ライブラリー：海外住居建築活動体験レポート　[ハビタット・フォー・ヒューマニティ・ジャパン]

特定非営利活動法人ハビタット・フォー・ヒューマニティ・ジャパン：ライブラリー

訪問国名別/Hosting Country
チーム種別/Team Category
言語/Language (2)
- 日本語/Japanese (147)
- 英語/English (52)

訪問年月別/Trip Date

高校生/High School一覧 < 海外住居建築活動体験レポート < Home

高校生/High School 一覧

Indonesia: ASIJ (American School in Japan)

Team Name	ASIJ (American School in Japan)
Country	Indonesia, Bali
Work site	Buleleng, Singajara, 3 Families, Brick and cement
Itinerary	8 Day(s), 12-Nov 2011(SAT) to 19-Nov 2011(SAT)
Member	Total: 40 , Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 10, High School(F): 26
Expense	Traveling:97500 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:6000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Denpasar (Garuda)
Report	The Garuda flight was late to depart, but once we boarded, the individual screens to watch movies on demand seemed to entertain the students quite well. Clareta and Agnes, Habitat Bali personnel, met us at the airport and took us to dinner in Kuta, where we spent the first night. On Sunday, they also came with us to Ubud for a walk around the lovely rice paddies and to bargain in the markets. Students really enjoyed this day, which ended with the orientation in the nice Anika hotel in Lovina. We built three houses and had twelve students in each one. The worksites were quite different: small, medium and big areas for three houses of the same dimensions. The work-site areas were clean, the toilet situation was decent, and the food was fine. We were provided with enough tools to work with, and when we felt we needed more, Agnes, Clareta and Kafi were helpful finding more for the next day. The work was quite different each day as well; all three houses were in the initial stage of construction and that gave the students an opportunity to make the columns, dig holes for the foundation, level the floor and then the most rewarding part: laying down the bricks for the walls! The accommodations were clean and quaint, and the setting was just perfect for our group as we could go to town for dinners or relax by the pool and get a massage after the workday. As for other activities, we visited an orphanage one afternoon after work, where students toured the tea plantation and craft area and were given some playtime with the kids. We also went to see the dolphins one morning at 6 am, and snorkeled for an hour another afternoon.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat for Humanity Japan 日時: 2011年11月12日 16:27

Indonesia: NIS Habitat (Nagoya International School)

Team Name	NIS Habitat (Nagoya International School)
Country	Indonesia, Habitat Bali
Work site	Gitgit, North Bali, 1 Family, brick
Itinerary	11 Day(s) 19-Mar 2011(SAT) to 29-Mar 2011(TUE)
Member	Total: 16 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 5, High School(F): 9
Expense	Traveling:83000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4700 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Nagoya-->Denpasar (Garuda)
Report	NIS Habitat of Nagoya International School worked with Habitat for Humanity Japan and the Global Village program and Habitat for Humanity Indonesia in Bali. We worked on a house for Ms. Ketut Sukresi in the village of Gitgit. Our Habitat Indonesia coordinators were Ms. Clareta, Ms. Agnes and Ms. Nenden. We mostly stayed at the Aneka Lovina Hotel on Lovina Beach, with a couple nights at the Pendawa Hotel in Kuta. NIS Habitat would like to thank the NIS community for all its support. With fourteen students and two teachers, we had a successful trip to Bali. We worked on a house in the village of Gitgit for one week and basically built the bottom half. This was considered a special project by Habitat for Humanity Indonesia and the house was given to a woman who was twice widowed. The land had been donated. We did not finish the house, nor did we receive a photo of the completed house. Our work seemed well scheduled. Some of the students found the early tasks a bit monotonous. Although it was not the rainy season, there was some very heavy rain, but that only slowed us down a little. We shifted our work day to start earlier and get more work in before the afternoon rain. There was usually work to do while it was raining. We had one day when two students were sick and they stayed at the hotel with one advisor. Our hotel was nice and in a good location. It was thirty minutes from the worksite, which seemed a little far. Some students had trouble with the winding roads. The food was good and we liked the pool. We were disappointed that the internet service did not function well. We used the laundry service at the hotel and another service nearby. Our hotel in Kuta was not as nice. It was in our budget and in a good location. We learned new skills and words, saw new things, tried new foods and made new friends. There was time to do some shopping, sight-seeing, a visit to a local school and even some white-water rafting. Our coordinators worked well with us on the extras. There was a good balance of trying new/local food and foods we were more used to. The touring and shopping opportunities were good, as were the opportunities to learn about Balinese culture. The white-water rafting was very popular. We really enjoyed our visit to a local elementary school. We had a chance to talk to teachers and students and enjoy some games. We are grateful for the service of our drivers. They were very popular with our students. Our flights went well and we stayed within our budget for the trip. The students had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences. They tried many things outside of their comfort zones and learned a lot.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat for Humanity Japan 日時: 2011年3月19日 19:50

Malaysia : Hiroshima International School

Team Name	HIS CAS (Hiroshima International School)
Country	Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Work site	Sungai Lalang Baru, Semenyih, 1 Families, Brick
Itinerary	11 Day(s) 23-May 2011(MON) - 02-Jun 2011(THU)
Member	Total: 10 / Adult(M): 1 , High School(M): 2, High School(F): 7
Expense	Traveling:63640 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4500 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Fukuoka<-->Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) Hong Kong<-->Kuala Lumpur (Cathay Pacific)
Report	The GV team were really supportive and helpful. We were made to feel welcome and ask for and about anything that we were unsure about. The worksite was an experience, which was all part of the learning. We were about to experience just how these people lived and enjoyed life. We had access to a lot of water, which was great, however we also needed drinks that contained electrolytes, like Japan's 'Aquarius' or 'Pocari Sweat'. The equipment we had was helpful and useable, although we may have benefitted if we had more shovels, and troughs. Unfortunately it is difficult to get more equipment because it costs money and all the equipment needs to get transferred from one site to another. Our R&R days were not as of a cultural experience, however all students appreciated the experiences gained through the daily interactions with the village members. We chose to go to a theme park on the Saturday and explore KL city centre on Sunday. Saturday's activity was organised with the provided tourist company and Sunday was an independent activity. Our accommodation was ok, it not as nice and as clean as a non smoking Japanese business hotel. The facility was chosen because it was closer to the work site than their preferred choice. Breakfast was a selection of simple Malaysian foods, which our students grew to enjoy.
Photo	Upper left:The Family and us Upper right: building 1 Lower left: finished building Lower right: building 2 * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat for Humanity Japan 日時: 2011年5月23日 00:00

Malaysia: American School in Japan

Team Name	American School in Japan (ASIJ)
Country	Malaysia, Kuching
Work site	Sarawak, 1 Family, Cement
Itinerary	7 Day(s) 13-Feb 2011(SUN) ? 19-Feb 2011(SAT)
Member	Total: 23 Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 5, High School(F): 15
Expense	Traveling:165000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4200 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->KL (Malaysia) KL-->Kuching (Malaysia)
Report	We had 20 students in the group, which for the stage of the house we felt was too many. We would have preferred a second site, but this was not an option. On the second and third day, we split the group and took half of the students to the Cultural Village and Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, both well received by students. This worked out well for the building group back at the site as they were more engaged for the entire time. *The first group also stopped at a pottery shop, which we thought was going to be interactive, but was basically a tourist stop, and the second group skipped this the following day. Our last day we went to the site in the morning, finished painting and cleaning up, and then visited a local pre-school. The students really enjoyed this experience and we would recommend something like this to call attention to not only inadequacy in housing for those living in poverty, but also to the lack of educational opportunities in these areas. We were on our own for dinners except for the last evening, when we were joined by a few other members of the local Habitat board, and had a nice buffet dinner at a nearby restaurant. Breakfast was at the hotel each morning, and lunches at the site were excellent. One evening we rented a bus and took the kids to one of the local malls where they ate and had some time to do some shopping. We were disappointed there was not some type of night market, but we had the entire last day for souvenir shopping at the waterfront, as our flight did not depart until evening. Transportation to and from the site was reliable and well organized.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat for Humanity Japan 日時: 2011年2月13日 05:58

Indonesia: Team Kist (K International School)

Team Name Team Habitat for Humanity KIST (K. International School Tokyo)
Country Indonesia
Bali
Work site Gitgit, Bali
1 Families
Concrete block single family two room home
Itinerary 8 Day(s)
20-Jun 2010(SUN) ? 27-Jun 2010(SUN)
Member Total: 14
Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 6
Expense Traveling:93600 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:60400 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Denpasar (JAL)
Denpasar-->Narita (JAl)
Report The worksaite was a mountainous village of Gitgit in northern Bali. The weather was breezy and overcast most days. The site was not graded, so we spent the first 3 days digging out the foundation for the house. Digging continued on a smaller scale for all 5 workdays. On day 4 we began to lay bricks and concrete. We did not have time to cmplete the house, The family was helpful and contributed coffee or pastries each day. R & R was good, The students did water sports, and visited an orphanage, Our rushed and toured experience at the orphanage maintained a distance between our team and the children living there. Accomodations were very nice, and some dinners were great. Overall, the team did experience a rewarding volunteer activity of helping to build a house for a family in need.
Photo Upper left:0179.jpg/team members
Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building
Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Team Habitat for Humanity KIST (K. International School Tokyo)
Country	Indonesia Bali
Work site	Gitgit, Bali 1 Families Concrete block single family two room home
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 20-Jun 2010(SUN) ? 27-Jun 2010(SUN)
Member	Total: 14 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 6
Expense	Traveling:93600 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:60400 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Denpasar (JAL) Denpasar-->Narita (JAl)
Report	The worksaite was a mountainous village of Gitgit in northern Bali. The weather was breezy and overcast most days. The site was not graded, so we spent the first 3 days digging out the foundation for the house. Digging continued on a smaller scale for all 5 workdays. On day 4 we began to lay bricks and concrete. We did not have time to cmplete the house, The family was helpful and contributed coffee or pastries each day. R & R was good, The students did water sports, and visited an orphanage, Our rushed and toured experience at the orphanage maintained a distance between our team and the children living there. Accomodations were very nice, and some dinners were great. Overall, the team did experience a rewarding volunteer activity of helping to build a house for a family in need.
Photo	Upper left:0179.jpg/team members Upper right: building Lower left: finished building Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年6月20日 14:29

Philippines: TUC SH Youth (Tokyo Union Church)

Team Name TUC SH Youth (Tokyo Union Church)
Country Philippines, Calauan, Laguna
Work site Bayani Juan sa Calauan. One story steel-framed houses
Itinerary 9 Day(s) 12-Jun 2010(SAT) ? 20-Jun 2010(SUN)
Member Total: 12 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 5, High School(F): 5
Expense Traveling:58000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:4000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Tokyo-->Manila (PAL)
Manila-->Tokyo (PAL)
Report Every morning, from the City of Spiring Hotel, we jumped on a jeepny to go to our worksite: BayaniJuan sa Calauan breathing in the air of Calauan and seeing the life of people on the street with our own eyes. At the work site, we worked with home partners and local Habitat workers. They supported us so much and we became good friends working very well together laughing and singing while sweating in the heat. We made bricks, assembled long lines to pass them, grouted them with cement, and did other bits and pieces of small tasks. On the second day of work, we visited a Habitat community nearby to the completed houses. We enjoyed playing basketball and spending time with the children there, which motivated us to work better for the following days. It was fulfilling to see the houses became taller and soon livable by the time we said good bye to the site. The Habitat staff (who also took us to wonderful Pilipino restaurants after long days of work), home partners, and workers gave us a big farewell, which we all enjoyed very much. At the very end of our stay in Calauan, we went to the International Rice Research Institute and the Museum of Natural History in the University of the Philippines. One of the greatest experience we had throughout the trip was to be able to work directly with the home partners and the local workers everyday and be inspired by their hard work and warm hospitality!
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	TUC SH Youth (Tokyo Union Church)
Country	Philippines, Calauan, Laguna
Work site	Bayani Juan sa Calauan. One story steel-framed houses
Itinerary	9 Day(s) 12-Jun 2010(SAT) ? 20-Jun 2010(SUN)
Member	Total: 12 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 5, High School(F): 5
Expense	Traveling:58000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Tokyo-->Manila (PAL) Manila-->Tokyo (PAL)
Report	Every morning, from the City of Spiring Hotel, we jumped on a jeepny to go to our worksite: BayaniJuan sa Calauan breathing in the air of Calauan and seeing the life of people on the street with our own eyes. At the work site, we worked with home partners and local Habitat workers. They supported us so much and we became good friends working very well together laughing and singing while sweating in the heat. We made bricks, assembled long lines to pass them, grouted them with cement, and did other bits and pieces of small tasks. On the second day of work, we visited a Habitat community nearby to the completed houses. We enjoyed playing basketball and spending time with the children there, which motivated us to work better for the following days. It was fulfilling to see the houses became taller and soon livable by the time we said good bye to the site. The Habitat staff (who also took us to wonderful Pilipino restaurants after long days of work), home partners, and workers gave us a big farewell, which we all enjoyed very much. At the very end of our stay in Calauan, we went to the International Rice Research Institute and the Museum of Natural History in the University of the Philippines. One of the greatest experience we had throughout the trip was to be able to work directly with the home partners and the local workers everyday and be inspired by their hard work and warm hospitality!
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年6月12日 03:07

Mongolia: Seisen Phoenix (Seisen International School)

Team name Seisen Phoenix (Seisen International School)
Country Baganuur, Mongolia
Work site Baganuur
1 families, small (one room), wooden frame structure with brick finish
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 07-Jun 2010(Mon) ? 16-Jun 2010(Wed)
Member Total: 31 Adult(M): 2, Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 1, High School(F): 25
Expense Traveling:100,000 JPY (taxes included) / person
In-country: 4,000-4,500 JPY (taxes included) / person / day
Route Narita-->Ulaanbaatar (Miat Mongolian)
Ulaanbaatar-->Narita (Miat Mongolian)
Report ▼We worked for five days (June 9-13) on a worksite in Baganuur about three hours by bus from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. The first two days we only worked in the morning due to rain in the afternoons, but we were able to unload all the wood and bricks for the house on the first day.▼On Day 2, we did a lot of wood work and constructed the four walls.▼Day 3 saw us raising the four walls for this single family dwelling and begin work on the roof.▼Day 4 we worked on insulating the walls with styrofoam as well as fiberglass and we continued work on the roof.▼On Day 5, our final day, we finished the woodwork on the roof and begun brick-laying. At the end of Day 5, we had a small celebration with the family and local workmen. The local accomodations in Baganuur were good and I would recommend them to any future team. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We ate all our meals in the hotel dining hall and the food was good, though there was very little variety. Local R and R involved visiting a national park with a variety of 13th century Mongolian camps and an overnight stay in a ger, a typical Mongolian home. This was a good way to end our trip and a great opportunity to learn about Mongolian culture and history.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team name	Seisen Phoenix (Seisen International School)
Country	Baganuur, Mongolia
Work site	Baganuur 1 families, small (one room), wooden frame structure with brick finish
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 07-Jun 2010(Mon) ? 16-Jun 2010(Wed)
Member	Total: 31 Adult(M): 2, Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 1, High School(F): 25
Expense	Traveling:100,000 JPY (taxes included) / person In-country: 4,000-4,500 JPY (taxes included) / person / day
Route	Narita-->Ulaanbaatar (Miat Mongolian) Ulaanbaatar-->Narita (Miat Mongolian)
Report	▼We worked for five days (June 9-13) on a worksite in Baganuur about three hours by bus from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. The first two days we only worked in the morning due to rain in the afternoons, but we were able to unload all the wood and bricks for the house on the first day.▼On Day 2, we did a lot of wood work and constructed the four walls.▼Day 3 saw us raising the four walls for this single family dwelling and begin work on the roof.▼Day 4 we worked on insulating the walls with styrofoam as well as fiberglass and we continued work on the roof.▼On Day 5, our final day, we finished the woodwork on the roof and begun brick-laying. At the end of Day 5, we had a small celebration with the family and local workmen. The local accomodations in Baganuur were good and I would recommend them to any future team. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We ate all our meals in the hotel dining hall and the food was good, though there was very little variety. Local R and R involved visiting a national park with a variety of 13th century Mongolian camps and an overnight stay in a ger, a typical Mongolian home. This was a good way to end our trip and a great opportunity to learn about Mongolian culture and history.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年6月 7日 00:00

