tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15289224222123144982023-11-15T23:54:35.303-08:00To the Philippines and BeyondUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-67553039221822269792015-07-11T05:39:00.003-07:002015-07-11T05:39:34.836-07:00The Perfect Last Day in Tacloban Part III<br />
Saturday, July 4th<br />
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After a fascinating tour of Sotoham Cave in Basey, we had a feast for lunch which was delivered to us by boat (thanks to the Mayor). Then we jumped into colorful Kayaks to paddle off to the natural bridge and enjoy the cool feel of the lake. <br />
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The trip to the bridge was a good tricep workout. I thought I would be able to go without shoes in the kayak, boy was I wrong. The rocky area was painful on my feet, not like a massage.<br />
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The mayor's wife and Marian all tried to give me their shoes but my stubborn self wouldn't take them, so I just walked slowly, and took the pain, it hurt. Finally we got to the other side and got back into the kayaks to head to the natural bridge -- it was gorgeous.<br />
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The bridge was naturally created by the rocks and it was so beautiful to look up at it from the fresh water lake below! <br />
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We spent around 45 minutes in the fresh water swimming around and jumping into it. We were the only ones there, it was so secluded, I felt like it was something out of a movie. <br />
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The picture to the left is me taking it all in and loving it! <br />
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It's amazing the beauty nature can create on it's own, I felt so lucky to experience that. We were also so fortunate to have had perfect weather while we were there, not a drop of rain!<br />
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Gail and I spent time doing yoga poses on top of a rock before jumping off -- that was a little scary but really fun. The jump into the water left me feeling refreshed and exhilarated, I ended up doing it two more times--a starfish pose then a dive, woop woop!<br />
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We ended the spectacular day by stopping at the Mayor's country home in Basey and having, you know what, a snack --cassava cake and coffee. Then, we walked to his mother's home down the street. Filipinos always live close to family and sometimes even live in compounds where everyone is nearby. The mayor's mom was so adorable and sweet, she welcomed us into her home and was very excited to have us. She also reminded me a lot of my grandmother to the point where it made me cry a little, I just couldn't control my emotions! I am so excited to see her, it's been 12 years. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor's country home!</td></tr>
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We ended the day with another snack at Sir Aldim's house this time and we got the chance to meet his sister, which was nice. His home is so him, it's perfect for him, very cute -- it even has a spiral staircase. <br />
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We ended the day with drinks at a local bar with Obet, Dean, and Aldim, all enjoying San Miguel beers. It was a bittersweet ending because it was so nice to be with them and remember the time we had together but knowing that it will probably be a long time before we see them again was very sad. There is hope for them to visit the states though, and I have a lot of confidence in myself that I will get back to the Philippines and Tacloban again, my work here is not done!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-22734377362350478182015-07-09T03:46:00.003-07:002015-07-09T03:46:33.844-07:00The Perfect Last Day in Tacloban Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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July 4th, 2015<br />
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Once we arrived at the caves we carefully stepped off the boats with the help of the guards and headed up to prepare for our cave tour. We were pleasantly greeted by guitar music and the natural beauty of our surroundings!<br />
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These guitarists were wonderful, the music really created a nice ambiance while we ate lunch and we even danced to the music!<br />
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The hut below was where we put our things and ate lunch, quite pretty and slightly rustic at the same time. <br />
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We all got helmets from the people there and set off on our adventure through the cave.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFJkT6TAlOYBRgIyQc-MHBX2ENJQaqgteDIcqoTh-2wloHbZP80YcS_N7aOhYn_ARU-hvkCyELNs-He3z0pxbmPihzkAwM9F7F2GEM-cMgws349mbZaKxFwJz5S1d7RYlubokEuX/s1600/DSC00662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFJkT6TAlOYBRgIyQc-MHBX2ENJQaqgteDIcqoTh-2wloHbZP80YcS_N7aOhYn_ARU-hvkCyELNs-He3z0pxbmPihzkAwM9F7F2GEM-cMgws349mbZaKxFwJz5S1d7RYlubokEuX/s320/DSC00662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course I chose the orange helmet ;)<br /><br />We toured through the right and left chambers of the cave, saw bats, and some interesting stalactites (hangs from the ceiling) and stalagmites (mineral deposits that grow up). The neat thing about this cave is that there are no lights that are already planted in the cave, we used two flashlights to see everything, it was really neat. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlKKk_r5bmOpFg6lipAS30WtUAkj8v1L05ieA6LYbwWItR3mOv3bQFr4CYKM4EQZPbnZG2FfXxg0fT9_9r-x3sUjhpxbmnV8bEzgtmp6a1p7ORr1DSzDKHhAUpufNMBCDJFEqCKtv/s1600/DSC00681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlKKk_r5bmOpFg6lipAS30WtUAkj8v1L05ieA6LYbwWItR3mOv3bQFr4CYKM4EQZPbnZG2FfXxg0fT9_9r-x3sUjhpxbmnV8bEzgtmp6a1p7ORr1DSzDKHhAUpufNMBCDJFEqCKtv/s200/DSC00681.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />The sparkly white is calcium carbonate and we were not allowed to touch it because the oil on our skin will cause it to turn brown, it is very pretty and eye catching though. We also saw tiny bats sleeping at the top of the cave. <br />There were some really neat formations and when you use your imagination you can see how they resemble different things.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoXfg8ymNAMyTFsten-kIrXIvSqsPKVxJRZuzDO3M1s72hT9ev2mtzWA0bunEF4Bgf6YTtJeznGlArPeQOcSVnlZV_yFnWM-hE9JOORXB7pQbu4XdFq0_kbj2PrEyJ5iA6qQ5gLXJ/s1600/DSC00716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoXfg8ymNAMyTFsten-kIrXIvSqsPKVxJRZuzDO3M1s72hT9ev2mtzWA0bunEF4Bgf6YTtJeznGlArPeQOcSVnlZV_yFnWM-hE9JOORXB7pQbu4XdFq0_kbj2PrEyJ5iA6qQ5gLXJ/s320/DSC00716.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2RaB5zv3ErpnKdeHZuFyTa5DL12lwNAyVxdZ7scboeREmENn9QLU0DkYfspOxCDrYo33h6NKPVbSFFIONEb3P6ca23U-Hqq43-vD6hquc9lbRsf-dvxhd0MKeJEliU_bqrpLcyOe/s1600/DSC00729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2RaB5zv3ErpnKdeHZuFyTa5DL12lwNAyVxdZ7scboeREmENn9QLU0DkYfspOxCDrYo33h6NKPVbSFFIONEb3P6ca23U-Hqq43-vD6hquc9lbRsf-dvxhd0MKeJEliU_bqrpLcyOe/s320/DSC00729.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG8bMtWsMAqlmlWhUF3kUg7kVAnu2krZOfZUesIUL-UHMYMeLX-HzImlnWrvngDWZBoaSxrr-Y4CsmcFvmjz-FwIvD8sz4zPziMLtEexOG7lsdhJleSjIfP3IlDl92MrrSrYa3Rat/s1600/DSC00722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG8bMtWsMAqlmlWhUF3kUg7kVAnu2krZOfZUesIUL-UHMYMeLX-HzImlnWrvngDWZBoaSxrr-Y4CsmcFvmjz-FwIvD8sz4zPziMLtEexOG7lsdhJleSjIfP3IlDl92MrrSrYa3Rat/s320/DSC00722.JPG" width="320" /></a>The figure to the left looks like a giant jelly fish! See the mini-bats below. Overall, the cave tour was pretty neat, and it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be in there. I have many more pictures from inside the cave you can see on my facebook page :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xDalqdgPPX2fZx9JxFX0lNmpWBeftsPhBUE1TXCQgoePAeWKwPTuRJgwPNVf2pUFyVE14k8AlbbTnRlp8h240CExgkDsBIItUGsYwoWRtJzgAImUQpTdxB-UE-VHvCtk2k53Eao-/s1600/DSC00667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xDalqdgPPX2fZx9JxFX0lNmpWBeftsPhBUE1TXCQgoePAeWKwPTuRJgwPNVf2pUFyVE14k8AlbbTnRlp8h240CExgkDsBIItUGsYwoWRtJzgAImUQpTdxB-UE-VHvCtk2k53Eao-/s200/DSC00667.JPG" width="200" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-58805441986376145852015-07-08T08:45:00.002-07:002015-07-08T08:45:27.764-07:00The perfect last day in Tacloban -- Part I<br />
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Saturday, July 4th<br />
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Today is the 4th of July, and I kind of forgot about it --- the day was that spectacular! We were picked up at Hotel XYZ (Yes, that's really the name, and I have the story behind it) at 7:30 in a van with the wife of the Mayor of Basey and Marian (both English teachers and colleagues of Obet's). <br />
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We had spent time with the Mayor's wife the night before and she just exudes goodness, she is so sweet, generous and kind, so it was nice to be able to spend more time with her. Sir Aldim met us at the van and we drove to pick up Obet and the mayor's bodyguards and his driver. It took over an hour to the Sotoham Caves and Natural Bridge. The roads were uneven and narrow, but we saw how people who live in that area harvest rice and dry it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcRzzw6pBdct9ecRcwuVlRQhyphenhypheniJvHgdLQYhBcrhWI58SMpQECmHyJYJl643me8vyPoZe3tKP2tGv7bwv1VVeU0FC8Mi5ye1hvuetCug2xCRIULGKzFgqR0aT4xLn0NUT7xdoBq-aW/s1600/DSC00591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcRzzw6pBdct9ecRcwuVlRQhyphenhypheniJvHgdLQYhBcrhWI58SMpQECmHyJYJl643me8vyPoZe3tKP2tGv7bwv1VVeU0FC8Mi5ye1hvuetCug2xCRIULGKzFgqR0aT4xLn0NUT7xdoBq-aW/s320/DSC00591.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice being dried on the street.<br />
