Base Overview

Home sweet home

The All Hands Philippines base is three stories tall with a fourth story roof. There are bedrooms on the first and second floors and a common area on third as well as the kitchen and the staff offices. Everything is open air, so whatever temperature it is outside is also the temperature in the base. There are bathrooms and showers on the two first floors, and toilets on the second.

The bedrooms are coed and dorm-style. I’ve got three bunk beds in my room with six beds total, but people sleep all over the place. Some stay in the rooms, others bring their mattresses to the common areas, some to the roof, and there’s even a few people in hammocks. There hasn’t been a case of dengue fever in a few weeks.

When you let me pick my own mattress, you get a blue polka-dotted bed

Now this is where it gets interesting. Electricity and running water seem to be intermittent. Bathroom trips seemed problematic at first when there is no running water, but I’ve acquired the skill of the bucket flush, where pouring water into the toilet let’s gravity do the flushing. Internet connectivity is also pretty tough to come by, so expect blog posts to come slowly and sporadically.

The tap water isn’t safe to drink, but we’ve got filtered water in jugs at the base. Meals are served on work days, so we are left to our own devices to cook or buy food on Sunday, our day off. Most of our schedule can be found on the third floor, where there are a bunch of whiteboards detailing the different projects the All Hands is doing and who is assigned to each project.

Live and die by the board

The people here are from all around the world. I’ve met volunteers from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Israel, and England, and it’s only been a day so far. There are 43 volunteers on base and about 15 staff, so there are so many more people to meet and stories to hear.

Even with all of the lifestyle changes, base is amazing. There’s something about bare feet, sweaty bodies, and optional shirts that’s liberating and refreshing. It’s eye-opening to see so many people from all walks of life who are eager to help out, and everyone has incredible stories to tell. I could get used to this.

View from base

Our driveway

Home

First floor

Second floor

Third floor