Philippines: Class of 2010 (Hokkaido Intl. School)

Team name Class of 2010 (Hokkaido International School)
Country Philippines
Work site Calauan, Laguna, 50 Families, interlocking block construction / row houses
Itinerary 8 Day(s), 02-Jun 2010 (WED) - 09-Jun 2010 (WED)
Member Total: 14 Adult(M): 1, Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 3, High School(F):
Expense Traveling: 82,000 JPY (taxes included) / person
In-country: 5,000 JPY (taxes included) / person / day
Route Chitose ⇔ Incheon (Korean Airlines)
Inchoen ⇔ Manila (Korean Airlines)
Report ▼We had a wonderful experience in the Philippines at the Calauan site. We were able to work onsite for part or all of four days and go to experience all of the jobs connected to the construction of the interlocking block homes. We enjoyed getting to know home partners who had directly benefited from the efforts of Habitat by receiving their own home. We also greatly enjoyed getting to know the construction workers who we worked with. They were receptive, very helpful and friendly towards us.▼I believe that one of the things that could have improved our experience would have been to share more space with the local workers onsite. At breaks we spent out time under a separate shelter that was apart from the workers rest location. Although we were free to go back and forth, it made it hard to get to know them and to communicate effectively from the start. I also understand that problems could occur if proximity was too close but sometimes I felt the "divide" was too clear.▼Our R&R visit to a beach in the province of Batangas was wonderful. We enjoyed the natural beauty of the Philippines and were truly able to relax. We also had another short afternoon trip to the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), which was very informative and impacting. I would recommend that others go to this institute if they are in the Calauan area.▼The acommodations on the first night, Makati Towers, was a little bit of a concern. They were not necessarily clean or pleasant as they were located in a seedy part of the downtown core. The beds were hard, the linens smelled of smoke and in general we did not sleep well. The hotel during the rest of the stay, Splash Mountain Hotel (part of Splash Mountain Resort) in Los Banos Municipality, was a wonderful location. We had a great stay and because of the size of the resort and the level of security, safety was never an issue.▼Hokkaido International school has had a 10 year relationship with Habitat. We continue to be supportive of the Habitat trip and believe it to be a worthwhile experience for our students. It helps us to directly cap off our curricular goals as a globally-minded institution.
Photo Upper left: Homeowners
Upper right: Interlocking block homes
Lower left: The new housing area
Lower right: Splash Mountain Hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team name	Class of 2010 (Hokkaido International School)
Country	Philippines
Work site	Calauan, Laguna, 50 Families, interlocking block construction / row houses
Itinerary	8 Day(s), 02-Jun 2010 (WED) - 09-Jun 2010 (WED)
Member	Total: 14 Adult(M): 1, Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 3, High School(F):
Expense	Traveling: 82,000 JPY (taxes included) / person In-country: 5,000 JPY (taxes included) / person / day
Route	Chitose ⇔ Incheon (Korean Airlines) Inchoen ⇔ Manila (Korean Airlines)
Report	▼We had a wonderful experience in the Philippines at the Calauan site. We were able to work onsite for part or all of four days and go to experience all of the jobs connected to the construction of the interlocking block homes. We enjoyed getting to know home partners who had directly benefited from the efforts of Habitat by receiving their own home. We also greatly enjoyed getting to know the construction workers who we worked with. They were receptive, very helpful and friendly towards us.▼I believe that one of the things that could have improved our experience would have been to share more space with the local workers onsite. At breaks we spent out time under a separate shelter that was apart from the workers rest location. Although we were free to go back and forth, it made it hard to get to know them and to communicate effectively from the start. I also understand that problems could occur if proximity was too close but sometimes I felt the "divide" was too clear.▼Our R&R visit to a beach in the province of Batangas was wonderful. We enjoyed the natural beauty of the Philippines and were truly able to relax. We also had another short afternoon trip to the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), which was very informative and impacting. I would recommend that others go to this institute if they are in the Calauan area.▼The acommodations on the first night, Makati Towers, was a little bit of a concern. They were not necessarily clean or pleasant as they were located in a seedy part of the downtown core. The beds were hard, the linens smelled of smoke and in general we did not sleep well. The hotel during the rest of the stay, Splash Mountain Hotel (part of Splash Mountain Resort) in Los Banos Municipality, was a wonderful location. We had a great stay and because of the size of the resort and the level of security, safety was never an issue.▼Hokkaido International school has had a 10 year relationship with Habitat. We continue to be supportive of the Habitat trip and believe it to be a worthwhile experience for our students. It helps us to directly cap off our curricular goals as a globally-minded institution.
Photo	Upper left: Homeowners Upper right: Interlocking block homes Lower left: The new housing area Lower right: Splash Mountain Hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年6月 2日 00:00

Philippines: St. Mary's International School

Team Name Saint Mary's International School (Saint Mary's International School)
Country Philippines
HFHP
Work site BayaniJuan sa Calauan, Caluan, Laguna
6 Families
one story steel-framed houses
Itinerary 8 Day(s)
20-Mar 2010(SAT) ? 27-Mar 2010(SAT)
Member Total: 23
Adult(M): 5 , High School(M): 18
Expense Traveling:65000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:4000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Manila (PAL)
Manila-->Narita (PAL)
Report Three rented air-conditioned vans took us to Splash Mountain Resort Hotel in Los Banos, Laguna. The rooms were clean and the food was excellent. On Day 1, after the orientation by the site engineer, we uprooted grasses, digged canals, and dumped soil on six lots, On Day 2, we continued digging and dumping soil on the lots to make the surface even. On Day 3, we assembled steel wall frames in the morning. We visited Site 1 after lunch. We distributed coned-ice cream to 400 lucky children and 22 bags or 2,200 pieces of lollipops to the remaining members of the community. We distributed assorted school supplies in bags to 23 lucky children chosen by lottery. The rest of our donations, composed of school supplies and used clothes, were turned-over to a representative of ABS Foundation. On Day 4, we left for Puerto Galera. On day 5, we went to Pagsanjan Falls in Cavinti, Laguna. This was the hightlight of our rest and recreation. Everybody enjoyed this part of the trip.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Saint Mary's International School (Saint Mary's International School)
Country	Philippines HFHP
Work site	BayaniJuan sa Calauan, Caluan, Laguna 6 Families one story steel-framed houses
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 20-Mar 2010(SAT) ? 27-Mar 2010(SAT)
Member	Total: 23 Adult(M): 5 , High School(M): 18
Expense	Traveling:65000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Manila (PAL) Manila-->Narita (PAL)
Report	Three rented air-conditioned vans took us to Splash Mountain Resort Hotel in Los Banos, Laguna. The rooms were clean and the food was excellent. On Day 1, after the orientation by the site engineer, we uprooted grasses, digged canals, and dumped soil on six lots, On Day 2, we continued digging and dumping soil on the lots to make the surface even. On Day 3, we assembled steel wall frames in the morning. We visited Site 1 after lunch. We distributed coned-ice cream to 400 lucky children and 22 bags or 2,200 pieces of lollipops to the remaining members of the community. We distributed assorted school supplies in bags to 23 lucky children chosen by lottery. The rest of our donations, composed of school supplies and used clothes, were turned-over to a representative of ABS Foundation. On Day 4, we left for Puerto Galera. On day 5, we went to Pagsanjan Falls in Cavinti, Laguna. This was the hightlight of our rest and recreation. Everybody enjoyed this part of the trip.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners Upper right: building Lower left: finished building Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年3月20日 18:24

Thailand: Canadian Academy

Team Name Canadian Academy (Canadian Academy Habitat)
Country Thailand
Rayong
Work site Rayong
1 Families
Family 1 storey reinforced concrete frame concrete brick house
Itinerary 8 Day(s)
19-Mar 2010(FRI) ? 26-Mar 2010(FRI)
Member Total: 15
Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 7
Expense Traveling:65000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:2000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route KIX-->BKK (Thai airlines)
Report This was my second Habitat trip and was even better than the first. Art our man on the ground in Rayong was fantastic, the perfect mix of work and fun. Art was organised and efficient while still be fun and approachable. When we arrived in Bangkok we were met at the airport and bused to Rayong, a 2 hour journey. The accommodation in Rayong was comfortable and centrally located, meaning the kids to hang out with minimal supervision. Our worksite was well organised, and safe. It was good to see the progress we made each day, working with the family and workers. Art organised wonderful R and R trips which were perfectly timed. Overall this was an excellent trip.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners
Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building
Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Canadian Academy (Canadian Academy Habitat)
Country	Thailand Rayong
Work site	Rayong 1 Families Family 1 storey reinforced concrete frame concrete brick house
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 19-Mar 2010(FRI) ? 26-Mar 2010(FRI)
Member	Total: 15 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 7
Expense	Traveling:65000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:2000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	KIX-->BKK (Thai airlines)
Report	This was my second Habitat trip and was even better than the first. Art our man on the ground in Rayong was fantastic, the perfect mix of work and fun. Art was organised and efficient while still be fun and approachable. When we arrived in Bangkok we were met at the airport and bused to Rayong, a 2 hour journey. The accommodation in Rayong was comfortable and centrally located, meaning the kids to hang out with minimal supervision. Our worksite was well organised, and safe. It was good to see the progress we made each day, working with the family and workers. Art organised wonderful R and R trips which were perfectly timed. Overall this was an excellent trip.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners Upper right: building Lower left: finished building Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年3月20日 10:17

Thailand: Viking Builders (Nishimachi Intl. School)

Team Name Viking Builders (Nishimachi International School)
Country Thailand, HRC North
Work site Chiang Mai - Papai Community, 8 Families, 3 room concrete block single family home, also put in 2 septic tanks
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 18-Mar 2010(THU) ? 27-Mar 2010(SAT)
Member Total: 20 Adult(M): 4 , Adult(F): 5, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 5
Expense Traveling:70480 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:4500 yen/person/day JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita<-->Bangkok<-->Chiang Mai(Thai Airline)
Report We arrived in Chiang Mai and were warmly greeted by Malinie and her Habitat Team with a big "Welcome Viking Builders" banner and flower necklaces!! We spent the first 3 days enjoying R&R activities such as Thai Cooking Class, Wien Kum Kam temple bicycle tour, Elephant Nature Park, and Flight of the Gibbon. We stayed at the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel which was fantastic for our group of teenagers as it included breakfast, was close to the Night Market and even had a pool so they could cool off after a day of building. We built a 3 room cement brick home for a wonderful family which included a mom and 17 year old daughter. Along with their extended family, they helped us build the house. We were provided with delicious Thai snacks and lunches that were brought to our worksite daily. We worked hard and enjoyed every moment of it. Our entire team really felt that this family was very grateful and appreciative of our team and we felt lucky to be the ones giving this family a new home. Our children took this project seriously and we worked as a team with the help of several skilled workers to construct a home that we hope will bring this family many years of happiness. Our Thailand coordinator, Malinie, was just top notch in every aspect. She clearly spelled out our daily objectives and made sure we stayed safe. She set up group dinners for us that were really delicious and fun (one was even on a river boat cruise). The house dedication ceremony was very touching and with all of the family members crying, it was hard for us not to. The final dinner that our team shared with the Habitat family was so enjoyable and we really felt a connection to them. The daughter danced a beautiful Thai dance for us in her traditional dress and we just all really enjoyed each other's company. Another highlight was our visit to a local orphanage where we played games and interacted with some of the most wondeful kids and staff! Habitat is such a well run organization. All the information I recieved as a Team Leader was clear and accurate and I have nothing but praise for our experience and all the staff!
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Viking Builders (Nishimachi International School)
Country	Thailand, HRC North
Work site	Chiang Mai - Papai Community, 8 Families, 3 room concrete block single family home, also put in 2 septic tanks
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 18-Mar 2010(THU) ? 27-Mar 2010(SAT)
Member	Total: 20 Adult(M): 4 , Adult(F): 5, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 5
Expense	Traveling:70480 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:4500 yen/person/day JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita<-->Bangkok<-->Chiang Mai(Thai Airline)
Report	We arrived in Chiang Mai and were warmly greeted by Malinie and her Habitat Team with a big "Welcome Viking Builders" banner and flower necklaces!! We spent the first 3 days enjoying R&R activities such as Thai Cooking Class, Wien Kum Kam temple bicycle tour, Elephant Nature Park, and Flight of the Gibbon. We stayed at the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel which was fantastic for our group of teenagers as it included breakfast, was close to the Night Market and even had a pool so they could cool off after a day of building. We built a 3 room cement brick home for a wonderful family which included a mom and 17 year old daughter. Along with their extended family, they helped us build the house. We were provided with delicious Thai snacks and lunches that were brought to our worksite daily. We worked hard and enjoyed every moment of it. Our entire team really felt that this family was very grateful and appreciative of our team and we felt lucky to be the ones giving this family a new home. Our children took this project seriously and we worked as a team with the help of several skilled workers to construct a home that we hope will bring this family many years of happiness. Our Thailand coordinator, Malinie, was just top notch in every aspect. She clearly spelled out our daily objectives and made sure we stayed safe. She set up group dinners for us that were really delicious and fun (one was even on a river boat cruise). The house dedication ceremony was very touching and with all of the family members crying, it was hard for us not to. The final dinner that our team shared with the Habitat family was so enjoyable and we really felt a connection to them. The daughter danced a beautiful Thai dance for us in her traditional dress and we just all really enjoyed each other's company. Another highlight was our visit to a local orphanage where we played games and interacted with some of the most wondeful kids and staff! Habitat is such a well run organization. All the information I recieved as a Team Leader was clear and accurate and I have nothing but praise for our experience and all the staff!
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年3月18日 00:00

Philippines: ASIJ (American School in Japan)

Team Name ASIJ (American School in Japan)
Country Philippines, Pasig
Work site Pasig, 416 Families Apartment
Itinerary 7 Day(s) 14-Feb 2010(SUN) ? 20-Feb 2010(SAT)
Member Total: 23 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 12
Expense Traveling:65000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:6000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Manila (Phillipines)
Report We had an easy flight from Narita to Manila. We were greeted at the airport by our liaison and she took us to our accommodations, the Legend Villas hotel. The accommodations were very nice: nice rooms, nice pool, and a staff that went out of their way to make things easy for us. The hotel was a short walk from a small mall and a 20 minute ride from a much larger one. Transportation was in vans or "jeepnees."
Our work consisted mostly of hauling concrete blocks, 7,507, according to the report. For whatever reason (inclement weather, funding, or whatever -we never got a clear answer) the affiliate did not seem to have much work for us other than carrying blocks. We touched up plaster in a few rooms and painted a little, but it wasn't until our last work day that they had more than a few paint brushes. It was frustrating to know that they were under time pressure to get the first building finished, but to not be able to do anything to help them with that.
Wile the work was less than exciting, the contact with the home partners made up for that. For several reasons, including the welcoming nature of the people, the amount of English that they spoke, and the fact the there were so many families involved, this was by far the most interaction we have experienced on a build. The worksite was full of conversation and laughs. The real highlight was the tour through the slum area where they now live. It was an eye-opener for all of us in many ways, and it brought home just how important decent housing can be for families.

Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: last day of work, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年2月14日 02:22

Thailand: NIS (Nagoya International School)

Team Name NIS (Nagoya International School)
Country Thailand, HRC-Central
Work site Rayong, 1 Families, Cement Blocks
Itinerary 9 Day(s) 09-Feb 2010(TUE) ? 17-Feb 2010(WED)
Member Total: 10 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 2
Expense Traveling:63000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:2953 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Nagoya-->Bangkok (Thai)
Bangkok-->Nagoya (Thai)
Report Here is the report from NIS! Thank you for having us. It was a great experience. When we arrived in Bangkok, we were welcomed by Pin. She took us to our work town, Rayong. She showed us around that night and we spent some time at the market. After a good night, we were ready for work. The next morning Art was there to take us to our working site, It has been a tough week, working under extreme weather conditions. We all worked very hard. But we were happy doing it. The worksite was very safe and the owner always had something for us to munch on. Every night we had something planned, we got time for great thai massages, shopping and visiting sites. On Friday, we visited a local school and spent an afternoon with lovely kids who spoke great English surprisingly! We also decided to spend a day on Samed Islands and it was lovely. Like our reward after all the hard work. We stayed at a very nice hotel that was localted about 10 minutes from downtown. Hotel Madina has big and clean rooms. The breakfast is buffet style, perfect for those growing teenagers. The students loved it and the teachers too: not being in the center was good, we didn't worry about the students getting out at night. All together, it was an amazing experience. The house dedication ceremony was very touching. The best comment came from a student: "they give us more than what we give them." Right there we knew the trip was worthwhile. On behalf of NIS, thank you so much.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	NIS (Nagoya International School)
Country	Thailand, HRC-Central
Work site	Rayong, 1 Families, Cement Blocks
Itinerary	9 Day(s) 09-Feb 2010(TUE) ? 17-Feb 2010(WED)
Member	Total: 10 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 2
Expense	Traveling:63000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:2953 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Nagoya-->Bangkok (Thai) Bangkok-->Nagoya (Thai)
Report	Here is the report from NIS! Thank you for having us. It was a great experience. When we arrived in Bangkok, we were welcomed by Pin. She took us to our work town, Rayong. She showed us around that night and we spent some time at the market. After a good night, we were ready for work. The next morning Art was there to take us to our working site, It has been a tough week, working under extreme weather conditions. We all worked very hard. But we were happy doing it. The worksite was very safe and the owner always had something for us to munch on. Every night we had something planned, we got time for great thai massages, shopping and visiting sites. On Friday, we visited a local school and spent an afternoon with lovely kids who spoke great English surprisingly! We also decided to spend a day on Samed Islands and it was lovely. Like our reward after all the hard work. We stayed at a very nice hotel that was localted about 10 minutes from downtown. Hotel Madina has big and clean rooms. The breakfast is buffet style, perfect for those growing teenagers. The students loved it and the teachers too: not being in the center was good, we didn't worry about the students getting out at night. All together, it was an amazing experience. The house dedication ceremony was very touching. The best comment came from a student: "they give us more than what we give them." Right there we knew the trip was worthwhile. On behalf of NIS, thank you so much.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2010年2月 9日 03:53

Thailand: Team Habitat KIST (K International School)

Team Name Team Habitat KIST (K. International School Tokyo)
Country Chiang Mai Thailand
Work site 1 Families, Concrete Block
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 08-Jun 2009(MON) ? 17-Jun 2009(WED)
Member Total: 19 (Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 9)
Expense Traveling: JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country: JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route N/A
Report The house walls outside and inside were completed, but the finishing exterior was not. I have no photos of the accomodations however, they were very nice and all the team members enjoyed the trip. The planned activities and meals were outstanding and the Habitat for Humanity host was very accomodating. In all, the trip was a total success for the students who participated and the adult supervisors.
Photo Upper left: team and family photo, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Team Habitat KIST (K. International School Tokyo)
Country	Chiang Mai Thailand
Work site	1 Families, Concrete Block
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 08-Jun 2009(MON) ? 17-Jun 2009(WED)
Member	Total: 19 (Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 9)
Expense	Traveling: JPY（taxes included）/person In-country: JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	N/A
Report	The house walls outside and inside were completed, but the finishing exterior was not. I have no photos of the accomodations however, they were very nice and all the team members enjoyed the trip. The planned activities and meals were outstanding and the Habitat for Humanity host was very accomodating. In all, the trip was a total success for the students who participated and the adult supervisors.
Photo	Upper left: team and family photo, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2009年6月 8日 11:35

Philippines: Hokkaido IS Class of 2009

Team Name Class of 2009 HFH Team (Hokkaido International School)
Country Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan, Philippines
Work site Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City; 3 Families, One story house of concrete interlocking brick technology
Itinerary 11 Day(s) 03-Jun 2009(WED) ? 13-Jun 2009(SAT)
Member Total: 17 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 8
Expense Traveling:113100 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:6600 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Sapporo-->Manila (Korean Air)
Manila-->Puerto Princesa (Philippine Air)
Report The Hokkaido International School high school Class of 2009 formed a GV team in June, 2009. We traveled to the Philippines to work at Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City under the guidance of Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan Habitat for Humanity.
Work commenced on 3 houses in various stages of completion. At the conclusion of four and a half days of work, all three houses were nearly finished, and these three house were dedicated and handed over to the home partners.
Construction was based in the concrete interlocking block technology. Team members assisted skilled workers and home partners in various tasks, including brick making, brick laying, concrete mixing (for the concrete floor), rebar form making, and septic tank hole excavation.
During tour stay in Palawan, lodging was at Balay Inato pension in central Puerto Princesa City. One evening, night, and morning was spent in Barangay Bahile as part of a homestay experience. Each team member was housed in the local community, most members staying in the type of house we were constructing.
Of the 11-day trip, 5 days were spent at the worksite, 2 days were for travel, and 4 days of exploring the Philippines. Of those four sightseeing days, one day was at Puerto Princesa City, two were visiting the natural beauty of Palawan Island, and one was spent in the shopping district of Ayala Center in Manila.

Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Class of 2009 HFH Team (Hokkaido International School)
Country	Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan, Philippines
Work site	Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City; 3 Families, One story house of concrete interlocking brick technology
Itinerary	11 Day(s) 03-Jun 2009(WED) ? 13-Jun 2009(SAT)
Member	Total: 17 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 8
Expense	Traveling:113100 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:6600 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Sapporo-->Manila (Korean Air) Manila-->Puerto Princesa (Philippine Air)
Report	The Hokkaido International School high school Class of 2009 formed a GV team in June, 2009. We traveled to the Philippines to work at Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City under the guidance of Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan Habitat for Humanity. Work commenced on 3 houses in various stages of completion. At the conclusion of four and a half days of work, all three houses were nearly finished, and these three house were dedicated and handed over to the home partners. Construction was based in the concrete interlocking block technology. Team members assisted skilled workers and home partners in various tasks, including brick making, brick laying, concrete mixing (for the concrete floor), rebar form making, and septic tank hole excavation. During tour stay in Palawan, lodging was at Balay Inato pension in central Puerto Princesa City. One evening, night, and morning was spent in Barangay Bahile as part of a homestay experience. Each team member was housed in the local community, most members staying in the type of house we were constructing. Of the 11-day trip, 5 days were spent at the worksite, 2 days were for travel, and 4 days of exploring the Philippines. Of those four sightseeing days, one day was at Puerto Princesa City, two were visiting the natural beauty of Palawan Island, and one was spent in the shopping district of Ayala Center in Manila.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2009年6月 3日 12:19

Malaysia: Nagoya International School

Team Name Nagoya International School (-)
Country Malaysia, Kutching
Work site 1 Families, Concrete
Itinerary 7 Day(s) 17-May 2009(SUN) ? 23-May 2009(SAT)
Member Total: 12 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 4, High School(F): 6
Expense Traveling:84760 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:18000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Nagoya-->Singapore (Singapore Airlines)
Singapore-->Kutching (Silk Air)
Report The Kutching Affliate was a well-organized group of people that really made us feel welcomed, prepared and comfortable. Angelina was fantastic. She was very knowledegable and took great care of us. All the people that we met were extremely kind and generous. Eric gave us great demonstrations and guided us on the worksite. When we arrived, the roof was built. Eric directed us on building the foundation. All the students were given jobs to hammer, bend metal, saw or organize. Throughout the week, although it was very hard labor, the studens were well supervised and worked hard. The family was amazing and the students made such nice friendships with them all. The mother cooked us delicious lunches and desserts. We will never forget them. We stayed in a hostel which was very clean and convenient. The girls were in a dorm room and the boys had twin beds. After work, we would shower and walk around Kutching. We ate at restaurants every night except for the last night. On the last day (our R&R day) Angelina helped us set up a tour of the Orangutan conservatory and the Long Houses, a community of houses built on stilts. Everyone had a such a positive experience and we are grateful for having met everyone in Malaysia HFH (Kutching).
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Nagoya International School (-)
Country	Malaysia, Kutching
Work site	1 Families, Concrete
Itinerary	7 Day(s) 17-May 2009(SUN) ? 23-May 2009(SAT)
Member	Total: 12 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 4, High School(F): 6
Expense	Traveling:84760 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:18000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Nagoya-->Singapore (Singapore Airlines) Singapore-->Kutching (Silk Air)
Report	The Kutching Affliate was a well-organized group of people that really made us feel welcomed, prepared and comfortable. Angelina was fantastic. She was very knowledegable and took great care of us. All the people that we met were extremely kind and generous. Eric gave us great demonstrations and guided us on the worksite. When we arrived, the roof was built. Eric directed us on building the foundation. All the students were given jobs to hammer, bend metal, saw or organize. Throughout the week, although it was very hard labor, the studens were well supervised and worked hard. The family was amazing and the students made such nice friendships with them all. The mother cooked us delicious lunches and desserts. We will never forget them. We stayed in a hostel which was very clean and convenient. The girls were in a dorm room and the boys had twin beds. After work, we would shower and walk around Kutching. We ate at restaurants every night except for the last night. On the last day (our R&R day) Angelina helped us set up a tour of the Orangutan conservatory and the Long Houses, a community of houses built on stilts. Everyone had a such a positive experience and we are grateful for having met everyone in Malaysia HFH (Kutching).
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2009年5月17日 11:04

Philippines: St. Mary's International School

Team Name Saint Mary's International School (Saint Mary's International School)
Country Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan, Philippines
Work site Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; 3 Families; Concrete one-story house
Itinerary 8 Day(s) 21-Mar 2009(SAT) ? 28-Mar 2009(SAT)
Member Total: 26 Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 21
Expense Traveling:75000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:5000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Manila (Philippine Airlines)
Manila-->Puerto Princesa (Philippine Airlines)
Report This is the 6th annual trip of Saint Mary's International School to the Philippines and its second visit to Zion Puerto Princesa. The international and domestic carrier of the team was Philippine Airlines. The trip was held in a total of eight days. The team had an overnight stay at Shalom Center in Manila. This hotel was just a block away from Robinson's Department store. In Puerto Princesa City, the team was accommodated at Balay Inato, The rooms were spacious, clean, and staffed with polite, kind, and courteous employees. In our first day of work at Barangay Bahile, an orientation was held to familiarize us with the policies, procedures, and daily work routines. We kept our belongings in a storage room at the worksite's office with the key entrusted to me. We worked on three lots with the inititial foundations of the supposed houses ready. We carried bricks, laid bricks for the walls, mixed cement, put gravel in bags, carried bags of gravel and sand, fabricated bricks, poured cement into the crevices of the laid bricks on the walls, filtered the big chunks of stones from the mixture of gravel and sand, and dig two septic reservoirs. We had our daily breakfast at Balay Inato and lunches and snacks in Purok Hall at the project site. The food served during lunch was excellent! We enjoyed eating fresh ripe mangoes, sweet pineapples, and ripe bananas for dessert. We went sightseeing at the Underground River and Nature's Park; swimming at Taraw Beach; island hopping, swimming, and snorkling at Honda Bay; and shopping at the local markets for souvenirs. We took part in the dedication of five houses to the new homeowners. We donated some school materials to the Day Care Center; distributed chocolates to the children and villagers; and donated some construction materials to the affiliate, We also had a Basketball Friendship Game with the local Youth Team. This trip was indeed a very rewarding experience!
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Saint Mary's International School (Saint Mary's International School)
Country	Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan, Philippines
Work site	Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; 3 Families; Concrete one-story house
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 21-Mar 2009(SAT) ? 28-Mar 2009(SAT)
Member	Total: 26 Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 21
Expense	Traveling:75000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:5000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Manila (Philippine Airlines) Manila-->Puerto Princesa (Philippine Airlines)
Report	This is the 6th annual trip of Saint Mary's International School to the Philippines and its second visit to Zion Puerto Princesa. The international and domestic carrier of the team was Philippine Airlines. The trip was held in a total of eight days. The team had an overnight stay at Shalom Center in Manila. This hotel was just a block away from Robinson's Department store. In Puerto Princesa City, the team was accommodated at Balay Inato, The rooms were spacious, clean, and staffed with polite, kind, and courteous employees. In our first day of work at Barangay Bahile, an orientation was held to familiarize us with the policies, procedures, and daily work routines. We kept our belongings in a storage room at the worksite's office with the key entrusted to me. We worked on three lots with the inititial foundations of the supposed houses ready. We carried bricks, laid bricks for the walls, mixed cement, put gravel in bags, carried bags of gravel and sand, fabricated bricks, poured cement into the crevices of the laid bricks on the walls, filtered the big chunks of stones from the mixture of gravel and sand, and dig two septic reservoirs. We had our daily breakfast at Balay Inato and lunches and snacks in Purok Hall at the project site. The food served during lunch was excellent! We enjoyed eating fresh ripe mangoes, sweet pineapples, and ripe bananas for dessert. We went sightseeing at the Underground River and Nature's Park; swimming at Taraw Beach; island hopping, swimming, and snorkling at Honda Bay; and shopping at the local markets for souvenirs. We took part in the dedication of five houses to the new homeowners. We donated some school materials to the Day Care Center; distributed chocolates to the children and villagers; and donated some construction materials to the affiliate, We also had a Basketball Friendship Game with the local Youth Team. This trip was indeed a very rewarding experience!
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2009年3月21日 10:04

Thailand: ASIJ (American School in Japan)

Team Name ASIJ (American School in Japan)
Country Thailand, Korat
Work site 2 Families, Concrete block
Itinerary 8 Day(s): 15-Feb 2009(SUN) ? 22-Feb 2009(SUN)
Member Total: 27 Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 17
Expense Traveling:88000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:4000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Bangkok (Singapore)
Report We left home early in the morning to make our 11am flight from Tokyo to Bangkok. The Habitat affiliate director, Pug, and a volunteer liaison, Jup, greeted us and took us to our bus. The 3 ? hour long ride was comfortable and air-conditioned. We arrived at the Hotel Saiba, a new hotel about 30 minutes from our work site and were given the first of many incredible meals. The food alone is a good reason to choose Thailand as a destination for building houses. We met the homeowners at dinner, which was a bit awkward at first, as you might imagine.
We were greeted warmly at the work site the next day, and we settled down to work. Twelve students went to one house and 13 to the other. The work was just the right amount for the number of students that we had. A few more students per house, and we might have been sitting around looking for something to do. A few fewer students and we might have found it hard to get the work done. The pillars and roofs were already put up before we got there and our task was to build the walls with concrete block and to pour the floor. The homeowners were right there working with us the whole time, and we quickly got beyond the awkwardness of the language barrier.
Our R and R consisted of a visit to a local pottery making area and a historical site based around a huge ancient wat. In the evenings we had the options of the local mall or the night market. There were several good restaurants that could accommodate a group like ours. The highlight of our time away from the work site, however, was the visit to the local school. Our students broke up into groups of 3 and visited individual classrooms, interacting with the students through song and dance,
The dedication ceremony was very touching and just the right length. After it was over, our group and the homeowners shared a meal in the newly completed house.
We cannot say enough about the warmth, organization, and dedication of the Korat affiliate. Pug and Jup went out of their way to accommodate us and make this a special trip. The construction supervisor on one site, Tiger, really boded with some of our guys and spent a lot of time putting together a video, which he burned to dvds and gave to each of us on our way out. We highly recommend the Korat affiliate as a place to work. We'll be back.