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As we drove through the town of Basey (pronounced "Basay), I took pictures of a nipa hut, market, subdivision, and elementary school.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZQfeibmGoJVBEb8_V-azHDQDAZpjH5SLxv2Za9M_hrNK2ROnlVU5x6Ubh6XOkYKXmlVyunm2PNFucrBbm3nTmApxODAkhDcMLhrh_15CkvUpV5sxLdFMWOwAdieopp2XiLiS7Eec/s1600/DSC00596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZQfeibmGoJVBEb8_V-azHDQDAZpjH5SLxv2Za9M_hrNK2ROnlVU5x6Ubh6XOkYKXmlVyunm2PNFucrBbm3nTmApxODAkhDcMLhrh_15CkvUpV5sxLdFMWOwAdieopp2XiLiS7Eec/s200/DSC00596.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy outside of nipa hut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjXFZpsu1uO4Jv_zN0GR9TpuRvQNgoqrY3lrZQCSgdVcvSSEQG-Hf8PhaIvmtNzC9eQLfuW_lyZ0u3yKuYehshOJvQGBuYG6McAIMoeEklD4XmhHHDHOE4QIY-ZZ7TpLLKYuRkAgg/s1600/DSC00589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjXFZpsu1uO4Jv_zN0GR9TpuRvQNgoqrY3lrZQCSgdVcvSSEQG-Hf8PhaIvmtNzC9eQLfuW_lyZ0u3yKuYehshOJvQGBuYG6McAIMoeEklD4XmhHHDHOE4QIY-ZZ7TpLLKYuRkAgg/s200/DSC00589.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the markets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88WJTcFGzVizu1R_u7L7kI8Va1grWDRQOg0Xefmp1qYGH_COS1nqlo403_Dn8c0MCYhJrRqWLc-kd7q_D7omt0Ug0f8iwBYbxMIzNDOIauh39nl71fWw1FWplsLDk8ZjrB6qV61mk/s1600/DSC00598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88WJTcFGzVizu1R_u7L7kI8Va1grWDRQOg0Xefmp1qYGH_COS1nqlo403_Dn8c0MCYhJrRqWLc-kd7q_D7omt0Ug0f8iwBYbxMIzNDOIauh39nl71fWw1FWplsLDk8ZjrB6qV61mk/s200/DSC00598.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Version of the nipa hut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK0r_xRX_-odLTLG5nWPaK85en-BEXsQjGPmMOV8KG3mq4aBQvTzlsSN7H6xJYBVGr6gc_SfMIHoVQxoRCrNkRgYQ2Dm5pZV6nK54p-1nvVwx6XXAEkoSQiO7l0SPtyYO8fAjrwks/s1600/DSC00599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK0r_xRX_-odLTLG5nWPaK85en-BEXsQjGPmMOV8KG3mq4aBQvTzlsSN7H6xJYBVGr6gc_SfMIHoVQxoRCrNkRgYQ2Dm5pZV6nK54p-1nvVwx6XXAEkoSQiO7l0SPtyYO8fAjrwks/s200/DSC00599.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elementary School</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MWuxbSKFx-c_iCqvS-LfJN0bZzz_J_xzCwJQj2SV5xcCn0GfDO2iV3OAle29pphStnOMvKDWGRg7B_oKVCXMb31aD_QSp5XOZGes-WpL01lp7WbQUTFjDRH3r_JVz1Dxq1iuniy9/s1600/DSC00601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MWuxbSKFx-c_iCqvS-LfJN0bZzz_J_xzCwJQj2SV5xcCn0GfDO2iV3OAle29pphStnOMvKDWGRg7B_oKVCXMb31aD_QSp5XOZGes-WpL01lp7WbQUTFjDRH3r_JVz1Dxq1iuniy9/s200/DSC00601.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subdivision</td></tr>
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Subdivisions are so different in the Philippines. The roads are very narrow<br />
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The town is quaint and simple. We picked up two bodyguards and the driver of the mayor in town and headed to the lake where we would get on a pump boat to travel to the caves. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzbIAJIlOQAlxlEMCiY1HBsqom3qA5GVNVUyQb2c2jBoCr-2KbsPWBQSfYbsSEr5E94TIjq8x7BzRIOr10UvE5i8Kh_WzUan6FkRK-AzIVAn8rRafVdlL1dKU431mRreI22SKitcL/s1600/DSC00615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzbIAJIlOQAlxlEMCiY1HBsqom3qA5GVNVUyQb2c2jBoCr-2KbsPWBQSfYbsSEr5E94TIjq8x7BzRIOr10UvE5i8Kh_WzUan6FkRK-AzIVAn8rRafVdlL1dKU431mRreI22SKitcL/s320/DSC00615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrXZZPy64085RtuJ3ZYI3WYyb7TS1Lmkuq2fTTdIRVf-HNTmmSsDE0A4m1_j_Sp5mMvzTjTAWnz9cYc864m7xF7FsR6EFFuty90VVNawWBQ1NGzUWwsLR20NcvZ56-2JVBI4lehbb/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrXZZPy64085RtuJ3ZYI3WYyb7TS1Lmkuq2fTTdIRVf-HNTmmSsDE0A4m1_j_Sp5mMvzTjTAWnz9cYc864m7xF7FsR6EFFuty90VVNawWBQ1NGzUWwsLR20NcvZ56-2JVBI4lehbb/s200/IMG_2212.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Then, off we went, taking two pump boats to the caves, it was gorgeous on the way there. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5l9LShK4eY7Ef1f0b2HZrao62rQUMj8-4VGLmhcYgm6d-3KRfmjd8mLCAUVqxUCEMCTMJKVSY2TLh3-dM1bodlGQxFMdCrbAoanche9td_ugOM9Bs-rut8WqUVdPTU9Tv1OEIP04/s1600/DSC00623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5l9LShK4eY7Ef1f0b2HZrao62rQUMj8-4VGLmhcYgm6d-3KRfmjd8mLCAUVqxUCEMCTMJKVSY2TLh3-dM1bodlGQxFMdCrbAoanche9td_ugOM9Bs-rut8WqUVdPTU9Tv1OEIP04/s200/DSC00623.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs3UAmke82f75TvuHppk9yjyXYoHGeOgCtwvwXzXDKmIRtvDQxsKTJYCkb3-JciaWWres3gzqHXnTGzguRLl24gkxvc7mVOmnqly28OpuyztocwBzj3GUEg_2IAiFAQKe-4wlGuk_/s1600/DSC00628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs3UAmke82f75TvuHppk9yjyXYoHGeOgCtwvwXzXDKmIRtvDQxsKTJYCkb3-JciaWWres3gzqHXnTGzguRLl24gkxvc7mVOmnqly28OpuyztocwBzj3GUEg_2IAiFAQKe-4wlGuk_/s200/DSC00628.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9xq5BHGZh4Gbh-x_IofJ4sH4n6y7BlXmjjsb9i7e2x9GZqiaTTWub7m2NFGZZkA5JkORzwNDuz4qqv5WsQqqCvWfiDGgBWPJgdCiRhBVGDZAODxetNG0Hw80VKAtxkOW582fc9YB/s1600/DSC00639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9xq5BHGZh4Gbh-x_IofJ4sH4n6y7BlXmjjsb9i7e2x9GZqiaTTWub7m2NFGZZkA5JkORzwNDuz4qqv5WsQqqCvWfiDGgBWPJgdCiRhBVGDZAODxetNG0Hw80VKAtxkOW582fc9YB/s200/DSC00639.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The picture above is a suspended bridge. I'm sure it is not being used since many boards in it are broken. The sights of the mountain on the way to the caves were beautiful, it was like being in the set of a movie just before the suspense starts to build up.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HCs3xrm2_hyphenhyphenHh7rCsec9IuqSBVXMdsggILyLYOzn4rKa-gJyJQ3MQ3MdY8IxSqkqY3Lpvl2TVBMSCVZvHHqNKPtxR_Pjz8P9DSyICC7RD6vufkiQjKgT0w4BUcqVlwhS7vgjzl8q/s1600/DSC00629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HCs3xrm2_hyphenhyphenHh7rCsec9IuqSBVXMdsggILyLYOzn4rKa-gJyJQ3MQ3MdY8IxSqkqY3Lpvl2TVBMSCVZvHHqNKPtxR_Pjz8P9DSyICC7RD6vufkiQjKgT0w4BUcqVlwhS7vgjzl8q/s200/DSC00629.JPG" width="200" /></a> The Philippines has so much unspoiled natural beauty!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-31855411407419730742015-07-05T00:35:00.003-07:002015-07-05T00:35:58.900-07:00Last Day at Leyte National High School Part II<br />
Friday, July 3, 2015 ( I apologize for being behind on my posts!)<br />
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The second part of our last day on Friday was the Closing ceremony. This was time time the other two fellows and I planned to do our performance for the students and staff. The ceremony was short and sweet. It opened up with some incredible performances from the students:<br />
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This was the opening choir, and they sounded beautiful! They also sand the Philippine National Anthem, so pretty.<br />
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Below is the opening dance performance, the costumes were gorgeous with vibrant colors. The students were all birds, I think maybe eagles.<br />
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This is a snippet of the caliber of dancers we watched. They also won a national championship, they were something to see! <br />
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<i>I have been continuously amazed and in awe of the talent and creativity I have seen during my time here in the Philippines, these kids are all around incredible, from the arts to academics, I wish everyone could witness this, they are one of a kind!</i><br />
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Our thank you performance to the students and staff was nothing like what they presented to us, but I think we definitely surprised them, it was very unexpected. After our thank you performance we presented thank you card and a certificate of recognition to Obet for all that he has done for IREX and the TGC program. </div>
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After that the program came to a close and I was then bombarded with pictures! <i>I have never had my picture taken this much, not even on my wedding day. </i>Filipinos LOVE selfies, and everyone seemed to want a picture with me. Below is just an idea of how crazy the photo op was. Overall, it was an overall fun last day with the kids, although my face hurt by the end of it ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Where's Alex?!" I'm somewhere in the middle. </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-38526046064467855132015-07-05T00:07:00.002-07:002015-07-05T00:07:52.750-07:00Last day at Leyte National High School Part 1<br />
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Friday, July 3, 2015 </div>
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Today is our last
day, we spent a little over an hour preparing for our thank you performance to
the students, staff, and administration of Leyte National High.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are scheduled to give some closing
remarks to everyone and I thought it might be cool to do a speech choir
performance, similar to what they prepared for our welcome ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The other two
teachers absolutely loved the idea and collaboratively we planned the
presentation, mind you, it will not be near the level that the students
performed at but we did our best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This morning we had
the opportunity to visit a small public school called Marasbaras National High
School, and it was probably pretty much tied for the best classroom experience
