It’s Sunday, January 5th and we go back to the build site today, but because today is Sunday, we make time to attend mass right after breakfast before we head to AKC (ANCOP Kapatid Community).
We celebrate mass at Our Lady of Annunciation ParishStudent leaders wearing their Sunday bestWe arrive early so we can all sit downWe wonder if the mass is in English or TagalogThe mass is in English. There’s mass every hour from 8am to 10pm.Enjoying treats and flavours we don’t get in Toronto (eg. Spicy Cheetos)As we pull up to the build site we are greeted with warm wavesThe kids start running after the busWe wonder how long the kids have been waiting there for usHi fives as we get off the busWe usually arrive in our build clothesSo they are pretty impressed seeing us dressed up so muchWe’re asked to take pictures as we walk to the house where we store all of our stuffIt’s usually a 2 min walk from the bus to the houseToday because of all the pictures, it takes much much longerJoseph photo bombGroup shot (normal)Group shot (wacky)Group shot (look up)Helmets and steel toes on, we’re ready to buildEvery where we go we have a child escortWe walk off into the sunriseLet the mixing beginIt’s unbelievable how heavy a half bag of sand weighsSlowly and surely, the walls get higher and higherThe say we have to “let it cook” before mixing so Jairuz tastes if it’s readyLindsay is invited to do some tall workUmmm…..this is how high I can go, let me down please 🙂We’re becoming experts in bucket transporting heavy objectsWhether it’s buckets or hollow blocks, we got it down pat nowThis sand pile is almost completely finishedJeff’s favourite job – pushing cart up the hillBefore you leave Jeff, just one more bagEasy, only 2 small kids and 7 bags of sandBe careful not to scratch the carI wonder what he is thinking?Our youngest and cutest builderAlanna wants to see the view from hereIt needs a little more water, trust meI think there’s too much water now BritishDanielle get’s her hardest job to dateChip the concrete so that the rubber water tubing can be embedded in the wallMillion dollar view from this windowOk, enough of the posing, get to workOne by one, we can get it doneProof of hard workGrace before meals before lunchThey feed us so well at the siteWe have 10 min after lunch so some of us take a napMore tired buildersA sign we’ve been working very hardWater prank time while Michael’s napping – that’s one way to wake him upYummy and refreshingOkay. Team is rested. Now back to work!Clearing the area so we can make a chain – these sand bags get heavier every dayThe path is now clear, let’s do thisOne group fills the bucketsThe other group sends the buckets into the houseThis is the end of the bucket lineLindsay: “I think if we put the buckets through the window it’ll be way faster!” Which ever way, it needs to be passed the top to be poured to build a column.Behind the wooden mold there is a rebar structure to create support. When you remove the wooden mold after the poured concrete hardens you’re left with this sold columnBritish: I still think it needs more waterNew tasks: carry these metal beams to be installed as roof raftersThe construction workers had totally no fear of heights and were totally comfortable without any sort of harness or safety equipmentEverywhere we go there’s kids, even right at the build site itself.Kids would never be allowed anywhere near a construction zone in CanadaBirds eye view of our bucket trainWe pass poured concrete from outside the house, to inside the structure to be poured to make solid pieces reinforced by rebarLike routine, after each build we gather all the kids to play some games which is our favourite part of the dayFirst, we have an “over” “under” raceWe used a plastic water bottle as the item to be moved along the whole lineNext game we play is Buggie’s Up“Buggies Under”The next game we play is “Knights, Horses, and Cavaliers.” Jeff and Nicole show us what HORSES (left) and CAVALIERS (right)This is how you post when we yell KNIGHTSHere’s some more cute posesMichael shows everyone how to do a zipper runThe kids love itTime for our daily midday snack. Today in addition to pandasal (our favourite), we also have leche flan and ice cream!After snack, the kids urge us to play some basketball. This is Joe on his way up to dunk the ball 🙂Today we mixed up the teams rather then having CA vs. PHThe kids in PH had crazy handles (ball handling skills)Look at that technically sound defensive stance with steel toe shoesToday, Danielle was the leading scorer!Every day tons of fans come out and watch us playFor the last game we play PH vs CA, and the winning team get RC Cola. With Katrina boxing out her man, we have the rebound totally coveredMelissa makes the jump shot but alas, we lost the game. Mike pays up and buys the winners a bottle of RC ColaAfter the game, we head back to change but along they way (like always), there’s tons of photo requestsThey really make us feel specialWe kinda know how celebrities feel nowSo many shots are jaws start to hurt from smiling so muchJeff finds a way to getaway from the paparazzi 🙂As we make our way to the bus, the “fans” line the streets for one last goodbyeHi fives as all the way to the busUnbelievable how much these kids love usWe make sure we show our love to them everyday in returnEven as our “tour” bus pulls away, the kids followThis one kid finds a way to get one more high five!Back at the hotel, Mike gets to see two of his cousins who drop by and say “Hi”. Marou on the left and Michael Consul Sales to the right.We walk over to Trinoma mall for dinnerIt’s beautiful here at night.Every body looking “fierce” especially Lindsay “Lamesa” means “Table” in TagalogGiving thanks for an amazing day and the food we are about it eatBritishawna’s favourite: CHICKEN (even though we have it almost every day, twice a day)Danielle loves chicken too
We definitely eat well in the PhilippinesHere are all the males on this trip looking dapperohh how “fierce”
Tomorrow we’re back at the ANCOP Kapatid Community. Thanks for following our travels.
