We Wish You a Merry Christmas aka Give me 10 Pesos

Our First Meeting

What a beautiful child, I thought to myself. I smiled and she smiled back. She joins me as I walk home from work. I stroll leisurely across the campus and the beautiful child begins to sing. "We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Glad tidings we bring.." She knows the entire song. I do not. We continue walking and she begins singing "Jingle Bells" Again she knows the song. I do not. She holds out her hand and as I don't have any food in my bag and I do not give out money, I simply shake my head. I smile and we part ways.


The following day I ask one of my colleagues how she handles "carolers" She knew right away what I meant and asked, "street kids or carolers?" She doesn't give out money either and she told me to be extremely careful if there are a group of "carolers". I thanked her as she confirmed what our safety and security officer had already told us volunteers.

Second Chances

There is that beautiful girl again. I smiled, greeted her, and continued walking. We pass each other. She turned around and followed behind me changing her original course.
"We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. Give me 10 pesos." 
"No" I thought about the food in my bag...
She turned back around and continued on her way. I guess she was busy today. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to offer her the food in my bag.

The Third Time is the Charm...?

Twelfth Month

One aspect of Peace Corps training is learning about Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA). During training, part of conducting PACA was creating a seasonal calendar with the teachers, pupils, and parents in the community to identify key events in the year that impact each group. An emphasis was placed on times of the year that are particularly stressful AND particularly joyful. Twelfth month fell into both categories. Christmas preparations and parties, end of year bonuses, and competitions dominate the final month of the year. Here is a brief recap of some of the activities the pupils, parents, teachers and I engaged in before vacation began yesterday.

Journalism Competition

The competition was a 3 hour bus ride away and pupils and teachers were gone for five days. We had competitors in the editorials and feature writing categories. They slept at the school hosting the competition, had intermittent access to water and the comfort room. We did not place in this competition, but the teachers were very glad that the pupils gained experience even though they said that the conditions were "very difficult". I would call that an understatement.

Dance Competition

This was an afternoon trip. The competition took place at the local university campus. We placed second in the group competition and one of the pupils from Grade VI - Rizal placed first in the individual competition.

Choir Competition *This is a funny story and illustrates just how much I laugh at myself here. 

I was delighted when I was invited to attend the choir rehearsals. It was fun to interact with the pupils outside of the classroom and I got the opportunity to spend some time getting to know the choir director. During one of the rehearsals I asked Sir the date of the competition and if I could attend. He said yes and that he was going to invite me so I was mildly embarrassed that I had invited myself before he extended the invitation.We were discussing logistics and Sir said we would all meet at school and travel together. Yay!

The day before the big competition we have this conversation after a dress rehearsal that I think went well.

Sir: I know it is inconvenient but we are meeting at 5:30

Me: 5:30?

Sir: Yes. Is that okay?

Me: I will see you at 5:30

The day of the competition I wake up at 4:00 as usual, but unlike usual I prepare to leave the dorm at 4:45. The water is not on in the dorm yet so I pack my toiletries to bathe at the school and proceed to walk down the path that leads to the road where I will catch the jeepney to the school. It is dark. I am legally blind. My glasses are steamed up. Big scary carabao is sleeping in the middle of the path that leads to the road where I will catch the jeepney to the school. Said carabao lifts its head in time to prevent me from tripping over it and falling flat on my face. Instead big scary carabao startles me, I jump and I stumble into a pothole. I laugh and tell Mr. Carabao to keep our secret and I continue on my way. I limp  to the jeepney and arrive at school, but nobody is there. I wait. I bathe. I wait some more. 2 hours later, Sir arrives at school and I ask him what time  we are  leaving. He gives me a look like I know I told you this yesterday, and says once again 5:30. Yes, he meant 5:30 pm as in 30 minutes after the school day ends inconvenient. I thought he meant 5:30 am as in 2 hours before school starts inconvenient. He tries not to laugh and he apologizes. I laugh hard and loud and tell him no apology is necessary.

Fast forward to 5:30 pm and we are all gathered outside of the school laughing, joking and taking pictures. The competition is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm so we are in no rush. The competition begins at 8:00 pm.

