Jerome Foo

It was a heartwarming 15 days in Zambales, Philippines with Project Luminaire 13 (PL13). From 15-30 June, our aim was to install street lighting for the villagers, teach the children at Alao Elementary School and run a feeding programme for them.

I went there wondering how we can teach the children, given the language barrier. Yet, they taught us way more than what we could ever teach them. While we taught them academics, they taught us life lessons.

Lessons such as how we should take things easy at times and not get caught up in what we’re doing that we forget who we are serving and why we are even serving. I was amazed at their ingenuity and ability to improvise, creating bracelets for us out of flowers. It was also nice to see how comfortable they are out in nature, running around the dirt barefoot which is almost something I’d never see in Singapore. Their sense of carefreeness made me recall my own childhood :)

One of my other takeaways is also that kindness is a universal language. A simple gesture, or a smile can convey our meanings and intentions and transcend language barriers and bridge our linguistic differences. I would say the Philippines’ greatest tourist attraction is the warmth of their people who are so friendly and helpful and kind, and definitely one of the reasons that would make me return.

It was an amazing 2 weeks with the best team I could ask for, especially my fellow Logistics members. We all played to our strengths and helped out in the best way we could in order to make the experience a success. Personally, I felt the greatest measure of our success was the connections we formed with the students over the 2 weeks, and the last day with the students certainly left us feeling sad at having to part (we must’ve cut too many onions during meal prep), but also thankful that we made an impact in their lives, just as they made an impact in ours. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to serve at Alao Elementary School and I will take away many fond memories of this OCSP and the local community.