Please write your comments below and let us know your thoughts.
Living Life to the fullest right till the end of the trip, again and again, God Bless everyone on the trip!
Peace and Hope, Steve De Quintal Teacher, Bishop Marrocco / Thomas Merton CSS, 1515 Bloor St. W. Toronto, Ontario M6P-1A3. 416-393-5545 ext. 84293 “To think, to pray and to serve.” “You should be real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently” Pope Francis ****You can always email but a call or a visit will get a quicker response***** ________________________________________
It’s really starting to become a routine! There is no doubt that I feel like a celebrity! It amazes me how fast the kids learn the games and it shows how great of a team we are for explaining even with the language barrier. They learn so quickly and the pictures don’t even show half the fun that these kids have while playing. I thought I loved taking pics but these kids outdo me. FYI there was not too much water it was PERFECT and what can I say Chicken is my favorite food!
I love how there was so much singing during the mass we attended this day! Even though it was hard to follow along because it was in a different language, the screens they had set up with the words made it so much easier.
I agree with Britishawna’s comment about feeling like a celebrity!! All of us are now actor’s like Joe! The way the children greeted us while in our Sunday best was enough to make us feel loved!
another amazing day in the build site with the kids! too bad we didn’t have more time to be with construction workers and build houses. I agree with britishawna on how fast the kids to learn new games, such as the knights and cavaliers, and buggies up and down.
Another day’s work under the sun surely was difficult. However, the kids always brought up my spirit and helped me keep going. No matter what, each and every day the kids welcome us, play with us and say goodbye to us with the same level of energy. I questioned each build day where they are getting it from! It amazed me how hopeful and joyful they could all be. They lifted my spirits up, and could never fail to put a smile on my face.
BUILD DAY 3!!! It was honestly one of the hardest days out of the whole experience for me. Meeting new kids everyday and playing with them was the best feeling ever, knowing that we were making a difference on the build site was another plus! But when you feel a sharp pain in your stomach the whole day, it’s hard to find the strength and the will to keep going. I was definitely in a war with myself. I struggled to stay with the group because I was constantly tired and I was in pain. But then I met the most amazing kid in the world. He didn’t understand anything I said because I could barely speak tagalog and he was only 2 yet he was able to say my name. He was a blessing from God. Although we were not able to completely understand each other, he was right beside me the whole time. He helped me keep my mind off the pain in my stomach. JEREMIAH is the cutest kid ever! He is a blessing from God! (he is on the right side of the picture which captions “Kids would never be allowed anywhere near a construction zone in Canada”)
It was definitely a tiring day! Church was great as well! Like British said everything is becoming a routine- it feels like building houses is my career. It was extremely hot and my massive headache did not help at all. I was so tired but I knew i had to keep pushing myself! We played some new games with the kids and they loved it! They catch on so easily despite the language barrier- although it is fun learning new tagalog words and teaching them a few english words too. It was fun playing basketball once again with the boys despite the loss LOL its okay mike paid for our loss anyways aha. Dinner was great, some of us decided to dress up because we just felt like it! Overall an amazing day
Day 3 was one of the more tiring days, but still very enjoyable. I felt like today, I did more work than any other day. The best part was playing with the kids. We played new games with them this time and they all loved it! After the games, I went to chill on some sewage pipe blocks that were laying near the basketball court. There were so many children and I bonded with a lot of them. It was really fun and even though it was hard to understand each other, we ended up having a great time. Couldn’t wait for day 4 😀
I think I speak for everyone when I say that Build Day #3 was a rough day,almost everyone had stomach pains! I enjoyed church and smiled to myself as the screens with the songs during mass reminded me of karaoke. I cannot believe that we fell asleep so quickly after lunch! But of course after our group nap, we got back out there to work and then play with the kids! It is great to see the kids pick up on the games so easily, especially with there being a language barrier. Playing with them is always a highlight of a build day.
