Summer's swing

On some weekends, my husband, Birdie, gets invited to Gawad Kalinga's Enchanted Farm in Bulacan to help facilitate and speak to social entrepreneurs at GK's start-up business camps. Me, I'm always the willing soul ready to tag along! I try to assist Birdie with setting up his workshop on design thinking, but I'm mostly also there for the chance to get away from Manila and squeeze in some personal art.

Last weekend was probably my fifth time at the farm. A few months have passed since the last time, and we were thrilled to see so many developments going on everywhere. It was incredible. Yet even with all the new things, I couldn't help but once again gaze lovingly at my favorite spot--a charming bench swing nestled in the middle of a garden, right beside the open dining area. It's surrounded by lush trees, on which a few colorful lanterns hang. (The swing has always been there from the start. Oddly enough, I've never actually sat down on it! It must be my weird sense of respect for these kinds of special, quiet vignettes.) To me, it's always a little reminder of summer, no matter the season.

The Enchanted Farm is a hectares-wide, GK-owned property where a local community is supported through the collaboration of various local, sustainable social projects and start-ups. Their vision of becoming a non-traditional Farm University is constantly growing with the help of volunteers and entrepreneurs alike. If you're interested to see and take it all in for yourself, schedule a visit today (see here)!