famous Arch in Cabo!



School boys of La Paz


I thought this was the coolest wall ever.
I took this when i was working with Mobilized Mankind
in La Paz.


La Paz Nursing home :]


La Paz Beach

Advance work

has really been amazing and I'm not ready to leave ABQ. I love it here and i love my host family, the Tuckers. I know i have a week left but i still dont want to leave. But this week's going to be the best week by far, because the cast gets here tomorrow. i miss them so much!
Today at church this guy told me that he was definately coming to our show Friday at the zoo (which is going to be awesome) because we are the future. I thought that was so cool that he said that:]
Thats all for now, but im going to put some pictures up from Mexico since i haven't gotten to yet!
<3

H.A.N.K

Advance work has been so much fun. I have laughed and learned more than i ever have before!
Plus i love my FMs (Anna & Hans). By the way, we made up a name for us H.A.N.K, which is (Hans, Anna, Neele, Kelly). I dont know what i'm going to do once i'm not with them everyday 24/7.
Last night we had an alumni meeting/dinner. It was so awesome because all the alumni went around the room and said when they traveled and what Up With People did for them. I will never forget, this one lady named Beth said i feel like i am meeting new members of my family tonight that i have never met before. As we were going around and listening to what everyone had to say, i realized that Beth is so right. It's so incredible to realize that all of us in that room had or are going through the same amazing experience. It's like something that only Up With People (uppies we call them) will ever understand. I just had a great time too talking to alumni that have traveled before and listening to thier stories.
We also had two representatives from ABQ journal taking pictures for an article they want to write about alumni, which is totally cool. I'm excited for that and it should be coming out by monday! Anyway i have to get back to work! We still have a few details to finish before the cast gets here! I cant wait to see them! i really miss my huge family :]