Build Day #3 was a hard day because our stomachs were in so much pain and we could barely walk. I really enjoyed going to church because the feeling of community was evident and the singing was beautiful. I always looked forward to playing with the kids because their energy level kept us awake and not thinking about the pain. It was another hard working day but the naps in between really helped. It’s always nice to dress up with the team at the end of the day. Amazing day overall!
Day 3 of our build and everything’s coming together. I don’t know if it was just me but my stomach was doing just fine. Church was great, first mass of the year with the PH fam. It was another hot one today but knowing that there were only a couple days left, I know i had to give it my all. Today was also the last day of christmas break for the kids so we wanted to make sure they had fun. We had new games in store for the kids. They really enjoyed “buggies up” and “knights, horses and cavaliers.” Knowing that they have school tomorrow, the kids enjoyed themselves as best as they can, whether it was playing basketball, badminton or even just chilling with one another and us. Another amazing day at AKC!
Our 3rd build day seems to be much easier than the first 2. Starting the year off with a mass together with the team is comforting. This tells me that I’ll have great year ahead of me because these people are very special. As one of the people who had a stomach ache all night and throughout the day, I was able to go through the day with no major problems whatsoever. This was probably because we asked Jesus to bless our stomachs during church. It’s very nice to see the people of AKC starting to get comfortable with us. I love how the kids anticipate our arrival at their community everyday, greeting us with their warmest hugs hellos. Every time we work at the build site I feel like we do so much so fast, which is why we finish early and have more time to play with the kids. I like how we are able to work efficiently with no complaints about the weather, the hard work, etc. I always enjoy playing with the kids because everything seems to be so funny to them, and their laughs are just so contagious! They didn’t even seem upset about going back to school the next day.
Ahhh, mass with my PH fam is the best way to attend mass! Those who pray together, stay together! I wish we could have brought the kids from AKC with us 🙂 I felt like a celebrity getting off the bus in my nice clothes and being greeted by the cutest “fans” that ever existed ❤ When I was told to go finish up my job that we started on day 1, I was shocked to see that the sand pile was almost completely gone! That's what I call work done well!
Catholic Student Leadership 
Living Life to the fullest right till the end of the trip, again and again, God Bless everyone on the trip!
Peace and Hope, Steve De Quintal Teacher, Bishop Marrocco / Thomas Merton CSS, 1515 Bloor St. W. Toronto, Ontario M6P-1A3. 416-393-5545 ext. 84293 “To think, to pray and to serve.” “You should be real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently” Pope Francis ****You can always email but a call or a visit will get a quicker response***** ________________________________________
It’s really starting to become a routine! There is no doubt that I feel like a celebrity! It amazes me how fast the kids learn the games and it shows how great of a team we are for explaining even with the language barrier. They learn so quickly and the pictures don’t even show half the fun that these kids have while playing. I thought I loved taking pics but these kids outdo me. FYI there was not too much water it was PERFECT and what can I say Chicken is my favorite food!
I love how there was so much singing during the mass we attended this day! Even though it was hard to follow along because it was in a different language, the screens they had set up with the words made it so much easier.
I agree with Britishawna’s comment about feeling like a celebrity!! All of us are now actor’s like Joe! The way the children greeted us while in our Sunday best was enough to make us feel loved!
another amazing day in the build site with the kids! too bad we didn’t have more time to be with construction workers and build houses. I agree with britishawna on how fast the kids to learn new games, such as the knights and cavaliers, and buggies up and down.
Another day’s work under the sun surely was difficult. However, the kids always brought up my spirit and helped me keep going. No matter what, each and every day the kids welcome us, play with us and say goodbye to us with the same level of energy. I questioned each build day where they are getting it from! It amazed me how hopeful and joyful they could all be. They lifted my spirits up, and could never fail to put a smile on my face.
