I have returned to Chicago. From the time I left Manila to the time I touched down in Chicago was 25 hours. I have never been able to sleep for more than a few minutes on a plane, and the flight over the Pacific was a little bumpy so I am quite tired. I did get an e-mail from Gloria Niez in Bontoc saying that a comment that I put in by an American named Johnny was causing a stir among some of her friends in education.
Johnny is an American who came to the Philippines thirty years ago as a member of the Peace Corps. He got married to a Filipina and has lived in the Philippines for thirty years. He has two teenage daughters who have gone to school in the Philippines and in the United States. He spends time in the Philippines and in the US as does the rest of his family.
The comment that he made to me was that he was having his daughters finish their high school in the US because he thought that schools in the Philippines relied too much on memorization rather than critical thinking. I should mention that his daughters went to school in Tagbilaran in Bohol.
I should state that this was HIS OPINION. I have visited classrooms and talked with students in Bontoc and Dalaguete in the past three years, and I have tutored students in Payatas, but I have not done any observations of class instructions and certainly can not make such a blanket statement. However, people in the general public do make blanket statements, and they do have impacts. People in America are convinced that Asian students are way above Americans in math skills. My friend James Kang who was born in Korea can tell you how he has lived with this stereotype. He will be the first to tell you that he was not one of these way above average Asians. Another instance of opinion was that of one of my co-teacher Bill Singerman's acquaintances who was from the Philippines. He was indignant that I could actually have taught English in the Philippines. All Filipinos he said knew English, and why would anyone have to teach them the language? OPINIONS DO HAVE IMPACTS.
Do Filipino schools stress memorization as opposed to critical thinking? There is no way to answer this question because schools differ. However, these opinions do matter. Johnny made decisions because of his opinions. Teachers differ widely in the way they teach. Bontoc National High School has an English teacher, Joseph Anavesa, whose classroom I visited this year and last year. One of the activities he had students do was analyze a song from the Disney movie Pocohantas. I thought it was a wonderful lesson. It combined the love for songs that I saw in the Philippines with the opportunity to think about what was being said in the song. It was definitely an assignment that involved critical thinking. Mrs. Caday's classes in food preparation gave plenty of opportunities to combine these assignments with chemistry. Pastor Lando Ceniza who lives in Payatas and grew up in Bontoc, is always experimenting with agriculture in his work and Payatas, and he remembers how his classes in Bontoc integrated chemistry and biology with farming and fisheries.
So can I go back and tell Johnny that he is wrong about the schools in the Philippines? Well, he is wrong to assume that all schools are stressing memorization over critical thinking. The example that he gave me to justify his opinion was that his daughters who were quite fluent in English and had spent a good deal of time in New York had done poorly on an English test which required them to identify the meanings of 150 jargon phrases. This assignment could easily become an example of sheer memorization I admit. But there are assignments like this in US classes too.
Every parent makes decisions for their children, and Johnny and his wife made a decision for their two girls. The decision on what school to send your children to should involve researching the school and the teachers.
As a teacher, I must say, however, that my decisions would be influenced by some other factors too.
Class size, I am convinced, does make a difference in how teaching goes on.
I regularly see in frontof me twelve to eighteen students at a time. I think my lessons would be quite different if I saw forty to fifty students at a time.
Class size in the Philippines is considerably larger those I am used to.
Class days in the provinces seemed much longer, but in Payatas they were much shorter.
Inday regularly leaves for school around 7:30 each day and finishes after 4. So she has at least an hour more of school each day than my students do.
I do think that longer school days do help teaching instruction. (My students will probably kill me if they see this in print!!)
In Payatas, students would tell me about going to school from 6 a.m. to noon while others would go from noon to 6 p.m.
In spite of what I just said, I went to a high school where we had classes from 7 to noon, and I think I benefited because I read close to three books a week with the extra time.
Access to books, the internet, and multi-media does impact teaching, and the schools in the Philippines really could benefit from more of these.
Bontoc has a high school where students can do hands on projects in agriculture. This is something that I think is a great asset, and I saw a number of kids in other schools working on gardens. Very few American schools have something similar.
Kids in the provinces have much more freedom than American kids in big cities. American kids are much more likely to be confined to classrooms
or their homes than kids in the provinces of the Philippines. My opinion is that American kids can really miss a lot because of this. Television becomes a baby sitter.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Despidida
Despidida
In two hours I will be on my way to the airport for my flight back to Chicago. There is a lot I have left to report about--the program with Grace Buado for funding college student's tuition, the Mission Ministeries Philippines and their programs of community building, and my meeting with Admiral Ernesto Levanza from the Philippine Coast Guard and Jerry Simon who is the CEO of a shipping company here. They are working on a project of building a school in Zambales.
These are all things I want to talk about at length with my friends in America. For right now, I will tell about a party that was arranged for me last night. The students called it a Despidida party. It means that I am leaving so I was supposed to cook but Ate Glo and Flor's cousins did that. I just bought the spaghetti and mangos. haha
In addition to Flor, Lando and Josie and their daughters Rapha and Gwyneth, there were nine kids that I first met tutoring three years ago. Jennelyn is a great singer as is her closest friend Myca. I have been able to help them with college expenses. Myca gave me a necklace that has Zeus written on it in case I forget who I am. She tutors many younger kids now, and she is a born leader. Loujesa is a great leader too. She has a great sense of humor often directed at herself with the added "Joke Lang" which means just kidding. She is in first year college studying community organizing. Julie Anne teaches preschoolers in the morning and then goes to college in the afternoon studying information technology. Clifford is a great guitarist who is in a band with Myca and Jennelyn. Shirley Ann is another first year college student who stunningly beautiful as opposed to just beautiful. Noeme and Kathy are still in high school. Noeme towers over everyone since she is five foot six inches tall I think. She wants to be a stewardess, and I am sure she would be a great one. Kathy is quiet. She told me she was scared of me when she first saw me because I was so tall. Ha ha and looked like Santa Claus, but she is now a great friend. Karen is tiny and so smart. She will be going back to school in October and wants to be a teacher. She came with me yesterday when I met with the admiral, and I introduced her as my bodyguard. She is soooooooooo cute!!! Rapha is much younger--in sixth grade. She is just a wonderfully friendly girl and a great leader among her friends.
There are two things that I think are remarkable about these students. They all will tell you that they are poor. In many cases, their parents make two dollars a day on a good day.
And I expect all of them to finish college.
There is a sense of community in this group which is absolutely amazing. They all performed at a seventh year celebration for their church on Sunday, and they are all talented. They have all been working since they were very young.
After we had finished eating, each in turn said thanks to me for coming. They were embarrassed that their English was not good enough, and I knew that my Tagalog was so much poorer. This is a group of students I will never forget.
Danny, I played the song Bulak for them. They loved it.
I have to go.
In two hours I will be on my way to the airport for my flight back to Chicago. There is a lot I have left to report about--the program with Grace Buado for funding college student's tuition, the Mission Ministeries Philippines and their programs of community building, and my meeting with Admiral Ernesto Levanza from the Philippine Coast Guard and Jerry Simon who is the CEO of a shipping company here. They are working on a project of building a school in Zambales.
These are all things I want to talk about at length with my friends in America. For right now, I will tell about a party that was arranged for me last night. The students called it a Despidida party. It means that I am leaving so I was supposed to cook but Ate Glo and Flor's cousins did that. I just bought the spaghetti and mangos. haha
In addition to Flor, Lando and Josie and their daughters Rapha and Gwyneth, there were nine kids that I first met tutoring three years ago. Jennelyn is a great singer as is her closest friend Myca. I have been able to help them with college expenses. Myca gave me a necklace that has Zeus written on it in case I forget who I am. She tutors many younger kids now, and she is a born leader. Loujesa is a great leader too. She has a great sense of humor often directed at herself with the added "Joke Lang" which means just kidding. She is in first year college studying community organizing. Julie Anne teaches preschoolers in the morning and then goes to college in the afternoon studying information technology. Clifford is a great guitarist who is in a band with Myca and Jennelyn. Shirley Ann is another first year college student who stunningly beautiful as opposed to just beautiful. Noeme and Kathy are still in high school. Noeme towers over everyone since she is five foot six inches tall I think. She wants to be a stewardess, and I am sure she would be a great one. Kathy is quiet. She told me she was scared of me when she first saw me because I was so tall. Ha ha and looked like Santa Claus, but she is now a great friend. Karen is tiny and so smart. She will be going back to school in October and wants to be a teacher. She came with me yesterday when I met with the admiral, and I introduced her as my bodyguard. She is soooooooooo cute!!! Rapha is much younger--in sixth grade. She is just a wonderfully friendly girl and a great leader among her friends.
