My Short Trip to the GK Expo 2011 featuring the GK Enchanted Farm

Batang Bayani Park where Team Cebu
also helped in manning
the activities for the kids

Oh well, this story is sooo way past but better late than never!.. I bet some of those who went to the Global Summit and in my case, it's still the GK Expo especially the GK Enchanted Farm!

It's only my 2nd year that I have not missed the Gawad Kalinga since the time that I was no longer working full time for GK. Even if I had limited time due to work, at least I had the weekend to attend it. I almost gave up when I discovered that the plane schedule was a bit limited already when I decided to book my flight. Good thing, I acted upon it and moved on! At least, there was still ample time for me to prepare everything after my shift ended at that time for the flight! My plane finally left for Manila after being a few minutes late of its scheduled time. I missed more than half of the activities when I arrived that Saturday at the University of Santo Tomas almost 5pm already. My plane arrived almost 2pm then I have to battle my way through the venue by commuting only (it's a good decision or else I might not get back to Cebu by Monday). Students as well as volunteers and full time workers alike still gathered regardless of the heavy rain. I was too sleepy to pay attention to all details but still managed to bond and say HI to friends who were also volunteers from different parts of the country.

Indeed true to its name,
the Clean Ice Cream boasts
12 different flavors all made from
organic plants at the farm!

The Human Nature Marker with
HN President Anna's eldest Ariel

So, fast forward to Sunday, I don't know if I slept much but what matters was I slept! I was excited to see the Enchanted farm since it was still my first time to be there. What was I thinking! It was huge! I thought it was just a small parcel of land or maybe it was already vast for me. Really, it was a site to behold and it almost felt like heaven as we walk through the road and path walks seeing everything green and some flowers too. A mass was held to start the day at the farm and there were displays of different world class Filipino products and of course, food that were also grown from the farm. For me, a lot of eye-catching stuffs were there such as the Clean Ice Cream which boasts of 12 flavors and ingredients grown from the farm. I should say, there's another name for it: Organic Ice Cream. The two flavors I could not forget were the malunggay (which I believe still boasts of  the key nutrients it gives) and the choco chili which was surprisingly hot! I think I have tried each flavor but I just cannot forget the distinctive spicy flavor of the choco chili. Everything grown in the farm were as much as possible organic and that includes livestock like pig, goat, etc.  The Enchantea (a bottled iced tea also made of ingredients from the farm) refreshed me after taking lunch!  Since, most of our time (Cebu Team esp. youth ) were spent manning the Batang Bayani Park, where the kids were free to do kiddie stuff such as coloring, hearing stories from Ate's and Kuya's, pot planting, etc., we get to take a tour the farm just right on time before we are about to leave for Manila. It was then that I noticed the Human Nature marker and the store where it sits perfectly enough for the visitors to see and shop.

 I reckon there is still a lot of farming development to do yet over and beyond its entrepreneurial potential, the GK Enchanted farm not only makes visitors and volunteers get a glimpse of hope for nature and our nation but most importantly, giving its home owners productive and uplifting lives.