I quickly size up the competition in the youth category (5-14) Team 1 is no competition. Team 2 is no competition. We are team 3 and we ROCK! I clap, scream, cheer, and whistle. Team 4 uh oh definite competition. Team 5 uh oh more competition. The adults (15+) compete and there is a clear winner. The judges deliberate. Third place goes to not us (yippee) Second place goes to not us (YIPPEE) We know we have won it and we are already screaming. First place goes to us and the crowd goes wild. We are truly a hot mess - running, jumping, clapping, screaming, cheering and whistling. One of the girls claims I am their good luck charm and I smile. PhP 10,000 is the prize money. The adult winners take pictures with the youth winners and we climb back in the jeepney to go back to school. I stay on the jeepney and continue on to the dorm. I am so not a night person and it is well after 10:00 pm I get off the jeepney and consider taking a pedicab, but decide to walk like I usually do. After I am off the road and on my path to the dorm I spot Mr. Carabao who is thankfully not sleeping in my path. I laugh as I say "Good night Mr. Carabao". Yes, I talk to the carabao, the cows and even the horses.

Grade 4 Teacher Party

What is a Filipino party without karaoke

Class Parties for Grades 1-6

I attended as many as I could for as long as I could

Grade 2 Teacher Party

Awww crabs. I love eating wonderfully delicious messy crabs!

District Party

A mandatory 8 hour party attended by the teachers and principals. Teachers from each school perform a song or dance, and facilitate parlor games. I am sooooo glad our school was assigned to perform a dance.( I even taught the teachers the cupid shuffle) Retirees and New teachers are honored. Politicians stop by to deliver "inspirational" messages and extend Christmas greetings. Teachers order delivery from McDonalds and KFC. Yes they deliver here and I have pictures to prove it*. We sit at assigned tables and eat all day during and between all of the other activities.

* I am blogging from an internet cafe so pictures will be uploaded at a later date

Sendong

'Sendong' world's deadliest storm for 2011 | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking N

www.abs-cbnnews.com

Please keep those affected by the storm in your thoughts and prayers throughout the holiday season and the new year. Over 1,000 are feared dead and 400+ are still missing. For the time being, the Philippine government has not requested international assistance but the Philippine Red Cross is coordinating disaster response.  

Philippine Red Cross

Cash donations:

Account Name: Philippine Red Cross

Account Number: Peso: 00-453-0018647 Dollar: 10-453-0039482

In-kind donations:

Philippine National Red Cross

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

Bonifacio Drive, Port Area

Manila 1018, Philippines

For inquiries, email: fundgeneration@redcross.org.ph or call Hotline 143 or (+632) 527.0000.

Try Something New for 30 Days

Twelfth Month 3, 2011

For those of you who don't know this about me, I love TED Talks. I am even more addicted to TED Talks here in the Philippines than I was in the US. I don't know how that is possible, but it is. I watched this talk on the 21st of Tenth Month and it has been on my mind ever since (Please watch the talk before or after continuing with this post) It was the perfect Talk for me that night for two reasons: 1. I was looking for a blog challenge for myself and now I have discovered it. I will try something new for 30 days and blog about each month's new endeavor. In theory I will do this for the duration of 2012. I will let you know how it goes. 2: Before I even heard the talk I had already decided that I wanted national novel writing month to be part of my future.So here is where I need some assistance. I have already prayed about and decided on some of my 30 day challenges, such as scheduled daily prayer, scripture reading, and the aforementioned NaNoWriMo challenge, but I am eager to hear and willing to try challenges suggested by others. If you have a suggestion please let me know in the comments section, via linked in, twitter, or even facebook.

Everyday is Thanksgiving

Eleventh Month 24, 2011

I recently received a text message asking me how I explain Thanksgiving. I have never explained Thanksgiving before, but my response to the text was simple: Thanksgiving is a day set aside for giving thanks. 

As the title of this blog suggests, I adhere to the tradition of conservative Friends in not celebrating holidays. Every day is a blessed holy day as given to  us by God.That being said, being in a foreign country for Thanksgiving has made me very aware of the actual holiday and I dedicate this post to God and to all of the people for whom I am thankful.