There are two things that I think are remarkable about these students. They all will tell you that they are poor. In many cases, their parents make two dollars a day on a good day.
And I expect all of them to finish college.
There is a sense of community in this group which is absolutely amazing. They all performed at a seventh year celebration for their church on Sunday, and they are all talented. They have all been working since they were very young.
After we had finished eating, each in turn said thanks to me for coming. They were embarrassed that their English was not good enough, and I knew that my Tagalog was so much poorer. This is a group of students I will never forget.
Danny, I played the song Bulak for them. They loved it.
I have to go.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Kids
The students that I see here live in very different circumstances than the students I teach in Chicago. Loujessa lives in a house near a small river. When it rains, garbage comes rushing past and the first floor must be cleaned out. Queenie told me she has 11 books. Most of them are bibles. That is actually more books than most households I have seen. She tells me that she used to have a television, but now it is just a radio. If you take a shower here, you take a large ladle and dump water (tubig) over yourself. It comes from a large blue barrel. In the humid weather, it is actually much nicer and refreshing than the showers we have. And the last thing you would want here is a warm shower. Some houses use gas canisters to power the stove, but in the more remote areas it can be charcoal or in places like Bontoc it can be wood fires. Clar and Jun Jun have beautiful tile floors, but in most places the floors are grey concrete, and in some homes the floors are hard packed dirt. Most houses have tin roofs and grey cinder block construction, but the pajag in Bontoc is bamboo with a nipa roof. This is much cooler!
The mirrors here are way tooooooooooooooo low. I guess they weren't expecting me, and the doors are often too low. Mary Joyce's family lives in the tiniest house I have ever seen, and I have to sit down when I am there, but in some houses you can see the roof. I actually prefer that because there is much more air and more of a chance for heat to rise. Many houses have fans, but only one I have been in had a room with air conditioning (called air con here).
I should mention that the American Johnny and his Filipino wife and kids have a house that is really a mansion with a swimming pool. He told me that his house costs $170,000. Money goes much much farther here.
Queenie could not believe that I did not have a maid, cook, and driver in America. I told her that the only people I knew who would have help like this were the really rich, and I certainly was not one of them. I have seen quite a few middle class Filipinos who have all of the above. While I have been here, I have had all these tasks done for me. I am sure my wife will bring me back to reality but telling me to start washing the dishes again.
Hannah's mother and relatives work at extracting metal from discarded trash. When I was there, a young man was hammering on some plastic to remove the copper wire in it. Noeme and Loujessa told me that they started helping their mothers make mats when they were in grade one. People who have refrigerators can use them to make ice in plastic bags or make ice candy from coconut juice (buko juice). Wow, is it good. Noeme and Loujessa, who have beautiful singing voices, say they sometimes sing while workingl, but Kathy implied she was faster because she focused more.
I have taken the students to a mall, a McDonalds, and on a trip on the elevated train. Although all of these things are readily available in Manila, the students told me it was the first time for them to have ever been there. Many actually have used computers, but this is because they took advantage of the many, many internet cafes. Internet cafes are cheap for me--about 15 to 20 pesos for an hour (roughly 30 to 40 cents), but for someone who makes rugs, this is over an hours worth of work. Most internet cafes seem to be used for gaming (boys) and chatting (girls). Research for school sometimes happens, but it often means printing out an article rather than writing from it.
In the provinces and in college students often go to school from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but in the crowded parts of Manila students are usually going from 6 to 12 or 12 to 6. Hannah tells me her class is really noisy, but if you have five noisy infractions you will get a slap on the palm with a hard ruler. All the students wear uniforms.
I guess I have just been rambling. In spite of all these differences, it takes a while for me to realize that these kids are any different than the ones I teach in America. Well, they are probably more polite ha ha, but it takes a while to understand how different poverty can make their life experiences. They just seem like kids. Nice ones.
The mirrors here are way tooooooooooooooo low. I guess they weren't expecting me, and the doors are often too low. Mary Joyce's family lives in the tiniest house I have ever seen, and I have to sit down when I am there, but in some houses you can see the roof. I actually prefer that because there is much more air and more of a chance for heat to rise. Many houses have fans, but only one I have been in had a room with air conditioning (called air con here).
I should mention that the American Johnny and his Filipino wife and kids have a house that is really a mansion with a swimming pool. He told me that his house costs $170,000. Money goes much much farther here.
Queenie could not believe that I did not have a maid, cook, and driver in America. I told her that the only people I knew who would have help like this were the really rich, and I certainly was not one of them. I have seen quite a few middle class Filipinos who have all of the above. While I have been here, I have had all these tasks done for me. I am sure my wife will bring me back to reality but telling me to start washing the dishes again.
Hannah's mother and relatives work at extracting metal from discarded trash. When I was there, a young man was hammering on some plastic to remove the copper wire in it. Noeme and Loujessa told me that they started helping their mothers make mats when they were in grade one. People who have refrigerators can use them to make ice in plastic bags or make ice candy from coconut juice (buko juice). Wow, is it good. Noeme and Loujessa, who have beautiful singing voices, say they sometimes sing while workingl, but Kathy implied she was faster because she focused more.
I have taken the students to a mall, a McDonalds, and on a trip on the elevated train. Although all of these things are readily available in Manila, the students told me it was the first time for them to have ever been there. Many actually have used computers, but this is because they took advantage of the many, many internet cafes. Internet cafes are cheap for me--about 15 to 20 pesos for an hour (roughly 30 to 40 cents), but for someone who makes rugs, this is over an hours worth of work. Most internet cafes seem to be used for gaming (boys) and chatting (girls). Research for school sometimes happens, but it often means printing out an article rather than writing from it.
In the provinces and in college students often go to school from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but in the crowded parts of Manila students are usually going from 6 to 12 or 12 to 6. Hannah tells me her class is really noisy, but if you have five noisy infractions you will get a slap on the palm with a hard ruler. All the students wear uniforms.
I guess I have just been rambling. In spite of all these differences, it takes a while for me to realize that these kids are any different than the ones I teach in America. Well, they are probably more polite ha ha, but it takes a while to understand how different poverty can make their life experiences. They just seem like kids. Nice ones.
Hannah
In addition to seeing my former students each night and going over their work, I taught for two days in Valenzuela. This is an area where a garbage dump once existed, and many scavengers surrounded the dump making a living. When the site was closed, many of the families remained. The kids here are children of parents who continue to eke out a living here.
When I enter the church where I will be doing the tutoring, a boy named Arthur says to the children assembled there, "Bless" and thirty kids in turn come up and take my hand and raise it to their foreheads. There is a feeding program two days a week when the kids come get lunch, and while we are waiting for the food to come, I juggle with the kids and play songs on my flute. Among the young kids there are two students who tower over the rest. When I start tutoring later, I learn their names are Hannah and Jenilyn.
Our first lesson is about fractions which they are studying in school. I show them how they can time their speeds in running across the room in hundredths of a second, and they have a good time seeing how their times compare. Later we measure our heights in centimeters and feet and inches. The two girls who were so tall are four feet ten inches. Jenilyn is 12 and Hannah is 10. Jenilyn's brother Jason is ten and he is four feet two inches tall. These three stay have the lesson is over and I teach them how to juggle then I ask if they will help me learn Tagalog. We end up talking about what their school is like and what America is like. Because they are neighbors (kapit bahay), I give them the five tennis balls so that they can continue practicing. They need to share them.
Later I tutor several high school students and we do activities that relate to physics. It is lots of fun, and they are wonderfully attentive. Unlike the younger kids, they can understand most of what I say in English. For the younger kids I need Flor to help me translate except for Hannah. The older kids too help me with Tagalog, and we exchange funny stories. I tell them how amazed I am that so many people here use skin whitener since Americans work so hard trying to get sun tans so they will look the color of Filipiinos. We all laugh.
Hannah has been listening in with the high school students and as I am leaving she puts a note in my pocket.
On the way home, I remember it;
Here is part of it:
Thanks for being a good teacher....
When its raining I feel happy because I remember you.
When it is raining I am happy because raining is my favorite day. I like to walk in the rain or to stay home and write a poem. This poem is my first poem I do.
Shy
There's a little shy in my heart
There's a little shy in my feelings
But I have no shy
When I am talking with someone
That's my friend like you.
When I enter the church where I will be doing the tutoring, a boy named Arthur says to the children assembled there, "Bless" and thirty kids in turn come up and take my hand and raise it to their foreheads. There is a feeding program two days a week when the kids come get lunch, and while we are waiting for the food to come, I juggle with the kids and play songs on my flute. Among the young kids there are two students who tower over the rest. When I start tutoring later, I learn their names are Hannah and Jenilyn.
