Community Project

Our first community project failed. It happened late in the schedule for getting the project completed. Our plan was to help the community build a few signs for a particularly deadly corner in New Cabalan. There had been numerous deaths on this corner and signage was just not there. We had completed a study through PACA on what the community wanted us to help them with and it was this pressing issue. Nick stepped up right away and took the lead on this project and was our man in charge. I was proactive in telling Nick that I was available to help him with anything, he gave Kaiti and I the responsibility of getting the proposal written up. Kaiti did the write up and I just kept reminding Nick I could help if he needed me, I wasn't needed as it turned out.

Fast-forward a couple weeks and most everyone in our cluster are in the new Barangay hall in New Cabalan, talking with the Kaptain about our project. At this point we just wanted to make sure the supplies were going to make it and we could still count on him to help us. After fifteen minutes of actual business being discussed, we heard about how greatly the Kaptain wanted us all to stay in his Barangay. This was a long and awkward conversation, less so for me as he couldn't remember my name and I don't actually live in New Cabalan like most of the others in my cluster. Anyway, things sounded like they might work out.

Two days later my Technical Trainer informed everyone that the Kaptain had made some calls and everything wouldn't happen. Bad times. We weren't looking for failure but considering we had done our part and the actual inability had come from our partner in this venture, I thought (still do) we had done our best. Failure is always an option, it doesn't have to be the death kneel of our training, it's just a realistic outcome from our efforts. Too bad some others didn't see it this way, we were instructed to make a new Community Project and have it done by September 1^st. Less than a week to make something come to fruition.

Our second project worked out but it wasn't a great success. We fed some kids some bananas and called it a “feeding”, an elaborate dance to go through the motions. I'm not a fan of forcing a success, I thought the first failure was lesson enough, concocting a wildly uninspiring community service successfully made me feel we were making a bad joke.

Here's the point: Failure is alright if you own it.

One more week of training in Olongapo to go before we ship off to Cavite for Swearing in. This week we're ramping up our studying and training for language, we have testing come Thurday and Friday. Friday is my B-day, can't wait.