Day 3 of my Europe Tour (Montpellier)
TEDxMontpellier was a memorable experience. I met a lot of exciting and interesting people and I made a lot of new friends. Some of them even invited me to stay at their houses back in Paris (but that is getting ahead of the story).
My journey in Europe was about to start on Day 3. And it was just amazing that I started this journey in Montpellier because the place was not only beautiful but also more relaxed and laid-back than the glimpse I saw of Paris.
Magali (the organizer), her husband Fernand, her daughter Charlotte and their friend Laurent Preece took me out for lunch and this is what I had: Macaronade.
I forgot to take a picture of the restaurant but one interesting item during our lunch was a vintage cheese grater that they gave me. Magali kept telling me that people no longer make or use them anymore so our meal was somehow special. And it was, even without the vintage cheese grater.
I enjoyed our conversations and one interesting insight that they shared with me was that the French considered cooking and eating almost like a religion.
I also realized that the conversations before, in-between, and after meals are digestive in nature - instead of the usual hot tea for Chinese meals, the engaging conversations serve to 'digest' the food that we have just eaten. One thing that the French do not miss out is having coffee and dessert after meals esp. lunch (I don't like the small servings though! Hehe!). I'm not sure if this is what has influenced most of the world to have dessert after meals too.
After lunch, we walked back to the city center and I got to see what it was like in a southern French city during Saturday. People were moving around like they were during week days but there were more people in the park.
And after that, they took me to the part of Montpellier where you could see the Mediterranean sea.
It was a lovely place to be at that moment but a bit cold especially since it was getting dark. I promised to go back one day preferably during summer time. Perhaps when I open TEDxMontpellier 2.0 next year?
Day 4 was Barcelona and I took a bus from Montpellier to Barcelona (cost = 39 euros).
Day 2 of my Europe Tour (Yellow Boat of Hope)
re-posted from Rappler.com
The yellow boat of hope
Posted on 02/08/2012 3:04 PM | Updated 02/08/2012 5:15 PM
Last Jan 20, 2012, I spoke in TEDxMontpellier. Montpellier is a cosmopolitan city in southern France, close to Spain. I was invited to share my experience in using social media to bring about social change in the Philippines – particularly about my experience in building up the Philippine Funds for Little Kids (or as it is popularly known, the Yellow Boat Project).
It has been an exciting journey for us over the last 15 months since I first found out about the story of the kids who have to swim just to be able to get to school in the mangrove village of Layag-Layag in Zamboanga City.
We gave the first yellow boat last March 27, 2011. And we have since expanded into 3 communities, namely: Layag-Layag, Bgy Talon-Talon, Zamboanga City; Isla Mababoy, Bgy Guinhadap, Monreal, Masbate; and Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur.
We’ve also given 3 big motorized yellow boats and 120 smaller yellow boats to these communities.
BOAT OF HOPE. Kids are now able to go to school because of available transportation. Photo from Philippine Funds for Little Kids
Journey of learning
It was not a journey without failures and mistakes. We learned a lot during the last year especially about the real essence of volunteerism and about the challenges our country faces in education. But we continue to face these challenges.
The Yellow Boat Project became more than just a dream to help these kids get to school safe and dry – it has become a national movement dedicated at helping communities become empowered agents of economic and social change.
When we were in the first months of the project, I wrote about how we are harnessing Filipino “people power” online and about how the project is leveraging on the power of Facebook, social media and volunteers from all across the nation and even the globe.
We have volunteers in the US who continue to raise funds for our projects, we have partners in the business community who continue to support us, and we have so many volunteers on the ground who mentor and shape decisions together with the 3 communities we are currently helping.
Early on, I emphasized the importance of using “people power” and volunteerism not just during elections but also during the governing period, when it is most important. And that is what we are trying to do.
BETTER FUTURE. If armed with education, these kids can have a better life. Photo from Philippine Funds for Little Kids
Hope
At TEDxMontpellier, I shared the 4 key lessons I learned from the project and fortunately, it is easy to remember. It stands for HOPE precisely because the Yellow Boat Project has become a symbol of HOPE.
