Two months have passed since we landed back home in Italy, yet part of us never truly left: a piece of our heart stayed behind on the island of Dumaguete.
The anxiety we felt before boarding that plane, the uncertainty of what awaited us, and that nagging feeling of not being enough now feel like distant echoes: “Will we manage? Can we actually make a difference inside the Family Home?”.
Those doubts melted away in an instant, swept aside by the smiles that greeted us the moment we arrived and that made us feel, against all expectations, completely at home.
There is a particular feeling that tells you you’re exactly where you belong, no matter where on earth you are: it is born when people from different walks of life, from distant and contrasting worlds, simply choose to show up. It is the warmth the girls gave us through their unfiltered, radiant joy. It is the quiet, daily example set by Francesco and Flora, who pour their entire lives into this project without hesitation. And it is the bond that grew naturally with the other volunteers, the people with whom we shared exhaustion, doubts, and dreams.
The days flew by, yet faces, stories, and smiles etched themselves permanently into our hearts. Close your eyes and we’re back there: spending evenings in the dark making shadow puppets on the wall with our hands because the power had gone out. Hearing the sound of heavy rain as we sprinted for cover, laughing all the way. Lazy afternoons bouncing on the trampoline or strumming the guitar, singing Italian songs that the girls can probably recall better than we can now. Early morning alarms for group runs fuelled by one shared goal, afternoons by the sea, Sunday pizza, and long, heartfelt conversations with the older girls of the house.
We chose to live this experience during our honeymoon in the Philippines — a journey that traditionally exists to celebrate love between two people. And yet, stepping into this world stretched that love into something wider and deeper. We did not arrive carrying grand solutions or sweeping change; we arrived as ourselves, with open arms ready to embrace and hands ready to get dirty.
But the real truth – the one that hits you straight in the chest when a child looks up at you and smiles with complete, unconditional openness – is that we were the ones who received the greatest gift.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to Bata ng Calabnugam and Isla Ng Bata for opening your doors and letting us be part of something beautiful.