Turkey Burgers and Reuniting with IWU Friends

We sold our first turkey burger on July 15th. There is a nearby town named Angat where we had the meat ground and so that same day we made turkey patties and put them in the refrigerator. The SEED student who will take over this social enterprise once Morgan and I are gone proceeded to tell us that Tito Tony wanted to try our finished product that night for dinner. Everything suddenly got very real. If Tito Tony did not approve of the turkey burgers then everything we had done for the past few days would mean nothing. So we quickly assembled all the necessary ingredients for the toppings of the burger (buns, lettuce, tomatoes, etc). Then, as Morgan and I were grilling the turkey patties, Tito Tony walked up. Luckily we had just put together our first burger. We were originally going to taste it for the first time ourselves but Tito asked if he could take it and try it. Of course, we said yes. He then proceeded to tell us that he approved and really liked our product. He took three burgers home for his children to try also. It was all very exciting and nerve-racking.

The next day, the rest of the IWU students in the Philippines came over to the farm. We met them at nine in the morning and then accompanied them on the tour of the farm until lunchtime. Morgan and I thought it would be a good idea to see how our first sale of the turkey burgers would go for lunch that day. We were able to sell almost all of our patties that we had made the day before and we got really good feedback. I did try one and though it was very good, I am already thinking about how to improve it. After lunch, all the IWU students went to the pool and exchanged stories of what we have been doing within the last month. We talked about our struggles, successes and what we miss most about home. The other IWU students had to leave the farm soon after that so we said our goodbyes!

The next day was a relaxing day for us. Morgan and I took a trip to Santa Maria which is a town about an hour away. We went to Waltermart which is a mall but also has a supermarket inside. I found some more souvenirs for my family there and bought some clothes for myself as well. Later that day, we arrived back at the farm to join in swim lessons for the kids. We do this every day at six pm and it is probably the most organized activity on the farm. The kids are really learning some new strokes and are getting more and more comfortable with us. They constantly want to improve and ask us whether the particular swim stroke they are learning is correct. Most of them know my name and all call me Atte Sue. Everybody here at the farm calls me Sue since it is easier than remembering my full name. I don’t mind and will dearly miss the chorus of ‘Atte Sue’ from the kids as I walk by.

The next day, July 18th, I went to a meeting with Agri team and Tito Tony. We basically talked about what we have accomplished. During the meeting, he praised Morgan and I on our success with the turkey burgers. He proceeded to tell us that his family really enjoyed them too. Tito Tony also told us of Jaylord’s (the SEED student who will take over the turkey farm) background and story. It turns out that every day Jaylord works at the stone quarry which is back breaking work and then every afternoon he sells spaghetti to raise money for his father’s medicine. If anything, we are truly making a difference in Jaylord’s life. He now has a more solid enterprise to develop even further. During this meeting, Tito Tony also told us of the upcoming important tasks which included planting rice and getting the vegetable hectare ready for planting. He said everybody needs to participate in the rice planting because the end of July is the best time to plant rice.

So the very next day (yesterday) the IWU students got up early and went to the rice fields behind the community. For several hours, we all worked to make the beds wider. This was a long task and I think my hands still faintly smell of fertilizer. We all got very muddy and the shower afterwards was very needed, to say the least.

Visiting other GK communities, vacationing in Baler, and Turkey farming

During the next few days that the Raya students were here, the IWU group helped them learn how to plant basil and okra plants in the beds that they had weeded the day before. The last night that they were here, they made their own dinner. Morgan and I were team leaders for group number one. The groups were told that what they made for dinner was what they had to eat that night. However, without their knowledge, there was a fully prepared meal for them because it was assumed that they would not know how to cook with the ingredients given to them. Our group had to prepare the Filipino food Sinigang which is a soup with vegetables and fish. We were given a half thawed fish and some raw vegetables. The team leaders were not allowed to help the students but were simply there to watch and guide. The students themselves had to take out the fish scales and gut it. Since I do not eat fish or cook fish meat this was new for me as well. Morgan was a big help to the group since he loves fishing and has done this process hundreds of times. The students were able to get most of the scales out but some we could see was still on the fish. Next, they gutted the fish. This was an especially disgusting sight and the girls on our team were not pleased with the task. Overall, I think it was a very good experience for the kids who have had very sheltered and luxurious lives thus far. They were all from the richer parts of the Philippines and had never had to cook for themselves as they explained to us. In the end, they ate the already prepared meal made by the Titas.

We went to Manila for the first time on July 2^nd. Manila is extremely congested and busy. It is beautiful in its own way but very different from the nature that encompasses the farm. Our group went to the Glorietta mall which is divided into five enormous buildings. One building is equivalent to what is considered a large mall in America. We spent all of our time in one building. For dinner, we went to a German restaurant. I had never had German cuisine before but it was exceptionally tasty. Just writing about it and remembering the food I ordered makes me nostalgic for it. At the farm, there is a buffet style meal for every meal. Since I am a vegetarian, many of the dishes prepared are things I am not able to eat. So being in Manila and having so many options for food dishes was relieving. The group also had talked about preparing a large meal for the fourth of July. Before we headed back to the farm, we went to a grocery store and bought all the ingredients for our meal. We decided to make mac and cheese, potato salad, hot dogs, tofu, omelets and bruschetta. It was a huge success and we devoured the food that we had cooked. There were still leftovers and we got to enjoy it for a second time the next day.