H is about harnessing one’s potential. It is about finding your passion in life. I personally feel, even after 15 months into the project, that I have found my life’s mission and it is to help children who struggle to go to school.
And more than that, it is to help bring communities in the Philippines the resources they need to get a better chance in life. Without discovering what you are passionate about in life, it is very hard to stay focused on a mission, on a project. You’ve got to find what you love to do.
O is about opening one’s mind and one’s heart. When I first heard about the story, I couldn’t shake it off. I didn’t know what to do then. I shared it on Facebook, not thinking that it would transform into a thriving national movement helping children in 3 communities around the Philippines.
P is about Perspiration. You cannot help people without getting both your hands and your feet dirty. When we want to help people, we should act on it. Only in doing so can we gain insights into how our efforts and operations can be made better. Perspiration is very good for the body and the soul too, as it cleanses our system. Personally, I have become thinner as a result of my involvement in the project.
E is about empowering others. And this is for me, where the challenge really lies, even when you think of our national leadership. In order to succeed sustainably, we must equip and empower more leaders to take on the challenges in education and the other challenges our country is facing.
Help us
In the Yellow Boat Project, we continually seek out community leaders who can help us manage things. We are also now looking at sustainable models of social entrepreneurship so that the families we are helping can earn more income and become fully empowered citizens.
I used to have a vague idea of what HOPE is. It’s now very clear to me. Hope is actionable. Hope is not just a symbol, it is an idea waiting to be executed and shared. So please come and jump on board our Yellow Boat (Project) and together let’s make it a better world for children! - Rappler.com
Watch the TEDxMontpellier video here:
The Yellow Boat Project is launching its website soon. In the meantime, they are on Facebook. The author, Jay Jaboneta, also writes a blog.
Day 2 of my Europe Tour (Montpellier)
Montpellier was so beautiful. After the rehearsal at the historic Musee Fabre (January 19), I went around and roamed the city center. I immediately tried the different kinds of breads at their artisan shops and just watched the people as they come about. It was a beautiful place to be in. No wonder, the TEDxMontpellier organizer, Magali Dutilleux, has since moved back to Montpellier from Paris.
Early the next morning (January 20), I woke up excited for TEDxMontpellier. It was the main reason I was in Europe (for the first time!). I didn't rehearse anymore. Sometimes you just let it flow. I was still amazed at how far the Yellow Boat has traveled in 15 months (I just made a quick mental thank you to my partners: Anton Lim, Ofelia Sy, Manny So, Manny Wong, Josiah Go, Jackie Tolentino, Dong Cabarles, Lerma Advincula, Rick Passo, Abs Mawadi, Mike Dellariarte, Alexis Baldia, Ron Acabo, Sister Agnes, our donors and a few others to start the day right)!
Thanks to Magali, we were staying at a wonderful hotel right at the city center.
Hotel Pullman was a 10 minute walk to Musee Fabre; and so at around 7:30AM, I got out of the hotel and went straight to the city museum. At 8AM, people started to come in.
At 9AM, the 3 organizers took the floor and started TEDxMontpellier!
Magali Dutilleux, Franck Hashas, Fernand Dutilleux
These were the speakers:
Denis-Charles Ettighoffer
Gilles Berhault
Michelle Blanc
Jean-Luc Frétard
Mehdi Lamloum
Roland André
Damien Douani
Henri Kaufman
Daniel Herrero
Mélanie Péron
Étienne Mineur
Mohammed Charki
Jean-Dominique Séval
Jay Michaël Jaboneta
Here is a write-up in French of what the speakers discussed.
It was one of the most amazing days of my life! I have never felt so awesome in my life! (Haha!)
photo courtesy of Fernand Dutilleux
Speaking before a room full of French nationals and Europeans was by no means easy but it made me feel (for the brief moment I was there on-stage) that the world is now more than ready to embrace Filipino ideas and Filipino ingenuity (mental thank you note to Rick Passo for making this connection).
After the event, I immediately went to Etienne Mineur who is considered the be the inventor of cool (just google his name or watch his TEDx video here).