Photo Upper left: With homeowners, Upper right: Between building
Lower left: Finished building

* Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2009年2月15日 02:57

Malaysia: Canadian Academy Habitat For Humanity Group

Team Name Canadian Academy Habitat For Humanity Group (Canadian Academy)
Country Kuching, Malaysia
Work site 2 Families Brick walls and concrete floors
Itinerary 8 Day(s) 24-Oct 2008(FRI) ? 31-Oct 2008(FRI)
Member Total: 23 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 9, High School(F): 10
Expense Traveling:110000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:2000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Kansai-->Kuching (MH51-MH385)
Kuching-->Kansai (MH618-MH52)
Report We boarded the bus on a gray raining Friday morning, happy in the knowledge that we were missing an extra day of school. A more moderate sized group than in previous years, 19 students volunteers and 4 chaperones depart Kansai International airport at 11am for Kota Kinabalu and our ultimate destination Kuching. We stayed in the comfortable Telang Usan hotel. Kuching Habitat is very well organized and on our first morning Angelina gave the group a thorough briefing and we were ready to go. Following our briefing Sara and Sean, aided by their parents Sam and Min gave us an overview of Kuching and a wonderful walking tour of Kuching. Kuching is a small manageable city with many interesting places that you can safely explore. Sam and Min arranged for our group to try a traditional Malay breakfast, which set us up for the day ahead.

The work site was between 45 and 60 minutes from the hotel, depending on the driver and therefore the route. All the drivers were friendly but some had a better sense of direction than others. Thankfully Malaysian GPS (stop and ask someone to lead you) worked like a charm!
The worik site was in a beautiful spot, nestled on the edge of the jungle and over looking the local elementary school. Habitat was building two houses for two brothers. The sister was already living next to the site and one of the brothers was sharing the house. The families were warm, friendly and happy to see us and we settled into our work straight away. The person that made our trip so special was Eric Yap our awesome site manager who approached everything in a positive helpful manor. This isn't an easy task when you have 20+ novice builders with 20+ questions. Eric was fantastic and marshalling, encouraging and working with us.

On the Sunday of our trip the villagers challenged us to a soccer match, at this point I should point out that I played for the home team - just to integrate cultures etc. The final score, home side 7 visitors 6! It was a great way to meet the villagers and have some fun in the process. We were also lucky enough to be asked to visit the local elementary school and we were well prepared with gifts from Japan. The students had just completed their exams and were getting ready to break ofr a long Christmas holiday. Our visit culminated in the biggest game of duck, duck, goose I have ever seen!

On the site, Eric and the family had already built the roof, which gave us welcome shade from the sun. Our job began with digging trenches for foundations and bending steel for the reinforced concrete. We mixed a lot of concrete during our time and learnt a great deal about reinforcing this concrete. The final day we were able to start laying bricks and seeing the hard work we put into the foundations really pay off. We left the site with mixed emotions, happy that we had worked so hard but sad that we couldn't have seen the project through further.

Our last day in Kuching was spent with the Orangutans and souvenier shopping before and 8pm flight back to Kuala Lumpur and onto Osaka.

If you are planning a Habitat trip and Malaysia is on your short list, visit Kuching. The Kuching group is well run by people who truly care. Angelina and Eric are just two of the wonderful people from Habitat Kuching that helps us derectly, behind the scenes is dedicate group of people helping Malaysians, build homes and build hope.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Canadian Academy Habitat For Humanity Group (Canadian Academy)
Country	Kuching, Malaysia
Work site	2 Families Brick walls and concrete floors
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 24-Oct 2008(FRI) ? 31-Oct 2008(FRI)
Member	Total: 23 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 9, High School(F): 10
Expense	Traveling:110000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:2000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Kansai-->Kuching (MH51-MH385) Kuching-->Kansai (MH618-MH52)
Report	We boarded the bus on a gray raining Friday morning, happy in the knowledge that we were missing an extra day of school. A more moderate sized group than in previous years, 19 students volunteers and 4 chaperones depart Kansai International airport at 11am for Kota Kinabalu and our ultimate destination Kuching. We stayed in the comfortable Telang Usan hotel. Kuching Habitat is very well organized and on our first morning Angelina gave the group a thorough briefing and we were ready to go. Following our briefing Sara and Sean, aided by their parents Sam and Min gave us an overview of Kuching and a wonderful walking tour of Kuching. Kuching is a small manageable city with many interesting places that you can safely explore. Sam and Min arranged for our group to try a traditional Malay breakfast, which set us up for the day ahead. The work site was between 45 and 60 minutes from the hotel, depending on the driver and therefore the route. All the drivers were friendly but some had a better sense of direction than others. Thankfully Malaysian GPS (stop and ask someone to lead you) worked like a charm! The worik site was in a beautiful spot, nestled on the edge of the jungle and over looking the local elementary school. Habitat was building two houses for two brothers. The sister was already living next to the site and one of the brothers was sharing the house. The families were warm, friendly and happy to see us and we settled into our work straight away. The person that made our trip so special was Eric Yap our awesome site manager who approached everything in a positive helpful manor. This isn't an easy task when you have 20+ novice builders with 20+ questions. Eric was fantastic and marshalling, encouraging and working with us. On the Sunday of our trip the villagers challenged us to a soccer match, at this point I should point out that I played for the home team - just to integrate cultures etc. The final score, home side 7 visitors 6! It was a great way to meet the villagers and have some fun in the process. We were also lucky enough to be asked to visit the local elementary school and we were well prepared with gifts from Japan. The students had just completed their exams and were getting ready to break ofr a long Christmas holiday. Our visit culminated in the biggest game of duck, duck, goose I have ever seen! On the site, Eric and the family had already built the roof, which gave us welcome shade from the sun. Our job began with digging trenches for foundations and bending steel for the reinforced concrete. We mixed a lot of concrete during our time and learnt a great deal about reinforcing this concrete. The final day we were able to start laying bricks and seeing the hard work we put into the foundations really pay off. We left the site with mixed emotions, happy that we had worked so hard but sad that we couldn't have seen the project through further. Our last day in Kuching was spent with the Orangutans and souvenier shopping before and 8pm flight back to Kuala Lumpur and onto Osaka. If you are planning a Habitat trip and Malaysia is on your short list, visit Kuching. The Kuching group is well run by people who truly care. Angelina and Eric are just two of the wonderful people from Habitat Kuching that helps us derectly, behind the scenes is dedicate group of people helping Malaysians, build homes and build hope.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年10月24日 10:55

Mongolia: Tokyoites

Team Name Tokyoites
Country Mongolia Erdenet
Work site 8 Families Concrete block walls, wooden roof structure, aluminum roof
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 02-Aug 2008(SAT) ? 11-Aug 2008(MON)
Member Total: 15 Adult(M): 4 , Adult(F): 3, High School(F): 8
Expense Traveling:135000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:3500 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Ulan Batar (MIAT)
Report Our team of 15, 7 adults and 8 high school girls, worked at the HFH Mongolia site at Erdenet. We worked on 8 early-stage houses, though the site contained many more finished and occupied homes. Work performed: carrying wood, water & sand, pouring concrete foundations, building concrete block walls, erecting a brick chimney, fabricating and installing wooden roof support structures, nailing roofing panels, painting, laying wooden floors, hanging a door, external plastering/stucco. Work not performed: insulation, interior finishes or electrical work. The local affiliate representative, the translator and the professionals at the work site were extremely helpful. Family members worked hard alongside us. On the second day we were joined by a team of 10 Korean high school & college students. The local professionals were adept at overcoming the language barrier. Something to keep in mind: Mongolians don't point at things. On the first day, we all worked hard to divine what the pros were indicating by nods of their heads. After that, we either learned the Mongolian words or made sure that the commonly asked for tools were kept far apart from each other.

Accommodation on arrival in Ulan Bataar (""UB"") was at the Guide House Hotel, which was serviceable. The next day we did some sightseeing and attended a Mongolian cultural performance, which was fascinating, and exceeded everyone's expectations. That evening we boarded a Soviet-era overnight train to Erdenet. The 1st class compartments hold four people each. Bring your own food, toilet paper and water. A longer ride than taking a taxi, but you get to sleep much of the way. In Erdenet we stayed at the Erdenet Hotel, a pleasant place with bright rooms, good plumbing and plenty of hot water for showers, only a short drive from the site. We chose to eat lunch at the site, rather than to spend time driving back into town. The first day we did take-out from the hotel, but on subsequent days we had our translator obtain food from the better, and less expensive, ""National Mongolian Fast Food"" restaurant in Erdenet. The vegetarian on our team even found some acceptable dishes. (In general, Mongolia is a tough place for vegetarians and bringing one's own peanut butter or other portable food is recommended for those with dietary restrictions.) On the last day of work we had an afternoon gathering with the families, workers and our team. Our high schoolers sang ""Lean on Me"" with tight harmony, and the Mongolians sang traditional song for us. A few tears were shed as we said goodbye.

We spent the final two days in Mongolia staying in gers at the Majaa Resort. In a beautiful location, we hiked, rode horses, picked strawberries and watched a ger disassembly/erection demonstration. Food was excellent. Living in the gers solidified our understanding of why families want real housing, even if there is no indoor plumbing. Finally, we took the overnight train back to UB, going directly from the train station to the airport for our 10:15 am flight home.

Before arrival, several team members expressed concern about what they would be able to accomplish, due to their lack of experience in building. By the end of the trip, every team member felt that he or she had made a real contribution to the families' living conditions and that it was a valuable and rewarding experience.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Tokyoites
Country	Mongolia Erdenet
Work site	8 Families Concrete block walls, wooden roof structure, aluminum roof
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 02-Aug 2008(SAT) ? 11-Aug 2008(MON)
Member	Total: 15 Adult(M): 4 , Adult(F): 3, High School(F): 8
Expense	Traveling:135000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:3500 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Ulan Batar (MIAT)
Report	Our team of 15, 7 adults and 8 high school girls, worked at the HFH Mongolia site at Erdenet. We worked on 8 early-stage houses, though the site contained many more finished and occupied homes. Work performed: carrying wood, water & sand, pouring concrete foundations, building concrete block walls, erecting a brick chimney, fabricating and installing wooden roof support structures, nailing roofing panels, painting, laying wooden floors, hanging a door, external plastering/stucco. Work not performed: insulation, interior finishes or electrical work. The local affiliate representative, the translator and the professionals at the work site were extremely helpful. Family members worked hard alongside us. On the second day we were joined by a team of 10 Korean high school & college students. The local professionals were adept at overcoming the language barrier. Something to keep in mind: Mongolians don't point at things. On the first day, we all worked hard to divine what the pros were indicating by nods of their heads. After that, we either learned the Mongolian words or made sure that the commonly asked for tools were kept far apart from each other. Accommodation on arrival in Ulan Bataar (""UB"") was at the Guide House Hotel, which was serviceable. The next day we did some sightseeing and attended a Mongolian cultural performance, which was fascinating, and exceeded everyone's expectations. That evening we boarded a Soviet-era overnight train to Erdenet. The 1st class compartments hold four people each. Bring your own food, toilet paper and water. A longer ride than taking a taxi, but you get to sleep much of the way. In Erdenet we stayed at the Erdenet Hotel, a pleasant place with bright rooms, good plumbing and plenty of hot water for showers, only a short drive from the site. We chose to eat lunch at the site, rather than to spend time driving back into town. The first day we did take-out from the hotel, but on subsequent days we had our translator obtain food from the better, and less expensive, ""National Mongolian Fast Food"" restaurant in Erdenet. The vegetarian on our team even found some acceptable dishes. (In general, Mongolia is a tough place for vegetarians and bringing one's own peanut butter or other portable food is recommended for those with dietary restrictions.) On the last day of work we had an afternoon gathering with the families, workers and our team. Our high schoolers sang ""Lean on Me"" with tight harmony, and the Mongolians sang traditional song for us. A few tears were shed as we said goodbye. We spent the final two days in Mongolia staying in gers at the Majaa Resort. In a beautiful location, we hiked, rode horses, picked strawberries and watched a ger disassembly/erection demonstration. Food was excellent. Living in the gers solidified our understanding of why families want real housing, even if there is no indoor plumbing. Finally, we took the overnight train back to UB, going directly from the train station to the airport for our 10:15 am flight home. Before arrival, several team members expressed concern about what they would be able to accomplish, due to their lack of experience in building. By the end of the trip, every team member felt that he or she had made a real contribution to the families' living conditions and that it was a valuable and rewarding experience.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年8月 2日 11:45

