Daily Routine

Since today is my last typical day at Missionaries of Charity I thought it would be appropriate to let you all know how I've been spending my days. Starting next week things will be different since I'll be working in a rural health clinic in the mornings and helping out on a house-building site in the afternoon. I will be helping to build a house for a sponsored kid using funds donated by my aunt E. and uncle B.!

6:45am - Wake up!

until 7:45 - Get ready, eat breakfast, quick bucket shower to ready myself for the day.

7:45-8ish - Walk to Missionaries

until 9:30ish - Welcome from the kids, morning prayers, snack time, play time

until 10:15ish - School time! My follow volunteer A. and I started a small school hour with the older kids. The first day it was hard to herd them into our makeshift school room, but ever since they bug me all morning to start the lessons! It's really great to see them all being stimulated and it's heartbreaking to see them really enthusiastic to learn, with so little opportunities to do so.

10:30 - Baby feeding time

11:00 - Kids feeding time

11:30ish - Put all the children to bed for their siesta and head out to find my own lunch.

At this point I'm free until around 5pm when I need to be back at the VFV community center to tutor a boy in 4th grade. Usually, after my morning at the orphanage, I head downtown to find food. After that my afternoon activities range from going to the climbing gym for a few hours, to going to Tanauan (a village about 45 mins away by jeepeney) for beach time, to going to a cafe to read or write or blog. Then:

5:00 - Go to VFV community center and check email etc. until J. arrives for his tutoring session

6:30 - Head back to my homestay for supper

8ish- Head to my favorite spot in Tacloban: Cafe Lucia, just 15 mins walk from home, near the water, away from loud techo music. (And if supper wasn't too late and I'm being good, I may pop over to the gym beforehand.)

11ish - Bed time!

That's about it! It's nice to have a routine and at the same time I'm grateful that I will soon have to learn a new one. 'Tis good to be kept on my toes!