Our first lesson is about fractions which they are studying in school. I show them how they can time their speeds in running across the room in hundredths of a second, and they have a good time seeing how their times compare. Later we measure our heights in centimeters and feet and inches. The two girls who were so tall are four feet ten inches. Jenilyn is 12 and Hannah is 10. Jenilyn's brother Jason is ten and he is four feet two inches tall. These three stay have the lesson is over and I teach them how to juggle then I ask if they will help me learn Tagalog. We end up talking about what their school is like and what America is like. Because they are neighbors (kapit bahay), I give them the five tennis balls so that they can continue practicing. They need to share them.
Later I tutor several high school students and we do activities that relate to physics. It is lots of fun, and they are wonderfully attentive. Unlike the younger kids, they can understand most of what I say in English. For the younger kids I need Flor to help me translate except for Hannah. The older kids too help me with Tagalog, and we exchange funny stories. I tell them how amazed I am that so many people here use skin whitener since Americans work so hard trying to get sun tans so they will look the color of Filipiinos. We all laugh.
Hannah has been listening in with the high school students and as I am leaving she puts a note in my pocket.
On the way home, I remember it;
Here is part of it:
Thanks for being a good teacher....
When its raining I feel happy because I remember you.
When it is raining I am happy because raining is my favorite day. I like to walk in the rain or to stay home and write a poem. This poem is my first poem I do.
Shy
There's a little shy in my heart
There's a little shy in my feelings
But I have no shy
When I am talking with someone
That's my friend like you.
Manila
Manila is a big city and where I am spending my time in the poorest areas of the city. It has many poor areas. There are eleven to twelve million people in the metro Manila area, and I have seen estimates that between one third and forty percent of the people are squatters living in temporary shacks. I have been running about half an hour each day, but I decide to limit myself to a couple hundred pushups each day because the air quality is so bad. Payatas is a great place to develop asthma.
But the kids I teach here are wonderful. Several of the kids I have tutored in the past are now great friends. They come in the evening to go over math and science, and we just have a great time talking. Myca, Queenie, Noeme, Loujessa, Kathy, and Jenn are going to be very successful. They have come from very poor homes, but they have learned how to be responsible in ways Americans kids could hardly imagine. One evening they show how their parents make a living weaving place mats from cloth that has been discarded at the land fill. I discover how hard the work is trying to cut the fabric and weaving it together. Noeme and Lou jessa started in Grade One doing this work, and they fly through the work.
Although I can't imagine completing a matt in one day, they tell me that some mothers have competition to see how fast they can complete a matt. Half an hour is like a record time.. With hard work a person can complete ten mats in a day. But this makes only one hundred pesos which is about two dollars.
With two dollars a day as an income, the twenty five pesos used in transportation costs by jeepney are huge expenses. And costs of paper and uniforms makes high school expenses prohibitive for many who are poor. The students I see have learned how to economize, and school for them is an opportunity they take seriously.
For students in college a semester's tuition is only about one hundred and fifteen dollars, but this is an enormous cost for a kid from Payatas or Valenzuela. I have begun working with people from Mission Ministries Phillippines on a scholarship program where a student's tuition is paid if they tutor younger students. I will describe this more in a later blog.
But the kids I teach here are wonderful. Several of the kids I have tutored in the past are now great friends. They come in the evening to go over math and science, and we just have a great time talking. Myca, Queenie, Noeme, Loujessa, Kathy, and Jenn are going to be very successful. They have come from very poor homes, but they have learned how to be responsible in ways Americans kids could hardly imagine. One evening they show how their parents make a living weaving place mats from cloth that has been discarded at the land fill. I discover how hard the work is trying to cut the fabric and weaving it together. Noeme and Lou jessa started in Grade One doing this work, and they fly through the work.
Although I can't imagine completing a matt in one day, they tell me that some mothers have competition to see how fast they can complete a matt. Half an hour is like a record time.. With hard work a person can complete ten mats in a day. But this makes only one hundred pesos which is about two dollars.
With two dollars a day as an income, the twenty five pesos used in transportation costs by jeepney are huge expenses. And costs of paper and uniforms makes high school expenses prohibitive for many who are poor. The students I see have learned how to economize, and school for them is an opportunity they take seriously.
For students in college a semester's tuition is only about one hundred and fifteen dollars, but this is an enormous cost for a kid from Payatas or Valenzuela. I have begun working with people from Mission Ministries Phillippines on a scholarship program where a student's tuition is paid if they tutor younger students. I will describe this more in a later blog.
Leaving Bohol
The rest of the world may have a recession, but Bohol seems to be booming. There are many tourists here, and several years ago I wondered if ecotourism would really be successful here. Well, it has been.
The island is beautiful with the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, the Luboc River, caves, waterfalls, and the white sand beaches. The Calope family is great fun, and the area where they live is beautiful. I stay with Clar and her husband Jun Jun. Jun Jun is a seaman, and this is the first time I have met him. He has been all over the world, and although he gets to be home for only a short time each year, he seems to be an old friend. Every running with all of Sterling's nieces and nephews. They call me Lolo Zeus, and we take turns racing up a hill along with several of the dogs that live nearby. By the end of thirty minutes I am soaking wet with the humidity (called Egang here).
Our big expedition is to the dagat (ocean), and I rent a jeepney so all the kids can come along. The beach is wonderful with beautiful white sand, and I spend my time pulling the nieces and nephews through the waves (bawad I think is the word). Between the time I am in the water getting a sunburn, I practice juggling five balls and accompanying a blind singer. We play my favorite song Anak which I have been practicing at the karaoke places in Bontoc. It is fun juggling for people here, and I have taught many kids and adults how to. But the most fun is making up juggling games. I also practice seeing if I can play the music that goes with the ice cream vendor. Ha ha.
Sterling has a four month old son who has an American passport, but she is still trying to get an American visa to visit her husband in Massachusetts. Before I leave we meet an American who has been living here for thirty years since he was in the Peace Corps. He tells everyone that Bohol is paradise, but admits he has to go back to New York City every year to make money. Johnny tells me that his two girls are about two grade levels ahead of American kids in math and science, but he believes that the Philippine education focuses too much on memorizing rather than problem solving and critical thinking. But he loves the way his girls have been socialized here. He thinks the Philippines is a much harder place for boys to grow up. I have, in fact, noticed that the high school students I teach are more often girls, and boys are much more often sitting in the back rows.
I leave Bohol feeling sad to have to leave. The airport seems lonely without the many Calopes. I remember Sterling's mother saying to me two years ago about her family, "Always smiling, always happy."
In the waiting room there is a trio of three blind singers with guitars. At first I am not expecting much, but the first song is good, and some of us start clapping. Before long the lead singer has gotten our attention and more of us make our way to the donation box. It is announced that the plane will be late, but I don't mind because now people are singing along with the trio. I have noticed how much Filipinos like melodies, and when the singers start with American Pie, there is music filling the room both from the trio and the people crammed in the waiting room singing along. When the plane finally arrives, I am wishing it would have taken longer.
The island is beautiful with the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, the Luboc River, caves, waterfalls, and the white sand beaches. The Calope family is great fun, and the area where they live is beautiful. I stay with Clar and her husband Jun Jun. Jun Jun is a seaman, and this is the first time I have met him. He has been all over the world, and although he gets to be home for only a short time each year, he seems to be an old friend. Every running with all of Sterling's nieces and nephews. They call me Lolo Zeus, and we take turns racing up a hill along with several of the dogs that live nearby. By the end of thirty minutes I am soaking wet with the humidity (called Egang here).
Our big expedition is to the dagat (ocean), and I rent a jeepney so all the kids can come along. The beach is wonderful with beautiful white sand, and I spend my time pulling the nieces and nephews through the waves (bawad I think is the word). Between the time I am in the water getting a sunburn, I practice juggling five balls and accompanying a blind singer. We play my favorite song Anak which I have been practicing at the karaoke places in Bontoc. It is fun juggling for people here, and I have taught many kids and adults how to. But the most fun is making up juggling games. I also practice seeing if I can play the music that goes with the ice cream vendor. Ha ha.
Sterling has a four month old son who has an American passport, but she is still trying to get an American visa to visit her husband in Massachusetts. Before I leave we meet an American who has been living here for thirty years since he was in the Peace Corps. He tells everyone that Bohol is paradise, but admits he has to go back to New York City every year to make money. Johnny tells me that his two girls are about two grade levels ahead of American kids in math and science, but he believes that the Philippine education focuses too much on memorizing rather than problem solving and critical thinking. But he loves the way his girls have been socialized here. He thinks the Philippines is a much harder place for boys to grow up. I have, in fact, noticed that the high school students I teach are more often girls, and boys are much more often sitting in the back rows.
