A little update

Ok, I'm going to try and make a bit of an update. I haven't prewritten this one and I'm just sitting in the internet shop writing this now.

Things are going good here in the Philippines. I've been in San Francisco for 5 weeks now. I'm getting more adjusted and a little more used to everything in the new place. Monday and Tuesday of this week the kids had semester tests. Now they are on their semester break. Wednesday through Wednesday. So we go back to school Nov 3. Wed-Fri teachers had to be at school. Wednesday I went to a journalism competition. We took 5 kids from our school. Then Thursday and Friday I hung out with the teachers at school. I did some typing and some work. And then played the rest of the time :) Yesterday afternoon Maan and I started watching a movie on  my laptop. Last night I met up with Karen and stayed the night at her house last night. Today I'm going to Ibaan to Edmonds, another volunteer. His town is have a big Oktoberfest celebration. Tomorrow Karen and I are going up to Los Banyos to see Regina Renee, Phyllis, and Pam. They say it's less than a two hour bus ride. Monday I'm going with Mam Lorraine from school to San Jose. She has a house there and that's where her husband and son live. She just gets to go on the weekends and breaks. Some other teachers are supposed to come out there too. I'm staying there until Wednesday. Then Thursday a bunch of Peace Corps people are going to Manila. On Friday there is a big Peace Corps 50th Anniversary at the Mall of Asia. I'm staying there through Sunday. Then Monday the 7th all the big wigs from America PC and Philippines are coming to Karen's site and we are all going to lunch together. So I have a rather busy week ahead of me, but I'm excited about it. I'm guessing it will be a nice break for my host family too to not have to worry about taking care of me for a week.

I'm keeping myself busy! Seems like I can always find something going on! When there's nothing going on it gets rather boring out in San Francisco. Last weekend Karen came out to San Fran and stayed the night and got to see all the excitement out there.

Email me and let me know what's going on back at home! I love hearing from people! And I'll try and write back when I have internet...

All about School…

All about School…

I have now been in San Francisco for one month! Man time flies! Seems like every time I turn around a new week starts. My school is a very small school with about 190 students. One class per grade. So there are 9 teachers total including me and the principal. Kinder goes to school half a day and then there is 1^st-6^th. I started off in 5^th grade with Mam Rachel (31) as my counterpart; Rachel is still my main counterpart. I’m in 5^th grade for English, Math, and some of the Science. 5^th grade is the wild bunch of the school. We have 19 boys and 10 girls. They all seem to have a difficult time being in a classroom setting. Then I’m in 6^th grade with Mam Lorraine (36) for English class. We’ve been co-teaching for about two weeks now and have a good routine and flow going.  This past week I started observing 4^th grade English in Mam Rodora’s (DayDay (nickname pronounced DiDi ay=i) 31) class. We will then start co-teaching together as well. They want me to work down to 3^rd grade English as well, but that might take a little more time. That is Mam Lonnie’s class. She is around my mom’s age and a little more hesitant to speak English with me. Then there is Mam Linda in grade 2. Maybe around my parents age and she’s quite funny. In 1^st grade is Mam Maan (23 Ma on). She speaks quite good English and her and I talk a lot. Then the principal is Mam Valencia. I like all the teachers and we have a lot of fun together. We haven’t hung out outside of school yet, but I feel like it could happen. At least with some of us. It’s funny because all the teachers are called Mam (pronounced more like Mom) but then I’m called teacher Amy. Who knows why?!? Haha.

One of the most common questions I get is how do the Philippine pupils compare to the American pupils? My response… kids are kids, but in America they speak English. Working in America with different class kids I have found that it doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor, they are still kids. Here it is no different. Some are spoiled, some are smart, some have learning disabilities, and some are a bit ADHD. When it comes down to it, they are kids and going to act they way kids act.

Competitions are a very big deal in this country. It’s crazy how many competitions they have and they just jump from one to the next. Since I’ve been here I’ve been to Science and Math. Then next is a journalism competition and a storytelling. In Lipa City it’s divided into 4 districts, North, South, East, and West. Then all 4 districts make up the Division of Lipa City. Then it goes to the Batangas Region, and then Nationals level. I went to the science division competition a couple of Saturday’s ago. We had two students qualify in district and make it to division. A 3^rd and 6^th grade student. What they had to do was take an oral test that lasted about an hour. Neither one of them advanced to the regional level. Yesterday we had district Math Camp. It was from 3:30-9:00. Some of the students participated in a Math Trivia and some in a Math Hunt. Then there were a couple of other competitions. One of the competitions was a song and dance. That took up most of the time. How song and dance fits into Math Camp, I have no idea! Filipinos love to sing and dance so whenever possible they fit that in. I’m always asked if I can sing and/or dance. I of course say no, and so then they ask what your talent is then? I’ve just started saying that I have no talent. They don’t really like that answer either, but o’well. Oh yeah, I’m in the East district, and Karen’s school is in the South district. So when things are done by district we aren’t together, but when things are done by division we are together.

