Final Cut and Red Leaves Falling

Friday morning, Lars gave us our first official assignment-to create a trailer for Red Leaves Falling, Stairway's new advocacy animation. Good thing I essentially lived in the Mac labs at school for one of my classes this semester and am very well acquainted with Final Cut Pro, because we only had 2 days to complete the trailer. Over the course of Friday and Saturday (and very early this morning) we put in about 30 hours of work on the trailer that will be used online to market the new animation.

Red Leaves Falling is an story about child pornography and child sex trafficking. As part of their advocacy campaign, Stairway Foundation creates animations related to the topic of sexual abuse for people of all ages, to get people talking about it. Their third and newest animation will premiere on June 2, 2009 (Tuesday!) at the RCBC in Manila, an awareness event that will bring out about 450 politicians, NGOs such as UNICEF, and other "high- stake-holding-people," as the staff at Stairway call them, who are expected to attend. Everyone at Stairway is both anxious and excited, as they hope this event will influence the ratification of the new law, to make posession of child pornography illegal, that is currently being processed.

Thursday we received word that the final animation had been put onto a CD and that it would be in Puerto Galera for us to pick up that night. We had our own pre-screening up at the main house (Lars and Monica's house).

We will all be traveling together to Manila tomorrow to prepare for the event. I will be documenting the event on Tuesday night and we return to Stairway on Wednesday.

On an separate note- Carissa and I almost had to sleep with a gecko on Friday night. We came in from working on the project pretty late, and were greeted by a HUGE amphibian that would not move. The four of us, exhausted from working, spent about 30 minutes trying to devise a plan to get it out. It was definitely a production but with a little coaxing, Carissa's bed mattress, and a squeegie, we managed to rid Carissa and my room of our unwanted visitor.

Here is a link to view the Red Leaves Trailer

Jeepnees, Mangos, and the Beatles

After breakfast on Monday, our first full day at Stairway, we went with Jaou, Nani Jean, Ate Susan, her two sons, Lancelot and Louie, ages 9 and 7, into the town of Puerto Galera. (Jaou, Ate Susan, and the two boys live at Stairway and are part of the staff. Nani Jean is one of the cooks). The women needed to buy food at the market for the week, and Alex, Mitch, and I wanted to purchase cell phones.

Jaou drove us in Stairway's jeepnee, a truck that is used in the Philippines. It was a beautiful 15 minute ride around the coast with perfect views of the turqoise-blue water. We approached the town, and Jaou maneuvered the large jeepnee through very narrow streets until we got to the market.

It was more of a market-street. It was so colorful and bustling with people- and everyone stared at us because they weren't used to seeing us "white people" in the market- a very non touristy place. Jaou showed us the right place to buy a phone and we explored from there, taking pictures along the way. The market was right on the bay, and the little kids who were hanging out there saw our cameras and wanted to get their pictures taken.

We walked back to where the jeepnee was parked and found Lance and Louie hanging on it. Until now they had been shy around us, but after we let them take picture with our cameras, they began talking to us more (they speak Tagalog and enough English for us to communicate pretty well). Now it seems we can't get them to stop talking!






After the market, we went to pick up a volunteer who was coming to Stairway- she runs a resort in Puerto Galera that is located on a lagoon. We drove up the path to her place and were able to eat mangos that Jaou was hitting down from the trees with a long stick. They were delicious!

Then we went down the mountain to the lagoon- it looked like the a scene from the default Windows desktop pictures- crystal water, a small rowboat, and a dock. There, we had a photoshoot with Lance, Louie, and Jaou, who were very amused by my camera.













On a separate note, "Hey Jude" has to be one of the most popular songs in the Philippines. On the drive back to Stairway, it came on the radio and everyone in the vehicle burst out into song, even 7-year-old Louie. But that wasn't the first time we heard it. We had to have heard it at least 8 other times since arriving in the Philippines. In fact, Isana, Lars and Monica's 5-year-old daughter, sings the song, and the 4 puppies that live at Stairway are named Jude, Lucy, Prudence, and Max, from Across the Universe, the movie that goes with the Beatles' song.

To see more pictures, click here.

The Trip and Arriving at Stairway

Well I am here at Stairway in Puerto Galera, Mindoro in the Philippines and it is amazing! We are all settled here after a very long trip.

The flight from JFK to Hong Kong was about 16 hours long, but due to the fact that I was sick, I slept through most of the flight…thankfully! But I don't know if I can say the same for Carissa, Alex or Mitch. We had a short layover in the Hong Kong airport and had our first taste of real Chinese food! The flight from Hong Kong to Manila was only about an hour and a half long and we landed in Manila around 6:30 PM on Saturday evening. Getting through customs was a breeze- no lines at all. The humidity was the first thing that hit us as we walked out the doors of the airport. It was 7:00pm and had to have been 90 degrees and 98% humidity. We bought SIM cards for cell phones and hired a taxi to take us to our hotel for the night, the Milate Pensionne. The drive to the hotel was an interesting one, as the four of us were introduced to the disorganized and crazy Manila traffic. We passed through narrow streets and dozens of colorful markets and neon lights on the way to our hotel, which was located behind a Starbucks, ironically. After checking into our rooms we dropped off our luggage and walked around the street of our hotel to find a place to get ice cream so we could take our malaria pills.

The second we walked out of our hotel, however, we were instantly reminded of why we were in the Philippines in the first place, as children came up to us asking us for coins and trying to sell us flowers. It was heartbreaking to see these children, about 5 years old, wearing no shoes and walking around begging for money at 9:00 at night.


