The doors to Church San Agustin
Entering the Church
Friday, January 2, 2015
Damas Photos
Alyson and her little sisters!
Ashley and Kelsey T playing basketball with the kiddos!
Josey instructing away on objectives for the day
January 2nd, 2015
Today we had the opportunity to visit the children at the Damas Orphanage here in Manila. The Damas Orphanage was started in 1913 and originally was for both widowed women and children. In 1998 there was a fire that destroyed the building completely and everyone inside perished In 1999 with help from the President Estrada the orphanage was rebuilt on the same grounds as we saw today. Today the orphanage is a child service agency that takes in children whose parents are unable to care for them at this moment in time along with children who have been abandoned. Damas Orphanage serves over 90 children today with their goal of returning the children back to their families as they are able to provide proper care for them. Each Thursday a physician and nurse provide check ups for the children.
Upon our arrival today we were greeted by 30 smiling faces and were welcomed by multiple songs and dances that they had prepared for us. It was amazing and very heartwarming. Following this we ate lunch and they sang and danced around some more. We were then paired up with 1 or 2 children and were able to play and run around at their playground. We attempted to assess their levels of development and did quite adequately with their gross motor skills as well as their fine motor skills. Some children did have developmental delays as well as forms of ADHD. They all enjoyed playing and laughing with their "American Sisters". We played duck, duck, goose to wrap up the day and what a sight it is to see children so happy whom are from so many backgrounds! As we started to end the day we gave stuffed animals to our little friends and left with tears in our eyes as they sang one last time a final farewell to us.
Late afternoon we went to the oldest church in all of Asia. Church of San Agustin has been through many wars and seen many years! During World War II it was the only building left standing as it was thought to be a Red Cross. It was one of the grandest churches we have seen with an enormous wooden door for entrance and the most elaborate ceiling!
We came back to enjoy dinner at Mary Johnston School of Nursing and after this long day we went to sleep!
Chelsea Ekeberg & Kelsey Thompson
Today we had the opportunity to visit the children at the Damas Orphanage here in Manila. The Damas Orphanage was started in 1913 and originally was for both widowed women and children. In 1998 there was a fire that destroyed the building completely and everyone inside perished In 1999 with help from the President Estrada the orphanage was rebuilt on the same grounds as we saw today. Today the orphanage is a child service agency that takes in children whose parents are unable to care for them at this moment in time along with children who have been abandoned. Damas Orphanage serves over 90 children today with their goal of returning the children back to their families as they are able to provide proper care for them. Each Thursday a physician and nurse provide check ups for the children.
Upon our arrival today we were greeted by 30 smiling faces and were welcomed by multiple songs and dances that they had prepared for us. It was amazing and very heartwarming. Following this we ate lunch and they sang and danced around some more. We were then paired up with 1 or 2 children and were able to play and run around at their playground. We attempted to assess their levels of development and did quite adequately with their gross motor skills as well as their fine motor skills. Some children did have developmental delays as well as forms of ADHD. They all enjoyed playing and laughing with their "American Sisters". We played duck, duck, goose to wrap up the day and what a sight it is to see children so happy whom are from so many backgrounds! As we started to end the day we gave stuffed animals to our little friends and left with tears in our eyes as they sang one last time a final farewell to us.
Late afternoon we went to the oldest church in all of Asia. Church of San Agustin has been through many wars and seen many years! During World War II it was the only building left standing as it was thought to be a Red Cross. It was one of the grandest churches we have seen with an enormous wooden door for entrance and the most elaborate ceiling!
We came back to enjoy dinner at Mary Johnston School of Nursing and after this long day we went to sleep!
Chelsea Ekeberg & Kelsey Thompson
January 1, 2015
Today was the fourth day we have been in the Philippines so far, and the first day of the new year. It was weird being 14 hours ahead of our family and friends back home, watching them celebrate New Years all over again via Snapchat and FaceTime. None the less we had a great time celebrating with each other at the resort in Subic Bay. Today was our free day and we were able to spend the day doing activities of our choosing. Unfortunately it started to rain early in the afternoon, but that didn't stop us from enjoying taking advantage of all the resort had to offer.
Many of us enjoyed the time snorkeling where we saw many starfish, coral, and other varieties of fish, some even swimming right up next to us. As a group, we overcame many obstacles including goggle and mouthfuls of water, the fear of getting pulled out by the current to the vast darkness of the ocean, and being devoured by a shark, but don't worry, we made it! Others spent this time relaxing on the beach soaking up what little sun we had today. After lunch we were fortunate enough to experience swimming with the dolphins at Ocean Adventures. The water was chilly with the rain and wind, but we all still had a great time, as this was also a first for many of us. Luckily, we had massages scheduled after our dolphin encounter, so we had an excuse to get out of the rain. We were also kept busy with dolphin and sea lion shows throughout the afternoon.
Once dinner approached everyone seemed to be pretty exhausted after a nonstop day of activities, so those who didn't have late massages packed up and went to bed early. This appears to be the part of the trip where we have overcome the jet lag, but some of us seem to be come down with different types of illnesses from colds to "upset tummies"...Good thing we are all a bunch of nursing students! Despite the rain and oncoming illnesses, we had a wonderful start to 2015. Happy New Year everyone!!
With Love,
Lindsay & Alexa <3
.JPG)
.JPG)
Today was the fourth day we have been in the Philippines so far, and the first day of the new year. It was weird being 14 hours ahead of our family and friends back home, watching them celebrate New Years all over again via Snapchat and FaceTime. None the less we had a great time celebrating with each other at the resort in Subic Bay. Today was our free day and we were able to spend the day doing activities of our choosing. Unfortunately it started to rain early in the afternoon, but that didn't stop us from enjoying taking advantage of all the resort had to offer.
Many of us enjoyed the time snorkeling where we saw many starfish, coral, and other varieties of fish, some even swimming right up next to us. As a group, we overcame many obstacles including goggle and mouthfuls of water, the fear of getting pulled out by the current to the vast darkness of the ocean, and being devoured by a shark, but don't worry, we made it! Others spent this time relaxing on the beach soaking up what little sun we had today. After lunch we were fortunate enough to experience swimming with the dolphins at Ocean Adventures. The water was chilly with the rain and wind, but we all still had a great time, as this was also a first for many of us. Luckily, we had massages scheduled after our dolphin encounter, so we had an excuse to get out of the rain. We were also kept busy with dolphin and sea lion shows throughout the afternoon.
Once dinner approached everyone seemed to be pretty exhausted after a nonstop day of activities, so those who didn't have late massages packed up and went to bed early. This appears to be the part of the trip where we have overcome the jet lag, but some of us seem to be come down with different types of illnesses from colds to "upset tummies"...Good thing we are all a bunch of nursing students! Despite the rain and oncoming illnesses, we had a wonderful start to 2015. Happy New Year everyone!!
With Love,
Lindsay & Alexa <3
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)