I've had, I did really enjoy presenting to Leyte about my school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We were surprised by the students standing in a line playing the drums and saluting us as we walked to the entrance of the school, what at welcome! Every school has greeted us in their own special way, we were also given pretty name tags. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought it was neat that they had<br />a wall with pictures of teachers<br />doing best practices!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We visited two 8th grade classrooms, the
first was a science class and the students were learning about force and
motion, the second was a math class where they were dividing polynomials,</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">advanced right?!</span></div>
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I did find out from
the principal that these two classes were ones that students testing into, so
that aligned with what I observed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was neat though, the teacher was using a projector and created an interactive lesson
by having the students come up and place each activity into it's appropriate
category, either pull, push, or twist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, turning a doorknob is a twist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Then the math
teacher came in (so we, the fellows never moved classrooms).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out that was because the math
teacher had prepared a powerpoint and that room was the only one with a
projector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She started with an
objectives slide, and stated the objective aloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she went out to solve a class problem
together which was a review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
lot of whole group choral responses or just the teacher posing a question to
the entire classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This English teacher does not have a projector so she makes use of colored printouts and typed definitions for students. Teachers in the Philippines do not have much, but they definitely try their best and use all resources! </td></tr>
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One of the fellows
and I really wanted to see a regular classroom, not one that was considered
"gifted" so Obet kindly obliged us and we went in to observe an
English class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was one of my
favorite classroom visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could
tell right away that this class had regular students in it by their behavior
and some of their answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
working on describing cultural traditions in a picture with support from a
text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The students worked in groups and
read through the text together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">While students read
in groups, I took that opportunity to listen in to a group of boys read.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It was so interesting to see them all reading
the text aloud chorally.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As a teacher, I
think that's a good strategy, but when kids read in a small group I like to
hear each of them read.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So, I asked the
boys to take turns reading sentences and paragraphs, which allowed me to listen to their
fluency and correct any mistakes in pronunciation.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I was amazed at how fluently the boys read,
it was wonderful.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After they read a
paragraph, I stopped them do a check for understanding about what they were
reading, the boys answered accurately and used text evidence it was great to see that the students who were in a regular class were also well behaved and had good reading fluency and comprehension.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Then, the teacher had a few students come up to present on what they learned, unlike the other classes we've seen (more advanced ones), the students were very shy and hesitate to volunteer. After the first presentation, nobody wanted to volunteer to present second, so I chimed in. I suggested that the teacher call on the group I read with next, and she did. The boy closest to the front of the picture above, Qryl, was the one to go up -- it was evident that he did not want to do that and had some anxiety. He did reluctantly go up and did what the teacher wanted him to do. Afterwards I came over to him to congratulate him on a job well done and on his courage to do that. I told Qryl that he should volunteer more often in front of the room and asked why he did not. His response was, "I know ma'am, I need to get more self-esteem." Hearing how he understood his own area of improvement was so reflective of him.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qryl on the right<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Soon after, the class transitioned over to history and the students stayed in the same room and got out different notebooks. A new teacher came in for history, which was taught in the dialect Waray. I continued to watch Qryl and noticed him sitting up straight in his seat and eagerly listening. The teacher asked a question and he raised his hand to answer, and I could tell he felt more confident in himself too. Watching him made me feel like I had made a difference in his life and I felt the sense of fulfillment that I have only gotten in teaching, it's why I pursued education. Below is a picture of me with all of the boys I listened to read and gave suggestions too. From left to right the names of the boys are: Qyrl, Mark, Kenlie, Isabelo, Lemuel, Elvero, and Jay.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-35978844203467577162015-07-04T22:45:00.001-07:002015-07-04T22:45:03.258-07:00Presentations and Classroom VisitsThursday, July 2<br />
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Today, I finished my presentation to two other classes and they went well, the kids absolutely loved learning the Bachata!!<br />
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After that we had the chance to visit an Elementary Public School. In fact, it was called a Sped school, or special school that has both students who are gifted (advanced), and students with autism. I thought that was neat, I don't think we have anything like that in the United States. The thought behind that is the gifted learners could support the students with special needs. We also had the opportunity to visit a primary classroom, first and second grades, that was a lot of fun for me!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTHhmXHDmm5zUKF0QD9NYST1CSyGy_bZZlN5b8PAi4qrInZzm9zi935yHVGhK_65Y90uV0GvT2uipqYvL0K8xlreGUTTMTufX-AiYizQig2QxWPh3tKcYMGdwh9dFrmwvxgWsVZt9/s1600/MOV00486.AVI" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTHhmXHDmm5zUKF0QD9NYST1CSyGy_bZZlN5b8PAi4qrInZzm9zi935yHVGhK_65Y90uV0GvT2uipqYvL0K8xlreGUTTMTufX-AiYizQig2QxWPh3tKcYMGdwh9dFrmwvxgWsVZt9/s1600/MOV00486.AVI" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing the bachata!</td></tr>
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What was incredible about the primary classrooms were the class sizes, 45 students!! I was shocked! I do not believe there should be that many students in a primary room, they can't even move around --and students that age need the movement! I spoke to the group on the right a little bit, some were very shy, but a few answered my questions. They all knew their short vowel sounds for the most part, a few were confused by short e and short o, but they got it. I was also able to steal a moment from the teacher to teach the class a cheer, it was so exhilarating, and they all listened so well!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1bfQaVMAZ60gE2FO750JKAoMzNcdYgGgp66ohmzay27M7WsiaMjWReAT9JxhKWL85QGYSxNzZy_RoIZXH1CljM4dcEWffS_kV7gKYepmOfMx1eJVIrFGXsre_0z2bkbjGhYvqfeN/s1600/DSC00501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1bfQaVMAZ60gE2FO750JKAoMzNcdYgGgp66ohmzay27M7WsiaMjWReAT9JxhKWL85QGYSxNzZy_RoIZXH1CljM4dcEWffS_kV7gKYepmOfMx1eJVIrFGXsre_0z2bkbjGhYvqfeN/s200/DSC00501.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st grade classroom, 45 students</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83tBtf9g8i193uJAd1XdsqbpluESdRQs_KPgFubd7wS5CF1ob7o5nJ5V1S2FDMSfuC7WDJ0_P6RVRBuRebcvHFOq3Yt4mB5Ci1FvSgGfGRYZNtTbn1Q5NVCYLFaKaX572k_KGzia3/s1600/DSC00503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83tBtf9g8i193uJAd1XdsqbpluESdRQs_KPgFubd7wS5CF1ob7o5nJ5V1S2FDMSfuC7WDJ0_P6RVRBuRebcvHFOq3Yt4mB5Ci1FvSgGfGRYZNtTbn1Q5NVCYLFaKaX572k_KGzia3/s200/DSC00503.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to squeeze behind this group to get a picture, very crowded, but students still well behaved!</td></tr>
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It was wonderful to be able to visit these primary classrooms and it was so nice to see how well behaved and respectful the little kids are as well! It is clear to me that students in the Philippines value education and the teachers are highly respected --makes me want to teach in the Philippines!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-80522743758062320112015-07-02T16:22:00.002-07:002015-07-02T16:22:12.582-07:00Wednesday evening Karaoke!Wednesday evening, July 1<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Tonight,
we had the honor of being invited to a family's home for dinner once more.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">This student is in Obet's advisory class