I leave Bohol feeling sad to have to leave. The airport seems lonely without the many Calopes. I remember Sterling's mother saying to me two years ago about her family, "Always smiling, always happy."
In the waiting room there is a trio of three blind singers with guitars. At first I am not expecting much, but the first song is good, and some of us start clapping. Before long the lead singer has gotten our attention and more of us make our way to the donation box. It is announced that the plane will be late, but I don't mind because now people are singing along with the trio. I have noticed how much Filipinos like melodies, and when the singers start with American Pie, there is music filling the room both from the trio and the people crammed in the waiting room singing along. When the plane finally arrives, I am wishing it would have taken longer.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Bohol
I have really gotten to like the provinces and small towns much better than the big cities, and my visit to Dalaguete was a nice one. Dalaguete is the home of Ester Hana and her brother Danny Buenconsejo, and their Dalaguete Music Foundation has added to Dalaguete's reputation as a town that develops musicians. My trip this year was short, but I got to meet with Ma'am Judith who is one of the leaders of the organization and then with Danny and Ester's sisters, Edna and Sister Milagros who is a nun. I was glad to see Edna, and it was my first time to meet Mila. She was really great to talk to. She told me about how part of her training to become a nun had involved living in Tondo which was the garbage dump much like Payatas is today. She really reminded me of Ester.
The next day I got on the fast craft for the boat ride to Bohol. This was the fourth time I have been to Bohol, and it is a real gem of a place. I am noticing more and more foreign tourists here, and I am seeing more and more evidence of the people of Bohol developing ecotourism.
I am staying with the Calope family here. Sterling Russell, formerly Sterling Calope, has so many wonderful relatives including nieces and nephews who call me Lolo Zeus. One of the first things I do when I get to Balilihan is go for a thirty minute run with about ten of them. They range from preschoolers to BJ who is in fifth grade, and I have a wonderful hill that takes nearly a minute to race to the top of. I take turns racing the kids, and they form relays so no one has to run all ten times up the hill but this elderly man from America. haha
I have difficulty carrying on many conversations in Cebuano but I realize when I am talking with Sterling's sisters, Clar and Lot Lot, that I have picked up many words along the way. Clar's husband is a seamen, and he is between trips. This is my first time to meet him, and he tells me what it is like traveling on a large ship, then he shows me a video of the ship in the middle of a big storm. Tomorrow I am taking all the kids to the ocean, the dagat in Cebuano, where the beaches are white and the water is turquoise. I am looking forward to it! And all of them are too.
By the way, I have added to my collection of exotic foods. Last year I had adidas which are chicken feet, and this year in Bontoc I watched Eking eat something that tasted like pretzels. Actually, I teased him that we were eating worms, and then he informed me that they were chicken intestines. Well, they had seemed delicious, Lami, before he told me, and I am sure with lots of beer I couild have consumed more, but I am not a beer drinker. haha
The next day I got on the fast craft for the boat ride to Bohol. This was the fourth time I have been to Bohol, and it is a real gem of a place. I am noticing more and more foreign tourists here, and I am seeing more and more evidence of the people of Bohol developing ecotourism.
I am staying with the Calope family here. Sterling Russell, formerly Sterling Calope, has so many wonderful relatives including nieces and nephews who call me Lolo Zeus. One of the first things I do when I get to Balilihan is go for a thirty minute run with about ten of them. They range from preschoolers to BJ who is in fifth grade, and I have a wonderful hill that takes nearly a minute to race to the top of. I take turns racing the kids, and they form relays so no one has to run all ten times up the hill but this elderly man from America. haha
I have difficulty carrying on many conversations in Cebuano but I realize when I am talking with Sterling's sisters, Clar and Lot Lot, that I have picked up many words along the way. Clar's husband is a seamen, and he is between trips. This is my first time to meet him, and he tells me what it is like traveling on a large ship, then he shows me a video of the ship in the middle of a big storm. Tomorrow I am taking all the kids to the ocean, the dagat in Cebuano, where the beaches are white and the water is turquoise. I am looking forward to it! And all of them are too.
By the way, I have added to my collection of exotic foods. Last year I had adidas which are chicken feet, and this year in Bontoc I watched Eking eat something that tasted like pretzels. Actually, I teased him that we were eating worms, and then he informed me that they were chicken intestines. Well, they had seemed delicious, Lami, before he told me, and I am sure with lots of beer I couild have consumed more, but I am not a beer drinker. haha
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Bontoc National High School
Bontoc National High School is a beautifully situated campus in San Ramon, Bontoc, Southern Leyte. I am returning to visit the school for the second time. The principal Mr. Florintino Taotao welcomes me. Last year I donated a gas range to the school for use in the food processing department, and he thanks me for it. He points out that students are working at not only learning academics but also learning life skills. Last month was nutrition month, and one of things I notice is that students are being pushed to understand that life styles contribute a great deal to their health. In the past, education was focused almost exclusively on academic subjects. Health awareness, however, is something that can really benefit students in their later life. Particularly in areas where medical care is minimal or non-existent it is important that students know as much about medicine as they can. The school, like others I have seen, has a field where students learn about agriculture, fisheries, and food processing. These are areas where science and technology can be integrated in real hands on experiences.
I visited the classroom of Mrs. Marissa Caday who taught science and food processing. She showed me different kinds of food that that the student had made including tomato wine. She offers me some, and I was amazed to see that I liked it. It should be noted that my family has never had much to do with alcohol. My grandfather, after a life of not drinking, on his deathbed was asked if they could get him something, and said, "Yeah, give me a Pabst." Then he died. So I am at first reluctant, but then decide that a few sips will not turn me into an alcoholic. haha. I am ensured that the tomatoes make this wine nutritious. The lumpia Shanghai made of vegetables is absolutely delicious--Lami is the Visayan word--and the sauce is wonderful too. Mrs. Caday also shows me some of the projects her students have worked on including a model of a water turbine. I got to meet two of her classes, and give them my quadratic equation juggling performance. They were absolutely wonderful to teach!!!
In the afternoon I got to meet again a very dynamic English teacher named Sir Joseph Añevesa. Last year he showed me his approach to teaching English which involved having students learn and analyze the meanings to English songs. For a country where music is so important, this idea really works. Sir Joseph, talked with me about the needs for a computer so that the students can utilize the software that they have. I talk with him too about the idea of having his students correspond with mine through articles about what life is like. The idea of having a blog where students from Ancona and Bontoc National High School can read one another's work would help both groups so much. Students in Southern Leyte need as much experience as they can in using English language. Most students here know three languages, but knowing English well really opens up many more job opportunities. And I emphasize to Sir Joseph that my students often have no real idea about how people in other countries live. I am really hoping that this project will take off! I am hoping that we can do something about getting another computer there.
Are you reading this Greg?!?!?! Hint hint
Before I leave I want to mention another outstanding physics teacher, Mrs. Aura Orillo-Aguilar and Ma'am Erlinda Orais who is the assistant principal at Bontoc National High School. I taught one of Aura's classes last year and they were spectacular students.
I visited the classroom of Mrs. Marissa Caday who taught science and food processing. She showed me different kinds of food that that the student had made including tomato wine. She offers me some, and I was amazed to see that I liked it. It should be noted that my family has never had much to do with alcohol. My grandfather, after a life of not drinking, on his deathbed was asked if they could get him something, and said, "Yeah, give me a Pabst." Then he died. So I am at first reluctant, but then decide that a few sips will not turn me into an alcoholic. haha. I am ensured that the tomatoes make this wine nutritious. The lumpia Shanghai made of vegetables is absolutely delicious--Lami is the Visayan word--and the sauce is wonderful too. Mrs. Caday also shows me some of the projects her students have worked on including a model of a water turbine. I got to meet two of her classes, and give them my quadratic equation juggling performance. They were absolutely wonderful to teach!!!
In the afternoon I got to meet again a very dynamic English teacher named Sir Joseph Añevesa. Last year he showed me his approach to teaching English which involved having students learn and analyze the meanings to English songs. For a country where music is so important, this idea really works. Sir Joseph, talked with me about the needs for a computer so that the students can utilize the software that they have. I talk with him too about the idea of having his students correspond with mine through articles about what life is like. The idea of having a blog where students from Ancona and Bontoc National High School can read one another's work would help both groups so much. Students in Southern Leyte need as much experience as they can in using English language. Most students here know three languages, but knowing English well really opens up many more job opportunities. And I emphasize to Sir Joseph that my students often have no real idea about how people in other countries live. I am really hoping that this project will take off! I am hoping that we can do something about getting another computer there.
