School Spirit

So much energy and so much excitement.  In the past fwo days we have visited four schools in the metropolitan Manila area ending at Jose Rizal University.  This school is where my partner, Julia, and I will be stationed at for the next ten days.  The pep rally we witnessed was enough to rock our socks off!  The president opened with a short speech focusing on the role of honor associated with the success of school's sports team.  This energizing speech was followed by each sports team doing a choreographed dance in the court yard while the entire school watched and cheered.  Julia and I were treated with equal enthusiasm as we toured the school, met students in passing, and attended a welcome assembly in our honor.  Many, many, many selfies later we bounced home in a jeepney and relaxed in the rooftop pool 30 stories above the city- feeling drained yet our spirits inspired by all that we had experienced.

paalama na and salamat po Philippines!

Goodbye and thank you to the Philippines!  We visited 10 schools and were "adopted" for a week by Jose Rizal University.  We met energetic, creative teachers who fed us well and invited us into their classrooms, homes, and hearts.  Students greeted us with smiles, songs, and questions. Our host planned a phenomenal week and helped us to navigate the busy streets of Mandaluyoung, the Tiger City.  I couldn't have asked for a better partner and roommate who encouraged me to be open to new experiences and kept me laughing, regardless of the heat and humidity.  And of course, a BIG thank you goes out to Teachers for Global Classrooms and IREX for making it all possible.  You brought a group of dynamic teachers together and opened our eyes to a new culture.  YES, this was a life changing experience and YES, I am ready to return to the Philippines.  Salamat Po (thank you)

Shout out to Harper, Georgia, Sophia, Julia, Amanda:  There are many, many, many festivals in the Philippines.  I did not see any festivals but I learned of one called the Higantes (giant puppets) Feast or Festival of San Clemente in Angono.  The giant puppets are made from Paper Mache and bamboo sticks.  The festival is in November.  Sounds like a good time to return for a visit :)

Shout out to Megan, Marshall, Cassidy W., Marina:  Unfortunately, I did not see many wild animals during my travels because I was mostly in big cities.  The local zoo did not even have a tarsier, the famous large eyed mammal that lives in the rain forests.  They are quickly disappearing because people are turning the rain forests into farmland

Shout out to Toby: Yes, the toilets are a little different and toilet paper is not always available. I always carried my own toilet paper.   I will tell you more stories when I see you next.

Shout out to Kyhoei:  Good news-- Filipinos do not hate the Japanese.  Currently, Filipinos are very concerned about China......

The Life of a Celebrity

I can't begin to explain the generosity, the hospitality and the warm feelings we experienced everywhere we went.  At each school, art gallery, and event we were greeted with smiles, banners, balloons, and even the key to the city (thank you, Mandaluyoung City!).  Students politely greeted us with, "Good morning, visitors," and each day I entered Jose Rizal University I saw our faces posted on a HUGE banner.  Often visits ended with pictures and selfies. For more than a week we enjoyed a beautiful bouquet of flowers presented to us by our host teacher, Mr. Rufo de Leon.  This special treatment was a constant reminder of how teachers are valued in the Philippines and my role as "ambassador" from Rhode Island.  Thank you for making me feel special!

Shout out to Tristan, Aimee,  and Jackie E.:  The Philippines "boasts" that they are the only Christian Nation in Asia with 86% of the population claiming to be Roman Catholics.  Often, classes in both private and public schools begin each day with a prayer.

Shout out to Julia, Mason, Eve and Wenda:  The students in the schools that I visited listen to pretty much the same music you do.  Can you imagine what they said when I did "The Whip"?  In all schools, public and private, students are required to wear a uniform, they may not wear any make up (even in high school) nor may they color their hair.  Outside of school, kids dress much like you do but they do not wear short skirts or shorts.