called Einstein which is his first period.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The student's name is Nathalie, and her mother cooked a feast for us and
her school friends.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">In the picture there
is pancit, fish, and of course, no Filipino meal would be complete without
rice.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
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The best part of the
night was the Karaoke party the students had, and we joined in on it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The family has a Karaoke machine and from
what Nathalie says, they sing together as a family all the time, sometimes all
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner the kids were singing
and trying to get us to join in and we did, it was a lot of fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The coolest part about it was that it was
good clean fun, the students were all singing, laughing, and enjoying being
together at Nathalie's house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
friends came from all over town to have dinner and just hang out, and it was so
cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so neat to see these 10th
graders having so much fun together and including us, their teachers, it was a
blast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How cool would it be if students
in America did that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This inspired me to
invest in a Karaoke machine for my future family :)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2Tpqr5cpj4fp76bgikn-y6cVjglhtKaUpv0wafGDnBUIOSZNdV8Ut5Po2taEkJLLrxhVRW3cC5nmDfVq4nD-3EMWE46-QuO4Qz5IRWTz6CA7wiPxuXz5GO2QT1gyijdBN7Ko-hXj/s1600/IMG_2068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2Tpqr5cpj4fp76bgikn-y6cVjglhtKaUpv0wafGDnBUIOSZNdV8Ut5Po2taEkJLLrxhVRW3cC5nmDfVq4nD-3EMWE46-QuO4Qz5IRWTz6CA7wiPxuXz5GO2QT1gyijdBN7Ko-hXj/s320/IMG_2068.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">My key take away
from today is that Filipinos love just being together with one another, which explains
why for every occasion Filipinos come together at the same house and feast on
delicious food.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">It reminded me about how on New Years, or any big occasion, we would be invited to a family friend's house, and they always had a lot of Filipinos over and plenty to eat ---it all makes sense now!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">It gives Filipinos a great sense of pride to
be able to host guest and invite them over for a meal, I love that!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> I think in some ways I carry that belief with me, after all, if you ask any of my friends, they know how much I love to host a party :)</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-1231018504957552752015-07-02T16:13:00.002-07:002015-07-02T16:13:28.368-07:00I LOVE Filipino Students!<br />
Wednesday Morning, July 1st <br />
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Yesterday was a low-key day, I didn't write a new blog. I ate and did my first walking sightseeing tour. Today, however, we started to present on where we were from and the schools we taught at. I kicked it off with a short and sweet presentation on Chicago and Spry Elementary. Since Filipino students love to dance, I thought I would teach them a few Mexican American dance step for the Bachata. The thought to do that occurred to me the night before when I was trying to think of how I could get them to move around, we were told if at all possible to get the students up and moving around. <br />
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The kids welcomed the presentations and were very engaged and respectful. At the end one student gave us each a gift, a beautiful necklace, Filipinos are so generous, they say what is theirs is also ours. After getting a chance to do a little teaching we visited a science and Special Education classroom (which was such a treat for me)! The students stood up and welcomed us as soon as we walked in. Every classroom we've visited in the Philippines has stood up and welcomed us to their classroom, it's incredible that they all do this, and so warm. Be on the lookout for a video of this later!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most of the students were hearing impaired, and there was one student who had a visual impairment named Ella (the one in the front of the picture with the brace). They were so excited for our visit and welcomed us with open arms. I spent a lot of time talking with Ella. When
I walked in to say hello I was pleasantly greeted by her, she shook my hand
with confidence, smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Ella and I'm blind." I was impressed with how well spoken she was
and that she was aware of her disability yet very confident in herself, that
was inspiring. I quickly found her to be
very bright and quick to answer, I could see she was a very hard worker and
driven to be successful in school. </span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We
observed a science lesson and as I sat and watched the lesson I saw how the teacher who does sign language was signing for
the students in the room with hearing impairments as the Science teacher was
teaching, I thought that was pretty neat.
During that time I supported Ella by explaining to her what was
happening and even had her verbalize her predictions about whether each
substance would we a solvent in water.
However, once students wrote out their predictions we took a lunch break
and enjoyed the food the special education department provided, as a host. During that time I got to know Ella more and
she asked if I would like to learn Braile and I said yes, she quickly got out
her template and spelled out my name for me, then she wrote out the alphabet,
it was really amazing! </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-46432468444005628682015-06-29T18:17:00.001-07:002015-06-29T18:25:10.786-07:00Sights and Sounds of Tacloban<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The day was filled
with beautiful sights.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We started with
lunch and the home of the Head of the Science Department at Leyte National
High--it was her resort home.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the
Philippines, a resort home refers to a <span style="font-size: 11pt;">private home that one uses to get away, not a resort where people can rent rooms.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">She was so kind to invite us and she had many people over for Fiesta.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">We rented a multicab that day, I love all the cool forms of transportation in the Philippines. So far we have the tricycle, multicab (smaller version of jeepney), Jeepney, van, and motorcycle.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">All of these vehicles (except the van) do not have windows, but Filipinos use plastic to cover when it rains.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn_8vSufM3Xq-2CLmBrq1ElDfOMeXJG5yB39CeIU7jlOP-ZoLULT13jVFRTDUcU4rWVO3mebrVnWsdSKSj2KQrlRuH3HXWazxVwBcx7nvz0RO-B6TW_8157eMWf6TXtw_pP9FNITM/s1600/DSC00366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn_8vSufM3Xq-2CLmBrq1ElDfOMeXJG5yB39CeIU7jlOP-ZoLULT13jVFRTDUcU4rWVO3mebrVnWsdSKSj2KQrlRuH3HXWazxVwBcx7nvz0RO-B6TW_8157eMWf6TXtw_pP9FNITM/s200/DSC00366.JPG" width="200" /></a></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our first stop was MacArthur's Memorial, where we saw the statues of MacArthur reinacting when he stayed true to his word and arrived in the Philippines to save them from the Japanese.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The statues were huge.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbEPOswf7HEmT2XjqtiPsMHfrn1Gppm-2F1NJT4v6cy1ryXdTLi10BN7AN1lCg_zy7rBq2Tz0W4gwzhF6I35E88qrPs0A0RWOSmKPyAPyl3IC2HXbagQZZ1mvsNJV9PBklHtcuMiE/s1600/DSC00340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbEPOswf7HEmT2XjqtiPsMHfrn1Gppm-2F1NJT4v6cy1ryXdTLi10BN7AN1lCg_zy7rBq2Tz0W4gwzhF6I35E88qrPs0A0RWOSmKPyAPyl3IC2HXbagQZZ1mvsNJV9PBklHtcuMiE/s200/DSC00340.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygtW6-LLgdLJ3spFhOmvXtKt3x0I9V_NEe6KufchUXNWpJArWa9Y1tRuoDV_Q1TbfuwHyL8nElxJT6KB9gazRQd4UsxwTeBEv57vECgIx8iwS64pKY8BmUTmVF0ycbeTKq8YC1Gdt/s1600/DSC00341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygtW6-LLgdLJ3spFhOmvXtKt3x0I9V_NEe6KufchUXNWpJArWa9Y1tRuoDV_Q1TbfuwHyL8nElxJT6KB9gazRQd4UsxwTeBEv57vECgIx8iwS64pKY8BmUTmVF0ycbeTKq8YC1Gdt/s200/DSC00341.JPG" width="200" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After that we journeyed to the San Juanico bridge, which was breathtaking and reminded everyone of the Golden Gate Bridge in California. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHbsnHQsQm7qBNxUwVJJjrgZabyEHjEsBpWp6IApO2_i4duHqpGL3Sj-8qfgxKVJcMPKeqF4HQ8cM5aGBBU3OK8C9O8w7zK0MZyJrfBp7hlJH2Iekb0IAgKJr8ZXumrK8xPoey3Ga/s1600/DSC00390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHbsnHQsQm7qBNxUwVJJjrgZabyEHjEsBpWp6IApO2_i4duHqpGL3Sj-8qfgxKVJcMPKeqF4HQ8cM5aGBBU3OK8C9O8w7zK0MZyJrfBp7hlJH2Iekb0IAgKJr8ZXumrK8xPoey3Ga/s200/DSC00390.JPG" width="200" /> </a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">Finally we walked to one of the highest points in Tacloban and took in </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9UiVsdtspb-PppiAP2sxrzZSHuik2Ql4-3EQ_nrOI-8b_v2pKbNYiYXj13Ee6asPFKbEUiHTotyANjrZiArrX5HNjZHZjPgRAxIvl3WCV9JZv4DWIXJa714AFdyHcOYKeo2-nUaa/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9UiVsdtspb-PppiAP2sxrzZSHuik2Ql4-3EQ_nrOI-8b_v2pKbNYiYXj13Ee6asPFKbEUiHTotyANjrZiArrX5HNjZHZjPgRAxIvl3WCV9JZv4DWIXJa714AFdyHcOYKeo2-nUaa/s200/IMG_1959.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">the city, there were many disaster zones we had driven by and looked </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">down upon from that point of view.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">It was quite incredible to see the city from that perspective.</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaSUCsiKlmuRYgOdU3q0C_qBxvaUhbDhyC2W__9K3Ev6HT8o1tO5rHqABktjlA-OROUj8WV2MzeoIeAGykpD7KOTTyh3Za1If3hzdAKCag_6EDPEdosqYgLTCRHIJTlYrQhGvXqfu/s1600/DSC00380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaSUCsiKlmuRYgOdU3q0C_qBxvaUhbDhyC2W__9K3Ev6HT8o1tO5rHqABktjlA-OROUj8WV2MzeoIeAGykpD7KOTTyh3Za1If3hzdAKCag_6EDPEdosqYgLTCRHIJTlYrQhGvXqfu/s200/DSC00380.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
