Day 4-5 Trouble in paradise!

It was time to visit our borrowers of Libon and for this we needed to get in another plane to get to Legazpi, from there we will drive for two hours in order to get to our meeting point. We were expected to catch a 9am flight which will only take 45 minutes, however once we got to the airport our plans were forced to change. Out flight was being delayed and now we were leaving at 2pm. We tried our best and look for solutions but there was nothing that we could have done. We were all very frustrated and worried, we were expected at 1pm at Libon. For us it was a tragedy but looking around of us in the airport everyone else whose flight was delayed seemed calm. Apparently this is common in the Philippines, hours always change and you just have to be patient and wait for the best. Once at Legazpi we immediately got on our way to Libon we were all very anxious to meet our farming borrowers. We arrived with 3plus hours of delayed but our borrowers and daughters all greeted us with a huge smile and applause. What are we ? celebrities ? In my view they are the people we should applaud for.

Once again there was an amazing traditional lunch waiting for us. How delicious the food was. This time not only the borrowers were there but also their families. Their children were part of their business plan, they talked about how essential these loans are for their families, how much they value education and how grateful they were. This made the event extra special. After lunch they shared their stories and entrepreneurial plans and we also got to opportunity to tell them about us but specially to say thank you. Thank you for taking a chance with us, thank you for being adventurous, thank you for having us today and create memories of a lifetime. 

 

We provide them GLOBE tee-shirts and they had a very lovely surprise for us. We were all given mangoes and papaya seeds so we can plant them, this will represent our immortal presence in the community. Every GLOBE member planted their seeds along with a Filipino partner. It is by far my favorite memory of the trip. It was truly beautiful. This made us forget the inconvenience we had at the airport, it was all worth it once we got to know our borrowers and their stories. My heart was full of joy.  

 

The following day before returning to Manila we got the opportunity to visit our surrounding us. We were once again toured by the Daughters of Charity. We saw their community, visited the Cagsawa Ruins and saw the magnificent Mayon Volcano. Legazpi was truly paradise.