I am thankful for life, health, and strength. I am thankful for long walks in the sunshine. I am thankful for tuko, the gecko, who makes me laugh with his nightly serenade. I am thankful for the frogs who greet me at my doorstep in the evening. I am thankful for my medical kit. I am thankful for colleagues who encourage me to teach and learn. I am thankful for parents who trust me to teach their children. I am thankful for children who trust me with their thoughts and ideas. I am thankful for ink pens and letters from friends.  I am thankful for authors who dare to put radical ideas in print.I am thankful for books. I am thankful for my Sony Reader. I am thankful for Project Gutenberg.I am thankful to God for it all.

A Thanksgiving Devotion for 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I praise You God, that the things that happened in my past, both enjoyable and painful, are raw materials for blessings, both in my life and in the lives of others. I choose to look beyond my past and present troubles in this temporary life - and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever. I praise You for the eternal glory these things are piling up for me as I choose to trust You.

Author Unknown

Thank You
I am thankful for friends and family who lift my spirits and keep me grounded.


I have been the recipient of so much love, generosity, kindness and support. I am thankful for that love, generosity, kindness, and support; It has sustained me.

Thank you Mountain View Friends Meeting

Thank you Raenell

Thank you Kathryn

Thank you Rosie

Thank you Shar

Thank you Patty

Thank you Constance

Thank you Karen

Thank you Amy B.

Thank you Jane

Thank you Gail

Thank you Jaron

Thank you Evelyn

Thank you Jerica

Thank you Alarice

Thank you John

I received a text message today wishing me a Happy Tofurkey Day from my friendly neighborhood vegan. I am thankful for that text message. It made me smile. Thank you Kevin.

Teacher Training 1

Tenth Month 23, 2011

This has been a very busy week. The pupils were preparing for the second quarter periodical examination and I was preparing to facilitate my first teacher training at my permanent site.
The topic for this training was basically working together to make English fun. 45 of the 52 teachers, the principal, and the district supervisor participated in the training. Before we got down to the business of learning how to work together, the school Filipino Dance Troupe honored us with two performances.

Filipino Dance Troupe

Filipino Dance Troupe

I started off the day by presenting the teachers with a silent challenge. 45 teachers and the principal had to arrange themselves in a line in order of their birthdays (month and day) WITHOUT TALKING. I am proud to say that they accepted and met the challenge. It was a great fun way to start the day and it made it easy for me to segue into my expectation that throughout the day we would all  listen when someone was speaking.

Birthday Line

 We spent the first half of the day exploring ways to work together to better serve the pupils. I presented information on the Myers-Briggs Trait Indicators. We completed a cognitive inventory, analyzed the results and completed amazing personality trees. We learned about ourselves, each other, our different preferences, and the effects of our preferences in work situations. I was impressed with how each teacher approached the activities. They consistently produced conscientious and thoughtful work. The personality trees exemplify the seriousness with which the teachers undertook the tasks of the day. Each tree was unique and truly reflected the fundamental beliefs (roots and trunks), skills (leaves), achievements (fruit), strengths(flowers), and challenges (thorns) experienced by the teachers at my site.

hard at work

Personality Tree

Personality Tree

Personality Tree

The second half of the day was dedicated to strategies to make English fun. This included a lecture and presentation on library development because convincing a child to read is much easier when they have access to a variety of interesting and provocative literature. The activities that the teachers enjoyed most were human scrabble and the closing read aloud, a planned oral reading of a book or print excerpt, usually related to a theme or topic of study. I always enjoy conducting a read aloud, and the teachers enjoyed discovering all of the fun English activities that can be planned around a carefully selected book.

Human Scrabble The winning word(s) Mountain Bike

I am pleased to report that God blessed all of my planning and preparation. The comments that the teachers took the time to write were very reassuring, and I look forward to future trainings with this dedicated group of educators.

One Month at Site

Tenth Month 17, 2011

I think this is an appropriate time for me to describe the school where I am assigned, and to share a little about the schedule and practices that I find interesting.