Throughout our
travels we got a better idea of the tremendous amount of damage that Typhoon
Yolanda left, it is so sad to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>see the
remnants of her destruction. It was positive to see the city being rebuilt though, nothing will stop these people from moving forward and it was nice to see that! It was also evident how instrumental international Aid organizations have been to the rebuilding process, I saw signs from organizations like USA Aid, Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Tzu Chi Foundation and many more.<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">We ended the evening with the Parade of Lights, which included a tremendous amount of people, and many beautiful performances and floats, it went for over two hours.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqWpjt3ml94Lq6n4i12soMr71N-gL9UXUiDkXAcLp6H_kATVDm_OrYBK7dZ-3qheEMnR9qPEWHcTVXdVdKAtaH4Z5xZcJ1bFxJZ33tk_e5I69cr__VCM2mVbCC9zXX4lHYF30rYXC/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqWpjt3ml94Lq6n4i12soMr71N-gL9UXUiDkXAcLp6H_kATVDm_OrYBK7dZ-3qheEMnR9qPEWHcTVXdVdKAtaH4Z5xZcJ1bFxJZ33tk_e5I69cr__VCM2mVbCC9zXX4lHYF30rYXC/s200/IMG_1975.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaav5G673xBbK6g1Y7Hd5CBUa98uuLlU5x0BnJzEzpQBTsvdP3_wTy5wEVbRhhfRbS_CV-G4-f5r23wYV0Nwkj6flO7lgofQcW3OdJErqyaxSpgRZLVQOE7o2hv42BNCNey30jiNtu/s1600/IMG_1989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaav5G673xBbK6g1Y7Hd5CBUa98uuLlU5x0BnJzEzpQBTsvdP3_wTy5wEVbRhhfRbS_CV-G4-f5r23wYV0Nwkj6flO7lgofQcW3OdJErqyaxSpgRZLVQOE7o2hv42BNCNey30jiNtu/s200/IMG_1989.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Aldim's Students --Galileo Class</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAr9K104AhfhAp_D1tiPmDGZPQzBpzfm39E8z9tiZxdldPBt4ZdIv1cr7hJTXTu5qFieF2QJdmG7ZgEJxJCgamMkylkHR9NZpXDiIb-_K_jkLPhf9FA94TkrBNC2HI7ztNyWNS3np/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAr9K104AhfhAp_D1tiPmDGZPQzBpzfm39E8z9tiZxdldPBt4ZdIv1cr7hJTXTu5qFieF2QJdmG7ZgEJxJCgamMkylkHR9NZpXDiIb-_K_jkLPhf9FA94TkrBNC2HI7ztNyWNS3np/s200/IMG_1978.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-62580274179739260892015-06-29T17:09:00.001-07:002015-06-29T17:09:28.467-07:00Kalanggaman Island<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Sunday, June 29th</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNGtxsYHrlRPAjvWof5dZkuvkRwHekD13rUune5VeR6a-cvt0EV48e-eXe_I0TP9kCucNbE67nOPiBfv1t0EGZHBhhJNTal6JQ-ve3xuUztMRO2CbaMVIAeayBKfoLKg3DFfjHkxs/s1600/DSC00291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNGtxsYHrlRPAjvWof5dZkuvkRwHekD13rUune5VeR6a-cvt0EV48e-eXe_I0TP9kCucNbE67nOPiBfv1t0EGZHBhhJNTal6JQ-ve3xuUztMRO2CbaMVIAeayBKfoLKg3DFfjHkxs/s200/DSC00291.JPG" width="200" /></a> Today was the much
anticipated trip to Kalanggaman Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tip in total would take about 3 hours there and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rented a van for the trip there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a scenic drive there and we were able
to learn about the different Barangays as we drove through them--thanks to our
tour guides, Obet and Sir Aldim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
so interesting to see the different barangays and how the people lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many small shacks and Nipa huts,
which are huts made from the Nipa plant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many of these huts were on stilts to allow for water to pass beneath in
case of typhoons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also saw a ton of
green trees and plants on the drive, nothing like Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bNyluScxverebXsBjJRp_QtVziD61pDZ8ZmPfhRF9OkEKpEc1r0SDT_KAPAH1WJu9nQyS9dVm-chWDHf_XMwAqyFTffnsGb0PvWkBoHGQR7_P1rvf3DQ31qz6vz5omXIKM6FT5f4/s1600/DSC00309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bNyluScxverebXsBjJRp_QtVziD61pDZ8ZmPfhRF9OkEKpEc1r0SDT_KAPAH1WJu9nQyS9dVm-chWDHf_XMwAqyFTffnsGb0PvWkBoHGQR7_P1rvf3DQ31qz6vz5omXIKM6FT5f4/s200/DSC00309.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvrIG83t4S13kXRhiEIf270lGN_9n5hTpl5rcgRgKK9r04_xnow5FxCTCWPn86Wv9GRjZF67ftbxgpRA40k-HkbX5KTvjm1zw54ysgHWg2_MRNvFK0xwp8lsmKN1hUA7HIbonDsAO/s1600/DSC00308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvrIG83t4S13kXRhiEIf270lGN_9n5hTpl5rcgRgKK9r04_xnow5FxCTCWPn86Wv9GRjZF67ftbxgpRA40k-HkbX5KTvjm1zw54ysgHWg2_MRNvFK0xwp8lsmKN1hUA7HIbonDsAO/s200/DSC00308.JPG" width="200" /></a>After traveling by
car for a couple of hours we arrived in Polompon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a Banka, or pump boat there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fun ride, I made sure to sit up
front to get the best view, I also got a good spraying of water up there, salt
water stings the eyes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The neat thing
about the island is how the sand bar stretches out into the water, and it's
gorgeous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
was able to take a walk around the island as well and it has a 2 mile
circumference and about half of the island's shore is made of rocks.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The water felt like being in a bath, it was
so warm.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The last part of our day was a
wonderful dinner with another host family.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">They were so welcoming and excited for our visit, it was a nice way to
end the night.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Philippines is made
up of many gorgeous and as Obet says, "unspoiled" islands, and they
truly represent the beautiful nature of the Philippines.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_Bm00PCjJB7A1N5TtOqS74IoG3-HvhkvZlnnjWfsgduyijnAD3fk0bZWIeF9MWYUVrs0F_OfGI2FSLKMV8qiMMT2PQjhz7LdxnoOEf0SrT0mDZ81z2Lw17EU531jmbT-Xe8TO_KT/s1600/DSC00283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_Bm00PCjJB7A1N5TtOqS74IoG3-HvhkvZlnnjWfsgduyijnAD3fk0bZWIeF9MWYUVrs0F_OfGI2FSLKMV8qiMMT2PQjhz7LdxnoOEf0SrT0mDZ81z2Lw17EU531jmbT-Xe8TO_KT/s200/DSC00283.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd9CvLSjljyd0pIHMQYz8MZEvX4CP6T0IOMp20WFEDyn-V4CvrBDoKQCwEdlcJH6tKZFzEEFXhKIm9UJ9TfShRxBYV_zFKxvFGCBlczXA6x-NZgdgdp8LFEaYUQUarzxxZrcyFeLs/s1600/DSC00298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd9CvLSjljyd0pIHMQYz8MZEvX4CP6T0IOMp20WFEDyn-V4CvrBDoKQCwEdlcJH6tKZFzEEFXhKIm9UJ9TfShRxBYV_zFKxvFGCBlczXA6x-NZgdgdp8LFEaYUQUarzxxZrcyFeLs/s200/DSC00298.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-74354156452541682822015-06-28T19:47:00.002-07:002015-07-09T03:52:00.289-07:00Parades and Fiestas rich with Color and Culture<br />
Wow, I was blown away by the energy, color, and culture presented in the two Festivals honoring Senor Santo Nino that we took part in on Saturday. I had the opportunity to sit in VIP and watch the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festivals. In anticipation of the festivals we started by watching the Grand Parade through downtown Tacloban and it was something to see. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCG3cDWlEBmrAsU57SvEcXPbwz-LwyoV_R8tWm7t6YrwxJnjvlvRVq425Fk11VxONpVezBGgkfMbOinDxcULV7pAIs0ohVCemgn9AYQT2OZLp3lNKoJkxfEK2MSEOVWg5LvML3Udg/s1600/IMG_1873+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCG3cDWlEBmrAsU57SvEcXPbwz-LwyoV_R8tWm7t6YrwxJnjvlvRVq425Fk11VxONpVezBGgkfMbOinDxcULV7pAIs0ohVCemgn9AYQT2OZLp3lNKoJkxfEK2MSEOVWg5LvML3Udg/s320/IMG_1873+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parade in the afternoon to lead up to competition.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This festival carried the theme of resilience and strength of the people of Tacloban after Typhoon Yolanda. Later we watched the competition between groups. Each group represented a different Barangay which is what Filipinos use to describe a village, similar to our term neighborhood or suburb. The groups were from all of the Visayas region. We had the honor of being invited to eat lunch with a family that was celebrating a housewarming. We took a tricycle ride there, it was pretty neat. <br />
<br />
Then, we headed to the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival where we watched different contingents (Filipino word for contestants) compete in a competition for best performance. Here is one of my favorites:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I learned
that the Filipino culture is very rich and full of character and joy. I
could see joy and enthusiasm in each performance. Filipinos are also so
creative, this was evident in the costumes and props that were used. I
could tell that the neighborhood had worked so hard to make this performance a
success ---and the manpower that went into each presentation was incredible! I
am so grateful to have had the opportunity to witness such a spectacular event.