Food in the Philippines

I don't know where to begin!  Food is a HUGE part of the Filipino culture along with hospitality.  Filipinos are very generous so at just about every gathering, whether it be with a principal, a family, or group of teachers, we were offered food.  Many of the foods were familiar from pork to chicken to delicious fruit.  In other cases the foods were exotic:  fertilized duck eggs, chicken feet, frogs, and parts of cow I would never have thought to cook.  Surprisingly, many of the fruits and vegetables are ones we have never tasted before.  My absolute favorite...MANGO and ofcourse pancit, a noodle dish that varies in toppings. 

Shoutout to Jacie O., Jacob M., Brady, Brandon, Hannah, Rachel T., Andral, Rachel L., Cassie, Ryan, Lucas:   Filipinos eat a wide variety of foods.  Pork and chicken are two of the most common meats.  Plantains are also very popular.  

Balut-A delicacy of the Philippines

So.......the big question, did I or did I not try Balut??

The answer is YES!  I was more than a little nervous to try this new food but I am proud to say that I did eat balut and I liked the flavor.  For those of you who don't know, balut is a fertilized duck egg.  This means that there are pin feathers and other body parts.  The egg itself tasted like a hard boiled egg but it was a little crunchy.  Often you see roadside stands selling these eggs.  I opted for eating one in a restaurant.  Would I do it again?  Probably. What's next?  Chickens feet? Chicken intestines? So many choices......

Keep checking the blog to see what happens next.

Shoutout to Russell:  I did it!

Beautiful Province of Laguna

Early Sunday morning we left busy Manila for the lush countryside in the south.  Much of the area caters to tourists with resorts, many fruit stands, and the opportunity to purchase a traditional nipa hut for your background garden.

Shoutout to Morgan, Angelina, Elizabeth, Lindsey and Jackson:  the Philippines is a developing country.  When it comes to housing there are many types.  In Manila there are few single family homes because it is so crowded. There are apartments, row houses, and shacks.  There is such a mix of humanity, people and more people.  For Americans it is an affordable place to visit but for the average Filipino it is quite costly, especially food.  The starting salary for a teacher is about $3,000 a year.

Demographics:  life expectancy 72 years, birth rate 24.62/1000 live births, death rate 4.9/1000

Team Spirit

Saturday was the opening day for the NCAA season here in Manila.  Basketball is the favored sport in the Philippines, not soccer, not baseball.  Six hours of dancing, loud music, and hoops at the Asia Mall Arena made for an exciting day.  It was interesting to see that the universities and colleges work to recruit tall players from Africa and beyond.  The good news:  Jose Rizal University won-"our" school.

Shoutout to Noah, Victoria, Ellen, and Nicholas:  the largest island in the Philippines is called Luzon and it spans 40,541 square miles.  It is the most populous island because this is where the mega city Manila is located.  I will not be staying with a family but in a hotel not far from the school where I am co teaching.

Shoutout to George:  the Filipino flag was adopted in 1898.  It is called "Three Stars and a Sun."

A welcome like no other

 For the past two days I have been busy meeting administrators, teachers, and students at the Jose Rizal University.  The name may seem a bit miss leading but this private school goes from elementary through graduate school. The staff welcomed us with rose petals and a feast. On day two, after five observations and a meeting with the university president, we were again treated to a feast.   I was given the opportunity to meet with the social studies department, a group of energetic, forward thinking women.  Next week I will have the opportunity to coteach with one of these enthusiastic women.

 We rounded off our evening with a trip to a night food market that caters to the many call center employees.  The Philippines has the largest number of call center employees in the world, outdoing India. The Banchetto officially opens at midnight each night but we stopped by at 9:30.  There were many delicious foods from which to choose.

Shoutout to Jaylee: up until now, Filipino students were required to stay in school only through 10th grade. The government has now passed a law requiring schools to offer 11th and 12th grade. This is a dramatic and tramatic change for the country because that means that for two years there will be no high school students entering the university.   In addition, most schools are not prepared  to house the students nor do they have enough staff.