The School

The school has a total land area of 10,000 sq. m. Its location is the main contributing factor to high participation rate of 157% Parents from nearby barangays send their children to the school because most of the parents work at a nearby university.

The school is a complete elementary school in a second class municipality in the province of Laguna. It is a science and math pilot school (since 1990) which serves as training partner of four local universities in many projects and extension services.

The school is managed by a Principal III with 2,227 pupils, 53 teachers, one utility worker, one clerk and traffic aid.

 The Office

Teachers clock–in (an actual time clock and card) and sign an attendance book in the office when they arrive. The time cards are on a wall placed behind the teachers’ pictures and identifying information. Each teacher has a space on the wall with his/her picture, along with the following information:

Name Regina Renee Ward

D.O.B. 3-23-1971

Address Lopez Avenue, Los Banos, Laguna

Blood type: B positive

Degrees Earned: B.S. EdM MLIS

PRC No (teaching license number)

Original Date of Appointment 9-17-11

TIN No(Tax account number)

Phone # / Contact #

All of this information is on display and is placed on top of the time card which is concealed. Interesting.

The Schedule

Every morning when we enter class after the daily flag ceremony (7:15-7:30), we follow an established routine.

The morning routine: Prayer, greetings, lessons, recess, lessons, prayer, lunch.

Prayer: Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord God, You made the world and promised to love and care for us. You sent your only son Jesus to save us, that whoever trusts Him will not be lost, but will have life that lasts forever. Thank you Lord for the kindness and generosity you have showered us. (Not a typo)

Bless us today with intelligence and wisdom to understand our schoolwork and activities; love, patience, and humbleness for our parents, teachers, classmates, and others; and peace, joy, and happiness may reign in our hearts forever. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Greetings: Good morning Ma’am Ward. Good morning classmates.

Lessons:             07:30 English

                            08:30 Math

Recess:               09:30 The students purchase snacks and drinks 

Lessons:             09:45 Filipino

                           10:45 HEKASI (Social Studies)

Prayer: Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Angel of God my guardian dear. To whom His love commits me here.

Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guide, to rule and guard. Amen.

Before we leave to go home for lunch, the students recite in unison:

Good afternoon Ma’am Ward. Good afternoon classmates. See you this afternoon.

Lunch

The afternoon Routine: Greeting, lessons, prayer, farewell, dismissal

When we return from lunch, the students recite in unison:

Greeting: Good afternoon Ma’am Ward. Good afternoon classmates. It is nice to see you again.

Lessons:             12:30 Religion - for Catholics, Muslims, & "Born Agains"

                            13:00 Science

                            14:00 English (Grade 4)

                            15:00 Music Art P.E

Leader: Classmates please stand up. Are you ready to pray?

Class: Yes, we are.

Prayer:  Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.  

Angel of God my guardian dear. To whom His love commits me here.

Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guide, to rule and guard. Amen.

When we leave for the day, the students recite in unison:

Farewell: Goodbye Ma’am Ward. Thank you for teaching us. Goodbye classmates. Cleaners today (insert the names of the cleaners for the day) See you tomorrow.

Dismissal:      Primary grades 15:30

                        Intermediate grades 16:00

                        Faculty and Staff 17:00

Miscellaneous Information that I find Interesting

Along with the core subjects, character building is on the pupil report card.

The pupils receive individual grades for each of the following:

1.     Honesty

2.     Courtesy

3.     Helpfulness and cooperation

4.     Resourcefulness and creativity

5.     Consideration to others

6.     Sportsmanship

7.     Obedience

8.     Self reliance

9.     Industry

10. Cleanliness and orderliness

11. Promptness and punctuality

12. Sense of responsibility

13. Love of God

14. Patriotism and love of country

*Class sections are determined based on grades. Rizal is the top section. In order to be in Rizal, a pupil must maintain a grade of 85 or above in each subject or they will be transferred to a lower section. Rizal sections can have no more than 40 pupils. My other sections have about 65 pupils. Seating is also based on grades. Row 1 Seat 1 is reserved for the top student.

*These observations are true for my site. They are not true for every public school in the Philippines, but are fairly common.