Springtime Festivities

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It has been a really long time since I’ve written. Sorry. So I’ll give some updates on some of the highlights of the last couple months.



The first weekend after we were back from Japan, Marissa and went to the beach again. Pretty much the same as it was when we went in November. We went to the same place (Sunset Bay in San Fernando) and just laid on the beach and read and got a little sun. However, this time, it was much more complicated getting a bus back to Baguio. We took a trike into the bus stop in San Fernando and waited for about an hour, and then a bus that was going to Baguio finally (again, no schedule, the busses just kinda drive by randomly). But, we didn’t realize that we had to take a number to get in line for the bus (nothing like that is actually organized like it is in the states, so we had no idea that something like this would involve taking a number). So, we didn’t get on that bus. And then another one came about half an hour later. So a ridiculously long wait for an hour and a half bus ride (that really is only about 25 miles). Anyways, that was a good weekend.



The first weekend in February, we went to the beach with a few other expats. Brandon came with this time 😊 We went to a different place than Marissa and I have gone to before. This place, in San Juan, was just as nice (more expensive, $50 a night instead of $40), but the beach was way better. There wasn’t any coral, so the beach was pure sand, even in the water. It was great for swimming. There were even waves that were almost big enough for surfing, so it was really fun to swim and just get knocked over by the waves. The best part of this? We’re the only ones there. There were other people at the resort, but Filipinos and Koreans (a majority of the population around here) hate the sun. They want their skin to be as white as possible, so they don’t like playing in the water or in the sand. So, it was the five of us Americans just hanging out in the water and beach with no one else in sight. It was awesome. This type of place in Mexico or the Caribbean would be at least $150 a night and the beach would be insanely crowded. Yet another reason why I love the Philippines 😊 We rented a van (and driver) to drive us there and back ($45 each way), so we didn’t have to deal with the bus, which was awesome. Probably not something we’ll do if it’s just Marissa and me, because it’s kinda expensive, but when there’s more than two people, definitely worth it. So that weekend was definitely a good one. I hope we can plan another one like it before the end of the school year.

Side note, that weekend at the beach marked the one-year anniversary of us getting hired for the jobs here. It definitely confirmed that we had made one of the best decisions of our lives 😊

The following week, we had Filipino day. It was just after school one day. All of the Filipino classes (grades 6-12) did a dance performance. There was also a lot of Filipino food. It was pretty much just a couple hour event that celebrated Filipino culture.

On Feb 11, there was a math/physics quiz bowl at one of the local colleges. I chose three of my high school students to enter the contest. The three of them participated together as a team, and then one student did the individual round alone. It was a pretty fun morning. It was an interactive quiz bowl, so there would be a question on the LCD projector and then the students would have about 30 seconds to answer the question and then they would write their answers on their small chalk boards. So it was interesting to watch. The questions were really hard, especially for the short amount of time that they had, and they did not get to use a calculator on them. Tony (our student for the individual round) got first place. And then the team places third. I was super happy about them placing third, but they were really disappointed. They won some money (about $15) for third place, so then we all went out to eat after, so that was fun. Overall, a good (and interesting) day.

The last weekend in February was the annual Panagbenga flower festival. It was absolutely crazy. There are about 500,000 people who visit Baguio for this event. (Just fyi, Baguio has a population of about 400,000 (I think) and in land area, it’s about the size of Brainerd/Baxter.) So needless to say, it was insane that weekend. The festival is known for the two parades on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Since this is our first time experiencing this, I figured I needed to get the full experience and get up super early to get a good spot to watch the parade. On Saturday, we got to Session road (the location of the parade) at about 5:30 am to get in line for a seat at McDonalds. Yes, I know, it sounds very American. But, McDonalds is two floors with lots of windows, so therefore, one of the best spots to watch the parade. We got great seats right by the windows. The parade didn’t start until 8, so we had a while just to hang out and eat breakfast. The parade on Saturday consisted of many native dancers and a few marching bands. It was pretty cool, however, I don’t think it’s something that I will wake up early for next year. On Sunday, the parade was mostly floats. We did the same thing at got to McDonalds at 5:30am, however, we were not one of the first ones in line this morning, so we didn’t get nearly as good of seats. Still pretty decent, but not as good as on Saturday. I think this parade was much better. The floats were pretty big and decorated completely with flowers. Most of them were some sort of advertisement, but decorated really nicely and colorfully. Again, probably not something I’m going to go to next year.

The following week, all of Session road was closed down and there were many booths set up. Similar to a fair in the states. However, much more crowded. We went to dinner once at one of the booths from a local restaurant, but besides that, we kinda avoided that area because it was so much busier than normal.

The first week of March, we had our annual Field Day at Brent. That was a pretty great day. It was absolutely gorgeous out (about 80 and sunny). The Filipinos and Koreans hated that it was so sunny and warm, but we loved it 😊 The day was kinda long and repetitive, but it was still fun. All of the students and teachers here are divided up into houses (much like Harry Potter). Throughout the year, the students can earn and lose house points for different things (behavior included). This day was a competition between houses to earn house points (the biggest house event during the year). The students are grouped into different levels (Pre-K and K, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12). Most events had heats for boys and girls and then for each of the different levels. Most of the events were running based, but there was also a watermelon eating relay, sack race, 3-legged race and obstacle course. There were a few events that teachers could participate in. Surprisingly, I got 2^nd in the 100m for the female faculty/parents race. Brandon did the sack race, 100m, and watermelon eating relay. Our house didn’t win overall, but it was a really fun day.

