Philippines: Hana Neuman

“Thank you for letting us experience what we couldn’t have experienced while sitting on our living room’s couch, and thank you for being so passionate about what you do”

My first trip with Gazef was in April and we went to the Philippines. It was so amazing and organized that I told my friends we had to go on another Gazef trip as soon as possible. Two months later, we joined another Gazef trip and it was in Abo Galoum, Dahab. It was also sooo amazing. People always ask me which destination did you like better, but the truth is both were memorable in their own kind of way.

The good thing about Gazef is that even if you are traveling completely alone, one way or another, you will make new friends. Thus, what I gained throughout these two trips wasn’t really a skill, but more of a trait. I learned to be more open; how to approach different people in order to make new bonds. These encounters will do nothing but nourish and widen your perspective. It makes you step out of your “typical group of friends” that can be limited by age, background, and so on.

Another good thing is that it makes you step out of your comfort zone. You don’t just go to the traditional travel destination, with its luxurious hotels and museums. You experience the country in a completely different way; in a primitive and adventurous kind of way. You do unusual things, you see unusual things and you get exposed to unusual things… and that’s exactly why every trip is memorable because you only remember the times you did something new, the times you actually stepped out of your everyday comfort zone.

Its really funny because the first thing that comes into my mind when I think about “stepping out of my comfort zone during the trip”, is our daily trip to the bathrooms with my friends in Abo Galoum, especially at nighttime when there is not a single source of light present in the whole area. We’d go in groups of three; one is responsible for flashlights, one for cleaning toilet seats and making sure no one gets near the door, and the third is in the restroom. Until this very day, we’d spend hours laughing about these kinds of situations, and how thankful we were the minute we reached the hotel as if we were in heaven.

I also remember how at some point we just got used to the presence of insects around us, that one day I was telling my friend “Mayar!! 3andek namla 3ala edeiki!!” and she was like “msh howar ya benti, sebiha sebiha, ha2telha ba3dein”. And when we were sleeping outside in Abo Galoum at night, my other friend got woken up by a random dog. 3adi gidan. And how my other friend got a panic attack after a teeny-weeny 2 minutes hike and Shabrawy telling us every second of every day “3arfa law neshefty shwaya? hayeb2a kolo tamam”. So many unforgettable memories!