Are you reading this Greg?!?!?! Hint hint
Before I leave I want to mention another outstanding physics teacher, Mrs. Aura Orillo-Aguilar and Ma'am Erlinda Orais who is the assistant principal at Bontoc National High School. I taught one of Aura's classes last year and they were spectacular students.
Cristian Niez
Christian Niez is a student in at the University of Cebu Banilad campus school of nursing. I have known him since he was in high school and have been helping him with his tuition there. His mother Glory and brother Jay Ar have shown me around Bontoc and Sogod, and in Cebu I had dinner with him and his cousin Melo who is preparing for her nursing exam in the fall. Nursing and Nautical are two of the biggest sources of jobs in the Philippines and Jay Ar is now on a ship in the Caribbean. Melo is an absolutely charming young lady. She tutored Inday when she was in Bontoc, and at dinner she laughs about how shy Inday is. She was able to make good friends with Inday with her jokes and Inday's math improved greatly with the tutoring she did.
She practices her English with me. In this area of the Philippines there are many people who will attest that their "English is small." I laugh when I hear this phrase, but I realize that if I were speaking Visayan i would have said Bisayan Gamay and sounded even funnier. So I tell her about the movie, Catch Me if You Can. The movie is based on a true story and the main character actually impersonated a doctor. When asked what his diagnosis was, he would question other doctors about their opinions, and then would knowingly respond, "I concur." So I tell Melo and Christian to learn this phrase and pretend they know what they are talking about. Ha ha.
Both Melo and Christian look forward to the day when they can work in America, but I know that work visas are not easy to come by in America. I am looking forward to the day when these two bright students can find good paying jobs in the Philippines and bring medical care to places that are sorely lacking it. If they can provide the best medical care in the United States, they should be able to bring medical tourism to this country. It is something I have seen done in Cuba and India, and it can be done here too.
She practices her English with me. In this area of the Philippines there are many people who will attest that their "English is small." I laugh when I hear this phrase, but I realize that if I were speaking Visayan i would have said Bisayan Gamay and sounded even funnier. So I tell her about the movie, Catch Me if You Can. The movie is based on a true story and the main character actually impersonated a doctor. When asked what his diagnosis was, he would question other doctors about their opinions, and then would knowingly respond, "I concur." So I tell Melo and Christian to learn this phrase and pretend they know what they are talking about. Ha ha.
Both Melo and Christian look forward to the day when they can work in America, but I know that work visas are not easy to come by in America. I am looking forward to the day when these two bright students can find good paying jobs in the Philippines and bring medical care to places that are sorely lacking it. If they can provide the best medical care in the United States, they should be able to bring medical tourism to this country. It is something I have seen done in Cuba and India, and it can be done here too.
Ruel
One of my longer runs was from Hyde Park to deepest darkest Kenilworth and back. It was not that hard although the 52.5 miles seemed like a lot because I had my great friend Jamie Kalven to run with. We spent most of the time talking and so the day went along wonderfully except, of course, for the thunderstorm. In Southern Leyte I have found a great running partner who I hope Jamie and I can both run with. His name is Ruel.
Ruel is in his 20's and hadn't run much before I went to the track at Southern Leyte State University with him and Christian Niez. It was a bit humid, but Ruel put on an extra sweatshirt so he would sweat. It wasn't because he wanted to sweat away any pounds. He is maybe five feet four inches tall and maybe he weighs 100 pounds although that doesn't seem too likely. He didn't complete the first run with me because of cramps in his legs, but the next day he was ready for more. I told him we should run slower--hinay daghan. I had to figure out what to say because Ruel's English is like my Cebuano. Ha ha. With Jamie the question is when will we ever stop talking, and with Ruel the question is will we ever stop using charades to communicate. It is actually a lot of fun to figure out how to communicate on such limited vocabularies
Ruel helped his father build the Payag where I stayed in Bontoc. As a carpenter's helper he made about three dollars a day. When he is not working construction, he helps with the family karaoke machine which is used extensively by the neighbors. He is a quiet and very humble person, and I have gotten to really like him. I bought him a stopwatch. Believe it or not, you can buy stopwatches for four dollars here, but the watch barely dangles on his wrist he is so skinny. I also gave him one of my running shirts as a "remembrance". As I was leaving Bontoc he said what many Filipinos say, "Happy trip" and then he added, "I will miss you." I got ready to carry my bag to the road, and he insisted on carrying it. Everyone, by the way, insists that I am not to carry anything here or to do any dishes. They insist on doing it. It was amazing to see Ruel pick up the luggage which was at least sixty pounds and carry it on his shoulder.
I told Ruel I want him to continue running. We decided on a training plan of forty minutes a day starting hinay and getting faster--pas pas. Then, I added, start running hills for strength. He smiled and touched his thighs to show that he knew they would get sore.
So if you are reading this Jamie, I expect to see you here soon to see if my coaching has led to a future Olympian.
I am hoping too that we can develop some jobs here in Southern Leyte to take advantage of the skills of men like Ruel. He is the kind of worker any company would love to have.
Ruel is in his 20's and hadn't run much before I went to the track at Southern Leyte State University with him and Christian Niez. It was a bit humid, but Ruel put on an extra sweatshirt so he would sweat. It wasn't because he wanted to sweat away any pounds. He is maybe five feet four inches tall and maybe he weighs 100 pounds although that doesn't seem too likely. He didn't complete the first run with me because of cramps in his legs, but the next day he was ready for more. I told him we should run slower--hinay daghan. I had to figure out what to say because Ruel's English is like my Cebuano. Ha ha. With Jamie the question is when will we ever stop talking, and with Ruel the question is will we ever stop using charades to communicate. It is actually a lot of fun to figure out how to communicate on such limited vocabularies
Ruel helped his father build the Payag where I stayed in Bontoc. As a carpenter's helper he made about three dollars a day. When he is not working construction, he helps with the family karaoke machine which is used extensively by the neighbors. He is a quiet and very humble person, and I have gotten to really like him. I bought him a stopwatch. Believe it or not, you can buy stopwatches for four dollars here, but the watch barely dangles on his wrist he is so skinny. I also gave him one of my running shirts as a "remembrance". As I was leaving Bontoc he said what many Filipinos say, "Happy trip" and then he added, "I will miss you." I got ready to carry my bag to the road, and he insisted on carrying it. Everyone, by the way, insists that I am not to carry anything here or to do any dishes. They insist on doing it. It was amazing to see Ruel pick up the luggage which was at least sixty pounds and carry it on his shoulder.
I told Ruel I want him to continue running. We decided on a training plan of forty minutes a day starting hinay and getting faster--pas pas. Then, I added, start running hills for strength. He smiled and touched his thighs to show that he knew they would get sore.
So if you are reading this Jamie, I expect to see you here soon to see if my coaching has led to a future Olympian.
I am hoping too that we can develop some jobs here in Southern Leyte to take advantage of the skills of men like Ruel. He is the kind of worker any company would love to have.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mentors
Eking and John John are two of the sharpest college kids I have met in a long time. John John has raised himself--both parents died some time ago, and he made his way through school constructing bamboo furniture. He is a student of marine biology at the Southern Leyte State University in Bontoc. Eking is a student in fisheries. He has been my driver, my chess tutor and the person who shows me around. He will be graduating from college soon.
When I asked him what he wants to do when he graduates from college, he shrugged his shoulders. He then suggested that maybe he would go to Manila because he heard there were good jobs there being a janitor.
These two young men are smart, quick-witted, and responsible. But what they need is some mentoring. The potential for this area of the Philippines for businesses is enormous! Many of these kids are surviving on what amounts to a few dollars a day. I can see that they are extremely responsible workers, and they have brains. The potential of this area for retirement homes should be providing hundreds of kids with jobs. Retired people need medical care and the provinces have the people who could be trained to do this. Schools here are providing training in nursing, care giving, hotel management, and the push to have students leave can be reversed. What I think is needed are some people who can help develop these businesses. If what I am seeing from students is any indication, there is a great pool of responsible workers here. I am hoping that some of my friends in America can act as mentors so that these students can see that they can develop businesses here rather taking a job somewhere in Manila because they have heard the pay is good.
When I asked him what he wants to do when he graduates from college, he shrugged his shoulders. He then suggested that maybe he would go to Manila because he heard there were good jobs there being a janitor.
These two young men are smart, quick-witted, and responsible. But what they need is some mentoring. The potential for this area of the Philippines for businesses is enormous! Many of these kids are surviving on what amounts to a few dollars a day. I can see that they are extremely responsible workers, and they have brains. The potential of this area for retirement homes should be providing hundreds of kids with jobs. Retired people need medical care and the provinces have the people who could be trained to do this. Schools here are providing training in nursing, care giving, hotel management, and the push to have students leave can be reversed. What I think is needed are some people who can help develop these businesses. If what I am seeing from students is any indication, there is a great pool of responsible workers here. I am hoping that some of my friends in America can act as mentors so that these students can see that they can develop businesses here rather taking a job somewhere in Manila because they have heard the pay is good.
