Hello world, a quick update for the month of August. Its been an odd month, mainly because I haven't been at site for most of it. I had the privilege of being a Resource Volunteer for the new batch of volunteers in the Children, Youth and Families sector. This means that, for two weeks, I led sessions and assisted the new volunteers through their training in Bagac, Bataan. It was really great to get to meet all of the new people, and I got a lot of perspective on the fact that I have been living in this country for a year. I don't think I had fully realized how comfortable I am with everyday life and culture here. I had the opportunity to relive my experience last year in training and to put myself back in the shoes of someone to whom the culture is still very alien. The whole experience made me realize how much I have grown in a year. Language is another area where I see huge differences. I can speak a lot of Tagalog now! I am by no means fluent but I can hold pretty decent conversions and understand most of what people say to me. I'm also not at all frustrated with the learning process, as I could sometimes be when I first started. I am so excited for the new batch, and I know its going to be amazing to see them grow throughout their journey here. Plus, now I have a bunch a new friends to visit. :)
 On my way to Bataan I made a stop in Manila to see my friend Jeff. He has started a grassroots church in Quezon City and it was pretty amazing to see all of the good work he's doing. It was also super fun to meet his barkada (group of friends). Everyone is always up and the energy never really stops. I got to come along to a few of their feeding programs for local street children:

 I also got to witness one of their services on Sunday, and watch Jeff give a sermon. It was definitely unconventional, but totally awesome. I left with a bunch a new friends:

 Anyway, September should be a good month! Currently getting ready for a weekend BREW Camp (Boys Respecting Empowered Women) in Daet, Camerines Norte. We'll be collaborating with Peace Corps and Japanese volunteers from across Bicol to teach boys about gender stereotypes and sensitivity, sexual health and consent, alcohol safety and other things. After that I'll hopefully get back into a rhythm at my site! It feels like I've been gone too long. Until next time, peace.