Six more weeks of winter?

Six more weeks of winter? I don't think so. Groundhog Day doesn't exist here and my class laughed at the idea. When I asked what Filipinos consider a "cold" day, they told me they couldn't say as they don't pay attention to the daily weather forecast.

It's currently 8:30 AM and my class starts at 11 AM. I'm downstairs in the "Café on the 6th" enjoying breakfast. Today is day 2 of new hire class which is a whole lot less nerve-racking than day 1 (not only the students but for me as well. I've got a full class (16 students, 1 trainer and 1 quality analyst) and they all have a strong tech support background.

My weekend was good. After finishing work on Saturday at 9 AM, I went home and let the jetlag and graveyard shift finally catch up to me. I slept from noon to midnight and then again from 4 AM to 7 AM. After breakfast, Carrie, Karly and I headed out a small village named Pook Masagana for a hell of an eye-opening experience.

In this village, TELUS has parternered with a Filipino organization called Gawad Kalinga, which is similar to Habitat for Humanity. Together, TELUS and GK plan to build 70 homes for over 100 poverty-stricken families, 30 of which have been completed. Currently, these families live in dilapidated homes, some without the creature comforts we take for granted, such as running water, a private bathroom or electricity. The TELUS/GK built homes, with their bright colours, sound foundations and standard amenities strike a stunning contrast against the shanty town that surround them.

The gratitude of the villagers was obvious from the moment we arrived. People opened their doors to us, shook our hands, thanked us and made us feel very welcome. Children followed us around, smiling from ear-to-ear, and touched our hands to their foreheads (a sign of respect, akin to saying "God bless").

We soon got to work breaking ground for a new set of homes. Joined by some of the locals, we smashed through cinder blocks and old concrete floors using nothing but pickaxes, shovels and 6 ft long steel prybar. Working in an inch of dirty rain water and sewage, I broke through the old concete floor to reveal the mud and clay below. After breaking up the old floor, we dug about 3 ft into the muck to lay a new foundation.

The whole experience, combined with the heat and the smell (not to mention the gigantic cockroaches) was overwhelming and I had to sit out for a while for fear of passing out or throwing up. After a few minutes and 3 bottles of water, I was feeling better and I rejoined the team for the rest of the morning before we all headed home. I will definitely be going back.

I have some pictures to share of the event and the village, but I need to head out to work. Though only a few kilometres away, traffic is killer in the morning!

Enjoy your six remaining weeks of winter, Montreal!