Car
Yesterday I saw something really amazing. A Car.
It took a while to sink in that I had not seen one since I had gotten to Bontoc and Sogod. There were motorcycles and scooters and putt putts and tricycles and trucks and buses and vans that would carry fourteen people. But cars?? I had forgotten they existed.
I much prefer riding habal habal with the wind cooling me down after running or after swimming in the dagat (ocean). Tricycles tend to be pretty crowded. They are essentially like tiny cabs powered by a motorcycle and yesterday there twelve of us on one. A tricycle could comfortably seat two Americans, and we had all the supplies for lechon baboy which is roast pig.
The morning was spent cooking it. John John, a student in marine biology, was the chef. Eking did the transportation, and Inday was their chopping up vegetables. The water at the beach was crystal clear probably because of the rocks and overhead was the sound of a helicopter--President Arroyo was in Sogod to bless a new bridge that is on the road from Tacloban to Sogod. It is reportedly the tallest bridge in all of Asia.
Maybe it was her car!
It took a while to sink in that I had not seen one since I had gotten to Bontoc and Sogod. There were motorcycles and scooters and putt putts and tricycles and trucks and buses and vans that would carry fourteen people. But cars?? I had forgotten they existed.
I much prefer riding habal habal with the wind cooling me down after running or after swimming in the dagat (ocean). Tricycles tend to be pretty crowded. They are essentially like tiny cabs powered by a motorcycle and yesterday there twelve of us on one. A tricycle could comfortably seat two Americans, and we had all the supplies for lechon baboy which is roast pig.
The morning was spent cooking it. John John, a student in marine biology, was the chef. Eking did the transportation, and Inday was their chopping up vegetables. The water at the beach was crystal clear probably because of the rocks and overhead was the sound of a helicopter--President Arroyo was in Sogod to bless a new bridge that is on the road from Tacloban to Sogod. It is reportedly the tallest bridge in all of Asia.
Maybe it was her car!
Bam Bam
I went to a college where everyone was expected to study all the time, and so when I had two dates my first year there, I considered myself pretty much a social butterfly. After my second date, I remember coming back to the dorm wearing a suit and the bright plaid vest my sister Barbara had made for me. One of my dorm mates asked me where I had been, and when I told him, he asked me what my date's name was. It then occurred to me that I had forgotten to ask her!
I guess some people just lack social graces.
After having gotten to know one of my favorite people here really well for over a week I finally got around to asking him his name. Unsa imong ngalan? His name is Bam Bam. When I asked him his age, Pila imong edad? he held up three fingers and then said three.
Then raised a fourth finger and I said four, and he agreed.
Bam Bam is the bright young man who runs down the path everytime he sees me yelling, Americano! or sometimes Americano dako--Big American. In the morning he is the first to grasp my hand and press it to his forehead so he can give Lolo, grandfather, his blessing. Then four or five of his friends follow suit. When he hears my play Bach on my flute, he rushes into the payag and asks me to play Bahay Kubo. When he hears me play jazz on my flute, he asks me to play Bahay Kubo. When he hears me play one of the songs that Danny Buenconsejo and I have written he asks for Bahay Kubo. I now have a video of him singing most of the words to Bahay Kubo.
Bam Bam's brother wears about one hundred rubber bands around his wrists. The rubber bands are used for a game kids play here. They also have a game where they have a piece of weighted cloth which they kick or hit on their forearm. They also have a game where they dance through two ropes held like jump ropes. Since I have been here I have been playing chess, Chinese checkers, and darts plus many juggling games with kids. I also see kids playing cards and bingo. When I ran yesterday four kids ran about a mile and a half with me.
The kids are active.
They are sharp.
And they are inventive.
They for the most part interact with strangers more than any group of kids I have ever seen.
As I was running with a new friend Ruel two days ago, he exclaimed, you have many Pans here. At first I wasn't sure what pans were, and then he explained to me that the Visayan word for the English word pans is Idol. OO--Yes. And I am a pan of my friend Bam Bam too.
I guess some people just lack social graces.
After having gotten to know one of my favorite people here really well for over a week I finally got around to asking him his name. Unsa imong ngalan? His name is Bam Bam. When I asked him his age, Pila imong edad? he held up three fingers and then said three.
Then raised a fourth finger and I said four, and he agreed.
Bam Bam is the bright young man who runs down the path everytime he sees me yelling, Americano! or sometimes Americano dako--Big American. In the morning he is the first to grasp my hand and press it to his forehead so he can give Lolo, grandfather, his blessing. Then four or five of his friends follow suit. When he hears my play Bach on my flute, he rushes into the payag and asks me to play Bahay Kubo. When he hears me play jazz on my flute, he asks me to play Bahay Kubo. When he hears me play one of the songs that Danny Buenconsejo and I have written he asks for Bahay Kubo. I now have a video of him singing most of the words to Bahay Kubo.
Bam Bam's brother wears about one hundred rubber bands around his wrists. The rubber bands are used for a game kids play here. They also have a game where they have a piece of weighted cloth which they kick or hit on their forearm. They also have a game where they dance through two ropes held like jump ropes. Since I have been here I have been playing chess, Chinese checkers, and darts plus many juggling games with kids. I also see kids playing cards and bingo. When I ran yesterday four kids ran about a mile and a half with me.
The kids are active.
They are sharp.
And they are inventive.
They for the most part interact with strangers more than any group of kids I have ever seen.
As I was running with a new friend Ruel two days ago, he exclaimed, you have many Pans here. At first I wasn't sure what pans were, and then he explained to me that the Visayan word for the English word pans is Idol. OO--Yes. And I am a pan of my friend Bam Bam too.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Wake
The wake for Rose Marie Angcoy was held the day she died. I arrived at Libas about 6 p.m. and people were starting to gather outside the tiny house where she and the three remaining children lived. There was a simple wooden casket with some beautiful orange flowers. And as children nearby watched, a workman carved out her name on a wooden cross. She was laid out on the platform that the family used as a bed with three white candles. What had looked like poverty the previous day looked simple and elegant that evening.
The wake was totally unlike anything I had imagined. By eight p.m. there were about one hundred people, many of them children, gathered around, and the began playing cards and bingo. A group of adults were teaching me Chinese Checkers. Rose Marie's children would come and look at her briefly and then go about their tasks of preparing food for the wake. It was simple--crackers and coffee--and it was if everyone had decided to have a party that Rose Marie would remember. The Angcoy children are different than many kids here. They are extremely quiet and rarely express any emotion. This morning when I left for a visit to Bontoc High School I was greeted by seven children who asked to "Bless Tatay". They smiled and my favorite friend again shouted Amricano! But the Angcoy kids stare. It was only later that I would see them smiling when seven of the eight gathered for the funeral.
Rose Marie was buried the next day. It was a simple ceremony with songs I recognized although the words were in Visayan. The casket was hoisted onto two long bamboo poles, and then the four pall bearers hurriedly carried it about a mile up the mountain as we traipsed behind. The sun was hot. It was beautiful on top of the mountain, but the heat made it hardly bearable. The next morning was a holiday. Cory Aquino died this week, and the country was closed down for her funeral. Four of the Angcoy children stayed at the payag, and one could see how Laila and her sister of thirteen, Batoy, cared for their younger brother John John and their sister Christy. It is not clear what will happen to them.
The wake was totally unlike anything I had imagined. By eight p.m. there were about one hundred people, many of them children, gathered around, and the began playing cards and bingo. A group of adults were teaching me Chinese Checkers. Rose Marie's children would come and look at her briefly and then go about their tasks of preparing food for the wake. It was simple--crackers and coffee--and it was if everyone had decided to have a party that Rose Marie would remember. The Angcoy children are different than many kids here. They are extremely quiet and rarely express any emotion. This morning when I left for a visit to Bontoc High School I was greeted by seven children who asked to "Bless Tatay". They smiled and my favorite friend again shouted Amricano! But the Angcoy kids stare. It was only later that I would see them smiling when seven of the eight gathered for the funeral.
