Pictures to be added when I get home!
I said good-bye to Emisan and Dennis then drove me to the airport. I was plently early so I ventured upstairs where I received a 30 minute massage for under $2. I felt SO great! The woman was blind so she felt out the knots in my back and worked them hard. As I was lining up to walk out to the plane, there were also 5 men and woman who were blind singing, "I'm leaving, on the jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again!" They were great, but it made me chuckle as that is the song my Dad always sings when I am flying somewhere.
Bohol was beautiful, sunny, and hot. I was sad to see it disappear into the horizon. With less than an hour flight, I arrived in Manila where it was raining and windy. The first part of this message I typed using my computer, sitting in the Manila airport. Saved to the internet, I am now in Taipei, standing up in a free internet cafe continuing my blog. I love technology! I was able to add the one picture in Manila, but will add more pictures later when I return home.
I feel a little out of touch from reality... I haven't had internet all week due to a virus on the school computer and no internet at a WiFi center I was using. I am now sitting in the Manila airport waiting to board. This week felt busy, yet peaceful as I was winding things down at BDA. During the day I continued to observe, teach and meet with teachers. My nights were filled with socializing with the students, gathering addresses and taking pictures.
Wednesday was a special night for me. The teachers and students had been secretive at the start of the week and eventually I found out that they were having a presentation for me and 5 other French volunteers (they helped build a canteen for 3 weeks). The school cooked a very delicious typical Filipino dinner consisting of rice, pancit (noodles with chicken and veges), fish, pork adobo, and pineapple. It was SO good! After dinner the students had created dramas. The first drama depicted the 5 French volunteers and the second drama represented me, and what I did at BDA. It was hilarious! One of the students who played me has become a good friend of mine, Miriam. She had her hair pulled back into a pony tail with clips on the side, just like me. She also carried around a notebook with a pen stuck inside the spiral, just like me. They acted out me teaching, including facial expressions ;-), talking with teachers, and talking with students. It was fun to 
watch. All of us volunteers were then presented with a gift, a t-shirt with the sign language alphabet on the front. We were asked to give a short "speech" about our time here. It was easy to share how blessed and welcomed I had felt during my time here but when I started talking about when I was leaving I started tearing up and finished speaking pretty quickly. The admin shared their thoughts and appreciated for the time and hearts shared, it was a blessing. The night completed by having a push-up contest and a dance off. It was a fun night, and I sure did feel blessed.
watch. All of us volunteers were then presented with a gift, a t-shirt with the sign language alphabet on the front. We were asked to give a short "speech" about our time here. It was easy to share how blessed and welcomed I had felt during my time here but when I started talking about when I was leaving I started tearing up and finished speaking pretty quickly. The admin shared their thoughts and appreciated for the time and hearts shared, it was a blessing. The night completed by having a push-up contest and a dance off. It was a fun night, and I sure did feel blessed. Thursday was my last "teaching" day at BDA as Friday is vocational day. I met with admin and shared my final thoughts and suggestions for the future. It turned into quite a meeting. They appreciated my thoughts and we brain stormed how to specifically implement my suggestions. The principal is new and not quite confident in her abilities to lead, so I was able to encourage her and give her suggestions with the teachers.
Friday, vocational day, was filled with socializing while intermittently packing. I would socialize a few hours and then go pack for a while. It was fun, but sad, knowing it was my last day with the students. I would be around Saturday but all the students were going home this weekend, so they would either leave Friday evening or Saturday morning. Friday afternoon was fun. I accompanied the Sign Language Club (about 20 students and 2 teachers) to Holy Name University. The students go to a nearby hearing school every other week to teach those students sign language. On the other week, the hearing students travel to BDA to learn. I had gone with the club to the hearing school a few weeks ago so the teachers asked if I could go with them to the University. We showed up and the Special Education students put on dancing and singing for our students. It wasn't very well thought of regarding the singing, because our students were Deaf and they forgot to provide an interpreter. So after prodding one of the BDA teachers, they got up to interpret. I was willing, since I wasn't really involved but a majority of the presentation was in Visayan so I didn't even understand what they were saying. Not really being involved eventually changed as well. The leadership team student running the program asked the teacher interpreting, who the white person was (me). She told him what I was doing in the Philippines and about my experience teaching. In the middle of a speech from himself, he announced that the Dean of the Education program was there to give a speech, Geraldine, a BDA teacher would 
give her testimony and then the "foreign visitor" would give an inspirational message. I was shocked, they didn't even ask me, they just announced it to all students, I thought it was funny... but also extremely unprepared! What would I say? Anyways, I was hoping they would forget about it, but they didn't. So I went up on stage, gave an "inspirational message" and sat back down. It must have been some what of an okay speech, because the head of the Special Education Department then asked if I would be willing to come back to the University the following week to be part of a forum of professionals to discuss special education and the needs of schools in the Philippines... wow, what an honor! Unfortunately and honestly a little relieved, I was leaving in a few days, missing the forum.
