Hello everyone!
This
past week, we said goodbye to manang Teri. She went on her furlough. Seeing her
packing and getting ready to leave, made it very real and tangible that I too
am leaving. It has been weird not having her here. I share a room with her and
sit next to her at meals, so the absence has been a bit strange.
On
Friday, I let my class do a fun whatever they wanted to do craft. I gave them
construction paper, pipe cleaners, glitter, glue, buttons, crepe paper, pom
poms and just let them do whatever they wanted. For the first few minutes, they
were all staring at each other and me as if trying to figure out what to do.
Then they finally starting crafting their project. Some of the girls made
construction paper bags with pipe cleaner handles; others glued the things at
random. The glitter was a hit!
Everyone, even my more boyish boys, loved the glitter. They outlined in
glitter, wrote words in glitter and made designs with it. I tried to keep the
glitter as clean as possible, but that didn’t happen. It is stuck to the table
clothes, in the cracks of the floor and on all their notebooks. I doubt we will
ever be able to rid the classroom of glitter
It
was funny. Today while going over science with my 3rd graders, I
realized they pronounce microscope wrong. They don’t make the ‘c’ a hard ‘c’
but a soft ‘c’. When said like that, it comes out mice-ro-scope. We all laughed
a bit over that.
I
finally had a halo-halo thing last week. It literally means mix mix, a bunch of
stuff thrown together. The manangs have told me how much they like them and I
have wanted to taste one for a while now, but never had the opportunity. Let me
tell you, it is a strange dessert. The base is shaved ice and condensed milk,
from there, they all differ. Mine had coconut pieces, flan, coconut jelly, ube
ice-cream, sugar, cereal, some green thing, fake cherries and finally beans. I
liked it on a whole, but the beans were definitely not my favorite. I didn’t
know it had beans in it till I bit one. Filipinos are all about making un-sweet
things sweet; this was just a bit too abnormal for me.
It
is hard to believe, but this is my second to last blog. About two more weeks of
Philippino living and then back to California for me. Time is funny, some of
the days limped by and other weeks were in high-speed. When I think back over
everything I have done and experienced here, I am blessed and thankful for it
all. I would be lying if I said it was an easy year. I am all of 22, but it has
been my hardest year yet. It has been filled with personal and spiritual
growing pains, tears and laughs, loneliness and love.
“Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 I
have been praying for a while for peace when this time came. Peace in my
decisions, peace to go home, peace in my heart and mind. I’m not sure why I am
always amazed that God answers my prayers, but I truly have peace with
everything. It is still hard to leave not knowing when I will make it back, if
I will see all these kids again, leave all of the wonderful, funny and lovely
manangs, but God has called me home for the time being.
Well
that’s it for now. God Bless and much love,
Kelsey
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