And then they introduced me to Daniel Herrero, one of the most popular rugby players in France and also a coach. He is the Ambassador of Humanity.
After a brief talk, he agreed to be an Ambassador of the Yellow Boat of Hope!
I met so many wonderful people that day. Many thanks to Melanie Peron, Mohammed Charki, and Hichem Kinnechi for taking the time to discuss the project with me and even inviting me to their homes.
It was a great cast of change makers and individuals who represent ideas worth spreading!
I am honored and humbled to be part of the first edition of TEDxMontpellier!
photo courtesy of Compagnie Des Signes
Lastly, my eternal gratitude to Magali for not only inviting us to speak at TEDxMontpellier but also for agreeing to raise funds for our Yellow Boat Communities in Europe!
photo courtesy of Melanie Peron
Mabuhay!!!
Day 1 of my Europe Tour (Paris and Montpellier)
Europe at last.
At 7 in the morning last January 19, 2012, my Singapore Airlines flight touched down in Charles De Gaulle (CDG) International Airport in Paris, France. It was cold but not freezing.
I didn't have to rush for my connecting flight to Montpellier in southern France as that flight's ETD was half past 12 noon so I had plenty of time to roam around.
I was pleasantly surprised when I entered Terminal 2F in CDG when the main supervisor was a Filipina, Ms Tesie Cinco Verpeaux. She has been in France for the last 33 years.
We talked for 2 hours and she gave out suggestions on where to go and and even invited me to stay at their place (more on that on succeeding posts).
Before leaving Manila, I was quite anxious because it was my first trip to the continent but after meeting another Filipino on the first day of my journey, I felt more excited than ever to discover Europe.
At around 2PM, my Air France flight from Paris landed at Montpellier International Airport. We went straight to the hotel.
After taking a shower, I proceeded immediately at the on-going rehearsal in Musee Fabre.
And there I met the wonderful cast of TEDxMontpellier. And my real journey starts.
Preparing for TEDxMontpellier
Last January 20, 2012, I spoke in TEDxMontpellier. Montpellier is a city in southern France, near Marseille. It's a 1 and a half hour flight from Paris.
Before flying in, I had to accomplish the following things:
1. Secure a visa. Thanks to the TEDx organizer, Magali Dutilleux, for the invitation letter, I didn't have a problem applying in the French Embassy. It took me 5 days to secure a Schengen Visa.
2. Prepare my presentation. This was not so hard as I have done many presentations by this time.
3. Rehearsing my presentation. This one became a challenge as all the preparations needed to be made during the Christmas and New Year's celebrations and then I had to take a short trip to India as well (more on why next month). But I managed to rehearse it the night of January 17 and also on my January 18 flight from Manila to Singapore and from Singapore to Paris.
4. Finalize my itinerary. Would you believe me if I tell you I just finalized my first Europe trip itinerary 2 nights before my trip? Some of my friends who I consulted can vouch for it. 3 days before my plane leaves for Paris, I panicked. I initially thought I could just buy the plane tickets and book the hotels when I get to Montpellier but upon further research, I realized, I might lose a lot of time. And so upon further consultations with friends, I booked flights from Barcelona to Rome and then Rome to Paris (I chose Barcelona because it was near Montpellier and I chose Rome because I wanted to visit the Vatican, I believe every Catholic should do it at least once). My final itinerary went like this Manila-Singapore-Paris-Montpellier-Barcelona-Rome-Paris-Singapore-Manila.
5. What to bring? This proved to be the most difficult. I am sort of a less-is-more kind of guy. And so it took me quite a while before I could figure out the clothes I should bring esp. for the cold weather (most of them were borrowed, thanks Lerma Advincula; and Cherry and Jay Retoriano!).
I wanted to travel light so I bought a travel suitcase that can also transform to be a back pack. It was worth the high price tag! 
Overall, as Paulo Coelho stressed in my last post, travelling is the best way of learning, and that's what's important.
In succeeding days, I will post the lessons I've learned over my stay in Europe which I wrote down in my little INSPIRE journal during the waiting time in between airports.
Watch out for those insights!