Every Friday is "Vocational Day" at BDA. Each of the students has picked a possible vocation class in which they participate all day. They learn different vocational trades such as wood working, pottery, fly tieing, paper making, restaurant serving, hair cutting and styling, manicure and pedicure, frame building, sewing and glass making. After the students graduate, they either have an opportunity to apply for employment in the IDEA fly tieing business or restaurants. If either of those two are not options, at least the students have some experience in real-world job-type work. Since the students were not in classes, I took the opportunity to walk through the last of my power points, making the final changes. After lunch, I took advantage of the Vocational Day and helped some students with the manicures. Helping, of course, meant volunteering my toes. My pedicure was 20 Pecos which is less that $0.50. ;-)
That afternoon I became restless, feeling like I've been in my house all week, working on my computer. I had about an hour before dusk, and because it wasn't too hot that day, decided to go on a walk in the neighborhood. I hadn't done this before, but needed some exercise. I went east and walked until the paved road became dirt. I turned around and through my iPod hearing a pack of screaming children behind me... wanting my attention. I stopped and talked with them for a while. They told me that I was very tall and had a big nose, but was very beautiful. There were a bunch of boys that would say something and laugh, and their cousin, a girl, probably told me 20 times during my conversation with them, "They are laughing without you!" in her Filipino accent. It was very amusing. They begged me to come back the next night, but I haven't made it out yet. We'll see this week.
As I walked back to BDA, I heard a woman call out my name. Surprised to hear it, as I had heard many people on my walk say, "Hello" to me, I turned around and saw a teacher from one of the Deaf elementary schools that we visit. This school is not associated with IDEA but has a Deaf program. I sat with her and her family in her house a while talking... it just seemed so strange to be sitting their with a friend I only see once a year.
The next day, Saturday, was the seminar. All 11 of us (me, 2 admin and 8 teachers) boarded a BDA bus and headed to Panglao Island. We had rented a cottage on the beach (first picture) for 300 Pecos ($6) for the day. I'll upload pictures later this week, as now I'm at an internet cafe. I had my computer along with my power points, and stood in this 5' by 5' cottage, made of bamboo, looking at the ocean delivering my presentation about Deaf education. It was amazing, and just made me chuckle at the entire situation. I presented power points on teaching vocabulary to the Deaf (including different strategies and methods), general teaching styles for teaching Deaf students, and using a project-based teaching method in the classroom. All power points were well received by the teachers and they participated well in my discussions. I gave them time at the end of the day to use what they learned surrounding
project-based teaching in their next teaching topic. The teachers diligently used that time to plan. Overall, it went very well. We had a nice rice and pancit lunch in between presentations and even had time at the end of the day to rest or swim in the ocean. At the end of the day... after arriving home, I realized I was exhausted. I figured out that I had been standing and signing, while talking, for about 5 solid hours. The last picture is of most of the teachers and myself.
I wanted to rest, but the necessity of clean clothes over-rode my desire to watch a movie or read. I attempted, for the first time on this trip, to wash my clothes by hand. I assumed I would have done this sooner, but I've been able to access the Sunrise House where they have a washer and dryer... I missed that this weekend! So I sat on my bathroom floor, with my legs in the 2 inch drop of the shower, washing my clothes by hand. I took quite a while, as I wanted to make sure all the soap was out. I have a spare bedroom with a rack and hangers. So I hung up my clothes on the rack, put it next to the window and turned the fan on that room on high. This morning I checked and some are a little wet still. It wasn't too bad... my hands are still sore though from ringing out the clothes to get them as dry as possible.
Today, Sunday, I went to the Deaf church that IDEA sponsors. The BDA bus picked me up at 9:30 and continued to pick up several Deaf on the way to the church. It was interesting as there were only 3 of us hearing people there. This week, the BDA students all went home, so there were only about 20 Deaf in attendance. These are mostly students who had graduated in the past. I knew most of them and was excited to experience their church. It's very much like a typical church service, lots of worship in the beginning, and a message. However, it's completely silent, except for the "Deaf noises" they make, especially during worship.
After church, the driver dropped a few of us off at ICM to socialize. Emison, Russel (her boyfriend) and I went to lunch. Emison is a 20-year old friend that I met the first time I came over here. She has been a good friend since, and is a leader amongst all the students, especially the Christians here. She comes and eats lunch with me in my house once in a while. Her boyfriend has been asking a lot of questions about Christianity and Emison had asked me to talk with him about it. He is still learning sign language and Emison wanted him to know specifically what it meant to accept Jesus Christ. So before our food came, I talked with him about what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus, rather than just following a church. He seemed to be encouraged and desired to make a decision. He wanted to pray to accept Jesus!!! Yeah! So right there in the middle of the mall, in front of Dunkin' Doughnuts I led Russel though a prayer to become a Christian! It was amazing! He even had teary eyes as he prayed, it was SO touching! Later we went to the bookstore and I bought them both a Bible. Emison had given her Bible away to a friend and had wanted one for her own. She and I picked out Youth Bibles, as the English is a little more simple. For a total of 500 Pecos ($10) they each had a new Bible. What a great Sunday!!
