talking about challenges...

Yes, i am not a perfect teacher but i have been trying my best to be one great teacher for my 25 sixth graders here in palau. So far, everything has been good. even if my kids think im no fun teacher but i know they are learning and what's good is, they are aware of it.

I have the biggest class in the school. yes, 25 isnt that big compared to what i had back in UP but in Palau, that number is big deal. These are not college kids whom you'll just say, "Study this and we'll discuss this tomorrow" or "Read pages blah to blah and make a reaction paper out of it." These are 25 hyperactive kids who need love, care, and understanding. If spoonfeeding is needed, I have to do it. Since the schoolyear started, the principal mr. nelson kept on apologizing to me since they couldn't find another teacher who could teach half of my class. you see, palau sda school is a mission school and 3/4 of its teachers are student missionaries from all over the world. each grade level too has 2 sections. only the 6th grade level has no section B this year.

as for me, i could handle the kids. but i get stricter everyday. i get firmer too. which the kids hate so much. i think it's because of their number. 25 hyper kids isnt easy to handle. like a hen, i should gather my chicks and not allow anyone to wander. because i got stricter and firmer as days went by, i got more tired too at the end of each day. it takes so much effort to be strict and firm, you know. so when someone from england wrote mr.nelson last december to volunteer for the school, he readily accepted him. i was so happy too. finally, i could have someone to help me out with my students. he could teach some of the subjects. he could check some of the papers.i am excited for my kids too. a new teacher would be so much fun in class.

liam arrived from england right after the 3rd quarter, during the spring break. he was in egypt last year teaching in a sudanese refugee school. he's 19years old. his interesting accent entice the kids right away. my girls started flirting with him. he teaches okay though sometimes the kids couldnt understand him easily. while i was busy directing the school play in the afternoon, he is teaching my afternoon classes. days passed, parent after parent called the school office. most of them emailed me too. they all expressed negative remarks about the new teacher. he speaks bad words calling my kids B**** and mentions F*** while teaching, he brings his iPOD in school and makes the kids listen to not-so-good music, he brings his laptop and makes them watch american pie, he is disorganized with the lessons, he just let the kids do their own and not monitor them, etc. i was stressed out. the principal didn't know what to do. so these complaints are the reasons when i noticed my kids were getting uncontrollable and wilder these past few days. it was so hard for me to calm them down. before, if i'd only count 1,2,3 they'd go back to their seats and keep quiet. but lately, they have changed. things have changed in the classroom since liam arrived.

so i told the principal,"sir, i want my kids back. if i had known things would get worse as this, i shouldnt have allowed him to teach. i want to teach my kids again the whole day. i dont want them to go to 7th grade with this new attitude they have. they dont follow our class rules anymore. i feel sorry for them."

so principal talked to the guy and liam was so upset about it.

today is his last day of teaching. i was out in the afternoon practicing for the play then one of my students came to tell me liam threw scissors to JJ's head. whew. so i went running. after a few mins, i learned that there are two girls missing in my class. i asked someone to look for them around the campus but he came back disappointed, and this is 15mins before 3pm, the school dismissal. at 3:15, the 2 girls arrived. they said they went to penthouse, a refreshment area owned by one of them. this girl is a supreme court judge's daughter.i sent them to the principal's office. how couldn't liam notice two of my kids went out of the room while he's there teaching?whew.boy, obviously, he cant handle my class.

more parents came today after school to complain about their kids' grades in language and social studies. these are the subjects liam teaches in my class! they told the principal,'everthing was smooth sailing before. how could you hire someone when school is almost over?he's not helpful to the kids!"

boy, the principal was so disappointed. i dont know what to do either. i'm just glad i'll be back to teaching them next week and i need to help them make up to pull their grades up. parents are worried. principal is disappointed. i am pressured. *sigh*

i have only one month left to bring my kids back to normalcy. we cannot mess up this time.

boy,what a day. what an experience.

excitement!

