The Pinoy-Dutch Explore Program

CEBU, Philippines – David Kranenburg, 19, a Dutch delegate, used to be shy and timid around people. During the first meeting with the Dutch group for the Pinoy-Dutch Explore (PiDEx) program, in January 2014, one of the Dutch adult leaders, Marco Schoorl, told David that his attitude might change in the course of the program, particularly during their stay in Cebu.

David and ten other youth delegates and three adult leaders from the Netherlands arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport on July, for their three-week Cebuano immersion and adventure. Two PiDEx organizers from the Young Heroes for Cebu, Shari Julla Gonzalez and this writer, welcomed the group and accompanied them to the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center to meet their Pinoy buddies. Each Dutch delegate was paired to one Pinoy buddy. David's buddy was Alex Cano, a Young Minds Academy 8 scholar.

Later that day, the delegates were introduced to their city host families. The Maglasang family, who has been hosting delegates since 2011, welcomed David and his fellow delegate, Jaap Millenaar, who is half-Filipino. David found his host family to be really friendly and hospitable.  During his first night with them, he already learned the Filipino habit of "mano," a gesture of respect for elders.

"It was new for me to see that a grandpa - my host family's grandpa was Tatay Tony - was living at home with his children and grandchildren," David related. The young foreigner was amazed by the idea of having grandparents in the household because it gives a certain sense of reassurance and creates an better family bond.

In the next few days, David and his fellow Dutch delegates visited some tourist spots in Cebu with the assistance of the Department of Tourism 7. They also visited non-government organizations, and interacted with their beneficiaries.

David's favorite project was the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Housebuilding in Minglanilla. The delegates stayed there for four days and were hosted by some families from the GK village. It was that David began to come out of his shell. His attitude began to change; he became more sociable. The kids from GK loved him, always looking for Kuya David at playtime.

The Pinoys and the Dutch worked together as a team to build two houses for GK beneficiaries. David found it to be a great experience. "We were a really good team and we started building true friendships," he said.

In the third week, the Dutch delegates went to Cebu Technological University (CTU) in Barili, south of Cebu, and stayed there for three days. David tried his hands on the plow with a carabao, an activity CTU-Barili students normally do as part of their academic program.

After Barili, the group went to Cordova, and stayed at the Albert Schweitzer Orphanage for another three days. There they performed certain parenting duties such as preparing lunch and bringing the kids to school. David also played Filipino games with the kids. He found the whole experience really self-enriching, aside from the fact that it was also valuable for the kids.

Next, the group visited another orphanage, the SOS Children's Village in Talamban. They had fun playing volleyball and basketball with the children there. David also had his first taste of the famous "lechon baboy" and found it really "lami" (delicious)!

At the end of his time in Cebu, David realized that Marco was right. The experience brought a positive change in his life. "[It] made me more aware of how important families are," he said. "You do not need money when you have a happy family."

David was most thankful for learning about the Filipino culture, for the projects he had participated in, the host families, and the whole PiDEx youth program.  He felt warmed by Filipinos' sense of community. He said he would never forget his experience in Cebu, and would want to come back in the near future so that he could see his local PiDEx friends again.

The Pinoy-Dutch Explore program is a cultural exchange program for the youth of Haarlemmermeer, Cebu City's sister city in the Netherlands, through the partnership among the Cebu City Government, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., Young Heroes for Cebu, and Vriendschapsband Haarlemmermeer-Cebu.)