That afternoon I became restless, feeling like I've been in my house all week, working on my computer. I had about an hour before dusk, and because it wasn't too hot that day, decided to go on a walk in the neighborhood. I hadn't done this before, but needed some exercise. I went east and walked until the paved road became dirt. I turned around and through my iPod hearing a pack of screaming children behind me... wanting my attention. I stopped and talked with them for a while. They told me that I was very tall and had a big nose, but was very beautiful. There were a bunch of boys that would say something and laugh, and their cousin, a girl, probably told me 20 times during my conversation with them, "They are laughing without you!" in her Filipino accent. It was very amusing. They begged me to come back the next night, but I haven't made it out yet. We'll see this week.
As I walked back to BDA, I heard a woman call out my name. Surprised to hear it, as I had heard many people on my walk say, "Hello" to me, I turned around and saw a teacher from one of the Deaf elementary schools that we visit. This school is not associated with IDEA but has a Deaf program. I sat with her and her family in her house a while talking... it just seemed so strange to be sitting their with a friend I only see once a year.
The next day, Saturday, was the seminar. All 11 of us (me, 2 admin and 8 teachers) boarded a BDA bus and headed to Panglao Island. We had rented a cottage on the beach (first picture) for 300 Pecos ($6) for the day. I'll upload pictures later this week, as now I'm at an internet cafe. I had my computer along with my power points, and stood in this 5' by 5' cottage, made of bamboo, looking at the ocean delivering my presentation about Deaf education. It was amazing, and just made me chuckle at the entire situation. I presented power points on teaching vocabulary to the Deaf (including different strategies and methods), general teaching styles for teaching Deaf students, and using a project-based teaching method in the classroom. All power points were well received by the teachers and they participated well in my discussions. I gave them time at the end of the day to use what they learned surrounding
project-based teaching in their next teaching topic. The teachers diligently used that time to plan. Overall, it went very well. We had a nice rice and pancit lunch in between presentations and even had time at the end of the day to rest or swim in the ocean. At the end of the day... after arriving home, I realized I was exhausted. I figured out that I had been standing and signing, while talking, for about 5 solid hours. The last picture is of most of the teachers and myself.I wanted to rest, but the necessity of clean clothes over-rode my desire to watch a movie or read. I attempted, for the first time on this trip, to wash my clothes by hand. I assumed I would have done this sooner, but I've been able to access the Sunrise House where they have a washer and dryer... I missed that this weekend! So I sat on my bathroom floor, with my legs in the 2 inch drop of the shower, washing my clothes by hand. I took quite a while, as I wanted to make sure all the soap was out. I have a spare bedroom with a rack and hangers. So I hung up my clothes on the rack, put it next to the window and turned the fan on that room on high. This morning I checked and some are a little wet still. It wasn't too bad... my hands are still sore though from ringing out the clothes to get them as dry as possible.
Today, Sunday, I went to the Deaf church that IDEA sponsors. The BDA bus picked me up at 9:30 and continued to pick up several Deaf on the way to the church. It was interesting as there were only 3 of us hearing people there. This week, the BDA students all went home, so there were only about 20 Deaf in attendance. These are mostly students who had graduated in the past. I knew most of them and was excited to experience their church. It's very much like a typical church service, lots of worship in the beginning, and a message. However, it's completely silent, except for the "Deaf noises" they make, especially during worship.
After church, the driver dropped a few of us off at ICM to socialize. Emison, Russel (her boyfriend) and I went to lunch. Emison is a 20-year old friend that I met the first time I came over here. She has been a good friend since, and is a leader amongst all the students, especially the Christians here. She comes and eats lunch with me in my house once in a while. Her boyfriend has been asking a lot of questions about Christianity and Emison had asked me to talk with him about it. He is still learning sign language and Emison wanted him to know specifically what it meant to accept Jesus Christ. So before our food came, I talked with him about what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus, rather than just following a church. He seemed to be encouraged and desired to make a decision. He wanted to pray to accept Jesus!!! Yeah! So right there in the middle of the mall, in front of Dunkin' Doughnuts I led Russel though a prayer to become a Christian! It was amazing! He even had teary eyes as he prayed, it was SO touching! Later we went to the bookstore and I bought them both a Bible. Emison had given her Bible away to a friend and had wanted one for her own. She and I picked out Youth Bibles, as the English is a little more simple. For a total of 500 Pecos ($10) they each had a new Bible. What a great Sunday!!
1 comment:
KARI!! that's SO cool!! you are so awesome, and are rockin' philippines with His love!
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