As they say, "It is more fun in the Philippines!" There
is no doubt about that, and I am so proud to be a part of this culture. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-7106664323837019372015-06-26T09:25:00.002-07:002015-06-26T09:25:50.186-07:00Leyte National High School<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
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Today was our first
visit to Leyte National High School where our host, Obet (short for Norberto)
teaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never been so welcomed
with such warmth , kindness, and generosity as I felt today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It truly was an experience that was
unparalleled to anything I have felt before, I was so moved that I found myself
in tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The emcees were so
eloquent and well versed in their speech, and they even made it funny,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it was like q news report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a beautiful welcome dance to begin
the ceremony followed by a performance by the speech choir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all of my experience in college and
schools I have never encountered a speech choir and it was extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found out later from Obet that he had only
given the students some criteria to follow and they had come up with the
choreographed performance all on their own and in three days --what talent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took a video that I posted below and I plan
to share this with my students at home -- I think it would be amazing to get a
speech choir going in the U.S.!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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It was during the
performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that I began thinking about
how all that work and pride these students put into all that they do and all that they have done to prepare for our arrival when the
emotion overcame me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These kids made beautiful
and unique invitations for us and necklaces with our names on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These students were all three of Obet's Grade
10 English classes, and they were just so thrilled to meet all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They had so much appreciation for our visit to their school. </span><br />
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Pride is the word
that comes to mind when I think about all the students and staff I met
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The</span> principal and teachers have so much pride in their students and
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In every conversation I had with
staff it was clear that they were so grateful and appreciative of our visit and
had the utmost pride for their school. I felt overcome with gratitude for this incredible experience and the wonderful people I was so fortunate to meet. <br />
Obet was so proud to introduce us to his students and to introduce his students and colleagues to us, we were showered with kindness, smiles, and plenty of food. We met his English department of 30 teachers who shared the incredible things they are doing with their after school clubs, one being the reading club. We learned about what the cooperative that works at the school does for it's teachers, it's fascinating. Finally, we were given a tour of the school and saw the classrooms where the learning takes place. <br />
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I am again in utter amazement at how much these students and teachers have accomplished despite the little they have and the horrific experience of super typhoon Yolanda they have survived through. I am deeply humbled by their perseverance, compassion, and positivity!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-12614476768411911462015-06-25T10:33:00.001-07:002015-06-25T10:33:14.278-07:00The next adventure, day 1 in Tacloban<br />
Today was my first day in the resilient city of Tacloban! We took a domestic flight out of Manila to Tacloban City in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It was an hour flight to the city and it was beautiful -- I took so many pictures out my airplane window.<br />
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Upon arrival in Tacloban, at an airport that had been completely washed away a year and a half ago, we got picked up and taken to our hotel. Considering the fact that the city is still rebuilding after super typhoon Yolanda, it has made great strides! After getting off the plane we were greeted with a traditional dance by students in celebration of the Pintados festival. Click on this link to learn more about the Pintados festival, <a href="http://www.world66.com/asia/south/philippines/taclobancity/festivals">http://www.world66.com/asia/south/philippines/taclobancity/festivals</a>.<br />
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It has been two and a half years since they celebrated this momentous festival, so the city was buzzing with excitement and anticipation! Flags were up in the streets, and everyone was getting their businesses prepared for the upcoming festivities. It is a big homecoming for many and everyone is thrilled to be celebrating again now that their city has started to come together and rebuild. It was amazing to see how happy everyone was with the little that they have. I rode a tricycle to dinner with the fellows and Obet (short for Norberto, our host), and it was really exciting -- we definitely do not have those in the states. We had an incredible dinner of pancit, synagog, calamari, a sour fish (forgetting the name), and a delicious avocado shake and flan. After we learned about General MacArthur and the events that led up to his return to the Philippines in Tacloban City (the capital at the time) at Hotel Alejandro. Then, we stopped by a huge barbecue just to see what people were up to (stay posted for more about the barbecues later). <br />
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After arriving back at Hotel XYZ (where we're staying), I began to blog again and then became overwhelmed with emotion. <br />
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<i>I am so humbled by my experiences in the Philippines so far. I have never felt so welcomed to another country in my life. Filipinos are the most hospitable, generous, and thoughtful people you could ever meet. I began to cry when reflecting on the warm and beautiful greetings we have received from all of the students at every school we have visited. They have been so welcoming and hospitable, and I am not sure that our schools in the states would provide international visitors with the same hospitality and warmth! These children and teachers have so little and yet they are so happy and grateful for all that they have. They do not complain and they are not negative about anything, they make do what what they have and make the best of it --they do not ask for anything more. </i><br />
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<i>Every school has provided us with food, entertainment, and given us a departing gift. They have recognized us in their school announcements and welcomed us at their entrances as though we were famous. The students were so happy to meet us, it seems that all they want is for us to enjoy our visit and that gives them all the happiness in the world. I have only been greeted in the most respectful way, "Hello Ma'am... can I do anything for you Ma'am." And their English is exceptional, I am so impressed by the way these students have carried themselves. </i><br />
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<i>It really makes you think and put things into perspective. These children do not have a lot at their schools, but they are happy and eager to be there and to learn. These teachers do not get money for supplies and do not have paper to use, and they do not have copiers in the schools -- they have desks, a blackboard, and that's it. Anything else they pay from their own pockets, and they're happy. They have on average 45 kids in one classroom and they see 6 periods a day, and they are excited to be teaching and welcomed us into their classrooms with open arms. I cannot say enough about how touching these moments have been for me and how differently I look at things now, this experience will forever change me..I look forward to all that is to come next! </i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-48058005527920384402015-06-25T09:11:00.000-07:002015-06-25T09:14:49.898-07:00Schools, Food, and Karaoke<br />
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I wanted to blog yesterday when my memories were fresh but I got too tired, so I will share with you what stood out. As a forewarning, this entry is pretty lengthy since there were so many amazing things that happened that I want to share!<br />
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Wednesday, June 24 was an incredible and busy day! To begin, I woke up on time, thank goodness (I made sure to get two wake-up calls). I met Roma (another fellow) at the gym and we tried a new workout together --it was fun and definitely got me sweating--hopefully I burned off a few of the many calories I've been eating from all of those buffets! <br />
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After we visited our first public school, Benigs "Ninoy" S. Aquino High School. The structure of the school was really quite neat --kids walked outside in open air hallways to move between classes and it had a huge courtyard in the middle where recess took place. We had a warm greeting from the students and they too mentioned us in the bulletin board. We then were ushered into a room and sat around a long table. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sUqQu0v4F3tTiWC51C9p6wsoCjHiJ9QAsV-HR1saBM1feBK6jNsRKz13KRig-oStTy5jog3DRhjhWl7VTv6SVgOFWW3ixA7qtzJh3gj9fR45mK-RFedglIfCjdfpx2wHdMuZ5hJC/s1600/DSC00026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sUqQu0v4F3tTiWC51C9p6wsoCjHiJ9QAsV-HR1saBM1feBK6jNsRKz13KRig-oStTy5jog3DRhjhWl7VTv6SVgOFWW3ixA7qtzJh3gj9fR45mK-RFedglIfCjdfpx2wHdMuZ5hJC/s200/DSC00026.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mabuhay means welcome in Filipinio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjSjtktDQDumO8Gj-EvLZDiz51KITxNzRNNZgoBguvywn831zcVQM4aaqBvzY9W5GSLNTZTrIE2ecRGwGrKUai6fUUNNyhHCBRwX_DDkHN7HkTzA0XI_d60qZGp6LcCI09QmiUPBU/s1600/DSC00027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjSjtktDQDumO8Gj-EvLZDiz51KITxNzRNNZgoBguvywn831zcVQM4aaqBvzY9W5GSLNTZTrIE2ecRGwGrKUai6fUUNNyhHCBRwX_DDkHN7HkTzA0XI_d60qZGp6LcCI09QmiUPBU/s200/DSC00027.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open air hallways</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;"> I really liked the layout of the high school. The students sang for us too as a welcome.</span><br />
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We were introduced to the department heads, principal, and student government. We also introduced ourselves, where we were from, and what we taught. The principal then delivered a welcome presentation where he described the school and their mission, what courses were offered, and their data --it reminded me of how at Spry (my school), student achievement data is always shared with the staff, so I thought that was nice. The school is a technical/vocational school that offers core classes along with trades like book keeping, dress making, electricity, foodtrades, and hardware servicing. It is one of 280 technical/vocational schools in the Philippines. The administration had a good sense of humor and were very welcoming. During the presentation the we were fed snacks again (keep in mind we only finished breakfast about an hour ago). <br />