Exhausted from our long trip, we went to bed early and woke up the next morning to meet Byron, the man Lars sent to drive us from Manila to Batangas, the port from where we would take a boat to Puerto Galera. The drive was 2 hours long, and when we arrived in Batangas, we waited to board the boat called “the Osprey.” We were a little apprehensive about the boat ride because just the day before a boat capsized and 12 people drowned because they overloaded the boat! We were safe, though. The boat ride was about 45 minutes long and looked like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean . The water was crystal clear and there were gorgeous rock structures near the islands.

Once we arrived at White Beach, we met up with Jaou, a man who works at Stairway, who was sent to pick us up from the port. A short drive later, we were at the Stairway Foundation.

The closest thing to which I can compare the campus of Stairway, is a huge treehouse. The campus is not very big, but there are many levels built into the mountain and connected by, appropriately, stone stairs. Our rooms are in the Yellow House, which is on the lowest level directly when you walk into Stairway. Each of our rooms has two twin beds and a bathroom. Also on the first level is a stage and two ping pong tables.

The middle layer of stairway has a 3 level concrete building with a large patio dining area covered by a bamboo leaf roof. On the first level of the building is the kitchen. The second floor of the building houses the large Stairway office and the third level is a large, open deck with tables and is used for workshops. The second level of Stairway also has an “art gallery” where kids paint on canvases and do other crafts.

The third level of stairway is where the childrens’ dormitory is located, as well as their school house. The fourth level is where other staff houses and the Main House, Lars and Monica’s house, is located.

There is much more to say, but we are all sharing a computer and I need to let the others have a turn!

I will post pictures soon, as well as more about the great people here and more about what we have been doing!

And so it begins...!

Well, tomorrow is the day! I am all packed and ready to embark on an extraordinary trip- I can't believe it!

Today Alex and Mitch flew in to Jersey from Chicago and Norfolk, respectively, and the four of us are waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to get to JFK for a 10:10am flight. Our flight from JFK to Hong Kong will last 16 hours. Then we have a short layover in Hong Kong and have another 2 hour flight to Manila, where we will land at 6:30pm Philippines time...which I believe is about 5:30am in Jersey. We will be spending the night in Manila, and someone from the Stairway Foundation will be picking us up in the morning to escort us to the Stairway Foundation on the island of Mindoro! Hopefully I will be able to update more once I arrive!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Please pray for safe travel for Carissa, Alex, Mitch and me over the next two days!

Love.

Preparation

Professional Preparation

Over the course of the past couple of months, I have undertaken extensive preparation to ready myself for this trip. My coursework during my first year at Elon has been perfectly relevant to the work I will be doing in the Philippines. Currently I am a double major in Human Services and Strategic Communications. In the field of Human Services this year I took Introduction to Human Services, International Human Services, and Counseling Individuals and Families. These classes have helped me to understand how to help people effectively and sustainably and how to ask good questions.

In the field of Communications I took a Communications in a Global Age and one of my favorite classes, Digital Media, a course where I learned techniques of creating visually appealing media. I learned to develop on my existing skills of photography, writing, and web design, all of which will be useful for the projects Stairway wants me to work on. In addition to refining these skills, I learned to use the video editing software “Final Cut Pro,” a skill that will help me create the best documentary possible for Stairway. This summer opportunity will help me to further integrate my two majors- at first glance they might seem completely opposite, but for me they are working hand in hand. This summer I will be able to see how I can use Communications skills in a Human Services context.


Health and Safety Preparation

I know that everyone is going to have some questions about my health and safety while I am away this summer. I am fully aware of the health concerns that come alongside international travel and service. I have been to the Duke Travel Clinic and have received all of the necessary vaccinations and medications. During my stay in the Philippines, I will be on Malarone, a prescription medication to prevent Malaria. I also have antibiotics that I will be bringing with me in case of food poisoning. (Though I will be following all recommended eating guidelines and will hopefully not have to use those at all!) In the event of emergency, Stairway is five minutes away from a basic 24-hour clinic, and in the event that serious care is required, there is a quality hospital in Manila just 1.5 hours away. I have travel health insurance, so getting back to the United States will not be a problem if I should become ill. The Philippines is a relatively sanitary and medically safe country – there are requisite vaccinations, but beyond those, I am not likely to come into contact with something particularly harmful.

As is the nature of any international service project there are safety concerns that must be addressed. As the Stairway Foundation is situated on the coast of a remote island, its physical location presents few if any safety concerns. Though some islands of the Philippines have been identified as “terrorist watch sites,” these islands are located EXTREMELY far south of Mindoro on an island called Mindanao. (Conflicts organized by the New People’s Army have historically been isolated to this region and have never targeted foreigners.)

I have registered my stay in the Philippines with the United States Embassy in Manila. I will also have access to WiFi internet, and will have access to cell phone use.

All the staff members with whom I have spoken at Stairway are very aware of the safety concerns that I could face as an international student. They are used to having students come from the United States and from Europe and have not had any problems. I know that with the considerations mentioned above, I can remain safe and healthy during my summer.

My Summer Adventure 2009

I am so excited to share with everyone the amazing opportunity that I have this summer. I will be in the Philippines for two months working with the Stairway Foundation, a recovery center for sexually abused street children and former child prisoners. Stairway is located on the island of Oriental Mindoro, about an 3 hours from Manila.

At Stairway I am working on their campaign against child sexual abuse and exploitation called Break the Silence.

I am traveling and working with 3 other students from the United States- all of us will be working on projects at Stairway. The Stairway Foundation is a residential facility and we are living on the Stairway campus.

I feel so blessed to have been given this incredible opportunity to learn first hand about the culture of the Philippines, to meet the people there, and to hopefully help the Stairway Foundation and the kids there in any way that I can during my stay.

For more information on the Stairway Foundation, check out their website.

If you have any more questions, feel free to shoot me an email! My email address is mharrison9@elon.edu.