Hi I am Harm, 24years old and I will be helping WIN during the whole month November in The Philippines. I could do a whole introductions about myself and some things do come up in the text below but better to just check out my profile if you are interested to do so^^, I do hope you will enjoy what I will be blogging^^

Well I thoughed to start the blog of in English, for all the people I know can understand and read it and people I will meet might not be able to read Dutch.

I appologize beforehand for any type mistakes. Even though my diploma marks are higher for English then Dutch as far as I can remember, it is still not my mother language ^^ (<- These will pot up also sometimes/quit often for those are the smily's I use. it is just like: :-D , so just a happy face)

As this will be the first time I will start a adventure like this, it is also the first time I ever made a blog. I think I will type it somewhat as I think about the subjects and events for that is what I like to do for this journey. I will be taking my tablet with me on this journey as a way to stay in contact with the homefront as well to blog about what I am doing there. It also will come in handy for some relaxation.

My hopes

I will be helping WIN for a month in which I hope to help and confort as many animals in need as possible. I can't ask for specific animals for it all depends if they get found and rescued of course. So I keep a open mind about that. I only just do hope that I will be allowed to help with the wild animals. For I have worked a lot with domestic animals already.

I also hope that in the free time I have I will be able to enjoy nature, I hope to be able to see a open nightsky full of stars that you cant see from The Netherlands because of all the citylights.

I like to be able to go diving and enjoy the clear sea and its biodiversity that live in it.

Preparations

Well for it is the first journey I didnt have a backpack yet. I found a great one at the JOHO store. it is a Lowe Alpine 70L backpack with a aditional 20L back which you can mount on the big one but can also be placed in front of me. this way I can have my important stuff and valuables save at my front. I choose this backpack for I also needed a new sport back. and this one you can open the front of it^^.

I got something awesome from my brother a couple days back. He gave me a camera which can also be used up to 18 meters under water. So hopefully I am able to make some great underwater pictures with it ^^. also it will not be a problem if it becomes wet because of the rain what will most like happen ^^. I also am able to connect this camera to my tablet by the wifi the camera can sent (not a internet wifi), and with that I am also able to take photo's by controlling the camera from my tablet^^.

I have gone trough all the vacinations and things that are needed, and no problems from them. only thing about them: they are so damm expensive O_O' (also a emoticon I use). That alone was more then a month pay for me for sadly I dont have that many work hous a week. At least it should protect me and save otherwise expensive costs if I do get something and I get the expences of the treatment. To those who are planning to go. Get your first vaccination at least 5 weeks before of your adventure. This because you will have 3 Rabiës vactions, you will get these the first, second and fourth week. so you have the fifth week to get fully strong again for your journey.

I was thinking of buying a cheap/second hand notebook for this journey. But I think I stick with my tablet. for I wouldnt have any use for the notebook when I get back. I have a great high end game desktop at home which I build myself. so a low notebook will not be of any use with the things I do on my desktop.

It will be the first time I will be going to a climate as they have in The Philipines, so I am not totaly sure what to pack for clothes and such. I only have a backpack to fill so I cant take that much with me. I have the idea to pack clothes that dry fast. and had the idea to bring short trousers. but at the same time there are malaria mosquito there. (I will need to take pills for that). So I am wondering if it would be wiser to bring longer trousers with me instead. So consurning clothes I am not totaly sure yet.

What I hope to learn:

Wildlife and also domestic animals are all different. They may be the same species and all, but every living thing has its own personality/fairs/understanding/handling. I hope to learn these things from the animals who are there and getting a better understanding also.

There is also the culture there, I am also somewhat atracted to understanding that, but not as much as I am to learning about the animals. The way I see humans is: we look to much at the outside of other people, oh that one has piercings or a tatoo or there hair in some way. We humans judge people by those and not of who they are inside. Animals are different, they look at the inside of everything and not if a person has any and more as the things I named before. that is what humans do.

Some thoughes I have: bees (I am a beekeeper^^) work for their hive and queen. Worker bees would only live around 5 weeks in the summer, but work every moment of their short life. They gather nectar to produce honey to store for the winter. by them they are long dead and will not profit from their own hard work. they do it for the hive and so that it will stay strong and alive for many years. That is almost 180 degrees the other way around for humans. Many think about themselves and dont care what the world will be after their death, as long as they have what they want. Bigger companies want fast money and dont really care for what happens to the planet. As long as they get more money. Of course there are exceptions to everything. but that wouldnt cover 33% of the whole world in my opinion.

It is that money drives the world it seems, but to me it doesnt have that value. It is that we need it to live, but to be happy you dont always need money. Simple things and gestures mean more then the same amount of money it might take.

Sorry, my mind just going in another direction just now. But I find it these things that make a experience a true one. for keeping these thoughes out would just make it a afterstory of the real thing. So such parts might come up between things. Hope you can understand ^^

Things I wonder/dont look forward to:

Well you can say I am not looking forward to 2 things: The heat, the hight of the doors and length of the beds. I am 1,96 meter long and the people who live there are probable almost 2 heads smaller then I am... so I wonder how many times I will bump my head to doors/ceilings and if I would be able to sleep straid.. ^^ The heat is because warm weather and a high humidity there that it will feel even hotter then the meter will indicate.

Things I hope to be helpfull with there:

Well of course I hope to help out as amny animals like I said before. But I also hope to be helpfull to WIN itself. I have knowledge of animals but also because of my past study's I know my way around electronics/wireing, metalworking, computers (because of my hobby), and other things I learned from my parents and people I know. I hope to help the animals enjoy their stay more by providing creative things for them. When someone is looking for a solution my brain starts working right away in many ways and many times I come up with solutions in one or another way ^^ When I think something might be easier or more productive if done another way I am thinking how that would be possible to do. So I hope that I can contibute to WIN in a lot of ways.

Would this experience change me?

Well that is a quetion I can only awnser during the journey and after it. I do believe I will have to find my way around the things I do to relax up to now (gaming, watching movies, series, documatairies, designing, and more^^)

It will be a awesome experience that I will remember for the rest of my life, I hope by talking about it with other people they will be more open to new things and possible also set the step to help organisations out that help the planet and animals/people in need.

At last I want to thank family, friends, colleges and random other people I have told about this adventureplan for their support^^