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After we had time to ask questions to either the staff or students. My question was: "How does your upbringing and/or culture influence your perspective on education?" I admit, the question is a little complex, and I did clarify and explain it more, but a brave student did answer it. This question relates to research I want to do and reflect upon. The student answered that her parents do value education and that she feels education is very important. She said that she knows that everyone has difficult things that happen at home and in life that make it hard to stay focused on school, but that even when she has trouble at home she tries to keep a positive attitude and works hard to do well in school because she knows it does affect her future and matters. She stated "Parents are your first teachers." She also mentioned that she treats her co-officers as family and when she is having problems at home she goes to her friends, teachers, and principal for support and that helps a lot. <br />
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After the presentation we chose what subject area we wanted to see and I chose math. I visited two math classrooms and I was quite pleased with what I observed. The first class was a 10th grade classroom and the teacher had students transition into groups by counting of by 5's, choose jobs (materials, timer, etc), and he had them working cooperatively! Just an FYI, there were about 47 students in the room (that's the average class size). The kids were so excited to meet me and there was a buzz of energy in the room as he had them solve math problems cooperatively.<br />
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It was so neat to be able to observe a class transition and make comparisons to transitions in the USA. We do similar things!<br />
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Then I got the chance to visit a 7th grade math classroom and that was neat! They were working in pairs of two or three and put into rows. The teacher used a projector on a whiteboard and each group had one whiteboard to write down their answers. It was clear that this teacher knew what she was doing and called on students to come up to the board and had them explain why they got the answers they did. I found it interesting that all of the teachers were using microphones --which in many ways makes sense because of the large class size and open air classroom structure. This was probably my favorite classroom to visit--the kids were so engaged and eager to learn. I also noticed that she used strategies similar to what I do, such as the use of whiteboards and calling students up to write in their answer and explain why. I shared with the math lead teachers who were taking me around that I too used similar strategies for engagement and management with students. I also shared the title of the book, <u>Teach Like a Champion</u>, as it seemed like teachers had already been using it, and it might enhance what they are doing. <br />
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After leaving that high school we proceeded onto Alex's school (the point person in the Philippines for TGC), Makati Science HIgh School. The welcome reception we received there was pretty fancy. Students wore traditional dresses and sang for us and during the song they handed each fellow a rose. Then each of us was paired with a student from the student government to guide us around. We began with lunch being served to us, which was again, too much food, but delicious and so generous. Then, we had a lot of time to be guided around by our student partner and visit classrooms. This school is one that students need to apply to in order to go there, and they can only accept 280, so the students are at the top of their class. The school receives money from the government to provide each student with a stipend. I must say the learning that was occurring in those classrooms was pretty incredible to watch -- every teacher and student was enjoying themselves, you could tell that students enjoyed being there. <br />
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Following that, we were able to meet five leaders in education for the Philippines that included superintendents, program supervisors, and education consultants. We heard about what the Department of Education was doing in the Philippines (different projects and programs). Then, the panelists were asked questions by us. They started by speaking on the new K-12 Basic Education Curriculum that is being implemented in all schools this year, it's part of the law. In order for the Philippines to be more competitive with the world and encourage their students to be 21st century learners, they have lengthened the education system from a ten year program to a 12 year program. This has been the major challenge for the Philippines and there are mixed feelings about the new program. All panelists spoke on that -- and took a positive stance on the transition. <br />
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I asked about special education and how that is being implemented in the schools. One superintendent stated that it is a priority for the Department of Education, and that she is making it her mission to ensure that all municipalities offer a special education program for students that need it the most. I was happy to hear it is something the country is working on. After the Panel Discussion we retreated to another room for snacks (Filipinos like their food!). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_LsF2XF_w9G1OnCBv-Lv7nBH1It7QMwieY3MglX8q3211PE1H8NTl8z4lruElZ-xXfo3KtcYWuysQfi0qo1c9u0jrCxqhtT1eUxdM83U5OmlUEbXbt58Gd1JUkrr9IA90UrqSUqI/s1600/IMG_1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_LsF2XF_w9G1OnCBv-Lv7nBH1It7QMwieY3MglX8q3211PE1H8NTl8z4lruElZ-xXfo3KtcYWuysQfi0qo1c9u0jrCxqhtT1eUxdM83U5OmlUEbXbt58Gd1JUkrr9IA90UrqSUqI/s200/IMG_1712.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My student guide</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZBltScIN1pKPwNWUahyMfGgVkq6NrzVZn0jf8QV8DiUrco4mMTf2ItC4irdRNMbInWpRBaWyBI1XA_aZagofxqwwbJdpDxfXnRjB6gd5uSljlgKV53OvRcDCJmm_PKAeTQ7-pVDi/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZBltScIN1pKPwNWUahyMfGgVkq6NrzVZn0jf8QV8DiUrco4mMTf2ItC4irdRNMbInWpRBaWyBI1XA_aZagofxqwwbJdpDxfXnRjB6gd5uSljlgKV53OvRcDCJmm_PKAeTQ7-pVDi/s200/IMG_1718.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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This blog is way to long and I'm getting pretty sleepy so I'm going to end it now. We ended our last night in Manila with an exciting night at Karaoke which definitely brought me back to the 80's -- good times. All in all, it was my favorite day in the Philippines so far and it really inspired me to continue to do the work that I do as a teacher, it's absolutely worth it! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-83839685696171342672015-06-23T08:09:00.004-07:002015-06-25T09:19:48.639-07:00Day 2 in Manila<br />
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Wow, I cannot believe it's only been two days -- it feels like it's been a week! Let me begin by saying that I had quite the start to my day. We needed to meet at the hotel lobby at 7:30 and I woke up at 7:11... nineteen minutes before I had to meet everyone in the lobby. I proceeded to check my clocks about 5 times before I realized it wasn't a dream and frantically turned on the shower and then almost slipped and fell in the bathroom trying to get ready as fast as I could! Luckily, I wasn't the only one, Norberto slept in late too ---we were both on Filipino time ;) Just an FYI, Norberto is the teacher who is hosting us for the ten days when we visit his school in Tacloban. He is also assisting Alex (I know, he and I have the same name), who is the point person for us while we are here in the Philippines and organized all of the events and activities we are doing in Manila. <br />
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The day began with a visit to St. Paul College, Pasig where we toured and learned about an all girls private catholic high school. Since I had not ever been in a private, catholic school before I did not know what to expect but learned a lot.<br />
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1. The students were extremely respectful and well behaved<br />
2. The school was enormous (about 4,000 students)<br />
3. Average class size is 40, but in advanced gifted classes there is a maximum of 15 students<br />
4. They have a very talented and amazing choir that sang for us<br />
5. The school places a strong emphasis on holistic education and therefore offers many clubs for it's students and all students are required to participate in a club.<br />
6. They do not have a special education program, but they do offer remedial classes for students.<br />
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We had the honor of speaking with students on the Student Coordinating Team which is made up of 12 students who are elected by the school to serve in specific roles each school year. That was probably the best part of my day! The girls were so polite and spoke very well about their positions and responsibilities in the school. It was very clear that school is important and valued to the students at this high school! The school also provided us with a snack of Pacit and rice cakes (delicious)! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSvO9Pd4khuAFmu4BOjWQyRXYJepx1xNxuO_C-rgHen_Uk9pPoGN8o-7dTwc9jZ7stgn9hDojTZi835LkhVyBuS5Mcr1ph40VHXWC0F9m-GETZ9J83hHqN6F_haoc_hhAVNHl5JL5/s1600/IMG_1650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSvO9Pd4khuAFmu4BOjWQyRXYJepx1xNxuO_C-rgHen_Uk9pPoGN8o-7dTwc9jZ7stgn9hDojTZi835LkhVyBuS5Mcr1ph40VHXWC0F9m-GETZ9J83hHqN6F_haoc_hhAVNHl5JL5/s320/IMG_1650.JPG" width="240" /></a>After that we had a super quick lunch buffet at a mall, probably the biggest buffet I've ever been to and then we were off to the United States Embassy. We met the Ambassador there and he shared some history on the Embassy along with information on relations with the Philippines. One thing he said when asked about the relationship between Filipinos and Americans was, "Filipinos hate how much we they love us" so the relationship is a positive one. I also learned that the Embassy there was one of the four largest in the world, which is a fact I did not know! We proceeded to hear from other officials such as the one in charge of supporting education in the Philippines and learned a lot more. Following that, we had another snack, Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee, then we toured the Embassy learning more about it's history and then left. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any digital devices into the Embassy, so I cannot share any photos, it was neat to see though, that was my first to to an embassy. After a break at the hotel we headed to yet another international buffet dinner and I ended my night with some Halo Halo (one of my favorites)! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtepCAsGdLEPTjj4Y886BQcElV2eox0KvzY7OsidIBbgGuTJ9_rhQPzQXBQ8r-GkmZ-8vfw-VgE0hyCKYvyMVj8YijqGujj-GutXxxWWdqR2jOIKG8YxGE3VZuGxswTXLUTy7CgT6/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtepCAsGdLEPTjj4Y886BQcElV2eox0KvzY7OsidIBbgGuTJ9_rhQPzQXBQ8r-GkmZ-8vfw-VgE0hyCKYvyMVj8YijqGujj-GutXxxWWdqR2jOIKG8YxGE3VZuGxswTXLUTy7CgT6/s320/IMG_1631.JPG" width="320" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-44749223768634414012015-06-22T08:00:00.001-07:002015-06-23T07:21:05.912-07:00Day 1 in Manila<br />
Today was filled with plentiful and delicious food and a lot of interesting information. We had a buffet style breakfast and lunch at Peninsula---there were so many amazing looking choices I had to sample some of each and still didn't get to try it all! Between meals we learned a ton about the history of the Philippines along with the the history of the Philippine education system---which ironically has similarities to our education system and the many changes it goes through. One thing that really spoke to me was how challenging it has been for Filipinos to move to the new K-12 Curriculum model for education. It reminded me of the experience teachers in Chicago had with the switch to the Common Core State Standards which required a shift in curriculum--and there were many mixed feelings about these shifts in both the Philippines and America. <br />