Rose Marie was buried the next day. It was a simple ceremony with songs I recognized although the words were in Visayan. The casket was hoisted onto two long bamboo poles, and then the four pall bearers hurriedly carried it about a mile up the mountain as we traipsed behind. The sun was hot. It was beautiful on top of the mountain, but the heat made it hardly bearable. The next morning was a holiday. Cory Aquino died this week, and the country was closed down for her funeral. Four of the Angcoy children stayed at the payag, and one could see how Laila and her sister of thirteen, Batoy, cared for their younger brother John John and their sister Christy. It is not clear what will happen to them.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Rosa Marie Angcoy
Inday is a beautiful girl of fourteen who I have been helping with clothing, food, and school expenses. Everyone in Bontoc calls her Inday, but in Libas where she was born she is known by the name of Laila, the name her father gave her. He died of cancer in December of 2007. Laila's mother, Rose Marie Angcoy, had had polio as a child and she was barely able to walk. There were eight children in the family, and when her husband died, Rose Marie had to give up five of the children for adoption. Rose Marie could barely make ends meet washing clothes by hand, and the home they made for themselves in Libas was poor by the standards that exist in Libas.
Last Saturday I went to Sogod with Laila to buy rice and canned goods for her mother and the three remaining children. We bought Milo so that the children could have something sweet.
I traveled with Eking by motorcycle (I misspelled his name as Aking in the last entry), and when I arrived in Libas I remember thinking how much it reminded me of a small town in America during the 1950's. Children were swmming and playing in the Libas river. Teen age boys were playing basketball on the town basketball court. Girls in long grey checkered skirts were making their way home, and yes two asked about their long lost friend Elliot.
Eking took me accross the river where he climbed to the top of a fifty foot coconut tree and liberated five coconuts. Then we took them to Manoy's house (Manoy is a term used for older man just like Inday means young girl). He cut them open and I had buko juice. I was welcomed by one of the family members by the greeting that I have heard several times, "Welcome home." I was beginning to think that this was an idylic place, and in some respects it is. But then I heard that Rose Marie was sick.
We hurriedly gathered my things and made it to her house. Most homes in Libas are simple and adequate, but the house where Rose Marie and her three children lived seemed more like a storage shed. And several women were outside talking among themselves. Rose Marie lay on the platform where the family members slept. She appeared barely conscious. I could see that her breathing was very rapid and shallow. I was not sure what to do, but then asked if there was a doctor that could come.
No, there are no doctors in Libas. Nor are there any nurses. A midwife comes from time to time. The nearest hospital is in Sogod which takes over an hour by bus. The bus I believe comes once a day. It is a rickety trip down the dirt and rock road that leads to Libas. We finally decided to buy medicine at a store nearby. The owner suggested some antibiotics and medicines for Rose Marie's cough. We were about to leave, but I asked to stay. I asked Eking if he would help translate for me. A good many people in Libas know English only as well as I know Visayan. Rose Marie had by this time sat up, and I didn't need to have anyone translate when she said Ubo. It means cough. I told her that I hoped she would feel better when she took the medicine.
Most people who saw Rose Marie probably never looked beyond the fact that she was poor and that she was crippled by polio. Laila once told me that she was unable to complete more than a couple of years of school because of her illness. Some of the women there said she had gotten sick from over working herself at washing the clothes there.
She was beautiful in a very different way with sharp angular features. She must have been a good mother because her two eldest daughters I could see were wonderfully responsible. To me she had a striking appearance. I think I will always remember her face.
She died the next day.
Last Saturday I went to Sogod with Laila to buy rice and canned goods for her mother and the three remaining children. We bought Milo so that the children could have something sweet.
I traveled with Eking by motorcycle (I misspelled his name as Aking in the last entry), and when I arrived in Libas I remember thinking how much it reminded me of a small town in America during the 1950's. Children were swmming and playing in the Libas river. Teen age boys were playing basketball on the town basketball court. Girls in long grey checkered skirts were making their way home, and yes two asked about their long lost friend Elliot.
Eking took me accross the river where he climbed to the top of a fifty foot coconut tree and liberated five coconuts. Then we took them to Manoy's house (Manoy is a term used for older man just like Inday means young girl). He cut them open and I had buko juice. I was welcomed by one of the family members by the greeting that I have heard several times, "Welcome home." I was beginning to think that this was an idylic place, and in some respects it is. But then I heard that Rose Marie was sick.
We hurriedly gathered my things and made it to her house. Most homes in Libas are simple and adequate, but the house where Rose Marie and her three children lived seemed more like a storage shed. And several women were outside talking among themselves. Rose Marie lay on the platform where the family members slept. She appeared barely conscious. I could see that her breathing was very rapid and shallow. I was not sure what to do, but then asked if there was a doctor that could come.
No, there are no doctors in Libas. Nor are there any nurses. A midwife comes from time to time. The nearest hospital is in Sogod which takes over an hour by bus. The bus I believe comes once a day. It is a rickety trip down the dirt and rock road that leads to Libas. We finally decided to buy medicine at a store nearby. The owner suggested some antibiotics and medicines for Rose Marie's cough. We were about to leave, but I asked to stay. I asked Eking if he would help translate for me. A good many people in Libas know English only as well as I know Visayan. Rose Marie had by this time sat up, and I didn't need to have anyone translate when she said Ubo. It means cough. I told her that I hoped she would feel better when she took the medicine.
Most people who saw Rose Marie probably never looked beyond the fact that she was poor and that she was crippled by polio. Laila once told me that she was unable to complete more than a couple of years of school because of her illness. Some of the women there said she had gotten sick from over working herself at washing the clothes there.
She was beautiful in a very different way with sharp angular features. She must have been a good mother because her two eldest daughters I could see were wonderfully responsible. To me she had a striking appearance. I think I will always remember her face.
She died the next day.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Athletes
I am being asked pretty regularly whether I am a basketball player, and one a few occasions people have been asking me if I am seven feet tall. Ha ha. So I tell them that in high school I was too short to play on the varsity basketball team! And the look astonished. However, I don't point out that I was only 5 feet 4 inches and 102 pounds when I was fifteen.
Yesterday I woke up with three little kids coming in and asking me to bless them. I do this by having them take my hand and lift it to their forehead. One of my favorites is a little boy of three who always says, "Hello Americano!" Another boy of about seven with a collection of 175 rubber bands on his wrists loves to have me throw him tennis balls while I juggle. Several of the kids who live near the payag have learned to juggle, and I am giving them tips on new tricks to try.
In the early morning I headed to Sogod where there is a sports meet between four universities. On a single day there will be a track meet, basketball games, volleyball games, and softball and baseball competitions. There is also a cheer leading competition, and I am pleasantly surprised to see my student Camille Glory from Libas being the leading dancer for Southern Leyte State Universities Webmaster troupe. Camille is a beautiful girl, but more important one of the greatest natural leaders I have ever met. She introduces me to her fellow teammates from the Information Technology group. They are all in dress competition and Glory informs me that they are hungry so we head for snacks and then later to the Payag for lunch and karaoke. Before we do, I videotape some of the track competition and interview some of the winners about their training. Maybe I lose some in the translation, but it appears that it is close to non-existent.
The students are incredibly polite and fun to talk to. They point out that many students in the Philippines are training for jobs outside of the country because of "corruption". When I pointed out to them that I thought the Philippines will be dramatically changed by the internet, they listened intently. My argument was that that with the high expense of books, the internet could make a huge impact on education. As it is, comp[uters are used by many people through internet cafes, but from what I can gather most of it is for use in chatting and gaming. I described to them how my students in America are using the internet increasingly for the research that they do. Textbooks are often outdated by the time they are published. The fact that computers here are often slow now should be remedied I would think. I will have to ask Faith Caron about this.
The price of pineapples here is about ten cents with the difference that they taste much better, and haircuts cost about fifty cents, but books cost about the same here as they do in America. It is not surprising that I see very few books in most houses. The ability of the internet to bridge this gap I think could be enormous.
I have started doing interval workouts here and the pleasant weather as really been nice. I hope I didn't jinx anything by calling the weather nice. ha ha. The student who has been driving me was third in the 200 meters yesterday, and having heard that he has no training regiment I offered to buy him a stopwatch and train him. His nickname is Aking and he is an excellent chess player. (that means he beat me ha ha). It would be nice to see him play my student CJ! He is hoping he makes the 2012 Olympic team.
Pete fustanes and Dami Canize are the names of the mayor and chief of police.
Yesterday I woke up with three little kids coming in and asking me to bless them. I do this by having them take my hand and lift it to their forehead. One of my favorites is a little boy of three who always says, "Hello Americano!" Another boy of about seven with a collection of 175 rubber bands on his wrists loves to have me throw him tennis balls while I juggle. Several of the kids who live near the payag have learned to juggle, and I am giving them tips on new tricks to try.
In the early morning I headed to Sogod where there is a sports meet between four universities. On a single day there will be a track meet, basketball games, volleyball games, and softball and baseball competitions. There is also a cheer leading competition, and I am pleasantly surprised to see my student Camille Glory from Libas being the leading dancer for Southern Leyte State Universities Webmaster troupe. Camille is a beautiful girl, but more important one of the greatest natural leaders I have ever met. She introduces me to her fellow teammates from the Information Technology group. They are all in dress competition and Glory informs me that they are hungry so we head for snacks and then later to the Payag for lunch and karaoke. Before we do, I videotape some of the track competition and interview some of the winners about their training. Maybe I lose some in the translation, but it appears that it is close to non-existent.
