Crying Kids and a Yapping Dog!

Thursday, June 23

Today started with a super early wake up...3:00 AM for my 8:00 departure to home.  This day was definitely the longest day of my life!  I left Manila at 8:00 AM and arrived in Philadelphia at 9:00 PM thanks to a flight delay.  My multiple flights included getting hustle by the porters in Manila, two lengthy layovers, exploring Narita airport, crying babies, fussy children, multiple meals, and minimal sleep, plus a yapping dog on my 13-hour flight from Tokyo to Detroit!

 

If I haven't said it before in my blog, let me say it in this final entry...thank you!  I am forever grateful for my experience in the Philippines and I have a few thank yous that I want to make blog official.

1.  The US State Department and IREX - Thank you for making it possible for me to participate in the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program and the International Field Experience in the Philippines.  It has given me a new global perspective that will guide my teaching for many years to come.

2. My Fellow TGC-Philippines Fellows - I could not have asked for a more amazing group of likeminded, talented, and inspiring educators to travel to the other side of the world with and experience the beauty and culture of the Philippines.

3.  The Boot National High School Community - You have something very special that many schools wish they had and that's a true school community-so many people dedicated to the success of the students!  Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to become a part of something so amazing.  Keep up the great work and know that I'll be a better teacher because of my time at Boot.  I am sending you much love and admiration from the US! :)

4.  Amy Buban - It's hard to think of words to describe what you have done for us!  You are truly a blessing.  With the amount of time you put in to planning and re-planning my experience, thank you seems inappropriate.  You gave Wendi, Jan, and I the experience of a lifetime for which we will never be able to repay you, but know that you have a lifetime friendship with 3 crazy teachers from the US!

5.  Jan Cutforth and Wendi Pillars - My travel partners in crime!  Thank you for making my first lengthy international travel experience phenomenal.  I had an amazing time with two really cool ladies.  A million thanks for the many laughs, hugs, and selfies.

6. My Family-Tom, Keegan, and Kaitlin - You allowed me to follow a dream and I can't thank you enough! Love ya bunches!

It's A Short Hike Up A Volcano!

Wednesday, June 22

In our last day together as the Teachers for Global Classrooms Philippines group, we decided to hike up a volcano...actually it was already planned, but it sounds cooler the way I said it!  The Taal Volcano is a volcano within Lake Taal which is actually the crater lake formed by another larger volcano.

It is the world's smallest active volcano and I hiked it!  We were told by Alix, our in-country host, and our tour guide that this was going to be an easy 45-minute hike to the top.  I should say that Alix later confessed he had never hiked to the top and last year's TGC fellows all rode horses up to the top!  The people who live around the volcano have turned it into a tourist destination by providing guides, horses, and refreshment.  When I spoke to my guide about it, he said it was a part of the national government's push to increase ecotourism.  While hiking up a volcano is an eco-friendly activity, the amount of trash that tourists are leaving behind and the methods being used to get rid of the trash are destroying the pristine landscape of Taal.  Our hike was definitely not an easy 45-minute hike up the volcano, but the view at the top was so worth it.

Thinking About My Time At Boot National High School

Tuesday, June 21

Well, today was our first full day back in Manila and we spent most of the day in meetings trying to process our experiences in our host communities and consider lessons to take back to our classrooms. This was such a hard process because I felt like I needed more time to figure out exactly what I had been through in Boot.  I had so many first experiences on this trip that I am still processing everything even though I have been home for almost 2 full weeks now.

We did an exercise in which we listed "leftover/unresolved emotions" from our field experience and I didn't realize how powerful the activity would be until I finished.  The first emotion I listed was speechless because the generosity I was shown in Boot continues to leave me speechless.  The community was so willing to give of their time, energy, and financial resources to provide us with the best experience possible and I will be forever grateful.  The second emotion was a combination of hope and concern.  I met many super talented kids that have big dreams for their future which filled me with hope.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about their ability to achieve their dreams given the financial barriers that lie ahead for many of them.  They definitely have the will to succeed and I hope they have the perserverance that will be necessary as well.  My third emotion was sadness because of the sudden loss of a TGC fellow's daughter.  While I had an amazing experience in the Philippines, this loss is something that will be forever attached.  My fourth emotion was love because I felt like I made real connections with the people in my host community.  My interactions never felt superficial or forced; they were always meaningful.  My fifth emotion was pride because I did it; I travelled to the other side of the world kinda by myself and had an phenomenal experience!  The final emotion I wrote down, which wasn't really an emotion, is changed.  This experience has changed me and given me a more worldly perspective that I needed both as a teacher and a person.  Dang! I am an emotional person. :)

Wendi Pillars, one of my fellow travelers, processes things a bit more artistically than most and below are her sketches about our time in Boot.

She is the author of "Visual Note Taking for Educators," so teacher friends, check out her book if you are interested.

