I've already been in Rizal at Covenant Christian Academy for 2 weeks, which means that my time here is half over. My stay here has been extended, so I will now be leaving on the 10th of Nov to head for Rehoboth Children's Home. The teachers at CCA keep asking if I will return here for a few days before I return to Australia, and when they found out that I will be having my birthday at Rehoboth a few of them declared that would come up and visit me. It's very sweet that they appreciate having me here and will miss me!
I realised yesterday that I haven't really talked much about what I have been doing here, besides observing in classes. To give you an idea of what most weekdays look like, I thought I'd give you a summary in terms of wildlife and food!
4am - the roosters in the neighbourhood begin to crow and wake me up, but I go back to sleep
5:30am - the birds begin to chirp and I wake up properly, 15 min before my alarm.
6am - I share the bathroom with spiders while I take a shower. It's a good thing I'm not scared of them because last week there was one the size of my palm!
6:40am - breakfast: I eat cereal with powdered milk, which everyone thinks is strange and boring
7am - I walk or take a tricycle to school with Teacher Eunice and sometimes Teacher Ellen. We pass many dogs, some cats and some roosters. Most households seem to have an animal, but they are not pets in the way I'm used to.
9:30am - snack time: I often have spaghetti or sometimes something else from the canteen
12pm - lunch time: there is always rice with fish or pork, occasionally chicken or beef. It takes me a long time to eat the fish because I'm not used to having it, and certainly not whole! So taking bones out is a very long and tedious process. There are also plenty of flies around whenever there is food.
3pm - the students go home and I often have a small snack; bread or nuts or something cold
5pm - the teachers finish work and I walk home with Teacher Eunice. We go past all the dogs again. The mosquitoes also begin to stir, so when I get home I have to reapply bug repellent.
6pm - the geckos come out. They are between 3 and 10cm long, but usually around 7-8cm. I've tried to take pictures, but they always move in the second or two it takes to capture the photo.
6:30 - dinner time: rice again with some meat and vegetables. The cats of my host family also hang around the table, hoping to get some food. I have not had my usual allergic reaction to the cats which has been a blessing
9:30 - time to get ready for bed. Again I share the bathroom with the spiders, only now there are also geckos. I reapply bug repellent and climb into my "princess" bed under the mosquito net.
My extracurricular activities have included regular visits to SM malls, learning to do my laundry by hand, walking up Tayak Hill, going to a town where every store on one road manufactures and sells shoes, going swimming in my clothes (not the first time!), visiting relatives of friends from my home church, sharing at staff devotion, and attending a number of birthday parties. I also had a sleepover at Teacher Eunice's last week and I tried balut; a one day old fertilised egg with a partially formed chick. I managed to eat the yolk, but couldn't swallow my mouthful of chick when I bit a bone or beak. There is a video, but I might spare you from watching me gag!
On Saturday I also had the opportunity to be part of the studio audience for Eat Bulaga, a live TV game show that airs everyday except Sundays. We had to leave Rizal at 4:30am, and I was woken up at 2:45 so we could get ready. We got to the studio in Manila around 9 and were admitted in just before 10. I didn't understand most of what was being said, which made for a long 5hrs; we didn't get out of the studio until 3. But it was fun and I've never done anything like it before. I was very tired by the end of the day because we didn't get home until 9, and I don't sleep very well in transit.
I have also had the privilege of having fellowship with a number of Christian Reformed Churches. I attended a midweek service and a bible study with the Rizal Christian Reformed Church of the Philippines (formerly New Jerusalem CRC). The first Sunday, I attended the 26th anniversary service at Mabacan CRCP and joined them for a fellowship lunch afterwards. Last Sunday I joined the Reformation Rally of the 6 or 8 CRCP churches of the Southern Luzon Classis. It has been a blessing to join there churches in worship. A number of people have expressed their appreciation for the ongoing support of my home church, Pakington CRCA, and especially our financial assistance after Typhoon Glenda a few months ago.
I was not at all prepared to speak when asked to do so both Sundays. I'm not really sure if what I said made sense, or if people could understand much of what I said. I tend to speak quickly and more quietly when I am nervous, and a microphone doesn't always help, I also know that they sometime struggle with my accent, especially if I speak fast. Last Sunday was, I think, the largest crowd I have ever addressed at 500+ people.
In the classes, I have taught Gr 2s Simon Says with the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" parts, and they taught me their version of the song, in Tagalog. I played a game with the Grs 5 and 6 where they had to say a word relating to a topic, but their word had to begin with the last letter of the previous word. I've also had to master long division so I could correct the Gr 3s work; I learned long division with polynomials at school and can do those, but I didn't learn with just numbers! I also minded the Gr 6 class (plus 2 Gr 5s) for a few hours because their teacher was sick. I didn't do a very good job and they probably got away with more than they should have because I wasn't sure what to do!
Yesterday I was asked what I will miss most when I leave Rizal, my immediate answer was, "the people." "The short people? The happy people? The silly people?" "My friends!" Without a doubt, the best part of all of these activities has been the people I have gotten to know while doing these things!!