October 5^th was World Teacher’s Day. I’ve never really heard of it being celebrated in America, but here it’s a big deal. We didn’t have school that day and all the teachers from the district got together at a resort. We rode in a jeep with our school banner on the front, met at the district office, and caravanned over to the resort. It started off with an hour long mass! I haven’t mentioned, school and religion are not separated here at all. Every day starts off with a prayer, and then the students pray before going to lunch, and when they leave for the day. My school has one Mass a month. A priest comes in from Lipa and does the service. My town has mass once a month. I haven’t heard of it happening yet, but maybe it has. A priest comes in one Sunday a month and does a service in the church here. So anyways, after mass they have some introductions and speeches. Then we play games. The games are the limbo, balloon races, sack races, volleyball, badminton, and a few others. They also had videoke going on. (just like karaoke, but with a screen showing a video). They said there was a special guest going to sing from San Francisco. I just refused and didn’t go up. Haha. O’well. Then we had lunch and that afternoon was an awards ceremony. 

A little update from a LONG time!

Well, it seems like it has been forever! Maybe because it has been a long time. I’m actually writing this in a word document on my laptop in my bedroom and will save it to my flashdrive in hopes that one day soon I will have an internet connection and be able to post this online! When I do get online I pay by the minute, so to prewrite posts and letters is the best way to go.

Let’s go way back… Sorry, it’s going to take a while!

Sept 11^th I left my host family in Colo, Dinalupihan, Bataan. It was actually a lot harder to leave my family then I thought it was going to be. The last couple days there RG would hardly talk to me because he was sad I was leaving. I was sad because I didn’t get to say goodbye to the family girls (sister and nieces) a couple houses down. I had gotten on the bus and in my seat and looked out the window to see them sitting on the bench waving at me. I made my way off the bus to go say goodbye to them! We’ve sent a few messages on facebook since I’ve left. Mhay and I text back and forth some. Last night I got a text from Mhay. She said every time Miguel goes into the room I stayed in he says he misses Amy and starts crying L I will make it back someday to visit them!

Sept 12-17 – This week was spent at Island Cove Resort in Cavite, by Manila. The first couple days were just a wrap up of our pre-service training (PST). Monday night at dinner we met our counterparts that we will be working with for the next two years! My counterparts name is Rachel, she’s 31 years old, has 3 boys 2,4,7, and teaches 5^th grade. She’s a very nice lady and can be quiet and shy. It’s kind of weird to start working with someone at a conference that you just met. We worked well together and presented a demo teaching that was successful.

Sept 16 – SWEARING IN! BATCH 270! There have been 270 batches of volunteers in the Philippines since 1961 when Peace Corps started. The Philippines was one of the 1^st countries volunteers ever got sent to. We had our big ceremony swearing in as official volunteers. This is the time people really think; man what am I getting myself in to?!? But everyone swore in and as far as I know no one has left yet. We had 54 volunteers swear in. The ceremony was at 2pm, making it 1am in Texas. My parents stayed up to watch it! My mom has some pictures on facebook of me. I was pretty impressed with them! http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17301326 This link is supposed to have a recorded copy of the ceremony. I’m not sure if you can still view it or not. I’ve never gotten to go and look at it. I didn’t really think much about having a ceremony, but it was kind of a big deal and a big step into the next part of our adventures!

Sept 17 – We had the choice to go to our sites with our counterparts, or stay one night in Manila and go to our sites the next day. Some friends and I chose to stay in Manila and we would travel to our sites on Sunday. We just had to be to school on Monday so no need to sit around with our new host families for a whole weekend! In Manila Peace Corps has a pension house (Hostel) that they use. It’s open to the public but they have an arrangement with PC and many volunteers stay there. That’s where we stayed. We really didn’t do a whole lot, but got to hang out and relax some. We walked around the mall and ate some American food. Many people from batch 269 and some from 268 were there so that was fun getting to talk to them. Some I had met before at trainings and some of them were new to me.