BUILD DAY 3!!! It was honestly one of the hardest days out of the whole experience for me. Meeting new kids everyday and playing with them was the best feeling ever, knowing that we were making a difference on the build site was another plus! But when you feel a sharp pain in your stomach the whole day, it’s hard to find the strength and the will to keep going. I was definitely in a war with myself. I struggled to stay with the group because I was constantly tired and I was in pain. But then I met the most amazing kid in the world. He didn’t understand anything I said because I could barely speak tagalog and he was only 2 yet he was able to say my name. He was a blessing from God. Although we were not able to completely understand each other, he was right beside me the whole time. He helped me keep my mind off the pain in my stomach. JEREMIAH is the cutest kid ever! He is a blessing from God! (he is on the right side of the picture which captions “Kids would never be allowed anywhere near a construction zone in Canada”)
It was definitely a tiring day! Church was great as well! Like British said everything is becoming a routine- it feels like building houses is my career. It was extremely hot and my massive headache did not help at all. I was so tired but I knew i had to keep pushing myself! We played some new games with the kids and they loved it! They catch on so easily despite the language barrier- although it is fun learning new tagalog words and teaching them a few english words too. It was fun playing basketball once again with the boys despite the loss LOL its okay mike paid for our loss anyways aha. Dinner was great, some of us decided to dress up because we just felt like it! Overall an amazing day
Day 3 was one of the more tiring days, but still very enjoyable. I felt like today, I did more work than any other day. The best part was playing with the kids. We played new games with them this time and they all loved it! After the games, I went to chill on some sewage pipe blocks that were laying near the basketball court. There were so many children and I bonded with a lot of them. It was really fun and even though it was hard to understand each other, we ended up having a great time. Couldn’t wait for day 4 😀
I think I speak for everyone when I say that Build Day #3 was a rough day,almost everyone had stomach pains! I enjoyed church and smiled to myself as the screens with the songs during mass reminded me of karaoke. I cannot believe that we fell asleep so quickly after lunch! But of course after our group nap, we got back out there to work and then play with the kids! It is great to see the kids pick up on the games so easily, especially with there being a language barrier. Playing with them is always a highlight of a build day.
Build Day #3 was a hard day because our stomachs were in so much pain and we could barely walk. I really enjoyed going to church because the feeling of community was evident and the singing was beautiful. I always looked forward to playing with the kids because their energy level kept us awake and not thinking about the pain. It was another hard working day but the naps in between really helped. It’s always nice to dress up with the team at the end of the day. Amazing day overall!
Day 3 of our build and everything’s coming together. I don’t know if it was just me but my stomach was doing just fine. Church was great, first mass of the year with the PH fam. It was another hot one today but knowing that there were only a couple days left, I know i had to give it my all. Today was also the last day of christmas break for the kids so we wanted to make sure they had fun. We had new games in store for the kids. They really enjoyed “buggies up” and “knights, horses and cavaliers.” Knowing that they have school tomorrow, the kids enjoyed themselves as best as they can, whether it was playing basketball, badminton or even just chilling with one another and us. Another amazing day at AKC!
Our 3rd build day seems to be much easier than the first 2. Starting the year off with a mass together with the team is comforting. This tells me that I’ll have great year ahead of me because these people are very special. As one of the people who had a stomach ache all night and throughout the day, I was able to go through the day with no major problems whatsoever. This was probably because we asked Jesus to bless our stomachs during church. It’s very nice to see the people of AKC starting to get comfortable with us. I love how the kids anticipate our arrival at their community everyday, greeting us with their warmest hugs hellos. Every time we work at the build site I feel like we do so much so fast, which is why we finish early and have more time to play with the kids. I like how we are able to work efficiently with no complaints about the weather, the hard work, etc. I always enjoy playing with the kids because everything seems to be so funny to them, and their laughs are just so contagious! They didn’t even seem upset about going back to school the next day.
Ahhh, mass with my PH fam is the best way to attend mass! Those who pray together, stay together! I wish we could have brought the kids from AKC with us 🙂 I felt like a celebrity getting off the bus in my nice clothes and being greeted by the cutest “fans” that ever existed ❤ When I was told to go finish up my job that we started on day 1, I was shocked to see that the sand pile was almost completely gone! That's what I call work done well!