I am so excited! I knew it! This year will be a blast!:)

sweet apology letter

i knew it.

a new challenge indeeed. i sprained my ankle real hard on the first day of this new week.whew.

we went to the rock islands that sunday and arrived home at 5pm. i took a shower real fast so i could go to the faculty lounge to do some research before the sun sets. while i was going down the stairs from our 3rd floor apartment, i tripped. waaaaaaaaah. right foot twisted...laptop on my butt... it was my first time to experience that. my co-workers who were living on the 2nd floor brought me upstairs and i applied hot and cold compress on the swollen area. that night i couldnt walk. the next morning, it was still very painful to walk.i was absent in class.

im glad pastor mar was there with his wife next door. he massaged the swollen area and it felt better after. i was able to go to school in the afternoon but i needed a rod that time. it was still painful.

today, it's way better than yesterday! my walking is normal again and the pain is almost gone.yay!!!!

there's always a first time..that was challenging enough. parents aren't here, boyfriend isn't here. but i managed! im still thankful it's not dislocation. :) God is here.

random thoughts

Since I arrived from US last january, many things have changed - emotionally, spiritually, and socially. Things here get boring, everything has been routinary. Thank God, 3 months are left before the schoolyear ends.

Plans have changed too. I'll keep them between me and God for now.

I am glad I am back to my daily devotions. Spending time with Him every morning is really great. Talking with my Creator before I face each day gives me more confidence and more drive to do the tasks He has given me.

Well, another week is here. I know there will be new trials, new experiences with the kids, new challenges, new opportunities to show love, new discoveries within me and others.

=)

wish i am a creative writer..

wonderful.beautiful.amazing.happy.

these are the only words i could describe my whole trip in US. i could not find the right words. everything has been so wonderful, beautiful, and amazing. this is one of the times that i wish i am a creative writer so i could vividly describe every moment of the trip.


the smiles tell it all :)


with my aunts in las vegas


im back in palau now. im back to the real world. the principal was shocked when he saw me arriving in school. he said he wouldn't be surprised if i opted to stay there and that he'd be surprised if i'd come back. knowing the number of filipinos who went to US and didnt come back, i couldnt blame him. but i was true to my word, i did come come back - still whole and willing to teach. i told him, "why don't you believe me that palau is where God wants me to be this year?" he laughed. i laughed too.

the trip was wonderful, amazing, and beautiful. i like it there but God told me it wasnt the right time for me to stay for good. THERE IS A RIGHT TIME, and that time is perfect and fool-proof.:)

miracles and blessings!!!

just posing at hilton minneapolis

merry christmas everyone!

when this year started, i just wished for guimaras. i really wanted to visit that small island in visayas. i also had a plan to study in a bible college in US. but things changed. God had much better plans.

instead of guimaras, He sent me to palau to teach 25 sixth graders in palau sda school. it is a new experience and the only word that describes this big shift in my life is: CHALLENGING.whew.but it was clear, palau is where God wants me to be this year and next year after months of praying and pleading to Him.

because of this palau job, my plan to study in US was cancelled...but..but..God had a plan for that too.He never ceases to amaze me. He wanted me to attend the general youth conference in minessotta. the visa application was emotionally and psychologically draining but i got it!:) i arrived in US on dec15. cielito and his two sda friends picked me up from the airport. he's soooooo loving and sooooo handsome. i flew to minneapolis on dec19 and stayed with my korean roommates at hilton minneapolis. the weather in MN was really crazy. sooooooo cold. it was snowing the 2nd day i stayed there and it snowed again on the day i left the state for LA. in effect, flights were delayed and some were even cancelled. goodness..but my stay there was really great and incomparable. GYC was a blessing. messages were powerful. and..and..who would have thought i'd see snow this year? and experience -20C temperature? it was really crazy but fun!next GYC 2008 will be in in san jose, california. hopefully and prayerfully, ill be there.*wink*


GYC at minneapolis convention center


ang lamig!!!!!

life here has been good. ill be in las vegas this weekend with my uncles. time flies soooo fast too. the week after next week, ill leave for palau. :( but then again, it was clear palau is where God wants me to be this school year and teaching 6th graders is what He wants me to do. next school year, who knows where ill be? im always ready for surprises, Lord. i love you.

im sooo excited!!!