Thailand: Seisen International School

Team Name Seisen International School (Seisen International School)
Country Thailand HRC North
Work site Chiang Mai, 1 Family
Itinerary 12 Day(s) 12-Jun 2008(THU) ? 23-Jun 2008(MON)
Member Total: 19 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 2, High School(F): 16
Expense Traveling:82930 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:3000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Tokyo-->Bangkok->Chiang Mai (Thai Air)
Chiang Mai-->Bangkok-->Tokyo(Thai Air)
Report Our initial impression of the CH Hotel was unfavourable, as the dinner on arrival I had ordered, was not prepared. Also, an excess of rain recently meant that some toilets were non-functional! However, afterwards things greatly improved as the staff tried very hard, and I would strongly recommend this hotel to any future Habitat team, especially as the twin rooms only cost $25 ! The rooms are spacious with good A/C and good, hot showers; and after toiling at the construction site our students greatly appreciated the small swimming pool. I would recommend eating in the hotel restaurant every alternate night or so as the food proved to be plentiful, tasty and extremely good value at 120 Baht p.p. The hotel is located immediately adjacent to the night market, and we found that it was safe to allow the girls to wander by themselves in groups of four, up to 9:30 p.m. Very near the hotel is an efficient and cheap laundry (60Bt/Kg to wash, dry and iron; I carried the team's dirty clothes there every two days or so), and next door to this there is a respectable Thai massage salon with well-trained professional staff (200Bt/Hr) - the girls greatly enjoyed this and returned repeatedly. There is also adjacent a 7/11 shop and an ATM machine. The construction site itself was excellently organised by the local Habitat staff (Malinie, Art and others) with safety considerations paramount. The briefings, constructional instruction, toilet and lunch provision, medical emergency arrangements etc were all meticulous. Malinie in fact was an ideal local leader - friendly, hardworking, and helpful in every possible way!
Concerning the weekend recreational trips, on one day I would recommend visiting...
(a) the Ban Hmong hill tribe centre (excellent)
(b) the orchid/butterfly farm, where lunch can be obtained
(c) the snake farm (spectacular - a highlight!)
(d) the San Kamphaeng silk village (time permitting)
(e) the Walking Street market (after dinner)
On another day...
(a) the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple
(b) a walking tour inside the city walls of the 3 major temples located there (take umbrellas). [I think the students would benefit from a brief introduction to Thai architecture and culture before the trip!]
The elementary school visit (on a weekday afternoon) was a tremendous success, and I would like to thank Art for planning the games and gifts - his ideas worked very well! A third weekend possibility, low-key, but greatly enjoyed by the students, and recommended as a culmination of the whole trip, was to the Mae Taeng elephant centre, with a demonstration, an hour's elephant ride, and an hour's bamboo rafting down-river. At the end of our working week, the house-dedication ceremony was extremely moving, bringing tears to the eyes of the new home-owner, and provoking the students to reflect seriously on what they were achieving.Just before leaving, we visited a local HIV orphanage, and also went to see the impoverished and rather shocking accomodation that our home-owner was being released from. All this contributed to the education of our students. We actually held pre-dinner 45 minute "reflections" four times over the trip, in a meeting room provided by the hotel, and these were genuinely valuable in encouraging articulation of the student's observations and thoughts, we felt.
Lastly, in terms of funding the 2009 trip, and taking into account increasing costs, I would recommend the parents be charged a flat fee of 100 000 yen (except for any scholarship cases), thus allowing sufficient money for a sizeable donation to the very well-run and worthwhile local Habitat organisation; but still direct a major effort towards Seisen fundraising by the students themselves i.e via the Talent Show, the free dress day, the Teacher's Banquet, the White Elephant Sale, ice-cream, hot-dog and twice-weekly Bake Sales etc. In 2008 the total amount raised by these and other activities exceeded 800 000 yen, but be warned, it was hard work!

Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Seisen International School (Seisen International School)
Country	Thailand HRC North
Work site	Chiang Mai, 1 Family
Itinerary	12 Day(s) 12-Jun 2008(THU) ? 23-Jun 2008(MON)
Member	Total: 19 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 2, High School(F): 16
Expense	Traveling:82930 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:3000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Tokyo-->Bangkok->Chiang Mai (Thai Air) Chiang Mai-->Bangkok-->Tokyo(Thai Air)
Report	Our initial impression of the CH Hotel was unfavourable, as the dinner on arrival I had ordered, was not prepared. Also, an excess of rain recently meant that some toilets were non-functional! However, afterwards things greatly improved as the staff tried very hard, and I would strongly recommend this hotel to any future Habitat team, especially as the twin rooms only cost $25 ! The rooms are spacious with good A/C and good, hot showers; and after toiling at the construction site our students greatly appreciated the small swimming pool. I would recommend eating in the hotel restaurant every alternate night or so as the food proved to be plentiful, tasty and extremely good value at 120 Baht p.p. The hotel is located immediately adjacent to the night market, and we found that it was safe to allow the girls to wander by themselves in groups of four, up to 9:30 p.m. Very near the hotel is an efficient and cheap laundry (60Bt/Kg to wash, dry and iron; I carried the team's dirty clothes there every two days or so), and next door to this there is a respectable Thai massage salon with well-trained professional staff (200Bt/Hr) - the girls greatly enjoyed this and returned repeatedly. There is also adjacent a 7/11 shop and an ATM machine. The construction site itself was excellently organised by the local Habitat staff (Malinie, Art and others) with safety considerations paramount. The briefings, constructional instruction, toilet and lunch provision, medical emergency arrangements etc were all meticulous. Malinie in fact was an ideal local leader - friendly, hardworking, and helpful in every possible way! Concerning the weekend recreational trips, on one day I would recommend visiting... (a) the Ban Hmong hill tribe centre (excellent) (b) the orchid/butterfly farm, where lunch can be obtained (c) the snake farm (spectacular - a highlight!) (d) the San Kamphaeng silk village (time permitting) (e) the Walking Street market (after dinner) On another day... (a) the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple (b) a walking tour inside the city walls of the 3 major temples located there (take umbrellas). [I think the students would benefit from a brief introduction to Thai architecture and culture before the trip!] The elementary school visit (on a weekday afternoon) was a tremendous success, and I would like to thank Art for planning the games and gifts - his ideas worked very well! A third weekend possibility, low-key, but greatly enjoyed by the students, and recommended as a culmination of the whole trip, was to the Mae Taeng elephant centre, with a demonstration, an hour's elephant ride, and an hour's bamboo rafting down-river. At the end of our working week, the house-dedication ceremony was extremely moving, bringing tears to the eyes of the new home-owner, and provoking the students to reflect seriously on what they were achieving.Just before leaving, we visited a local HIV orphanage, and also went to see the impoverished and rather shocking accomodation that our home-owner was being released from. All this contributed to the education of our students. We actually held pre-dinner 45 minute "reflections" four times over the trip, in a meeting room provided by the hotel, and these were genuinely valuable in encouraging articulation of the student's observations and thoughts, we felt. Lastly, in terms of funding the 2009 trip, and taking into account increasing costs, I would recommend the parents be charged a flat fee of 100 000 yen (except for any scholarship cases), thus allowing sufficient money for a sizeable donation to the very well-run and worthwhile local Habitat organisation; but still direct a major effort towards Seisen fundraising by the students themselves i.e via the Talent Show, the free dress day, the Teacher's Banquet, the White Elephant Sale, ice-cream, hot-dog and twice-weekly Bake Sales etc. In 2008 the total amount raised by these and other activities exceeded 800 000 yen, but be warned, it was hard work!
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年6月12日 14:58

Philippines: Hokkaido International School

Team Name Hokkaido International School class of 2008 (Hokkaido International School)
Country Philippines Bicol
Work site Balatas, Steel frame
Itinerary 8 Day(s) 01-Jun 2008(SUN) ? 08-Jun 2008(SUN)
Member Total: 19 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 9
Expense Traveling: JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:32100 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Sapporo-->Naga City (Jal and Phil. Air)
Naga City-->Sapporo (JAL and Phil. Air)
Report Hokkaido International School, a team of 19 people; 17 high school seniors and 2 adults. Worksite was the Balatas neighborhood, Naga City, Bicol Philippines. We were treated with fine hospitality and warmth. Our accomodations (Naga Regent Hotel) were more than satisfactory (COLD AirCon!) and convienient to the heart of Naga City, although those travellers expecting "five star" lodgings and luxury may be disapponted . Our host coordinator was professional and attentive. Our R&R activities included a day trip to Atulayan Island (recommended!), shopping and time to explore the Naga City environs, hearty meals and visits to alternate work sites, the local university, and an audience with the Mayor.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Hokkaido International School class of 2008 (Hokkaido International School)
Country	Philippines Bicol
Work site	Balatas, Steel frame
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 01-Jun 2008(SUN) ? 08-Jun 2008(SUN)
Member	Total: 19 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 9
Expense	Traveling: JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:32100 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Sapporo-->Naga City (Jal and Phil. Air) Naga City-->Sapporo (JAL and Phil. Air)
Report	Hokkaido International School, a team of 19 people; 17 high school seniors and 2 adults. Worksite was the Balatas neighborhood, Naga City, Bicol Philippines. We were treated with fine hospitality and warmth. Our accomodations (Naga Regent Hotel) were more than satisfactory (COLD AirCon!) and convienient to the heart of Naga City, although those travellers expecting "five star" lodgings and luxury may be disapponted . Our host coordinator was professional and attentive. Our R&R activities included a day trip to Atulayan Island (recommended!), shopping and time to explore the Naga City environs, hearty meals and visits to alternate work sites, the local university, and an audience with the Mayor.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年6月 1日 11:53

Thailand: Osaka International School

Team Name Osaka International School
Country Thailand Udon Thani
Work site Nongnakam Village, Udon Thani Province, 1 Family
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 24-May 2008(SAT) ? 02-Jun 2008(MON)
Member Total: 13 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 4
Expense Traveling:79860 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:3000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Kansai-->Bangkok-->Udon Thani (THAI AIR)
Udon Thani -->Bangkok-->Kansa(THAI AIR)
Report We took a group of final year high school students to Udon Thani province in Thailand for a week long build. We were charged with building 1 house for a family in Nongnakam Village where there are a number of Habitat houses. The afiliate group were sensational! Tasani, the leader in Udon Thani, Pear who organised our group particularly, and all the guys on the worksite were both really pleasant and welcoming and also really helpful and very good company. I can only say good things about them and their organisation! Our school have been to Udon Thani several times before and so we knew what we were going to and I would highly recommend that we continue to go there and continue to forge close ties with that particular afiliate. The worksite felt safe and was very well stocked with water, food and drinks for the whole week. Of course the heat is an issue, but the guys there are very careful to ensure that you take enough breaks and take in enough fluid. The jobsite orientation was sound and we did see several highly poisonous snakes and scorpions throughout the week, but they were quickly dealt with by the experts. Lunch was also fantastic! On the final day we took the option to visit the Thai Laos Friendship Bridge, ate lunch by the Mekong River, shopped a little at the Indo China Market, and visited some fantastic stone sculptures. It was an excellent finish to an excellent week. The kids enjoyed the down time and it wasn't too much in terms of a sightseing day - highly recommended. We used the Chareon Hotel again - absolutely more than adequate. It was a 20 minute ride to the jobsite and is comfortable if not luxurious. There are a couple of good and reasonable restaurants in the hotel, particularly the one overlooking the lake, and it has a decent pool that is safe to swim in! There is a large and popular nightclub attached to the hotel, but then where is there not in Thailand!! It is also very convenient for both the airport and for central Udon Thani. In fact it is only a 10 minute walk into the centre where there are a multitude of places to eat out. Overall a great experience and a great team in Udon Thani. The farewell dinner and the welcome dinners were a lot of fun and a nice touch. Highly recommended!! One extra thing: we had an excellent half day at a local school playing with the kids and teaching them dances and songs from Japan. We took some money and purchased an amount of sports equipment for the school - this went down really well.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Osaka International School
Country	Thailand Udon Thani
Work site	Nongnakam Village, Udon Thani Province, 1 Family
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 24-May 2008(SAT) ? 02-Jun 2008(MON)
Member	Total: 13 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 4
Expense	Traveling:79860 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:3000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Kansai-->Bangkok-->Udon Thani (THAI AIR) Udon Thani -->Bangkok-->Kansa(THAI AIR)
Report	We took a group of final year high school students to Udon Thani province in Thailand for a week long build. We were charged with building 1 house for a family in Nongnakam Village where there are a number of Habitat houses. The afiliate group were sensational! Tasani, the leader in Udon Thani, Pear who organised our group particularly, and all the guys on the worksite were both really pleasant and welcoming and also really helpful and very good company. I can only say good things about them and their organisation! Our school have been to Udon Thani several times before and so we knew what we were going to and I would highly recommend that we continue to go there and continue to forge close ties with that particular afiliate. The worksite felt safe and was very well stocked with water, food and drinks for the whole week. Of course the heat is an issue, but the guys there are very careful to ensure that you take enough breaks and take in enough fluid. The jobsite orientation was sound and we did see several highly poisonous snakes and scorpions throughout the week, but they were quickly dealt with by the experts. Lunch was also fantastic! On the final day we took the option to visit the Thai Laos Friendship Bridge, ate lunch by the Mekong River, shopped a little at the Indo China Market, and visited some fantastic stone sculptures. It was an excellent finish to an excellent week. The kids enjoyed the down time and it wasn't too much in terms of a sightseing day - highly recommended. We used the Chareon Hotel again - absolutely more than adequate. It was a 20 minute ride to the jobsite and is comfortable if not luxurious. There are a couple of good and reasonable restaurants in the hotel, particularly the one overlooking the lake, and it has a decent pool that is safe to swim in! There is a large and popular nightclub attached to the hotel, but then where is there not in Thailand!! It is also very convenient for both the airport and for central Udon Thani. In fact it is only a 10 minute walk into the centre where there are a multitude of places to eat out. Overall a great experience and a great team in Udon Thani. The farewell dinner and the welcome dinners were a lot of fun and a nice touch. Highly recommended!! One extra thing: we had an excellent half day at a local school playing with the kids and teaching them dances and songs from Japan. We took some money and purchased an amount of sports equipment for the school - this went down really well.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年5月25日 14:31

Mongolia: Nagoya International School

Team Name Nagoya International School
Country Mongolia Darkhan
Work site 2 Families Cinder Block House
Itinerary 6 Day(s) 18-May 2008(SUN) ? 23-May 2008(FRI)
Member Total: 19 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 9
Expense Traveling:117280 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:30000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Nagoya-->Korea-->Ulaanbaatar (Korean Air)
Ulaanbaatar-->Korea-->Nagoya (Korean Air)
Report Habitat for Humanity Mongolia was a very fulfilling experience for us all. Our leader, Batbold Bor and our guide Bina, were extremely helpful and accommodating. Bina guided us through our work days and also gave us wonderful insight into the Mongolian culture. We are were able to work at two sites plastering the houses with sand and cement. We split the students up among the two houses. Habitat provided plastering tools and gave us a brief demonstration on how to plaster. If we would go again, we would bring our own tools, for there were not enough for all students. The worksite was in an open field surrounded by other Habitat Homes. We worked for two and a half days. One evening after work, Bina took us around Darkhan to a poverty housing area. On the second and third days, the weather was not very good. We were met with rain and a sand storm, so work was halted. Because of the poor weather, Bina took us for a tour of the countryside. In between the rain, we were able to ride camels and go to the Black Market. On the last day before our R&R, we helped the families move bricks and put in installation. We then presented gifts that the students had brought for the families. Our R&R days were very memorable. We went to a national park outside of Ulaanbaatar where we camped in traditional gers, saw a star constellation presentation and rode horses. When we arrived back to Ulaanbaatar we went to Zaisan Hill and saw The National Song and Dance Ensemble, "Tumen Ekh."It was a trip that the students will take with them for a long time.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Nagoya International School
Country	Mongolia Darkhan
Work site	2 Families Cinder Block House
Itinerary	6 Day(s) 18-May 2008(SUN) ? 23-May 2008(FRI)
Member	Total: 19 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 7, High School(F): 9
Expense	Traveling:117280 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:30000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Nagoya-->Korea-->Ulaanbaatar (Korean Air) Ulaanbaatar-->Korea-->Nagoya (Korean Air)
Report	Habitat for Humanity Mongolia was a very fulfilling experience for us all. Our leader, Batbold Bor and our guide Bina, were extremely helpful and accommodating. Bina guided us through our work days and also gave us wonderful insight into the Mongolian culture. We are were able to work at two sites plastering the houses with sand and cement. We split the students up among the two houses. Habitat provided plastering tools and gave us a brief demonstration on how to plaster. If we would go again, we would bring our own tools, for there were not enough for all students. The worksite was in an open field surrounded by other Habitat Homes. We worked for two and a half days. One evening after work, Bina took us around Darkhan to a poverty housing area. On the second and third days, the weather was not very good. We were met with rain and a sand storm, so work was halted. Because of the poor weather, Bina took us for a tour of the countryside. In between the rain, we were able to ride camels and go to the Black Market. On the last day before our R&R, we helped the families move bricks and put in installation. We then presented gifts that the students had brought for the families. Our R&R days were very memorable. We went to a national park outside of Ulaanbaatar where we camped in traditional gers, saw a star constellation presentation and rode horses. When we arrived back to Ulaanbaatar we went to Zaisan Hill and saw The National Song and Dance Ensemble, "Tumen Ekh."It was a trip that the students will take with them for a long time.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年5月18日 13:26