French people are everywhere here. It was a bit of a surprise to come to the Philippines and be surrounded by this number of French people. Just last week, another eighty French interns arrived at the farm. They were only here for a couple of days but there are waves of new French interns every so often. During their stay, they help with whatever task that needs to be done. A lot can get done in one day with this number of people. My group and I helped weed a large area of land and finished clearing four beds. It was back breaking work but completely worth the feeling of accomplishment in the end.

That night we joined the French for a goodbye party for four of the long term French interns at the farm. The party was held at a spa resort in Angat and was only a fifteen minute walk from the farm. It was a beautiful little area and had a pool. Of course, there was also karaoke. We were supposed to bring food to contribute to the dinner and decided to make potato salad which was enjoyed by everyone (especially me). It was a pretty long night for all of us but a well-deserved break.

The next day, we woke up at nine to board the van for our organized trip to the other GK communities. Everyone was slow from the night out but eventually we all gathered for our trip. It was an hour to the nearby location of GK Silver Heights. The GK location at Silver Heights was a lot smaller than the Enchanted Farm. This makes sense since the Enchanted Farm is the prototype and has large hectares of farm land. We had breakfast there and then got a tour of the community. The first thing I noticed was how lovely all the community members were. They smiled and greeted us as we walked by. I was assigned to live in Erica’s house for the night. Her mom was away at work until five pm that afternoon and so I spent time talking with her. She introduced me to all her friends and spoke enough English to communicate for a decent while. Around three that day, we all went to the nearby market. We were going to make dinner alongside the Titas that night. I helped chop the vegetables for chopsuey and helped cook chicken adobo. We had rice with our meal and banana rolls for dessert. It was an incredible meal, and by far the best home cooked meal that I have had in the Philippines.

That night I went to bed early, content with my full belly. Erica led me upstairs to a tiny loft that had one bed and a dresser. She told me I would sleep there. I asked her where she would sleep and she replied that she would sleep downstairs on the floor. I had not seen any other rooms in the house and imagined her mom, little sister and her cramped on the floor of the tiny living room. They had given up their only bed so that I could sleep in it. I felt guilty but also thankful for their genuine kindness.

The next morning, we had breakfast and then headed to Baler where we would spend the rest of our nights in. Baler is a surf town and a tourist location. The hostel that we stayed in was only a few minutes’ walk to the beach. I was super excited to see the ocean and feel the soft sand on my feet. We went to another GK location the next day and played with the kids. They were all shy at first but once we engaged in some games and other activities they came to life. They showed us a dance and then we all joined in on Silento’s Whip/Nae nae dance. It was quite embarrassing for me since I do not dance that often. Someone took a video of us doing it and I hope that never sees the light of day. Later that same day, we went surfing. We each got a surf instructor. My instructor was only 24 so it was quite easy for me to engage in conversation with him while we waited for the waves. At first, I could not stand on the board but soon I was riding the waves every single time. I had a blast and wish I could surf more often at home.

The next day we went trekking at another GK location. It was a long walk and we had to cross the strong river currents many times. Finally we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. We climber some rocks and took some amazing pictures of the beautiful sight. We also went river tubing which was a bit scary because of all the sharp rocks in the river. We then had lunch at the GK community. It was a boodle style lunch where all the food is laid out on banana leaves and we have to eat with our hands. For the rest of the day, we went surfing again and swam in the beach. We decided to extend our trip one more day and went to a see a large tree named Balete. We climbed the tree which was surprisingly easy to do because of all the trunks extending all around the tree. It was truly beautiful. It took us the whole day to travel back to GK Enchanted Farms and we arrived at ten at night.

The project that I have been working on with the mushrooms has become increasingly less progressive. The social enterprise has already been created and is running well and the experiments that Robin and I had planned to do have not been integral to the running of the business. Due to this, I have decided to utilize my time here to help the farm and community as much as possible. I have joined Morgan with the turkey farm. The turkey farm is the most neglected part of the farm. Tito Tony bought these birds from the Agriculture Department of the Philippines and it is a free range farm. The turkeys wander everywhere in the Animal farm and eat the chicken feed. They also love to eat the mangoes that have fallen to the ground. Just in the past few days, we have accomplished so much to improve the turkey farm. We have measured the fence lengths to put an actual fence around the turkey farm and have put one side of the fence up already. Yesterday, we killed two male turkeys and skinned them and took the meat off of the bones to sell them as turkey burgers and brats. We went to the market today to buy all of the ingredients and will sell them this coming Saturday. This will bring in some income so that we have more money to spend on other projects involving the turkey farm. Along with this project, I have joined the other IWU students in helping the kids in the community learn how to swim. We teach them how to swim every day at six pm for one hour. They are incredibly fast learners when they are paying attention. The first day did not go as planned but the following days have been much better in terms of them listening and following our instructions. For the past few days, I have finally felt more accomplished and happier about my stay here at the GK Enchanted Farm. I hope this continues for the rest of our stay here.