Nubbie on the Team

Well it's been years since my last major out-of-town volunteer mission, this is my first with TWECS. I’m glad I thought it would be a good time to help out again. Last sojourns were the Olympics, Pan AM Games, and Commonwealth Games, all in North America, as well as my full-time volunteering at the "Soup Kitchen". This time it’s to Olongapo in the Philippines.

The organizational structure that has been implemented by TWECS on this tour puts my past experiences to shame. We are not running out to buy gloves, tape, forgotten items, etc. as in my past missions, and the local Filippino's here have been amazing especially a woman named "Nikka" and her entourage!
I'm the "Nubbie" on the team, I expected to be going for this, going for that, get me a coffee, put up the flag, etc. To my surprise and pleasure I have been assigned to the dispensing crew!!!
So far, every day has been a new a adventure, new locations, new local volunteers, new patients... except now we are at the same location for four days in a row. This gives a sense of familiarity, same set-up, same volunteers, and wahoo, you know where the bathroom is!
Every day, someone on the team has a major success story, but since I dispense "Reader" glasses, I don't get to deal with the -15's, -22's, and so on that require an experienced fitter. Today was my "GLORY" day, a senior woman named Nellie came in wearing glasses what were held together with butcher string and knitting yarn. You could tell that her glasses, in the sad condition that they were,

 

were still very precious to her.

I got to serve her, when I brought her her new glasses, you could see a tear trickle down her cheek and at the same time a huge smile on her face (don't tell anyone but I gave her two pair of glasses, shusssh and I got a big hug). It warmed my heart and made the unbearable heat a thing of the past, THIS is what it is all about. 

This culture just totally amazes me, the rural barangays have dirt roads, no flush toilets (actually even in the city there are lots of toilets where next to the toilet there is a 20 gallon barrel of water and a laddle), some do not have electricity, the homes are rickety with tin roofs, BUT, every man, woman and child is spotlessly clean - the whites T-shirts are sparkling, everyone treats you with respect - good morning "sir", or nods hello, or just SMILES in return to your smile!

A barangay (Filipino: baranggay, also known by its former Spanish adopted name, the barrio, is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village.

And YES I do have a big smile on my face and grattitude for being here.


Rodger Konkle, TWECS team member     New Westminster, BC