New Zealand: Kyoto Gaidai Nishi Habitat Club (Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School)

Team Name Kyoto Gaidai Nishi Habitat Club (Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School)
Country New Zealand Central North Island
Work site Otorohanga, 1 Family Single storey, tri-panel construction
Itinerary 12 Day(s) 23-Mar 2008(SUN) ? 03-Apr 2008(THU)
Member Total: 13 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 1, High School(F): 8
Expense Traveling:138830 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:7103 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Kansai-->Kuala Lumpur-->Auckland (Malaysian)
Report Our group left Kansai International Airport on March 23rd and traveled to Auckland, New Zealand via Kuala Lumpur, arriving on the morning of the 24th. We were met there by our local coordinator, Shirley Bennett and her husband, who then drove us in two rented vans to our build site in the picturesque little country town of Otorohanga, some two and a half hours to the southwest. Aftera very long trip, we were all very tired, so following a brief orientation, we retired to our rooms at the Palm Court Motel. This motel is conveniently located at the edge of the commercial district and was less than ten minutes on foot from our build site. It was very clean, spacious and comfortable and the staff were kind and helpful, but oddly there were no closets or chests of draweres to keep our clothes in - so we lived out our suitcases the whole time.
The morning following our arrival we went straight to work. We helped to build a single storey, three bedroom, tri-panel home for the Tane family. Iwas very impressed by how easily and well our hight school members caught on to the work and fit in, working in harmony with the local volunteers and staff. The Kiwis were happily surprised too, as a previous negative experience with a junior high group from another Asian county had made the Central North Island chapter wary of accepting secondary school aged groups. We helped with every aspect of construction except installing the electrical system.
Also very impressive was how quickly we could build such a solid and substantial house. The method of the construction seemed little differnt from a comparable professionally built house in Japan or the US. By the time we left, the exterior was nearly finished and the interior was well on it's way.
Seven members of our tema (two adults and five students) could only stay for five full days in NZ due to other commitments. So they only had a half day of R&R in the afternoon of their last building day (3/28). The highlight was visiting a native bird park in town that is famous for its successful kiwi (the bird) breeding program. The rest of us had a whole weekend. On Saturday, March 29th, while the gang of seven reluctantly returned to Auckland, we visited one of the famous glow worm caves in Waitomo and attended the annual sheep muster in the town of Te Kuiti. The sheep muster is the highlight of a town fair in withich over 2000 sheep are herded along the main street of the town, On Sunday, we visited Rotorua, the tourist center which is famous for its hot springs, geysers and Maori cultre.
As for our meals, we took care of our own breakfast, stocking up at the supermarket that is across the street from the motel. But lunches and morning and afternoon teas were catered by local volunteers led by Ann, who welcomed us into her cozy home most evenings to enjoy her traditional New Zealand style home cooking, heaty and simple fare that included rost lamb, potatoes, yams and a variety of vegetables. Lunches and teas consisted of a wide assortment of sandwiches, quiches, cakes, pies, cookies and other goodies that froced us to work very hard in order to avoid gaining too much weight. I think it was all planned...:-)
Ours was the first Japanese group ever to do a GV build in New Zealand and for all of the members except myself, it was our first build. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience and satisfaction from having extended what they had presumed to be the limits of their abilities (and perhaps even discovering some new talents!). The Tane house is Otorohang stands as an accomplishement that we can all be proud of. We wish the Tane family many many happy years there!
Our heartfelt thanks go to all of the NZ volunteers and staff who made us feel at home and who patiently guided us along in our tasks, Till we meet again...Kia ora!
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Kyoto Gaidai Nishi Habitat Club (Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School)
Country	New Zealand Central North Island
Work site	Otorohanga, 1 Family Single storey, tri-panel construction
Itinerary	12 Day(s) 23-Mar 2008(SUN) ? 03-Apr 2008(THU)
Member	Total: 13 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 1, High School(F): 8
Expense	Traveling:138830 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:7103 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Kansai-->Kuala Lumpur-->Auckland (Malaysian)
Report	Our group left Kansai International Airport on March 23rd and traveled to Auckland, New Zealand via Kuala Lumpur, arriving on the morning of the 24th. We were met there by our local coordinator, Shirley Bennett and her husband, who then drove us in two rented vans to our build site in the picturesque little country town of Otorohanga, some two and a half hours to the southwest. Aftera very long trip, we were all very tired, so following a brief orientation, we retired to our rooms at the Palm Court Motel. This motel is conveniently located at the edge of the commercial district and was less than ten minutes on foot from our build site. It was very clean, spacious and comfortable and the staff were kind and helpful, but oddly there were no closets or chests of draweres to keep our clothes in - so we lived out our suitcases the whole time. The morning following our arrival we went straight to work. We helped to build a single storey, three bedroom, tri-panel home for the Tane family. Iwas very impressed by how easily and well our hight school members caught on to the work and fit in, working in harmony with the local volunteers and staff. The Kiwis were happily surprised too, as a previous negative experience with a junior high group from another Asian county had made the Central North Island chapter wary of accepting secondary school aged groups. We helped with every aspect of construction except installing the electrical system. Also very impressive was how quickly we could build such a solid and substantial house. The method of the construction seemed little differnt from a comparable professionally built house in Japan or the US. By the time we left, the exterior was nearly finished and the interior was well on it's way. Seven members of our tema (two adults and five students) could only stay for five full days in NZ due to other commitments. So they only had a half day of R&R in the afternoon of their last building day (3/28). The highlight was visiting a native bird park in town that is famous for its successful kiwi (the bird) breeding program. The rest of us had a whole weekend. On Saturday, March 29th, while the gang of seven reluctantly returned to Auckland, we visited one of the famous glow worm caves in Waitomo and attended the annual sheep muster in the town of Te Kuiti. The sheep muster is the highlight of a town fair in withich over 2000 sheep are herded along the main street of the town, On Sunday, we visited Rotorua, the tourist center which is famous for its hot springs, geysers and Maori cultre. As for our meals, we took care of our own breakfast, stocking up at the supermarket that is across the street from the motel. But lunches and morning and afternoon teas were catered by local volunteers led by Ann, who welcomed us into her cozy home most evenings to enjoy her traditional New Zealand style home cooking, heaty and simple fare that included rost lamb, potatoes, yams and a variety of vegetables. Lunches and teas consisted of a wide assortment of sandwiches, quiches, cakes, pies, cookies and other goodies that froced us to work very hard in order to avoid gaining too much weight. I think it was all planned...:-) Ours was the first Japanese group ever to do a GV build in New Zealand and for all of the members except myself, it was our first build. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience and satisfaction from having extended what they had presumed to be the limits of their abilities (and perhaps even discovering some new talents!). The Tane house is Otorohang stands as an accomplishement that we can all be proud of. We wish the Tane family many many happy years there! Our heartfelt thanks go to all of the NZ volunteers and staff who made us feel at home and who patiently guided us along in our tasks, Till we meet again...Kia ora!
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年3月23日 10:45

Philippines: St. Mary's International School

Team Name Saint Mary's International School
Country Philippines, Coco Palm Quezon
Work site Barangay Banot, Sampaloc, Quezon, 2 Families Concrete, one stories
Itinerary 8 Day(s) 22-Mar 2008(SAT) ? 29-Mar 2008(SAT)
Member Total: 27 Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 4, High School(M): 20
Expense Traveling:70000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:5000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Manila (PAL)
Manila-->Narita (PAL)
Report The Spring 2008 Habitat for Humanity Youth Team of Saint Mary's International School in Tokyo was composed of twenty high school boys and seven teachers. The team traveled to the Philippines from March 22 through 29. The staff of Coco Palm Quezon Habitat for Humanity Affiliate met us at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, led us to a tourist bus, and took us to Patio Rizal Hotel in Lucban, Quezon. We had late lunch, shopping, and change money at the Foreign Exchange at SM Sucat on our way to Quezon. The trip took us less than four hours. The hotel was nice and clean. The food was excellent! We had a courtesy call to the Local Government Officials of Sampaloc, Quezon. We took part in the construction of two concrete-one story houses for two families in Barangay Banot Core Housing in Sampaloc, Quezon. Although we left with the two houses' roofs unfinished, we were able to grace the blessing and dedication of eight completely constructed houses to eight qualified and lucky homeowners. Each day of the working week, a staff oriented us of the tasks for the day. We dug two septic reservoirs, sacked gravel and sand, mixed cement, shoveled cement into buckets, carried and passed buckets of cement, poured cement onto the floorings, fetched and carried buckets of water, piled blocks on the walls, poured cement into the crevices, and cut iron bars. The team enjoyed the facilities of Pueblo por la Playa Beach Resort in Quezon. The Shooting the Rapids at Pagsanjan in Laguna was the highlight of the trip for the boys. We also had the chance to visit the "Kamay ni Jesus" healing church in Lucena City. The boys enjoyed shopping at the SM malls in Manila and Lucena City. Overall, the trip was a very rewarding experience.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Saint Mary's International School
Country	Philippines, Coco Palm Quezon
Work site	Barangay Banot, Sampaloc, Quezon, 2 Families Concrete, one stories
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 22-Mar 2008(SAT) ? 29-Mar 2008(SAT)
Member	Total: 27 Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 4, High School(M): 20
Expense	Traveling:70000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:5000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Manila (PAL) Manila-->Narita (PAL)
Report	The Spring 2008 Habitat for Humanity Youth Team of Saint Mary's International School in Tokyo was composed of twenty high school boys and seven teachers. The team traveled to the Philippines from March 22 through 29. The staff of Coco Palm Quezon Habitat for Humanity Affiliate met us at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, led us to a tourist bus, and took us to Patio Rizal Hotel in Lucban, Quezon. We had late lunch, shopping, and change money at the Foreign Exchange at SM Sucat on our way to Quezon. The trip took us less than four hours. The hotel was nice and clean. The food was excellent! We had a courtesy call to the Local Government Officials of Sampaloc, Quezon. We took part in the construction of two concrete-one story houses for two families in Barangay Banot Core Housing in Sampaloc, Quezon. Although we left with the two houses' roofs unfinished, we were able to grace the blessing and dedication of eight completely constructed houses to eight qualified and lucky homeowners. Each day of the working week, a staff oriented us of the tasks for the day. We dug two septic reservoirs, sacked gravel and sand, mixed cement, shoveled cement into buckets, carried and passed buckets of cement, poured cement onto the floorings, fetched and carried buckets of water, piled blocks on the walls, poured cement into the crevices, and cut iron bars. The team enjoyed the facilities of Pueblo por la Playa Beach Resort in Quezon. The Shooting the Rapids at Pagsanjan in Laguna was the highlight of the trip for the boys. We also had the chance to visit the "Kamay ni Jesus" healing church in Lucena City. The boys enjoyed shopping at the SM malls in Manila and Lucena City. Overall, the trip was a very rewarding experience.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: finished building, Lower right: hotel * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年3月22日 11:01

Thailand: The American School in Japan Habitat Club (American School in Japan)

Team Name The American School in Japan Habitat Club (The American School in Japan)
Country Thailand
Work site Udon Thani, 1 Family 1 room cement block house - 6m by 7m
Itinerary 6 Day(s) 17-Feb 2008(SUN) ? 22-Feb 2008(FRI)
Member Total: 20 Adult(M): 1, Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 4, High School(F): 14
Expense Traveling:93500 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:5079 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Tokyo -->Bangkok (Singapore)
Bangkok-->Udon Thani (Thai)
Report The American School in Japan High School Habitat Club left Tokyo on February 16 and arrived in Bangkok mid afternoon. Candi Montonchaikal was at the airport to meet us and had arranged to have transportation take us to the Airport Suite Hotel located which was 45 minutes away and close to the Don Muang(dometic) Airport which is where we departed from the following morning.
The beds at the hotel were not the best, but the buffet breakfast (included in the hotel cost) was excellent.
The following morning we flew into Udon Thani and were greeted by the entire Habitat staff. It was a very warm reception and a wonderful "Welcome to Udon Thani" for my team. We went to the Karin Hotel where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. The accommodations are clean and although the sheets and towels are quite worn, the beds were comfortable and a variety of television channels was appreciated. The hotel staff were very friendly and accommodating. The only drawback to this hotel is the breakfast that came with this package. On a few occasions we decided to eat elsewhere.
The worksite was tidy and the safety & construction orientation briefing we received was well presented. The students were immediately able to begin the process of constructing a house. Plenty of Habitat staff were available to assist us along the way. Everyone was contributing and we all felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of each and every day. The snacks and meals (lunch) were plentiful and tasty!
In addition to building the house, time was set aside for us to enjoy a number of activities such as: visit a city park and go for a bicycle ride, have our feet and backs massaged, visit on orchid farm, hike through Phu Phrabat National Park and visit the night markets. We appreciated having some activities planned for us in the evening, but also enjoyed time to ourselves. The drivers who transported us drove safely and were always willing to take us wherever we wanted to go and whenever we wanted to go.
The Farewell Party was a lot of fun... a nice variety of food, a karaoke machine, a few speeches and a traditional Thai dance performance by the Habitat staff. We felt that we were truly appreciated and left that evening feeling good about ourselves and glad that we were able to participate in building a house and be a part of the Habitat cause. We took many photographs with the new home owners who were also present at the party.
This was a wonderful trip and a memorable experience for the American School in Japan Habitat Club and I recommned Udon Thani to others interested in being a part of this very worthy cause and who would like to see a part of Thailand off the beaten path.
Photo Upper left:Building, Upper right: Building
Lower left: Accommodation, Lower right: Accommodation