give her testimony and then the "foreign visitor" would give an inspirational message. I was shocked, they didn't even ask me, they just announced it to all students, I thought it was funny... but also extremely unprepared! What would I say? Anyways, I was hoping they would forget about it, but they didn't. So I went up on stage, gave an "inspirational message" and sat back down. It must have been some what of an okay speech, because the head of the Special Education Department then asked if I would be willing to come back to the University the following week to be part of a forum of professionals to discuss special education and the needs of schools in the Philippines... wow, what an honor! Unfortunately and honestly a little relieved, I was leaving in a few days, missing the forum. That night I spent with students, saying goodbyes... I will miss them.
Saturday, I was praying for sun. It had been raining and cloudy all week, and Saturday was my last day in the Philippines and one of my only days free. I planned on going to Panglao Island for a little R&R and sun, prior to leaving Sunday. I called a taxi and packed up for the day. I was waiting outside of the school and the Deaf pastor, Mart, asked what I was doing. He was 
concerned that I was going by myself... not safety wise, but it was my last day and he didn't think I should be by myself. So he went into the fly-tieing shop and told Emisan, my friend, that she was "ordered" to take off the day and go with me to the beach. We had a lot of fun and I was able to spoil her. We went to Alona Palm Beach Resort, which is one of my favorite places in the world. I laid in the sun (yes, it was hot and sunny PTL!!!) while Emison laid in the shade near me. We swam in the infinity pool, read, ate a great pancit lunch, and got $5 massages. It was Emisan's first massage! I also received a foot scrub. I'm not sure what type of chemical they use, but with this chemical and a lot of scrubbing my feet are now 100% callus-free. They feel SO great! Walking in the sand felt SO nice afterwards. I do have to admit that I did get burned this day... but for staying in the Philippines for 6 weeks and this being the only time I've been burned, I'd say that's pretty good, especially for my past experience ;-)
concerned that I was going by myself... not safety wise, but it was my last day and he didn't think I should be by myself. So he went into the fly-tieing shop and told Emisan, my friend, that she was "ordered" to take off the day and go with me to the beach. We had a lot of fun and I was able to spoil her. We went to Alona Palm Beach Resort, which is one of my favorite places in the world. I laid in the sun (yes, it was hot and sunny PTL!!!) while Emison laid in the shade near me. We swam in the infinity pool, read, ate a great pancit lunch, and got $5 massages. It was Emisan's first massage! I also received a foot scrub. I'm not sure what type of chemical they use, but with this chemical and a lot of scrubbing my feet are now 100% callus-free. They feel SO great! Walking in the sand felt SO nice afterwards. I do have to admit that I did get burned this day... but for staying in the Philippines for 6 weeks and this being the only time I've been burned, I'd say that's pretty good, especially for my past experience ;-)That night Emisan stayed with me and helped me finish packing, which wasn't a lot. We mostly chatted and hung out until we were both tired. Sunday morning, time to leave! It was so peaceful, as I had everything already to go, just the last minute things to throw in. We went out to throw away the trash and say goodbye to 2 teachers. When coming back to the house, we couldn't open the door. The deadbolt had locked on us and I didn't have a key. I think because Emisan had opened the door in the morning and didn't know that you have to secure the dead bolt open... so when I shut the door, the dead bolt activated... locking us out. I ran to get the dorm mother, as she has the master keys. Her key didn't work. Meanwhile, Dennis, founder of IDEA showed up to take me to the airport. He was concerned because now, we'd have to break in somehow. We were able to unlock the back door, but then the screen I had locked from the inside. Dennis found a knife and was trying to pry the screen off the door, to put a hand down to unlock the door. I was getting worried... but as Dennis was prying the knife down into the door, he must have moved the door so much that all of a sudden it became unlocked and swung open! Another PTL!!!
I said good-bye to Emisan and Dennis then drove me to the airport. I was plently early so I ventured upstairs where I received a 30 minute massage for under $2. I felt SO great! The woman was blind so she felt out the knots in my back and worked them hard. As I was lining up to walk out to the plane, there were also 5 men and woman who were blind singing, "I'm leaving, on the jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again!" They were great, but it made me chuckle as that is the song my Dad always sings when I am flying somewhere.
Bohol was beautiful, sunny, and hot. I was sad to see it disappear into the horizon. With less than an hour flight, I arrived in Manila where it was raining and windy. The first part of this message I typed using my computer, sitting in the Manila airport. Saved to the internet, I am now in Taipei, standing up in a free internet cafe continuing my blog. I love technology! I was able to add the one picture in Manila, but will add more pictures later when I return home.
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