The students are incredibly polite and fun to talk to. They point out that many students in the Philippines are training for jobs outside of the country because of "corruption". When I pointed out to them that I thought the Philippines will be dramatically changed by the internet, they listened intently. My argument was that that with the high expense of books, the internet could make a huge impact on education. As it is, comp[uters are used by many people through internet cafes, but from what I can gather most of it is for use in chatting and gaming. I described to them how my students in America are using the internet increasingly for the research that they do. Textbooks are often outdated by the time they are published. The fact that computers here are often slow now should be remedied I would think. I will have to ask Faith Caron about this.
The price of pineapples here is about ten cents with the difference that they taste much better, and haircuts cost about fifty cents, but books cost about the same here as they do in America. It is not surprising that I see very few books in most houses. The ability of the internet to bridge this gap I think could be enormous.
I have started doing interval workouts here and the pleasant weather as really been nice. I hope I didn't jinx anything by calling the weather nice. ha ha. The student who has been driving me was third in the 200 meters yesterday, and having heard that he has no training regiment I offered to buy him a stopwatch and train him. His nickname is Aking and he is an excellent chess player. (that means he beat me ha ha). It would be nice to see him play my student CJ! He is hoping he makes the 2012 Olympic team.
Pete fustanes and Dami Canize are the names of the mayor and chief of police.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Bontoc Celebrations
I arrived in Bontoc, and settled into my payag. A payag is like a cottage on the ocean, and this is a beautiful one. Unlike many of the homes which are cinder block with a tin roof, this payag is in the traditional style with wood and bamboo and a nipa roof. I am literally on the water. At high tide, the water is under the house and I can hear the lapping of the waves. There are so many kids here, and I have taught several to juggle already. Filipino kids really seem well coordinated compared to American kids and they love to perform so learning how to juggle is just another way to do that. Many of the kids remember Asa and Elliot from two years ago, and today as I was playing my flute one of them said, "Two boys." His English did not extend much farther than that and finally I realized what he was talking about, and said, "Yes, Elliot and Asa."
Bontoc is not a big town but yesterday it celebrated its 59th year as a town and there was a parade with four marching bands. The bands have drummers, people playing chimes, girls twirling batons, and drum majorettes. Then there were hundreds of kids and adults joining in. During the evening there was a disco. Generally what I have noticed is that small towns have a city hall and a covered pavilion with a basketball court. That was where the disco was held, and there must have been between one and two thousand people dancing there! The speakers were put on so loud that I was expecting that people in Chicago would be able to hear. The mayor here has gotten to know me, and I was seated next to the chief of police who ordered me to dance. Hey, I always do what the chief of police orders!! And I am thankful that Filipinos are polite enough not to laugh at my dancing even though lots smiled. ha ha
The Philippines has so many friendly people, and I have made it a habit of saying hi to everyone who looks my way, and invariably people will wave back or ask where I am from.
I have recently begun to see signs that medical tourism and eco-tourism are being included among the sources of livelihood here. Medicine, nautical and information technology are the three biggest programs that my students are going into, and I have made a note to see if I can get some people to mentor some of the kids here in information technology.
Well, I have to run now. Literally. ha ha
Bontoc is not a big town but yesterday it celebrated its 59th year as a town and there was a parade with four marching bands. The bands have drummers, people playing chimes, girls twirling batons, and drum majorettes. Then there were hundreds of kids and adults joining in. During the evening there was a disco. Generally what I have noticed is that small towns have a city hall and a covered pavilion with a basketball court. That was where the disco was held, and there must have been between one and two thousand people dancing there! The speakers were put on so loud that I was expecting that people in Chicago would be able to hear. The mayor here has gotten to know me, and I was seated next to the chief of police who ordered me to dance. Hey, I always do what the chief of police orders!! And I am thankful that Filipinos are polite enough not to laugh at my dancing even though lots smiled. ha ha
The Philippines has so many friendly people, and I have made it a habit of saying hi to everyone who looks my way, and invariably people will wave back or ask where I am from.
I have recently begun to see signs that medical tourism and eco-tourism are being included among the sources of livelihood here. Medicine, nautical and information technology are the three biggest programs that my students are going into, and I have made a note to see if I can get some people to mentor some of the kids here in information technology.
Well, I have to run now. Literally. ha ha
Human Sardines
The students I have in Manila are some of the greatest kids I have ever met, and so are the people in the Mission Ministeries Philippines. However, I so much prefer the provinces to Manila. Manila is big and congested, and the provinces are just so beautiful and friendly.
I took a plane to Tacloban where I splurged and stayed in the Leyte Hotel. It is a beautiful place and the evening I was there I saw a singer guitarist perform. The sign said her name was Linda David and she reminded me of my great friends Ester Hana and Danny Buenconsejo. When she asked for requests, I asked if she would sing Freddy Aquilar's song "Anak." I actually met Freddy Aquilar the first time I was in the Philippines. If you haven't heard it, get on YouTube and listen to it. Better yet, call up Ester Hana and ask to hear her version of it.
Next day I took a van to Sogod. It only took an hour for the van to fill up but when there were fifteen of us, they were ready to go. A few miles down the road we got a 16th passenger and like sardines we made our way South. It always amazes me to see how Filipinos seem to get so many people into a a vehicle.
The vendors at the bus stops seem to look forward to seeing Americans and selling peanuts, sunglasses, mangoes and everything else under the sun. The bargaining is great fun and goes on a a relatively furious pace.
I took a plane to Tacloban where I splurged and stayed in the Leyte Hotel. It is a beautiful place and the evening I was there I saw a singer guitarist perform. The sign said her name was Linda David and she reminded me of my great friends Ester Hana and Danny Buenconsejo. When she asked for requests, I asked if she would sing Freddy Aquilar's song "Anak." I actually met Freddy Aquilar the first time I was in the Philippines. If you haven't heard it, get on YouTube and listen to it. Better yet, call up Ester Hana and ask to hear her version of it.
Next day I took a van to Sogod. It only took an hour for the van to fill up but when there were fifteen of us, they were ready to go. A few miles down the road we got a 16th passenger and like sardines we made our way South. It always amazes me to see how Filipinos seem to get so many people into a a vehicle.
The vendors at the bus stops seem to look forward to seeing Americans and selling peanuts, sunglasses, mangoes and everything else under the sun. The bargaining is great fun and goes on a a relatively furious pace.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cold Weather
I took my students from last year to Quezon Circle yesterday and while we bicycling through the park we were caught in a rainstorm and flood. It was great fun. And today I went swimming and I swear when the clouds came in it was cold.
I repeat--it was cold!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come to the Philippines to avoid Chicago's heat! New advertising strategy!
I repeat--it was cold!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come to the Philippines to avoid Chicago's heat! New advertising strategy!
Busy Beginning
July 25, 2009
The plane rides to the Philippines were long and eventful. I thought for a while that I would miss my connection in San Fransisco, and nearly lost my wallet. But a wonderful Chinese student came running up to me to return it. I was grateful that I gave him a big hug then ran on the plane. Wish I knew his name so I could thank him.
By the time I reached Manila I had been traveling for 27 hours, and I had been awake for fourteen hours before I even started. I know that I slept about two hours, but it could have been more. I took a taxi first to visit Mary Joyce and her family in Payatas. You might remember her if you look on my blog from two years ago. We had a good time visiting and then I took Mary Joyce's older sister Kaye and her brother Moy to Jolliebee to eat. My good friend Flor came to get me to take me to Payatas where I have done tutoring in the past. After I put my head down for a short nap, I fell sound asleep for four hours.
Today was wonderful.
I went to a poor area called Pinalagad Malinta Valenzuela where the group that I am staying with--Mission Ministries Phillipines- has a program and gives food to kids. I juggled for the kids there, and had a great time with them. Then I met with five students that I tutored last year and the year before. I took them to a mall and had them buy clothes. Then we went to a restaurant where I met my old friend Sterling and her three month old son. She is from Bohol and is married to an American, and may after all this time get a Visa to the US. Once there I called up Jo Jo Sayson who is in in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary. He introduced me to one of his military friends, Jerry Simon, who is helping them set up a school in Zambales for Aeta children. My students were quite impressed. I am not sure that they have been in malls much and it was there first time going on the train. Jo Jo was in some television programs a couple of years ago playing spiderman. I will videotape the students tomorrow when we go to the ecopark.
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