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	The American School in Japan Habitat Club (The American School in Japan)
Country	Thailand
Work site	Udon Thani, 1 Family 1 room cement block house - 6m by 7m
Itinerary	6 Day(s) 17-Feb 2008(SUN) ? 22-Feb 2008(FRI)
Member	Total: 20 Adult(M): 1, Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 4, High School(F): 14
Expense	Traveling:93500 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:5079 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Tokyo -->Bangkok (Singapore) Bangkok-->Udon Thani (Thai)
Report	The American School in Japan High School Habitat Club left Tokyo on February 16 and arrived in Bangkok mid afternoon. Candi Montonchaikal was at the airport to meet us and had arranged to have transportation take us to the Airport Suite Hotel located which was 45 minutes away and close to the Don Muang(dometic) Airport which is where we departed from the following morning. The beds at the hotel were not the best, but the buffet breakfast (included in the hotel cost) was excellent. The following morning we flew into Udon Thani and were greeted by the entire Habitat staff. It was a very warm reception and a wonderful "Welcome to Udon Thani" for my team. We went to the Karin Hotel where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. The accommodations are clean and although the sheets and towels are quite worn, the beds were comfortable and a variety of television channels was appreciated. The hotel staff were very friendly and accommodating. The only drawback to this hotel is the breakfast that came with this package. On a few occasions we decided to eat elsewhere. The worksite was tidy and the safety & construction orientation briefing we received was well presented. The students were immediately able to begin the process of constructing a house. Plenty of Habitat staff were available to assist us along the way. Everyone was contributing and we all felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of each and every day. The snacks and meals (lunch) were plentiful and tasty! In addition to building the house, time was set aside for us to enjoy a number of activities such as: visit a city park and go for a bicycle ride, have our feet and backs massaged, visit on orchid farm, hike through Phu Phrabat National Park and visit the night markets. We appreciated having some activities planned for us in the evening, but also enjoyed time to ourselves. The drivers who transported us drove safely and were always willing to take us wherever we wanted to go and whenever we wanted to go. The Farewell Party was a lot of fun... a nice variety of food, a karaoke machine, a few speeches and a traditional Thai dance performance by the Habitat staff. We felt that we were truly appreciated and left that evening feeling good about ourselves and glad that we were able to participate in building a house and be a part of the Habitat cause. We took many photographs with the new home owners who were also present at the party. This was a wonderful trip and a memorable experience for the American School in Japan Habitat Club and I recommned Udon Thani to others interested in being a part of this very worthy cause and who would like to see a part of Thailand off the beaten path.
Photo	Upper left:Building, Upper right: Building Lower left: Accommodation, Lower right: Accommodation * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2008年2月17日 18:26

Vietnam: Canadian Academy

Team Name Canadian Academy Habitat (Canadian Academy)
Country Vietnam Tien Giang
Work site My Tho, 2 Families Bricks, Concrete (flooring)
Itinerary 8 Day(s) 27-Oct 2007(SAT) ? 03-Nov 2007(SAT)
Member Total: 32 Adult(M): 5 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 3, High School(F): 23
Expense Traveling:80000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:6000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Osaka-->Ho Chiminh (VN941)
Ho chiminh-->Osaka (VN940)
Report We left Kobe on a cool and sunny Saturday morning. The group was the biggest wehave ever had in the CA Habitat history-26 sutudent volunteers. It was also the most ethnically diverse with students originally from Australia, Switzerland or the US but with many also from south-east Aisa: Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India. We even had three volunteers from Japan which is an accomplishment since I have always find it challenging to attract Japanese students, However, the participants are not equal gender-wise: 22 girls and 3 boys. Every one was very motivated since every student had to raise his mandatory donation for HFH Japan.
We arrived at Ho Chi Minh and were greeted by 2 Vietnamese translators. They ushered us to the bus ans we went straight to My Tho, a small town in the Mekong delta and the location of the Habitat site. On the bus, we chat with the translators and I quickly realized tht HFH Vietnam was experiencing some difficulties dealing with its exponential growth.
We arrived in our hotel, the Raddin in My Tho and were welcome by Gail and Toan who are in charge of all GV teams. During her orientation talk, Bail gave out one of the most precious tools to be used on the worksite: the Vitnamese conic hat.
After a great dinner and a good night sleep, we were all off to a small introduction ceremony organized by the local authorities. Under the gaze of Uncle Ho we listened to the commentaries sipping the mineral water theyhad put in front of us. There were no clouds, and the heat was hard on the group. After a few pictures, we proceeded to our site. The group was divided itto three, each one working on a different house. The work in Vietnam usually consists of repairing existing houses but in our case we made it a point to build by adding extra donation to finance the purchase of the material. These houses have a name, they nare called ""love houses"" even if many of may colleagues/students laughted when I told them that.
Our task was very different on each site because mainly of what had been done prior to our arrival. At first there were some difficulties mainly because there was a lack of translator, and some workers did not trust our girls to do a good job. Though after a couple of days every one was enjoying each others' company and it all went smoothly. We always had delicious fruits for snacks and coming from Japan this was definitely a blast. Our site supervisor told us that we ate 50% more fruits than any other group he had ever seen.
We also had the opportunity to work with a local youth group who were a model for our students on how hard they could work. On house 2 we worked with Kim Chi and we learned that though she was talented and was accepted into two good local colleges, her family could not afford to send her. We met as a group and from wanting to buy jewelry, we moved to collect the money for her tuition and boarding for a year. Because it was too late for this school year to enroll, she is currently taking English and computer classes in order to prepare for next year. After a few days we reallly felt the connection and during the dedication ceremony everyone was proud of the work accomplished but sad at the same time of leaving.
The last evening was spent at a local Vietnamese high school in a cultual show. They sang for us and some of our students performed and Indian dance as well as the excellent Vietnamese food. Our hotel the ""Happy Inn"" was very clean with a central location inthe old district. One group went to the Ku-chi tunnels ouside the city and it provided students with a glimpse on the Vietnamese war.
We flew back with the night flight, our bags filled with many souvenirs: coconut candies, clothes and our heats filled with the wormth and the hospitality of the Vietnamese people. Au revoir Vietnam!
Photo Upper left:3 girls, Upper right: building
Lower left: building, Lower right: building

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Canadian Academy Habitat (Canadian Academy)
Country	Vietnam Tien Giang
Work site	My Tho, 2 Families Bricks, Concrete (flooring)
Itinerary	8 Day(s) 27-Oct 2007(SAT) ? 03-Nov 2007(SAT)
Member	Total: 32 Adult(M): 5 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 3, High School(F): 23
Expense	Traveling:80000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:6000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Osaka-->Ho Chiminh (VN941) Ho chiminh-->Osaka (VN940)
Report	We left Kobe on a cool and sunny Saturday morning. The group was the biggest wehave ever had in the CA Habitat history-26 sutudent volunteers. It was also the most ethnically diverse with students originally from Australia, Switzerland or the US but with many also from south-east Aisa: Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India. We even had three volunteers from Japan which is an accomplishment since I have always find it challenging to attract Japanese students, However, the participants are not equal gender-wise: 22 girls and 3 boys. Every one was very motivated since every student had to raise his mandatory donation for HFH Japan. We arrived at Ho Chi Minh and were greeted by 2 Vietnamese translators. They ushered us to the bus ans we went straight to My Tho, a small town in the Mekong delta and the location of the Habitat site. On the bus, we chat with the translators and I quickly realized tht HFH Vietnam was experiencing some difficulties dealing with its exponential growth. We arrived in our hotel, the Raddin in My Tho and were welcome by Gail and Toan who are in charge of all GV teams. During her orientation talk, Bail gave out one of the most precious tools to be used on the worksite: the Vitnamese conic hat. After a great dinner and a good night sleep, we were all off to a small introduction ceremony organized by the local authorities. Under the gaze of Uncle Ho we listened to the commentaries sipping the mineral water theyhad put in front of us. There were no clouds, and the heat was hard on the group. After a few pictures, we proceeded to our site. The group was divided itto three, each one working on a different house. The work in Vietnam usually consists of repairing existing houses but in our case we made it a point to build by adding extra donation to finance the purchase of the material. These houses have a name, they nare called ""love houses"" even if many of may colleagues/students laughted when I told them that. Our task was very different on each site because mainly of what had been done prior to our arrival. At first there were some difficulties mainly because there was a lack of translator, and some workers did not trust our girls to do a good job. Though after a couple of days every one was enjoying each others' company and it all went smoothly. We always had delicious fruits for snacks and coming from Japan this was definitely a blast. Our site supervisor told us that we ate 50% more fruits than any other group he had ever seen. We also had the opportunity to work with a local youth group who were a model for our students on how hard they could work. On house 2 we worked with Kim Chi and we learned that though she was talented and was accepted into two good local colleges, her family could not afford to send her. We met as a group and from wanting to buy jewelry, we moved to collect the money for her tuition and boarding for a year. Because it was too late for this school year to enroll, she is currently taking English and computer classes in order to prepare for next year. After a few days we reallly felt the connection and during the dedication ceremony everyone was proud of the work accomplished but sad at the same time of leaving. The last evening was spent at a local Vietnamese high school in a cultual show. They sang for us and some of our students performed and Indian dance as well as the excellent Vietnamese food. Our hotel the ""Happy Inn"" was very clean with a central location inthe old district. One group went to the Ku-chi tunnels ouside the city and it provided students with a glimpse on the Vietnamese war. We flew back with the night flight, our bags filled with many souvenirs: coconut candies, clothes and our heats filled with the wormth and the hospitality of the Vietnamese people. Au revoir Vietnam!
Photo	Upper left:3 girls, Upper right: building Lower left: building, Lower right: building * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年10月27日 15:26

Thailand : Seisen International School

Team Name Seisen International School
Country Thailand : Chiang Mai
Work site 2 Families A one-story house built with reinforced concrete and concrete interlocking bricks
Itinerary 11 Day(s) : 10-Jun 2007(SUN) ? 20-Jun 2007(WED)
Member Total: 23 : Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 1, High School(F): 19
Expense Traveling:81380 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:25000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Tokyo-->Bangkok (Thai Airways)
Bangkok-->Thailand (Thai Airways)
Report On June 10th, 2007, 19 students and 4 chaperones departed for Chiang Mai from Seisen International School to build 2 houses over the course of 10 days. Upon arriving, we were greeted by the Northern Thailand affiliates and a few of the family members who we would be working alongside with to build their homes. We were driven to our guesthouse (The Bamboo Den) of which we were the only occupants during the course of our stay. The manager of the guesthouse was an incredible friend to all of us and we were able to have most of our meals there for incredibly reasonable prices. We were able to request various Thai dishes for our breakfasts and dinners. We were a 20 minute walk from the night market and a 10 minute from Walking Street (which had everything the night market had for local prices!) All of the transport in Chiang Mai was by Seong Thaw (converted pick-up trucks) which was exciting for everyone despite all the exhaust that we were inhaling.The worksite was clean and the team members were eager to start working each day. We split up into two teams and worked on two houses simultaneously filling in the floors with sand, mixing cement, laying bricks and pouring the final cement floor.The skilled workers were very helpful and everyone felt safe at all times ? even when on the scaffolding. There was plenty of water and snacks during the day and we were all forced to take plenty of breaks to ensure our safety. Our lunch meals were superbly prepared Thai dishes and despite the intense heat and spicy food, no one became sick during our stay.For our R and R activities our team visited a local elementary school where the students organized six different games for the entire elementary school. We also visited the Agape orphanage for HIV positive children and there, our team was able to interact with the children ranging from infants to 12 year-olds. We were able to visit several temples along the way and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center where the students were able to feed elephants, ride them and have a "hands-on" experience with making elephant dung paper! We were also able to visit a local Hot Springs center. On the second to the last day, the local government invited us to their offices for a meal and ceremony where we all received official thank you letters and souvenirs from the local factories.For our final dinner and departure ceremony, the children of the families that we were building with treated us to some of their karaoke talents and gave us a few departing gifts. The reflections that we shared with each other every night showed the incredible impact that the experience was having on everyone. Malinie, the local Thai affiliate took some 800 pictures of us over the 10 days along with many video clips that we will be watching in our final reflection meeting in several weeks.Chiang Mai is definitely a site that we will considering returning to for future Habitat for Humanity trips.

Photo Upper left: with homeowners　Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building　Lower right: hotel
　
　
* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Seisen International School
Country	Thailand : Chiang Mai
Work site	2 Families A one-story house built with reinforced concrete and concrete interlocking bricks
Itinerary	11 Day(s) : 10-Jun 2007(SUN) ? 20-Jun 2007(WED)
Member	Total: 23 : Adult(M): 3 , Adult(F): 1, High School(F): 19
Expense	Traveling:81380 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:25000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Tokyo-->Bangkok (Thai Airways) Bangkok-->Thailand (Thai Airways)
Report	On June 10th, 2007, 19 students and 4 chaperones departed for Chiang Mai from Seisen International School to build 2 houses over the course of 10 days. Upon arriving, we were greeted by the Northern Thailand affiliates and a few of the family members who we would be working alongside with to build their homes. We were driven to our guesthouse (The Bamboo Den) of which we were the only occupants during the course of our stay. The manager of the guesthouse was an incredible friend to all of us and we were able to have most of our meals there for incredibly reasonable prices. We were able to request various Thai dishes for our breakfasts and dinners. We were a 20 minute walk from the night market and a 10 minute from Walking Street (which had everything the night market had for local prices!) All of the transport in Chiang Mai was by Seong Thaw (converted pick-up trucks) which was exciting for everyone despite all the exhaust that we were inhaling.The worksite was clean and the team members were eager to start working each day. We split up into two teams and worked on two houses simultaneously filling in the floors with sand, mixing cement, laying bricks and pouring the final cement floor.The skilled workers were very helpful and everyone felt safe at all times ? even when on the scaffolding. There was plenty of water and snacks during the day and we were all forced to take plenty of breaks to ensure our safety. Our lunch meals were superbly prepared Thai dishes and despite the intense heat and spicy food, no one became sick during our stay.For our R and R activities our team visited a local elementary school where the students organized six different games for the entire elementary school. We also visited the Agape orphanage for HIV positive children and there, our team was able to interact with the children ranging from infants to 12 year-olds. We were able to visit several temples along the way and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center where the students were able to feed elephants, ride them and have a "hands-on" experience with making elephant dung paper! We were also able to visit a local Hot Springs center. On the second to the last day, the local government invited us to their offices for a meal and ceremony where we all received official thank you letters and souvenirs from the local factories.For our final dinner and departure ceremony, the children of the families that we were building with treated us to some of their karaoke talents and gave us a few departing gifts. The reflections that we shared with each other every night showed the incredible impact that the experience was having on everyone. Malinie, the local Thai affiliate took some 800 pictures of us over the 10 days along with many video clips that we will be watching in our final reflection meeting in several weeks.Chiang Mai is definitely a site that we will considering returning to for future Habitat for Humanity trips.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners　Upper right: building Lower left: finished building　Lower right: hotel 　　 * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年6月10日 18:46

Philippines: Hokkaido International School

Team Name Hokkaido International School
Country Philippines Naga City
Work site 100 Families Steel frame
Itinerary 9 Day(s) 02-Jun 2007(SAT) ? 10-Jun 2007(SUN)
Member Total: 15 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 5
Expense Traveling:109000 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country: 32,110 yen JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route CTS-->Hong Kong (Cathy Pacific)
Hong Kong-->Manila (Cathy Pacific)
Report When our team arrived in Naga City, Leo Borras and his team was there to welcome us and take us to the hotel. After we got settled in they took us on a tour of the university, the area, other habitat worksites, and a finished site, which was now a village, and the site where we would be working. We also had our orientation on this day. It was a full day, especially for us: only having slept for two hours. The worksite in Balatas is a brand new site with no families living there. We nearly completed the first duplex of what will be 50. Our worksite team was great. Very friendly and helpful. I just wish we had realized the needs at the worksite before we came. If we had known, we would have brought some tools with us. We worked on a steel frame structure, so some extra power tools like drills, and levels and measuring devices would have helped. Our days spent at the worksite were hot and challenging, but satisfying. We worked hard, but had fun while working.
For our recreation day, we had the wonderful experience of going to Atulyan Island, which exceeded all of our expectations. Swimming and snorkeling in an underwater jungle steaming with life was incredible. If you spend time at the beach, be careful of the sun. Our whole team got sunburned, even though we were wearing sun block. The sun in powerful: respect it!
Our hotel accommodations were okay. The hotel was clean and friendly, but the Internet did not work. I would recommend that you not bring a laptop with you on this trip. There are Internet cafes everywhere, which will only cost you 50 yen per hour to use. It isn't worth the trouble of bringing your own computer. The hotel was also in the city center, which was an extra plus. I only wish we would have had more time to see the city and interact with it's people. No free time on this trip, or when we were finally free, all of the local shops were closed.
On our final day, we went to a village to distribute clothes and toys that we had brought from home to Habitat partners at one of the villages. It was a confusing situation, and a lot of the clothes didn't go to anyone. I would suggest if you are bringing donations of clothes to Habitat, contact them in advance to see what the needs are and what exactly you should bring. It will save you a lot of headache in the end. The experience we had was truly amazing. We came to Habitat for Humanity to help and give to others, but what we received was much more than we could ever give.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building
Lower left: building, Lower right: building

