Introduction Week Orientation: The Introduction Week is very popular among IVHQ volunteers. We recommend all volunteers take advantage of this week to gain a deeper understanding of the Filipino culture, a true appreciation of life in the Philippines and bond with fellow volunteers while also taking a cooking class, visiting a farm and touring local attractions. It’s also a great way to help settle the culture shock you can face when arriving in the Philippines.
Introduction Schedule:
Day 1 - Start off with an introduction to the Philippines program, the local team, general rules and a class on the local culture and language. In the afternoon, learn about the local projects, take a walking tour of the local area, and arrange your sim card. You will able to see the typical houses of the locals and the way they live in the village. And at night, there will be a welcome night and you will see a Philippine cultural dances performed by the local children.
Day 2 - In the morning you will have the chance to join a Filipino cooking class. After lunch, you will take part in a Filipino language lesson to help communicate better with the locals who cannot speak or understand English.
Day 3 - You will be able to experience and see one of the beautiful waterfalls in Palawan. You will enjoy a picnic while you are there. After you will visit a local market located in Narra town.
Day 4 - You will get to make a local hand fan using local materials with assistances from the locals. In the afternoon you will get to create your own design of necklace or bracelet using local materials to take as a souvenir.
Day 5 - After breakfast, volunteers will meet about the upcoming placements and receive the placement specific introduction. In the afternoon, volunteers will be working at their placements.
This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on the needs of the project, local weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances
Important note:
The Introduction Week is offered as an extension to your program duration and it’s a comprehensive orientation that runs for the first 5 days of your stay. Once you complete the Introduction Week, you’ll be ready to start volunteering on the following Monday. This means that if you want to volunteer for 2 weeks and you add the introduction week to your itinerary, you’ll be hosted by the local team for a total of 3 weeks.
The introduction week only runs on the first and third Monday of each month so if this does not align with your program, you can join the introduction week on the second week of your itinerary.
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