Category Archives: Evyn

At the recommendation of my mother six months ago, I started using coconut oil for everything; from lotion to cooking. I love it! It is so multi purpose, easy to find, an at a mere $6.99, I can purchase a large bottle at no major expense to me. Now that I have been to Mindanao, a region that exports large amounts of coconut oil, I see the true power of my purchases. Coconut oil has become a very popular product in the last few years, trendy even, and I wonder what kind of impact this has on Mindanao as a whole.

Our jeepney in Davao City

While driving in the outskirts of Davao City, from the jeepney we could smell the distinct odor of burnt oil, long before we could see the trees. The farm stretched for miles and the stench went right along with it. I reached for my scarf and covered my face with it, so I didn’t have to inhale the irritating , if not toxic fumes. At the same time, I found myself thinking that if they produce coconut oil in Mindanao, it should be cheap. Then one of the other girls suggested we go buy some coconut oil to bring home, seemingly reading my mind. We did in fact go shopping for the product, although we were unable to find it anywhere, even if it was being produced less than ten miles away.
How insensitive was I for wanting my new favorite product at an even cheaper price? Upon reflection, it seems wrong for me to spend my money on products that I know, from seeing and hearing first hand, are harming the environment and are not contributing significantly to the income of the people I personally believe should benefit.

Coming home from Mindanao was a challenge in itself. The plane on the ride from Taipei to San Francisco experienced turbulence that was the worst I have felt, which in a way seemed appropriate. Our trip to Mindanao was not only an academic challenge, but also a very emotional challenge.

Upon touchdown in SFO I felt immediate relief, knowing that I was able to see my familiar faces, hear familiar accents, and return to a familiar routine. I drove immediately to my hometown of  Redding, despite it being the middle of the night, knowing that I would wake up to see my parents and pets. I was grateful for the few days I had before the semester started to relax and recover with my family.

In Mindanao, we wanted to take advantage of every moment and opportunity we had in order gain the most out of our fieldwork. We met with over 20 organizations and institutions, stayed in 7 hotels, and spent over 40 hours traveling in a van, all within 16 days. Needless to say, we were busy. In order to be an effective practitioner, one has to practice excellent self-care. The difficult part for me, I have learned, is that I especially have a hard time when I do not have any control over my schedule.

I, of course, expected that we would have a pre-determined itinerary and that we would experience the normal challenges presented by traveling abroad. I was not, however expecting my reaction to these challenges. I know that if I want to work in the conflict resolution field, I need to develop self-care skills set to take with me “on the road”.

Written on January 18, 2015

Pope Francis has arrived in the Philippines! The Catholics in this country, which is the 3rd most Catholic nation in the world, are teeming with excitement. Throughout each of our meetings throughout Mindanao, Catholics have let us know about the upcoming visit.There are pictures of the Pope hanging up in offices, in front of offices, and even as the backdrop on someone’s phone. The Papal visit made the front page of the newspaper, and it is carefully documented in calendars and schedules across the country, as if they could forget the dates.

Welcome, Papa Francis!

It is my speculation that many of the people with whom we are meeting probably assume that we are Catholic, which may be due to a number of reasons. The first one being that Catholic Relief Services(CRS) is our host and contact during this course. Another could be that people tend to want to find similarities in others, especially when meeting for the first time. The meetings we attend are relatively short from the researcher’s perspective, in that we have to build trust in order gather as much information as possible in a few hours’ time. This is a challenge to say the least. We each have an area of study or personal interest we would like to cover so the group dynamic is important so we know the right questions to ask. I believe that it is easier for others to relate to us when they find commonalities among us, which is something I think about when I meet with people.

Written on January 8, 2015

Since arriving in Mindanao we have been busy recovering long flights and adjusting to the new time zone. Davao City is sprawling, busy, and congested, yet somehow still beautiful. We have been here for two days have had a lot of meetings with various civil society organizationso, government organizations, and NGO’s, which will shed some light on the conflict that we have been studying for so many weeks. Judging from the discussions with people in this area, it seems that they are somewhat removed from conflict and are coming from a more administrative point of view. Davao City is not part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) so altough most people have an opinion one way or the other, it seems that the city has not been directly impacted.

One of the meetings we attended was with Christian religious leaders who work through the Bishops Ulama Conference to create interfaith dialogues between the Muslim and Christian populations in Mindanao. The religious leaders were enthused about the approaching visit from Pope Francis, as is every Catholic in The Philippines, later this month. They claimed that during Pope John Paul’s five-day visit in 1995, no crime was committed in the country. I have to admit that this is a lovely thought.

They spoke about the “Peace Camp” they put on every year which bring Muslims, Christians, and Indigenous People (IP) youth together for a week to engage in team building activities to promote respect and understanding of each others perspective religion. I love this idea and know first hand how much of an impact these types of activities can change a young person. I was reminded of my time in the Peace Corps and putting on Camp GLOW and how much planning a camp can require if the attendees are religious. I say this lovingly, there is just a lot to think about such as Ramadan, prayer times, holy books, dietary restrictions, and even differing weekdays. If youth are able to observe another religion’s practices and customs, and explain their own, they are offered a way to humanize the people who, for a long time, were the enemy. Humanizing and creating a dialogue with the “other” is an effective method in Peacebuilding, if only for the week that they are at camp.

I arrived in Manila yesterday and despite a little jet-lagged, I am feeling ready to hit the ground running! Manila is a busy city, much different from the slow pace of California. It offers many historic sites, delicious food, and kind people willing to assist at a moment’s notice. Although we are well past New Years, it still feels like Christmas with the many nativity scenes, Christmas lights covering the cities, and the common exchange of blessings between people. There is also a buzz of excitement in anticipation of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the country, as it seems to be all everyone is talking about.

Tomorrow I meet the team in Davao and we will begin our fieldwork in Mindanao. I am getting anxious to see the impact that this enduring conflict has had on the landscape as well as well as the population. Despite the many questions circling around my head, I am looking forward to a positive and productive course!