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The evening ended with a visit to the first Catholic church in the Philippines, Intramuros. We then walked around the downtown Manila area near the church and ended with a buffet style dinner at Barbara’s Heritage Restaurant across from the Church. Although I didn't think I could eat anymore, I still enjoyed the Filipino/Spanish food at the restaurant, my favorite being the Pancit! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgrR4Y_gWan6feU3YGqVWoU1Z9PI0pNVmrli4ZB3KF0lsL0mmaohOZh4tRDS59QEwPoXIr36pDY4spo9spHyfxEBN7QIZ-bekZ2ziCkfO8LRyjY_97TRP4_auTl1uEwNEstAZrXEk/s1600/IMG_1603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgrR4Y_gWan6feU3YGqVWoU1Z9PI0pNVmrli4ZB3KF0lsL0mmaohOZh4tRDS59QEwPoXIr36pDY4spo9spHyfxEBN7QIZ-bekZ2ziCkfO8LRyjY_97TRP4_auTl1uEwNEstAZrXEk/s200/IMG_1603.JPG" width="150" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qouHXcIvBw1PCFk6IB1RmGzusyxO3f9xGzN6Ks8bjC4e9RCNvvQA18QyoaRZF0oBkMEfEC7ex7Sr6P4bwZxP3GUltzihZQVqAfXc0msXxiy_C80UKRmeSugagz9zm46UchM2y9rJ/s1600/IMG_1604+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qouHXcIvBw1PCFk6IB1RmGzusyxO3f9xGzN6Ks8bjC4e9RCNvvQA18QyoaRZF0oBkMEfEC7ex7Sr6P4bwZxP3GUltzihZQVqAfXc0msXxiy_C80UKRmeSugagz9zm46UchM2y9rJ/s200/IMG_1604+2.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQAaEd72oBfzmInp7ord0slW6m1gEV_DJfE2qrUU1zX661Aw-v7zcMKT3qV_R4Duf3uIBdOKWgMjR1Qobu_3V_aXIrCEYvfOwikueHq-U4MVkhw7L6hC-R7MEmodmKBiUqne_iVsz/s1600/IMG_1606+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQAaEd72oBfzmInp7ord0slW6m1gEV_DJfE2qrUU1zX661Aw-v7zcMKT3qV_R4Duf3uIBdOKWgMjR1Qobu_3V_aXIrCEYvfOwikueHq-U4MVkhw7L6hC-R7MEmodmKBiUqne_iVsz/s200/IMG_1606+2.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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After some sightseeing, we had dinner at Barbara's. The best thing about the day was the cultural dances we watched after dinner. The restaurant partners with the Philippine Dance Group and they put on an incredible performance with costume changes and background. They also had all of us participate in the National Dance Tinikling! See below for a short movie.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-39425985973187094902015-06-21T01:08:00.004-07:002015-06-21T01:08:54.709-07:00<br />
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I made it to Japan! The flight was LONG --6 hours felt like 12..but I did get to watch a few movies and I highly recommend McFarland! I also met and chatted with one of the flight attendants and my seat neighbor. Every hour or two I stretched my legs and chatted with other TGC teachers. Everyone is so excited about the trip. Whenever I talk to a new acquaintance and share why I am going to the Philippines and tell them about the program they are super engaged in what I am doing and excited about it as well---so the news of TGC is spreading! Yay for raising awareness about global education to others :)<br />
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One neat fact, Delta does an excellent job of getting your attention during the safety procedures --they show a really funny video so next time you fly internationally through Delta check it out, see below for pictures.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-36363166830473255282015-06-20T09:41:00.001-07:002015-06-20T09:42:38.111-07:00Biggest plane ever!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lI4io5eksiwJRmPNvdQT-sP1kGmaLHA-8tN9zG_MXp9L64SZFIDrBhfTk1XpPdAJ3EP5tnCLu315qLcq5znWyh1ndW7H8mAVTUBkjBe8svZmUIap1qhYzRy1HUEOrkJ2wqgvc-sq/s640/blogger-image--2093524566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lI4io5eksiwJRmPNvdQT-sP1kGmaLHA-8tN9zG_MXp9L64SZFIDrBhfTk1XpPdAJ3EP5tnCLu315qLcq5znWyh1ndW7H8mAVTUBkjBe8svZmUIap1qhYzRy1HUEOrkJ2wqgvc-sq/s640/blogger-image--2093524566.jpg"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-66927109737486292652015-06-20T08:00:00.001-07:002015-06-20T09:40:31.609-07:00First day of travel <br>
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Today is the long travel day, the first day of the Philippines trip! I got about 3 hours of sleep last night and I had done 75% of my packing on Monday ---who would have thought it would take so long to do all the last minute things! My husband made the analogy that it's similar to planning for a wedding in that you think you have most of it done in advance and you feel pretty good, then as the day approaches you realize that you still have so much to do, all the little things!<br>
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I wanted to blog yesterday, but even though I had the entire day and thought I would have time, somehow time got away from me, so I'm making up for it ;) <div><br></div><div>Anyways my flight from Chicago to Detroit was smooth and it was so exciting to meet some of the group in Detroit! This is us below!<br>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-86525996553012561062015-06-02T18:13:00.000-07:002015-06-02T18:13:10.927-07:00 Only 19 days left until departure! Things are moving pretty fast over here. Our host, Norberto has been fantastic, and we've been in communication with him since we've been introduced. Gail, Glenda, and I have booked rooms at Hotel XYZ, which was a huge relief to have done, and we are in the process of getting the schedule sorted out. We've shared a plethora of ideas with Norberto on what we would like to do/see, so it will be exciting to get a draft of the schedule set! Below is a list of To Do's that I've completed:<br />
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<ul>
<li>vaccination shots</li>
<li>communicating ideas with host</li>
<li>blog entries</li>
<li>research question idea</li>
<li>backpack</li>
<li>shoes</li>
<li>insect repellent</li>
<li>booked hotel</li>
</ul>
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Things I still need to do: </div>
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<li>complete power point presentation on Chicago/Spry Elementary</li>
<li>finalize research question</li>
<li>do a trial pack</li>
<li>purchase loose fitting, light, cotton clothing both for casual and work</li>
<li>finish books on the Philippines</li>
<li>practice my tagalog</li>
<li>purchase gifts for students and Filipinos</li>
<li>set up instagram account to document pictures/videos</li>
<li>figure out cell phone plan</li>
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There's probably a lot more, so if there's something I missed let me know! Altogether, I feel pretty good at this point, and I'm sure I'll feel better next week as the count down continues on!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-55906057553571200922015-05-30T07:17:00.000-07:002015-05-30T07:17:19.358-07:00Mixed Feelings<br />
I am less than a month away from my departure to the Philippines, 22 days to be exact! We just found out this past Thursday the region we will be placed in for the majority of our stay. I will be with Gail and Glenda in the Visayas region in Tacloban City! I am so excited!! What is so unique about this city is that it was hit by Typhoon Haiyan a.k.a. Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 which devastated the city and killed 6,300 people. When I found out about that from my mom and started reading the news articles, I felt sickened in thinking about the horror residents had faced and curious about the recovery after. I know Filipinos are a resilient and strong people so I am sure I will see incredible progress over the past two years. Although, I know that many are still affected by the trauma, and would like to do anything I can to help the city rebuild while I am there. <br />
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On another note, along with my excitement, I am also feeling nervous about the trip approaching in less than a month. I feel that there are many things I still need to do to prepare, and I am a little scared to be away from my family especially my husband and puppy! I am also feeling nervous about being alone for some of the flight, it just seems like a lot is coming and I don't feel ready. I will also be teaching up until I leave since our school district has had so many snow days this winter that we are in school until June 24th, which doesn't help :( With that said, I know this experience will change me in ways I can't even imagine and I have been waiting and wanting something like this for awhile!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-10286947604320475392015-05-18T20:19:00.000-07:002015-05-18T20:29:20.297-07:00Almost a Month Away<br />
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It's a Monday night, May 18th, I'm two days away from being a month away from departure! I'm feeling the stress a bit. I looked at a calendar and the realization hit me, I don't have much more time here in Chicago, and the two weekends before I leave I'll be out of town! I thought to myself about all that I still needed to do before leaving and felt a bit overwhelmed.<br />
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To ease the stress of that feeling, I decided to make a To Do list before departure. I have lately been getting into using One Note through Word, and made a page titled "To do before departure June 20" under my travel tab. So far, I have about 14 things listed, and I know the list will continue to grow as more things pop into my mind. Ahh!!! Just this past weekend, I purchased a travel backpack -- I figured that would be the most comfortable thing to carry around and it has a good amount of space. Funny that I don't actually own a backpack, this one is made by Timbuktu (my husband says they have good quality, durable products), and he seems right. Buying the backpack did make things a little more real. There is a ton to do before I leave but I just plan to take it one day at a time. Let me know if you have any advice, this will be the longest I've stayed outside of the U.S!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-68512528215419662132015-05-04T17:20:00.000-07:002015-05-04T17:20:01.212-07:00Post Pre-Departure Webinar...So much to do before June 20th!I'm super pumped about going to the Philippines--Team Philippines woop woop -- I just finished the pre-departure webinar about 15 minutes ago, can you tell? It was very helpful but got me thinking and planning. I'm going to list the things I need to start working on/thinking about below:<br />
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<ul>
<li>What to bring, need to make a list of things to pack/buy</li>
<li>Creating a presentation on Chicago and Spry Elementary School</li>
<li>Registering with the Embassy once I know exactly where I will be assigned</li>
<li>Gifts, small and lightweight</li>
<li>What I want to do/see while I'm there</li>
<li>Planning down time</li>
<li>Having my students write letters to the students I will be meeting</li>
<li>Talking to my mom and planning what to do</li>
<li>What to do with social media? Should I set up an instagram account for just picture that Filipinos can follow me on?</li>
</ul>
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If there is anything else you can think of please add! I've never gone away for this long of a time before so I'm so excited!!!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528922422212314498.post-14976329782359181692015-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:002015-04-08T12:09:16.371-07:00The beginning... Well, this post is the beginning of my journey into the world of blogging. I've only blogged one other time and it's been about yoga, but the entry I posted (which took me a long time to refine, revise, and feel ready to post) disappeared and left with me feelings of frustration and disappointment and caused me to leave this world. <br />
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But now... I'm back, and ready to start fresh! <br />
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I've since been accepted into a program called Teachers for Global Classrooms and excitedly await my journey to the Philippines in June 2015. As part of our requirements for the program, I need to start a travel blog about my experience in the Philippines, so here it is...I hope you enjoy my adventures!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0