Shoutout to Brooke:  in general, most students are in school from seven in the morning to four in the afternoon

Security: A Separate World

 Today we had the pleasure of visiting the St. Paul College, Pasig High School in Manila and the American Embassy.  You would expect the security to be very tight at the American Embassy, but it was shocking to see the guards with automatic guns ready to search our cars at the entrance of the high school.  Yes, I guess I should not be surprised because there are guards at our hotel searching our bags as we enter but at a private girls high school?  Security is just part of the background scenery of living in Manila.

 The highlight of my day was speaking with two high school students and meeting the United States ambassador, what an honor.   As tensions rise between the Philippines, Japan and China, the world's attention is focusing more and more on the Philippines.    I felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to speak directly with the ambassador and to ask him questions.

 On a completely different note, I am about done with buffets.....

Shoutout to Stacia:  there are 17 regions in the Philippines.

Shoutout to to Tessa, Leah P., Gabby, Leah M., Theodore, Kai, Kailey, and Tucker: one dollar equals 44.25 pesos ...... The food is reasonably priced but everything else is expensive

Journey to the Philippines

"Life is never easy," my mother has always said... The night before my departure I discovered that the name on my ticket did not match the name on my passport.  After a few tears, many grey hairs and three hours on the phone, the problem was solved.  Solved or not, I could not relax until I was on the plane.  I have come to enjoy the long flights as I would watch movie after movie.

Now in the Philippines, I am staying at the most luxurious of hotels with a gorgeous pool. Our first day has been packed full of lectures broken up by delicious meals.

Shout out to Jay:  the Philippines has been an independent country since 1946.  Prior to this date at different times in history, Filipinos were occupied by the United States, Japan, and Spain.
Shout out to Candace:  English is the official language, not Spanish.  This is because the Spanish feared that if the Filipinos learned Spanish, then the Spanish would not be able to maintain control of the local population.  The Spanish wanted to keep the locals ignorant.
                    

DMS Silk Road Market and Shadow Puppet Plays Opened for Business

 On June 16 Mr. Couibaly,African drummer, opened the DMS  Silk Road market in the courtyard and hosted shadow puppet plays in their cafeteria.   Seventh grade students  operated 10 stalls with 10 different authentic items from Asia and Africa to trade with six graders and their parents. Six graders and parents brought canned goods to trade for various items.  Seventh graders collected over 885 pounds of nonperishables for the North Kingstown food pantry.   Audience members watched eight shadow puppet plays interspersed with Taiko drumming.   So much to trade, so much to share, so much to learn.   A big thank you to Beth Berry who created, produced and directed our  culminating event .

Preparing for Shadows from the Silk Road

We have madly begun preparing for our DMS Silk Road market and shadow puppet show.  Students will be working in 10 different tents with ten different items to trade.  Just to name a few items: glass bead bracelets, batik fabric squares, rice balls, hummus and pita chips, and Adinkra stamped folders.  The market opens for business on June 16th at 1:00 and 6:30.  Bring your canned goods to trade!

Issa Coulibaly, master drummer, visits Team A students

Davisville Middle School seventh grade students were excited and proud to host for the fourth year in a row, Mr. Issa Coulibaly.  Mr. Coulibaly is a master drummer from Mali who now lives in Rhode Island.  He spent the day sharing drumming techniques, stories about Mali, descriptions of how djembe drums are made, and the importance of drumming in Mali.  Students learned how to properly play a djembe and worked at learning different rhythm combinations.  Students were amazed at how sore their hands were after playing for a short amount of time.  Mr. Coulibaly will be joining the students on June 16 for their end of the year performance:  Shadows from the Silk Road. This guest artist was made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

A trip in our "backyard"

                                

In early May, Team A students traveled to the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum to learn about the Rhode Island slave experience, different types of mills, and about the impact dams have on our environment. Beautiful weather, great teachers, and curious students made for a FANTASTIC day.