Community Immersion

Visiting minorities in Philippines to learn about their background, history and their current life is another important aspect of the program. Six groups visited different areas and met different who are challenged socially.

One group visited Aetas community. Aetas people are living in isolated areas of mountains in the Luzon Area. They have suffered racial discrimination as some native people such as Aborigine. Because of such discrimiation. they had received little recognition and support from the government. Also, recent mining and deforestation causes them to lose much of their ancestral domain.

New Year's Eve Service

On the new year's eve, people gather at a church. Local community celebrate the new year together. Participants with their host family also visited the church and enjoyed the celebration.

Host family posing in front of Christmas Tree.

Participants were impressed and grateful for devoted care provided by host families. Philippine hospitality is something that Japanese participants often refer to and appreciate  throughout the program.

 Group photo of the church. Many families get together for the new year.

Staying with a local host family

Learning banana cooking from a host mother is a new experience. 

Outdoor dinner maybe another fun experience. 

In Philippine, people eat 5 times a day including snacks. 

Food are good. Some returned to Tokyo with extra weight.

 

  

”After that I moved to host family’s house and went up to roof top and saw fireworks.

It was so funny and lively New Year.”Mizuki Sakachi, our youngest participant commented wit her big smile.

New Year's Celebration with Friends

As participants were divided into several groups, they spent their new year's eve in different ways. Here is Yuko's reflections. "Actually our group were not allowed to do home stay, which is little disappoint about it. "

Instead, her group mates got together and enjoy by themselves. "We ate lots of food from midnight and heard the sound of fireworks, " said she. "It was a good experience to spend time with my group mate."

Another precious experience she had during the new year was a visit to Ayta People's house.

"I tried some traditional dessert. It was nice to see how Ayta people celebrate the new year. "

Bye-bye Christmas Institute!

A big group photo of Christmas Institute in Bataan. 

A Japanese participant said it was very different from what she experienced at school. 

Different people worship in different ways. That maybe a good finding for her.

After this festive experience, each participant pent new year's eve and day at local 

Philippine families.

Worship

The last evening of Christmas Institute started with candle service. 

From the litten candles, a big cross emerged on the floor.

 

With the litten up candles, worship went on.

  

Yuko's reflection on her visit to Ayata Community

"I went to Camachile for a week and there is Ayta community," says Yuko Yamashita.

This is a part of their community immersion program. With encountering minorities in Philippines, students learned different aspects of people's lives in Philippines.

During her week-long stay in Ayta community, Yuko observed some social issues.  "Ayta community is in the mountain" recalls Yuko. "They are living with their traditional life style. It takes only 10 minutes by car to go to downtown from Ayta community, but there are no Ayta people in downtown." She wondered why. "I consider that there are still discrimination for Ayta people." 

"I also observed that educations for Ayta people are not enough, " Yuko pointed out. "Thanks to activity of church, some people can go to university but I felt that the governments need to support the education for Ayta people." 

" I faced lots of social issues but I could not make certain answers what I can do as a future leader for them. I realized that it is important to respect others. For now, this is my answer," Yuko concluded.