We have arrived in Manila!

We have arrived in Manila and have a several hour layover until we head on to Cotabato City. We have found some fabulous coffee and pastries and are freshening up for the arrival at our final destination. Anita has been studying Tagalog, Kim has been walking around the airport getting exercise, Lisa has been troubleshooting her email, and Leigh has been catching up on work and deleting emails.

On our way

Everything has gone smoothly so far... Kim's bag was 70ish lbs and she had to repack an hour before the flight. The rest of us were a little closer to 56-58lbs and were able to get on fine with no extra charge. We are sitting in LA, hoping the line gets shorter before we begin to wait. We're all figuring out the technology needed to communicate with everyone back home and mentally preparing for a 15 hour flight with a stop in Guam on the way to Manila. Next time we check in we should be safely in the Philippines. YAY!!!

Preparing to depart

The team leaves tomorrow and we are all checking our lists to make sure we haven't forgotten anything and running any last minute errands. We are looking forward to chatting with Donna Pedace the GSE Coordinator tomorrow at the airport to get any last minute advice. We will fly from LA into Manila and we begin meeting everyone right away. Our first task is to figure out how not to be exhausted when we arrive.

Introducing the Team

We have a fabulous team going to Mindanao, PI from District 5520. Below you will find our biographies.

Lisa Witt, Team Leader

Albuquerque, NM

Avista Video Histories

Owner/President

Lisa completed her Masters in Foreign Service and

worked for 11 years in Washington, DC for the State

Department and White House Budget Office. She

reviewed U.S. foreign assistance programs and

traveled to the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia,

Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica in

the late 1980s/ early 1990s. Since 1996, Lisa has run

her company, Avista Video producing award‐winning

video documentaries on New Mexico’s diverse

culture and history, as well as videos for education,

training/orientation and fundraising. She has a

husband Tom, son Teddy (17) and daughter Maddy

(15). And of course, her dog, Honey, who keeps her

company when she goes running!

Anita Bringas

Taos, New Mexico

Taos Chamber of Commerce

Membership Director

Anita’s decision to pursue a business degree at the

University of New Mexico was inspired by her work

at the TCCC, a membership‐based organization which

supports economic growth of Taos County through

advocacy, promotion and education of local

businesses. Her responsibilities range from member

services and event planning to marketing, website

development and communications to volunteer and

internship recruitment and training. She enjoys the

southwest sunshine and is outdoors as much as

possible, especially in the spring and summer when

she tends to her vegetable and herb garden, hikes,

camps, swims and bikes.

Leigh Caswell

Albuquerque, NM

Bernalillo County

Community Health Council

Coordinator

Leigh has completed a Bachelors degree in

Environmental Health and a Masters in Public Health.

Leigh is responsible for the coordination of local

health planning focused on access to health care and

poverty reduction. Exercising in the outdoors is her

primary way to stay healthy and remain happy; she

runs on the trails near Albuquerque almost daily.

Leigh also rides her bicycle, skis and rock climbs

regularly. Leigh has spent many years volunteering in

wilderness emergency response and is currently the

President of the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue

Council. Leigh has a son named Arthur who loves

skiing and Scooby Doo.

Kim Robinson

Alamogordo, NM

NM State University

Recruitment Coordinator

With undergraduate degrees in both Business and

Communications, Kim is very busy as she is studying

for her Masters Degree in Business Administration

while working at the local NM State University in a

variety of roles. While her primary responsibility is

recruitment, she also assists in policy creation,

public relations and marketing. She also teaches an

online course preparing high school students for

college life. Kim and her husband Thomas live in

Alamogordo, NM where they enjoy an athletic and

healthy life. She has completed several marathons

half marathons and particularly enjoys running and

hiking with her dogs.

Preparing to depart

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team is preparing to leave New Mexico in less than three weeks now! Thanks to Donna Pedace, GSE Coordinator and Lisa Witt, Team Leader for all of their hard work in preparing us (Anita Bringas, Leigh Caswell, and Kim Robinson) for the trip of a lifetime. We are looking forward to meeting everyone who has been preparing for our arrival in Mindanao. We are all excited to learn about the Philippines and share information on District 5520 which includes New Mexico and West Texas.