Sept 18 – Our big trek to our new sites! Our first real experience going out on our own too. Karen, Mike, and I all stayed at the pension in Manila and were all traveling in the same direction. Sunday morning we got up and headed out to the bus station. The 3 of us, and ALL of our luggage, fit into one taxi. I really wasn’t sure that it was going to work and the taxi driver was worried about how heavy it was. He had to check to see how close the tires and frame were to each other. He drove slow and cautiously, but we made it to the bus station. It was crazy getting all our bags out of the taxi and on to the bus. When we pulled up, some guys started taking our bags and my 1^st thought was, hey Mike, follow those guys with our bags and make sure they get to wherever they are going. So Mike followed them and watched them put our bags on to the bus while Karen and I stayed back and paid the taxi driver and made sure we had everything. The whole bus ride our counterparts kept texting to see where we were and make sure they would be there when we arrived. Mike lives in Malvar, which is just 30 minutes North of Lipa. So he got off at his stop and Karen and I continued on. We weren’t exactly positive where we would be getting off, but knew we were close and then we saw Karen’s counterpart standing at the street. That was a whirlwind too getting all of our bags off the bus, greeting the people who came to pick us up, and getting off the busy street. Karen and I didn’t even really say bye to each other, just went our way with our different counterparts. I wasn’t sure who all was there to pick me up, but later learned All the teachers at my school (which is really only 7 but still), the principal, her husband, two kids, and sister, the barangay captain, and I’m sure a few others that I don’t remember. They had two vehicles with everyone and once again all my luggage. We drove from Lipa City Proper to my Barangay, San Francisco, and my principal’s sister gave me a talking tour as we drove. We pulled up to my house; everyone got out and went to meet my family. I got there and there were TONS of people, mostly children. Turns out it was the granddaughter Annabelle’s 7^th birthday. 7^th Birthdays are a huge deal here. I don’t exactly know the reasoning behind it. We all went in the house and ate lunch. Then we sat around on the porch and I was introduced to all the teachers. I met many family members and wasn’t sure who exactly belonged to the house I’d be staying in. It took me a couple of days to figure out who all actually lived in my house. Now I know it’s the Grandmother, Ninay Lette 64, her son Rico 34, his wife Mylen 31, their son MJ (Mark Jansen) 4, granddaughter Emalyn 16, and granddaughter Mary Grace 13. Mylen is also pregnant and due mid January.

The first few days in my new house were rather awkward. I guess that is expected when you move in with complete strangers in a foreign country. It has taken a bit for us to get used to each other, but we are doing pretty well now. It’s been 2 and a half weeks. San Francisco is very different from what it was like in Colo. San Fran is how they put it, in the province, versus being in the city. So that pretty much means out in the country. They had told me it was way out here, but I didn’t fully understand until I actually made the drive from town out here. My family lives on a compound with many family members living all around in houses. I live in the nicest house because it’s the grandmothers of the family. The grandfather died 2 years ago. My house has a tin roof and the rooms don’t have ceilings, so you look up and just see the rafters. My family put up a feedsack tarp on the ceiling in my room for me. The bathroom is separated into a shower room and a toilet room. The toilet is a squat toilet and the shower is just a faucet with a bucket and tabo (dipper). So I take bucket showers and it’s also very cold water! They bought a brand new mattress that’s pretty comfortable. It’s a full size bed. When I first got here I didn’t have anywhere to put my things and since then they’ve bought a “cabinet” thing, put up a mirror, hung an electric fan on the wall, a little side table, and hung a clothes line across one wall of my room so I could hang my school clothes. They really do as much as possible to make sure I’m happy and have everything I need. One thing they were really worried about was the food. Mylen cooks my food, and I think she’s gotten a little more comfortable in what she makes for me. I think some of what she makes is just special for me and some she makes for the whole family. I eat in the dining room at the table by myself. The rest of the family eats later in the “dirty kitchen”. A room built on in the back of the house as an outside kitchen. Most houses in the Philippines have this. In Colo it was just out in their front yard. I’m working on us eating dinner together, we’ll see when or if that ever happens. The 1^st couple days I walked home from school for lunch, but now she has started sending my lunch to school. She doesn’t cook it until later in the morning, so she’ll send one of the kids who’s not in school to bring me my food at the school. On my compound there are TONS of children. Ninay Lette has 5 boys and 3 girls, and they all have children. Rico has just MJ and one to come, one son has 8, another has 5, a daughter has 2, another son 2, and I don’t even know, but it makes for a lot of kids running around. I’ve counted 8 roosters on the property and honestly they don’t bother me that much. They have 17 pigs that live right outside my bedroom window; they can be a bit noisy. They have two cats, and one was really bothering me, but I think they’ve stopped letting it in the house or something. They have pigeons, guinea pigs, and I don’t even know what else is back there. I haven’t really explored it too much. It’s pretty muddy and smells pretty bad.

I'm going to have to update about school later.... that's what I'm here for and I haven't even had time to write about it! Hopefully I'll get it posted next weekend!