Farewells

Yesterday, Oct. 17, was my final day teaching at Junob National High School. My students are so adorable. They planned a farewell program for me. And it was quite a production. They made me wait outside the classroom while they finished with their tasks. I heard desks scraping against the tile floor, giggling girls and boisterous laughter coming from inside. I waited patiently, anticipating what I would see. Finally they said "Come in Ma'am!" I was so nervous, and I can't begin to tell you why. I walked in and on the chalkboard they had written "Farewell & We'll Miss You Ma'am." They had me sit on my throne in the middle of the classroom and then they crowned me with a wreath of flowers they had weaved themselves. It was lovely. And smelled incredible!

The students then began to say such wonderful and heartwarming things. Such as, "You are my favorite teacher, You are the most beautiful woman in the world, You have taught me so much..." They are all such dears. One of the girls, Angel, dressed up to look like me. They then reenacted my first day. I couldn't stop laughing. Then all of the students stood in front of me and sang "Farewell my Friend." Then they proceeded to tell me how much they would miss me and how much they love me. Each of them had prepared beautiful cards for me. They deposited the cards, gifts and roses into my lap. I read some last night. They are incredibly sweet. I stood up after the show and told them thank you and told them how special they are to me and that I will treasure our time together and they will always be in my heart. I was crying by the time I finished my little speech, because they were all sobbing. Oh my!

You really have no idea the impact you have on a student's life sometimes. My experiences in the Philippines has made me want to continue teaching when I return to the States. I finally understand what it is all about. The light in their eyes when they understand a concept I'm trying to teach, the anticipation and pride I feel each time they succeed at a project in class... They are incredible people and I will miss them all very much. But I look forward to teaching at BayBay National High School next month. And for the next 2 years. I hope my next experience can match that of JNHS. But I don't know, they set the bar pretty high!

Pictures of my journey thus far can be viewed on my facebook profile...

More to follow...

Site Announcement

Hey All! My site was announced today. I will be in BayBay (byebye) on the island of Leyte for the next two years. YAY! It's the best diving in the Philippines so I'll get certified ASAP. And I'm teaching at a large high school--3,800 students. It'll be an amazing change from my comfort zone. And I won't be alone! Syd will be teaching at the University which is near my school. Her home is just 12 km away from mine; or a P10 ride. Cassie, Connie, Nancy, Jasmine, Shreyll and Sean will also be on Leyte ranging anywhere from 30 minutes away to 3 hours. Megan and  Dan are also near, although they are on another island. Weekends will be fun! Syd and I will do everything together, I'm sure. I'm so lucky she's the gal in my town. Syd is awesome and a plethora of information regarding teaching.

Okay, well I didn't get a chance to finish my blog before I  went to site. I just returned to Bocolod last night and we leave  for Dumaguette today. My site is incredible! BayBay is beautiful. We're  nestled in between the mountains and the ocean. I'm close to everything... the church, market, bank, school, post office,  college... I really love it here! I can't wait to post photos  for you all to see. My students  are so sweet. They prepared a welcome  dance for me and then I spent  an hour on stage answering  questions and talking to all 3800 kids and 82 faculty. I interviewed with the  student newspaper and they had so many  questions! I talked to them for 1.5 hours before losing my voice and calling it quits. I'm so lucky that I get to live in BayBay for the next 2 years. Another volunteer from the group before, Matt, lives in BayBay. He showed Syd and  I around and will be a great friend. I'm happy he's there. The community is excited we're there, the schools... Everything is wonderful. My host family are really down to earth and great cooks--I  had shrimp, clams and calamari while there. I return to BayBay after swearing in, November 8. That means another plane to Cebu, than a 2 hour boat to Ormac, and a one hour  bus ride to BayBay. Ahh... the life  of a Volunteer. No job can beat it!