It's Time To Say Goodbye! :(

Monday, June 20

I can't believe how fast the last 10 days went!  While my time was so short at Boot National High School, it was definitely an experience that is difficult to put into words.

Our day started with our usual tardy trek to Boot and it was a quiet ride because we all wanted to take in our last drive to Boot.  We even had a few creatures escorting us to school. :)

We were immediately met with friendly faces and lots of hugs from the school community.  I almost forgot that we were also met with delicious homemade food-turon, menudo, and fried chicken.  The PTA president had Supreme Student Government shirts made for us.  Several people gave us homemade treats and cookies.  We also received shirts and jewelry.  The generosity of the community was overwhelming.  It seemed surreal that we would actually be leaving this community in a few short hours.  

A tradition that began with last year's TGC teachers was to plant trees behind the school as a part of Brigada Eskwela and to help beautify the back of the school.  It was quite an experience because we had officials from DepEd as well as students from the Alternative School to help with the planting.  Of course, I chose the most Charlie Brown-esque tree I could find to plant...hopefully, it survives the rainy season!

 

We had a farewell ceremony, which included performances from us as well as the kids.  Don't worry, the videos of our performances are already circulating on Facebook!  We presented small tokens of appreciation as well as certificates to our co-teachers, host teacher, and the school.  We were asked to speak to the students, so I choose to speak about the power of self-belief.  I told them how I never would have believed as a teenager that I would be traveling and teaching in the Philippines, but with the support of my family and teachers that gave me the power of self-belief and helped make my dreams come true.  I know that's a little cheesy, but it's the same message that I give to my own students each year.  Chef Jeff, who was emceeing the Farewell Ceremony, was quick to point out that during my speech I almost cried.  It's always hard for me to say goodbye to people that mean so much!

Wendi doing her best Mam Ria impersonation!

Everybody's Working For The Weekend!

Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19

We spent the weekend exploring both Laguna and Batangas Provinces.  On Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Sagwan Tanauan Dragonboat Team's practice.  We watched the team paddle back and forth across Lake Taal several times and then to our surprise we were invited to paddle with the team.  It takes major coordination and muscle to be on a dragonboat team.  These kids are serious athletes, so paddling with them was quite a workout, but an awesome experience that we will never forget!

I am in the center of the boat in the grey shirt!

The video below explains how to get out of a traffic jam in the Philippines.  I have become a quieter front seat passenger thanks to my time in the Philippines! :)

After our morning with the dragonboat team, we headed to the University of the Philippines Los Banos to visit the Makiling Botanical Gardens.  This is also the university that our host teacher, Amy, attended.  I thought this would be a nice relaxing walk through some beautiful gardens...boy, was I wrong?  I noticed that there were several signs about falling branches, so I was definitely keeping that in mind as we went exploring.  We were walking down a path, when I heard Jan scream, "Watch out!" then CRASH...the top of a tree had fallen and hit me in the head!  I was terrified that I was bleeding and we were hours away from any hospital.  Fortunately, I was only scratched and bruised.  Unfortunately for Wendi, when the tree cracked on my head, it dumped ants all over her!  We definitely had a memorable experience at Makiling Botanical Gardens. :)

We decided we had enough of nature and went to Liliw for a little shopping for the afternoon.  Liliw is well-known for its historic Catholic Church and its handmade shoe industry.  Of course, I was too busy shopping to take pictures, but we definitely had a good time finding great bargains on shoes. The hardest part about shopping during the whole trip for me was the exchange issue.  When a vendor would say "500" that would seem so expensive and it would take me a minute or two to realize that was only $10 usd.  I don't think I ever got used to it even though I was there for 20 days.

Sunday started with one of my favorite activities...going to the local public market!  There were a million and one malls in the Philippines, so I was super excited to get a chance to visit the public market in Tanauan City.  The wide variety of vendors and products were fascinating and the deals were great.  You can learn a lot about the culture of a place by checking out the public market!

 

After our visit to the public market, we head to the town of Taal, which is home to the oldest Roman Catholic church in all of Asia.  The church was as beautiful as I had expected it to me and it truly is the heart of the town.  Once again, we were crashing another wedding as we explored the church, but there were hundreds of other people doing the same thing!  There was a balcony that you had to pay $100 php (foreigner rate) to go on to get a better view of the sanctuary.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the $100 fee also allowed you to explore the bell tower of this historic church.  While the passageways were claustrophobic, the views from the bell tower were well worth the exercise.

 

 

Another thing that Taal is known for is the balisong knife, or a butterfly knife.  There are many local merchants that handcraft these knives and some in our group did make purchases to bring home to loved ones, but I can't say who because we learned at the Detroit Airport that it is illegal to bring these knives into Michigan.  One traveller had 5 knives confiscated at the airport, while other travellers were able to bring their knives home to their loved ones.  Upon further research, I learned that these knives are also illegal in the Philippines, yet readily sold at roadside stands in Taal.