i am doing a countdown. 19 days more and i'll be leaving for USA! I am sooo excited!!! I will leave from here in koror to manila on dec14. UP buddies liz and ais will see me at the airport and will entertain me until i check in for my LA flight the next day early morning. i can't wait to see those girls too! it has been a loooooooong time. they are the best and most loveable girls i know.

i will have two stopovers in Japan - one in Nagoya and the other one is in Tokyo. that would be lotsa fun! i'll get to see a lot of places. yes, i know i'll just be at the airport but still, it's a different place.hahaha. i will arrive in LA on dec15 745am and my cielito will get me from there. i am soooo excited and scared at the same time. excited because i would see him and this meeting is finally an answered prayer after 7months of appealing to God; scared because i'll be in a totally different world at that time and i might forget I am actually teaching here in palau and i have 25 students waiting for my return in january.

on dec19, i will leave LA to minneapolis for the general youth conference where i am part of the communciation team. i will stay in Hilton hotel with Korean roommates until dec23. then ill fly back to LA and stay at my uncles' in corona city or at my uncle's in modesto or at my cielito's in burbank.

i will leave LA in jan7, arrive in manila in jan8 late evening and fly to koror in jan9. jan11 is again parent-teacher conference so i need to prepare for that. so goodluck nalang sa jetlag na yan. walang jetlag jetlag rica..

i dont think this US trip in december is wrong timing for me because the youth conference which is my main purpose of the trip falls in december... it's just that one of my bestfriends who lives in san jose, CA wont be there because she will go home to davao on the same day ill arrive in LA. her sis' wedding is on dec18. also, one of my closest AMiCUS friends in Diliman (who is in minneapolis now for a job training) will also leave US on the same day ill arrive in LA. waaaaaaaaaah. he is supposed to be my tour guide in minnesotta. oh well.. they have their lives too. so definitely, this is a solo trip. i have to accept that.

a blessing from the Lord still! i am soooo happy.. i am sooo excited...

mama, papa, i will miss you.

thank you, Lord!

got it. visa granted. 1 entry. good for 6 months. be there in december.

what a gift, Lord! thank you so much!

i dont want to be anxious!

This week I will do something that's beyond my control. It makes me nervous but I have to do it. I will do it. God, help me. I should not be scared, I should not be nervous. As I said, it is beyond my control so I will let Him take control. :)

Pray for me, people.

sombrero

i have spanish-speaking co-teachers and among all my foreign co-teachers, they have been the friendliest.

yesterday, we saw each other at the shopping center and they invited me to eat with them in Bandidos, a mexican restaurant, near my apartment. and they added cheerfully, "and we can take a picture wearing our sombreros."

i said,"how did u know that word? it's filipino."

nicole knows how to speak little filipino so i thought she got it from her Filipino friends.

she said,"its Spanish."

"oh yeah right.you all conquered us for 300years!" i said jokingly.

"hey, hey, hey, they conquered us too." all three of them said almost together.

and so we went out to meet the americans. they wanted to eat out too. at first i was kinda hesitant because i am the only filipino who's going. but when we arrived at the place where restaurants are (i dont know the street but it is just one block from my apartment), the spanish-speaking gals cornered me and told me to follow them. there i knew, we were going to bandidos alone. the others were going somewhere.

while eating, we had so much fun discussing about each other's cultures, families, education, countries, etc. i ordered chicken taquitos, by the way.and here we are with our sombreros. Tania said, "i think we should do this often!"


from left: tania (half-costa rican,half-guatemalan),nicole (half-guatemalan, half-cuban), me, and rebecca (half-el salvadorian, half-guatemalan)

so these are my new friends. are spanish-speaking people gifts from heaven? my boyfriend is panamanian. *wink*

seeing God in Palau

homesick

for the first time in 2weeks, i felt sooo homesick last night. i miss my family, especially opong so much.waaaaaaaaaaaaah.cried and cried last night.

