Housemates Dormitel was just a hop, skip and a pirouette away from our Sub-Office in Davao, so it was a surprise that we had to drive that short distance. =P We conducted two interviews with our colleagues, but the most tiring one was the short clips of everyone working in Davao. Rob and I had an idea of splicing several shots of our colleagues, but I can only imagine how bloody the editing job could be. Anyway, I will definitely be up for it, and I am still thankful that I get to do these things and have a creative outlet on a paying job. =D
I brought two pair of Red Wing boots with me, but I did not have a chance to use the brown 8875s. It was a pity but I guess it would have been severely abused from all the terrain mishaps that has been happening to us. I was trying to get B rolls from every place as I can, with my humble camera and I was hoping that my shaky hand would not make these clips unusable. I know that I should have bought a portable, mini-tripod to make my life easier, but alas, I was too stingy at that inconvenient time.
We would be driving all afternoon from Davao City to Cotabato City, and we just dropped by SM Lanang to get our fix of rice! We ate in Mang Inasal and I have eaten about three cups! I normally do my best to limit the amount of rice I eat, but food was my only refuge from the tiring (but nevertheless rewarding) trip in Mindanao. There were not a lot of people, maybe because it was a weekday and I had a feeling that it was just a newly-opened mall. But it was not a surprise to see Marianne gave in to her internal struggle of not entering “Cotton On”! LOL The girl went out of the store with a big smile plastered on her face!
It could have been an eventful drive, but I was just to sleepy from being full and I did not also want to get dizzy, the same way I felt I was about to die driving from the winding roads of Davao Oriental. The way going to Cotabato City was relatively paved and straight, but I still felt compelled to have a nap. We arrived around 7:00 PM in Cotabato City, and it was as a stark different from Eastern Mindanao. Frankly, I was a bit concerned, security-wise because I have heard a lot of stories about Central Mindanao. It did not also help that the brief relayed to us pointed out what should and should not be done in the city. However, it took only a couple of hours to forget this feeling of insecurity — I fell in love with Cotabato City. =)
1) Davao City, 2) Nabunturan, Compostela Valley, 3) New Bataan, Compostela Valley, 4) Trento, Agusan del Sur, 5) Cateel, Davao Oriental, 6) Baganga, Davao Oriental, and 7) Cotabato City
Disclaimer:
I am no longer part of CFSI and, of course, any thing I have written here does not reflect the organization’s views (i.e. all of these are my own opinion). However, I highly encourage you to take part in their activities and help them accomplish the work that they do. They really are the most wonderful and genuine people, I can vouch for that! Feel free to browse the “Mindanao Mission” series to look at some of the organization’s activities and some of the places they work in.
For more information, click the link below to help CFSI rebuild lives! 🙂
