Can you imagine if we donft use waterworks, electricity, gas and flush toilet? Most people canft imagine it and think it's impossible. I also didn't think about it seriously before I went to the Philippines. In this summer, I went to the Philippines for 11 days. While I stayed there, I had many good experiences and always compared Japan with Philippines. Especially public services are different from Japan.

I stayed with families for 2 days in the Philippines. One day, I stayed in a village, which is very silent because there are not paved road, cars, houses, electricity and so on. There are many surprising things in my mind. First, there was no electricity, so they used candle and gas lamps but it was very dark and I was very confused because I am used to using electric light. I think if children have pencils and paper, they can't study in the house. Second, there is no toilet. In the village, there are only 2 toilets. When we needed to use the toilet, we asked my home stay mother, "We want to go to toilet, please take us there?h She said, "Of course." However, she walked toward to the river. She said that you can see the river from here, you can pee there! We were amazed at the words. At that, we saw a boy who was peeing near the house. We didn't have the courage to do so, and we went to the toilet which is common to the village. Third, there is no gas ring, so they go to the mountains to gather woods once a month. It takes about 2 hours from their house to the mountains. Finally, there is no waterworks. They get well-water from the neighbor every day.

Other days, I stayed in a slum. Surprisingly, there is electricity: TV, fridge, light, electric fun and washing machine, waterworks, gas ring and toilet. Children could watch TV and DVD and listen to music. They were dancing with watching DVD. However, we didn't use the toilet because we knew it is not flush toilet. Even if there is toilet in the house, Japanese didn't use it. Japanese think toilet is "flush toilet."

Through these experiences I thought public services are very important afresh and it is completely different whether people have public service or not. We can't have these experiences in Japan, so I want you to know that we need public services and they make our lives comfort.