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Hokkaido International School
Country	Philippines Naga City
Work site	100 Families Steel frame
Itinerary	9 Day(s) 02-Jun 2007(SAT) ? 10-Jun 2007(SUN)
Member	Total: 15 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 8, High School(F): 5
Expense	Traveling:109000 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country: 32,110 yen JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	CTS-->Hong Kong (Cathy Pacific) Hong Kong-->Manila (Cathy Pacific)
Report	When our team arrived in Naga City, Leo Borras and his team was there to welcome us and take us to the hotel. After we got settled in they took us on a tour of the university, the area, other habitat worksites, and a finished site, which was now a village, and the site where we would be working. We also had our orientation on this day. It was a full day, especially for us: only having slept for two hours. The worksite in Balatas is a brand new site with no families living there. We nearly completed the first duplex of what will be 50. Our worksite team was great. Very friendly and helpful. I just wish we had realized the needs at the worksite before we came. If we had known, we would have brought some tools with us. We worked on a steel frame structure, so some extra power tools like drills, and levels and measuring devices would have helped. Our days spent at the worksite were hot and challenging, but satisfying. We worked hard, but had fun while working. For our recreation day, we had the wonderful experience of going to Atulyan Island, which exceeded all of our expectations. Swimming and snorkeling in an underwater jungle steaming with life was incredible. If you spend time at the beach, be careful of the sun. Our whole team got sunburned, even though we were wearing sun block. The sun in powerful: respect it! Our hotel accommodations were okay. The hotel was clean and friendly, but the Internet did not work. I would recommend that you not bring a laptop with you on this trip. There are Internet cafes everywhere, which will only cost you 50 yen per hour to use. It isn't worth the trouble of bringing your own computer. The hotel was also in the city center, which was an extra plus. I only wish we would have had more time to see the city and interact with it's people. No free time on this trip, or when we were finally free, all of the local shops were closed. On our final day, we went to a village to distribute clothes and toys that we had brought from home to Habitat partners at one of the villages. It was a confusing situation, and a lot of the clothes didn't go to anyone. I would suggest if you are bringing donations of clothes to Habitat, contact them in advance to see what the needs are and what exactly you should bring. It will save you a lot of headache in the end. The experience we had was truly amazing. We came to Habitat for Humanity to help and give to others, but what we received was much more than we could ever give.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners, Upper right: building Lower left: building, Lower right: building * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年6月 2日 15:15

Thailand: K International School

Team Name K International School
Country Thailand Lampang
Work site 2 Families
Itinerary 10 Day(s) 27-May 2007(SUN) ? 05-Jun 2007(TUE)
Member Total: 20 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 11, High School(F): 5
Expense Traveling:109842 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:50 000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Bangkok
Bangkok-->Lampang
Report The K International School Habitat for Humanity Global Village team left Narita airport on May 27 for Lampang Thailand and returned on June 5, 2007. The worksite was approximately a 40 minute truck ride from the Hotel, and was in a small village in a rural rice growing area. With 16 volunteers, we had the responsibility of building two houses, which were approximately 20-30 metres from each other. At the worksite, there was one cement mixer and an adequate supply of hoes and shovels, although a few more wuld have been preferable.
The Lampang volunteers were very helpful and supportive through out the trip. Drivers took us out at night (for a small charge) to see some sights and markets. Because meals were so cheap, we could have (and should have) gone to a few more expensive places to eat, because five of our students had to be hospitalized with food contamination. The source was unknown. The hotel, the Regent Lodge Hotel, was clean and simple, with basic hot showers and air conditioning. Their food was excellent as waa their customer service. It was good value for meney.
The visit to the local school was very enjoyable. The students there put on some entertaining performances and were extremely friendly, as were the teachers. The students went to an elephant conservation centre and found it quite enjoyable. We decided not to go too far from the town in case some more students had a stomach ailment.
To summarize, the trip, even with the time spent in the hospital, was very enjoyable and everyone felt it was well worth it. The students worked very hard and were made to feel very comfortable by the affiliate staff. I highly recommend Lampang as a Global Village destination.
Photo Upper left: with homeowners Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	K International School
Country	Thailand Lampang
Work site	2 Families
Itinerary	10 Day(s) 27-May 2007(SUN) ? 05-Jun 2007(TUE)
Member	Total: 20 Adult(M): 2 , Adult(F): 2, High School(M): 11, High School(F): 5
Expense	Traveling:109842 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:50 000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Bangkok Bangkok-->Lampang
Report	The K International School Habitat for Humanity Global Village team left Narita airport on May 27 for Lampang Thailand and returned on June 5, 2007. The worksite was approximately a 40 minute truck ride from the Hotel, and was in a small village in a rural rice growing area. With 16 volunteers, we had the responsibility of building two houses, which were approximately 20-30 metres from each other. At the worksite, there was one cement mixer and an adequate supply of hoes and shovels, although a few more wuld have been preferable. The Lampang volunteers were very helpful and supportive through out the trip. Drivers took us out at night (for a small charge) to see some sights and markets. Because meals were so cheap, we could have (and should have) gone to a few more expensive places to eat, because five of our students had to be hospitalized with food contamination. The source was unknown. The hotel, the Regent Lodge Hotel, was clean and simple, with basic hot showers and air conditioning. Their food was excellent as waa their customer service. It was good value for meney. The visit to the local school was very enjoyable. The students there put on some entertaining performances and were extremely friendly, as were the teachers. The students went to an elephant conservation centre and found it quite enjoyable. We decided not to go too far from the town in case some more students had a stomach ailment. To summarize, the trip, even with the time spent in the hospital, was very enjoyable and everyone felt it was well worth it. The students worked very hard and were made to feel very comfortable by the affiliate staff. I highly recommend Lampang as a Global Village destination.
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners Upper right: building Lower left: finished building * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年5月27日 15:09

Fiji: Nagoya International School

Team Name Nagoya International School (Nagoya International School)
Country Fiji Suva
Work site 1 Families Wooden
Itinerary 9 Day(s) 20-May 2007(SUN) ? 28-May 2007(MON)
Member Total: 16 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 8
Expense Traveling:87500 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:27000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Nagoya-->Nandi (Korean)
Nandi-->Nagoya (Korean)
Report The student's experience was exceptional and probably one of the best experiences of their life to date. The work site, graciousness of the people, and lodgings were outstanding and well organized from outside appearances; however there were a few complications during our stay in Fiji.
a) I feel our In-Country costs were not well figured in advance. I was asked to pay extra money for food, bus, house guest stay tips which I did not expect. These expenses should be definitely budgeted better before we left Japan.
b) There were some communication troubles and political tensions among HFH Fiji staffs.
c) We had students and one teacher return from Fiji with terrible Stapf infections - it turns out it might have been bites that were scratched and/or infected by the river water in which they swam daily after working at the site. The student team could have been warned about not not swimming in polluted river water (although it did look clean).

Photo Upper left: with homeowners　Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building　Lower right: hotel
　

　
* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	Nagoya International School (Nagoya International School)
Country	Fiji Suva
Work site	1 Families Wooden
Itinerary	9 Day(s) 20-May 2007(SUN) ? 28-May 2007(MON)
Member	Total: 16 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 1, High School(M): 6, High School(F): 8
Expense	Traveling:87500 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country:27000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Nagoya-->Nandi (Korean) Nandi-->Nagoya (Korean)
Report	The student's experience was exceptional and probably one of the best experiences of their life to date. The work site, graciousness of the people, and lodgings were outstanding and well organized from outside appearances; however there were a few complications during our stay in Fiji. a) I feel our In-Country costs were not well figured in advance. I was asked to pay extra money for food, bus, house guest stay tips which I did not expect. These expenses should be definitely budgeted better before we left Japan. b) There were some communication troubles and political tensions among HFH Fiji staffs. c) We had students and one teacher return from Fiji with terrible Stapf infections - it turns out it might have been bites that were scratched and/or infected by the river water in which they swam daily after working at the site. The student team could have been warned about not not swimming in polluted river water (although it did look clean).
Photo	Upper left: with homeowners　Upper right: building Lower left: finished building　Lower right: hotel 　　 * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年5月20日 14:40

Philippines: Saint Mary's International School

Team Name Saint Mary's International School
Country Philippines Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan
Work site 4 Families A one-story house built with reinforced concrete and concrete interlocking bricks
Itinerary 9 Day(s) 24-Mar 2007(SAT) ? 01-Apr 2007(SUN)
Member Total: 26 Adult(M): 2, Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 20, High School(F): 1
Expense Traveling: 80600 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country: 8000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route Narita-->Manila
Report A team of 21 high school students of Saint Mary's International School accompanied by 5 teacher chaperones left for the Philippines on March 24, 2007 on flight PR431and stayed at Shalom Center overnight and left the next day for Puerto Princesa City on flight PR195. Although the team was supposed to be booked at Asturias Hotel, spent the first night at Legend Hotel due to some unforseen events. The next day, the team moved to its official accommodation at Asturias Hotel. The team was assigned to work at Barangay Bahile in Puerto Princesa City. After being briefed by the site engineer, the team was divided into 4 groups and worked on 4 houses. The team members experienced working on making concrete interlocking blocks, digging 2 reservoir for the septic tanks, filling in sand in bags and carrying these bags to designated places for mixing it with cement, layering concrete interlocking blocks, pouring in mixed cement into the crevices between the interlocking blocks,pouring mixed cement on the floorings, pouring in mixed cement into buckets and handing these buckets to students forming lines to be handed to students pouring in mixed cement into crevices in-between the concrete blocks. In the 3 days of working each team was assigned different tasks and sometimes tasks overlapped. Breaks between working hours were called depending on the work done and on the weather, enabling the volunteers to drink considerable amount of bottled water. Breakfast was served at the hotel, whereas morning snacks, lunch, and afternoon snacks were served on the working site. Dinner was served at the hotel and sometimes at some other restaurants recommended by the affiliate. The team had the chance to visit one orphanage, the Crocodile Farm, and the famous Underground River. The team also enjoyed swimming at Honda Bay and shopping at a local department store. The arranged land transportation from the hotel to the site and back was quite effective and organized. The team members enjoyed watching movies and shopping at Robinson's Department Store in Manila and was just a walking distance to Shalom Center. The staff at the affiliate at Zion Puerto Princesa were nice, kind, patient, and very accommodating. The farewell party was well organized.

Team Name	Saint Mary's International School
Country	Philippines Zion Puerto Princesa Palawan
Work site	4 Families A one-story house built with reinforced concrete and concrete interlocking bricks
Itinerary	9 Day(s) 24-Mar 2007(SAT) ? 01-Apr 2007(SUN)
Member	Total: 26 Adult(M): 2, Adult(F): 3, High School(M): 20, High School(F): 1
Expense	Traveling: 80600 JPY（taxes included）/person In-country: 8000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
Route	Narita-->Manila
Report	A team of 21 high school students of Saint Mary's International School accompanied by 5 teacher chaperones left for the Philippines on March 24, 2007 on flight PR431and stayed at Shalom Center overnight and left the next day for Puerto Princesa City on flight PR195. Although the team was supposed to be booked at Asturias Hotel, spent the first night at Legend Hotel due to some unforseen events. The next day, the team moved to its official accommodation at Asturias Hotel. The team was assigned to work at Barangay Bahile in Puerto Princesa City. After being briefed by the site engineer, the team was divided into 4 groups and worked on 4 houses. The team members experienced working on making concrete interlocking blocks, digging 2 reservoir for the septic tanks, filling in sand in bags and carrying these bags to designated places for mixing it with cement, layering concrete interlocking blocks, pouring in mixed cement into the crevices between the interlocking blocks,pouring mixed cement on the floorings, pouring in mixed cement into buckets and handing these buckets to students forming lines to be handed to students pouring in mixed cement into crevices in-between the concrete blocks. In the 3 days of working each team was assigned different tasks and sometimes tasks overlapped. Breaks between working hours were called depending on the work done and on the weather, enabling the volunteers to drink considerable amount of bottled water. Breakfast was served at the hotel, whereas morning snacks, lunch, and afternoon snacks were served on the working site. Dinner was served at the hotel and sometimes at some other restaurants recommended by the affiliate. The team had the chance to visit one orphanage, the Crocodile Farm, and the famous Underground River. The team also enjoyed swimming at Honda Bay and shopping at a local department store. The arranged land transportation from the hotel to the site and back was quite effective and organized. The team members enjoyed watching movies and shopping at Robinson's Department Store in Manila and was just a walking distance to Shalom Center. The staff at the affiliate at Zion Puerto Princesa were nice, kind, patient, and very accommodating. The farewell party was well organized.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年3月24日 16:13

Fiji: American School in Japan

Team Name American School in Japan
Country Fiji Suva
Work site Nakoravau, 1 Family Wooden house
Itinerary 9 day(s): 16-Feb 2007(FRI) ? 24-Feb 2007(SAT)
member Total: 15 High School(M): 6, High School(F): 9
Expense Traveling: 94000 JPY(taxses included)/person
In-country: 4000 JPY(taxes included)/person/day
Route Narita-->Nadi (Air Pacific)
Report Our trip to Fiji was the 4th ASIJ has taken to Fiji in the past 5 years. All went well. We had to do lots of carrying dirt which limited our ability to work on the house the first 2 days- In the past the foundation was ready and we were able to concentrate on the carpentry. It would be better to let the GV team do more wood work. All arrangements were good. We stayed together in two houses. Smaller homestays would have been prefarable but I know that they are not always available. We had a great trip. Thanks to all of the hard work by the Tokyo office and the Fiji office.
Photo Upper left: team, Upper right: builing
Lower left: building Lower right: building

* Click the image to zoom-in.

Team Name	American School in Japan
Country	Fiji Suva
Work site	Nakoravau, 1 Family Wooden house
Itinerary	9 day(s): 16-Feb 2007(FRI) ? 24-Feb 2007(SAT)
member	Total: 15 High School(M): 6, High School(F): 9
Expense	Traveling: 94000 JPY(taxses included)/person In-country: 4000 JPY(taxes included)/person/day
Route	Narita-->Nadi (Air Pacific)
Report	Our trip to Fiji was the 4th ASIJ has taken to Fiji in the past 5 years. All went well. We had to do lots of carrying dirt which limited our ability to work on the house the first 2 days- In the past the foundation was ready and we were able to concentrate on the carpentry. It would be better to let the GV team do more wood work. All arrangements were good. We stayed together in two houses. Smaller homestays would have been prefarable but I know that they are not always available. We had a great trip. Thanks to all of the hard work by the Tokyo office and the Fiji office.
Photo	Upper left: team, Upper right: builing Lower left: building Lower right: building * Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat Japan 日時: 2007年2月16日 15:37