| @ the Perez's House | 6/11/2010 04:46:00 PM |
The house was located just inside the compound behind our parish church. My mother would drop me off in the mornings and I would be introduced to the multi-sensory wonders offered by the Montessori method of teaching. Everything about it was informal. Mdm. Perez and one or two assistants served as teachers. There were no uniforms. The living room was a makeshift classroom. There were few student, probably ten or less, including one very naughty boy who happened to be Mdm. Perez's son. This was to be expected of a school that was just starting out. At that time, the school didn't even have a name. I never received a report card either.
I can't quite remember all the lessons. I do remember my impatient self grabbing another student's work and attempting to finish it myself when I realized he wasn't quite halfway through with what we were supposed to do. At times I still have to stop myself at feeling impatient when someone I am teaching things to doesn't quite get it, and hold back the tempting thought of doing someone else's work myself.
Later on, the Montessori school transferred just behind the gasoline station nearer to our house. My next two younger siblings went there. I was always still welcome there in my early grade school days. Sometimes, when I didn't have classes, I was allowed to sit in on my younger siblings' lessons. It was there that I learned to wholeheartedly accept differently-abled children who were in my sister's class.
Whenever asked for the list of schools I attended, I would never include in the list the informal early childhood education I had in the Perez's house (which did not even have a name at the time I studied there). I believe though that earning at that informal environment enabled me to develop a lifelong love for learning and wonder at discovering new and better things each day as well as a better understanding of persons we may consider so different from us at first glance.
| Cherrylyn Revisited | 11/06/2007 11:42:00 AM |
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Here are some more pics of Cherrylyn, that little girl born blind from Sitio Ibo with the volunteers.
| RSP Oct'07 | 11/01/2007 04:30:00 AM |
I just came back from the year's second Rural Service Project to Sition Ibo, Barangay Pondol, Balamban, Cebu, (October 26-31) organized by Banilad Study Center. It was a whole lot of work and a whole lot of fun, too!
I was again assigned to oversee the administration (read: kitchen and house upkeep!), as expected. I got lots of help though from the other people assigned there as well. We had it easy this time thanks to the lovely resthouse we were staying in, with all the equipment we needed to run things smoothly.
Despite the rain (and getting wet, of course!), we were able to finish the septic tank for Sitio Ibo's public toilet, play games, read stories and teach the kids catechism (even had a party the last day!), hold livelihood classes for the mothers, have a one-day-only medical and dental clinic, go on an excursion to Binghay Marine Park, and explore the nearby river and go spelunking (just to the mouth of a nearby cave--people dindn't have flashlights!), and relax with our nightly get-togethers. We would also pray the rosary every afternoon at the chapel (kapilya) we had helped to construct last April. It became sort of our headquarters and where most of the activities were held as well due to the rains.
This will probably be the last rural service project for me, at least for the next four years, so I cherished the whole time I was there to work and relax. I think I have stored enough great memories though to last me the rest of my life! 
| Rural Service Project Oct 2005 | 8/05/2007 05:52:00 PM |
A short account of the Rural Service Project I joined back in 2005.
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Set in Barangay Tingo on Olanggo Island, 11 souls braved the constant threat of possible bird flu contamination considering the start of bird migration season. As expected, and to our dismay, the bird sanctuary was off limits to us for any excursion purposes.
And so we set out doing home visits, teaching catechism to primary grades and intermediate grades, giving a leadership seminar at the local high school, cleaning up the chapel and keeping house (doing all the chores!) in a place called home for one week which had only one bathroom. And all that with time to spare for prayers and get-togethers!
I left them yesterday in their beach excursion and pondered the coming events of today: the medical-dental mission and the health and nutrition seminars.
The memories of those memorable days spent with unforgettable people: Mirzi, Bea, Grace V., Angelie, Lucille, EJ, Celeste, Bulai, Ivi, and Narsheen will forever be etched in my mind. And now I look forward to my next Rural Service Project, whenever it may be.
| All About Cherrylyn | 6/16/2007 08:34:00 PM |
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During the recent Rural Service Project, the volunteer's hands-down favorite kid was Cherrylyn. She's a blind, orphan girl, about five years old, with no formal schooling but an intelligent, inquisitive mind. I present here some of the numerous clips featuring her. Dialogue is mostly in Cebuano (my local dialect). I apologize that I am unable to provide a transcript in English due to lack of time and difficulty in understanding some of the dialogue in this amateur clips.
l l l l l l l l l l
| Kids Present an Action Song | 6/16/2007 10:27:00 AM |
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Here's another clip from April's Rural Service Project in Siti Ibo, Barangay Pondol, Balamban, Cebu, Philippines. I was particularly amused by the extra coaching from the camera girl near the end of the song...
| The Kids of Sitio Ibo, Reading | 6/06/2007 10:27:00 PM |
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I have just learned how to upload videos onto my blog!
Starting today,I'll be uploading some video clips of last April's Rural Service Project in Sitio Ibo, Barangay Pondol, Balamban, Cebu, Philippines. Soon, I'll upload the movie clip one of the volunteers is working on. These will be glimpses of what we are doing as well as a promotion for the upcoming Rurals this semestral break in October.
For starters, here's a glimpse of two kids who received a storybook we gave away to them on the last day of the Rurals.
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