:(

whew.

what a day.

the whole time this morning, i was under the sun.the heat is really different here in palau. it seeps through the skin and sucks all the energy that i have. it seems like only palau has the sun. it was good that we only have half-day today because one,it is the welcome back party of the students and two,it is friday.i love fridays now!!we only have half-day classes.

i still cram for my classes every night because i wasnt well-prepared. i should have arrived 2weeks before they started. i arrived last sunday because of immigration reasons. the day after, it's the first day of school.whew.i was able to review what the cell theory is and cells' characteristics..the early life of humans, map reading, Bible stories and lessons during my 6th grade. yes, im teaching 6th grade. i am glad their books are great - bookbound, comprehensive, have teachers' edition and well-explained. promise, ill prepare more for the next month this weekend. i need to do lots of things. i still have to think of what projects will i require from them this school year. ok, ok, ill think it over the weekend.

my cousin is coming tonight!yay!!!she will be a missionary teacher in the same school where i am teaching so we will share the same apartment. she's a good cook so it's a plus too.hahaha.

we'll be swimming and snorkeling under the bridge on sunday. cannot wait. i saw that bridge when i was about to land last sunday. it was sooo beautiful. i wont forget my digicam.:)

that's all for now. palau is good.

good things

things that make me laugh/smile for the past 2weeks:

1. My cute bro was selected by his classmates' parents to represent his class in the Mr. Nutrition pageant. rarampa siya sa friday. waaaaaaaah. sana ma-perfect niya ang "ako po si Rico Rodolfo Yap Bolos, representing level 1!"
2. My Cielito is still understanding and patient as ever. happy 3 months!
3. I was finally done with my medical examination and palau got it already. whew!
4. I got superior intelligence, according to my neuro-psychiatrist. hello, ang dali kaya ng mga questions ng 3 tests.hihihi.
5. My sister was finally given a chance to work so she can save for her NCLEX and CGFNS exams.
6. I got pics of my future room, kitchen, and bathroom in Palau! Everything is nice. I cant wait to go.Thanks, Ruben!
7. I got a new Korean friend. her name is Linda.
8. A baby is coming! Congratulations to Cielito's best friends Brad and Denae!
9. Alchemy's two former hosts made it to the top12 of Be Bench. One of them is a former student of mine in UP.
10. Blessing Echo Singers did great last Sabbath. I was sooooo blessed!
11. Ate Lau, my 28yr old UP schoolmate, finally announced to the world that she is ready to have a boyfriend. hahaha. go, ate lau!

last sabbath 07/21/07

"I am so glad that Jesus loves me..Jesus loves me.."


sinong gaya gaya?

my big little bro

hey, pay attention to the ceremony!


where is your Bible, bearer?


looking more like papa..


boy na boy na talaga!

for the first time..

i finally got busy for the first time after 2yrs of working. i went back to my former employer - an advertising agency - and my boss gave me loads of tasks to do. i just directed and wrote a documentary on the premiere high school in Mindanao. i spent sleepless nights in the office. i couldnt believe im back to the broadcasting world again. for the months that i have stayed here in the company, i can say it's all worth it. this is the first time after my graduation 2years ago that i have finally practiced my production skills.

the documentary is done now. nexta ssignment is to conceptualize a talk show for channel 28 by RODY project. whew!

while im enjoying this part of my life now, im also sad at the same time because im leaving this company for good soon. i just handed my resignation letter last week. i felt nostalgic about it. i have already learned to love the freelance artists, the production crew, and my understanding boss. but i dont want this "better" opportunity to pass by. i have always known im for a better place and better job.

wish me luck. all for God's glory!

Chloe..oh Chloe..

i havent watched 24 all my life but i know it is one of the most-watched TV series in the world. the suspense and mystery of the show and the charm and strength of all the characters entice the audience to stay on and be excited on every episode that is to come. one of the biggest fans of 24 that i know is my boss - Dax.

Dax always compares me with Chloe, the character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub in 24. but why oh why? Dax said whenever he watches 24, he could see me in the set because of Chloe's presence. according to my research,Chloe is good in computers while i am not. she has demonstrated proficiency with handguns and automatic weapons while I don't know anything about weaponry. so what makes me comparable to chloe, i asked Dax.



"Look at the way she looks like while working and worries about things." so i looked for her pics online. oh boy. whatever.

so everybody in the office is calling me Chloe now. is that good or bad? i guess i should buy DVDs of 24 soon so i'll find out.

B- traveler ako :(

I am just a B- traveler, according to Lakbayan. i will make it an A very very soon. anyone?