Life is so simple; yet with the development, it seems not.

A while ago, I read something about the home stay experience of travelers in the Philippines. They had this program in which you can experience living with the Filipinos in Bohol. What you will experience is not only beautiful scenes in the island of Bohol but also  a one of a kind and authentic Filipino experience. You will learn a lot of things in the life of simple Filipinos. And the exciting thing is, you can learn the things they do in their daily lives: their home, work, and daily chores. Furthermore, you can experience being part of the activities in the community. In short, you will get to live and be with them for days of your travel in the Philippines.

In the end, what is really fascinating about is your self-realization in life. At the end of the day, you will appreciate what you have and you will be humbled by these experiences. Things are not so important to them, but it is the simplicity of life. It is where family, friends and a sense of community is more important than material things.

Written by an IEN for an CELBANPrep Writing Assignment.

Dear A,

Since I began learning about IENs from the Philippines, I have wanted to go there to understand more deeply. The Philippines Homestay Experience sounds just amazing. I would love to learn more about your experiences. I am certain my daughter would love it too!  It would be great to be able to give back in this way! Thank you so much for sharing!

Sincerely,
Kim

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Dear Kim,

Thank you for your compliments. You always boost my confidence and spirit to keep on going. Anyway, the program  that I wrote about is called The Philippine Homestay Experience by Flipflop. I was established by a foreigner from New Zealand. It was really for travelers who want to experience the culture and the life of simple Filipinos. I just read it in a blog when I was researching for my assignments. Meanwhile, I have a similar experience with this one. I have mentioned that in my last year in college, we adopted a community. The community was distant one and it was far from the civilization. We live with the local people in that place and we did some community organizing together with locals. It was part of training as a nurse but we got something better. It is realizations, values and memories that we will treasure as we go on. It was truly a fruitful moment in my life…Nothing feels good when you a difference in the lives of other people. I really enjoyed sharing my experiences and ideas with you.

Have a good day,

A

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If anyone is thinking of going to the Philippines, think about the HomeStay Experience, and give to the community! KK