The first weekend in March, Marissa and I went to a hot springs resort just outside of Baguio. On Saturday morning, we got up pretty early to go try and find a jeepney that would take us there (there’s a spot by the market where all the jeepneys line up and you just walk around and look for one that says “Asin Hot Springs” and then wait for it to leave. No schedule.) We found one after not too much looking. I figured we would be the last ones to get on the jeepney, since we barely fit. The jeepneys are about the size of a large SUV (like a full size Suburban) and we were (I think) the 18^th and 19^th people to get on, so we assumed we would be the last. Nope. Four more people got on, including two who were hanging off the back/on the roof. Oh, there was also a person with a live chicken on there. So, needless to say, it was an interesting ride. It cost about 50 cents to get to the hot springs. It’s only about 10 miles, but it takes about 45 minutes to get there. The resort was super nice. I’m not quite sure why it’s called a hot springs. It looks just like a normal resort. Apparently one of the pools is heated by underground hot springs, but you would never notice that unless you knew. We pretty much just sat by the pool the whole day on Saturday. There weren’t too many people there either. Just a few Filipino families playing in the pool. So we had no problem getting good chairs by the pool, since no Filipino wants to just lay out in the sun. We stayed the night there too, and I think we were the only ones who did. It’s pretty expensive (ok, expensive on Filipino terms, like $60) for the night, whereas it’s only $2 to come for the day at the pool. It’s a pretty nice place, however, I think I like the beach better. The beach is cheaper, the food is better, and there’s the ocean, which totally beats a pool. Getting back to Baguio on Sunday was harder than getting there. You’re just supposed to wait on the road for a jeepney to come by. We thought we were in luck right away, because there was a jeepney just waiting on the road. It said “Baguio Plaza,” on it, so we hopped in. However, we were the only ones on there, and they don’t leave until they are full, so we waited about a hour and a half until it was full and we could leave. When we left (probably with about 15 people, so pretty full), we drove for probably about half a mile, and then the driver decided to stop on the side of the road and get out and turn the jeepney off and wait for about 15 minutes. I think it’s because we were waiting for people, but I’m really not sure. Then, we drove about another mile or so, and were road blocked by a taxi driver who was washing his taxi in the middle of the road (sideways, so we couldn’t get by). The jeepney driver then decided that he wanted his jeepney washed, so he got out and closed the windows and had the taxi driver wash his jeepney. While we (and about 18 other people, no live chicken this time though) waited inside. So, another delay before getting back to Baguio. Times like these I wish I had a car here. However, cars and gas are American priced, so it wouldn’t make any sense financially, when it only costs 50 cents to take a jeepney to this place 10 miles away. It would cost more in gas if we had our own car. All this waiting is probably good for my patience. I think I’ve become more patient since I’ve lived here, because daily, it is tested and I don’t blow up every time, like I used to in the states. So we’ll see if it carries over when we come back to the states 😊

Brent Day was this past weekend. Wow, that was an event. First, some prerequisite knowledge about it. Filipinos take performances of any kind very seriously. For a lot of them, it comes above academics. The Pre-K through grade 8 classes each did a dance performance for Brent day, and a lot of class time was taken to make sure these dances were perfect. But the practices were definitely not organized like they would be in the states. The students have been practicing several times a week since January for their three minute performances. Marissa teaches 2^nd grade, and sometimes the person in charge of the dances, would just come into her classroom (while she was teaching) and say “the kids have practice now.” And she was not informed of this prior to that moment. Also, sometimes Brandon’s student would be late for class (like 15 minutes) because they were having practice during recess and he was not informed of it. So very unorganized and not time efficient. Also, perfection is key when it comes to performing here. Even with the kindergarteners. In the states, it’s like “oh cute, they’re kinda dancing together.” Here, it’s like, they need to be perfect. It’s a show. Anyway, the actual performance were really good, and it was obvious that a lot of time was spent, however, (just my opinion) I think that there should be less time on these practices and more on academics. It’ll still be a good performance if the kindergarteners aren’t perfectly together when they’re dancing. So anyway, the actual day, the events started at 5pm. First, there was a flag honors ceremony with the singing of the national anthem. Then, there was a buffet dinner, with food from around the world. Then, it was the actual performances. The food was pretty decent, however, since it was outside and at night, it got pretty chilly, so the food was also cold, but still pretty decent. Dessert was good 😊 The performances were mostly the different grade levels dancing. It was probably the most organized, and well put together, event I’ve seen so far in the Philippines. It even ended with firework. And like legit fireworks. About 10 minutes of fireworks, similar to a small town’s 4^th of July fireworks in the states. Obviously there aren’t any laws about this, because Brent is in the middle of the city, and they were shot off from campus. So, all in all, a very successful night.

Leading up to Brent day, there were different dress up days. See pictures 😊

Today was parent teacher conferences. Very different than in the states. At least for me, since I teach all honors classes. I think out of all my students (about 40 students) I think one has a C, and the rest are B’s or A’s. So pretty pleasant conferences. Some of my favorite quotes (obviously from Korean parents) “ wow, so low score!” referring to an +88/100 on a test. But the overall grade of the student was a 94%!,(MISSING) but she needed to know what the student needed to do to get her grade better. Another mom, was very upset that her student had a 94%!a(MISSING)nd needed to know what she had to do to get it up to an A+ (97%!)(MISSING), because an A isn’t good enough. Oh, and a lot of times the parents give the teachers presents. Today, I received a bottle of Lancome anti-wrinkle cream. Not sure what they’re trying to tell me. Haha. And Brandon received more Korean red ginseng tea (this is our fourth box of it, I believe). Brandon also got 2000 pesos to SM (about $50), so that was pretty sweet. I love these kids 😊

That pretty much sums up the main events the last couple of months. We leave for Bangkok in a couple weeks for a teachers’ conference and some touring, so I’ll definitely have a lot to write after that!

PS Sorry if there are typos in this… I don’t really want to proof read it all right now 😊

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Photos

Filipino day
The 3rd-5th grade boys