Better to Give than To Receive

ACTS 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Dear Family and Friends, 


I was fortunate enough to visit Saint Rita Orphanage in Sucat, Paranaque today. Sir Dennis, one of my colleagues at work, and I met with the sisters who ran the orphanage and I think it was really the Lord who led us to that place. 


The orphanage used to be financed by Saint Rita College but the school fell on hard times and had to file for bankruptcy. Without any steady income, the orphanage is finding it hard to provide for the 30 abandoned children (ages 1 month to 4 years old) who are now in their custody. Sr.Gwen, one of the three nuns left to run the orphanage, told us that Sir Dennis' phone call to her this morning was Godsent. The orphanage relies mainly on donors and they were running low already on diapers. They are extremely happy that we're bringing 106 of our students there on August 7 to spread a little bit of cheer to these kids. 


Sir Dennis and I also got to see the rooms where the children slept and ate. It was very clean and the kids were well-groomed. It was so obvious that they really took care of the children. But what made me really emotional was seeing the kids in the nursery room. There were around 15 of them. I entered the room with Sister Gwen and we went to each crib to greet the kids. They were all smiling at me and a lot of them smiled even more when I reached out to stroke their head. It was a very emotional moment for me because I kept thinking, "What if this was Ethan or Tabby?" 


I've had so many life-changing moments in my life but this really affected me. It made me realize how lucky I am that I have parents and siblings who care for me. It made me realize that I don't need to buy a P28,000+ gadget when these kids only want the basics in life. It made me realize that God truly bless all those who have faith in Him. 


I was telling all this to my mom and nephew, Ethan, on the way home from work. I'm really so blessed to have a compassionate family. Ethan and my mom decided to spend his birthday there at the orphanage and he said that he'll tell his friends to just buy gifts for the kids instead of buying gifts for him. My two sisters, who are doctors, immediately called me up when I texted them that I needed medicine to bring to an orphanage. Their first words to me were "When are you going? I want to make myself available." (Sorry Yum, di pa kita natatawagan. Financer ka nalang). 


I am so excited to share this experience with my students this August 7. I hope that they will be able to see how lucky they are that they have a family to go home to everyday; that they go to a good school; that they don't have to worry where they will get their next meal. 


If you are willing to be part of this experience, below are a list of things the orphanage needs for the kids:
MILK 
Nido Fortified 
Nido Fortified Jr. 
Nestogen 
Nestogen 2 
Nestogen low lactose 


VITAMINS 
Ascorbic Acid (drops & syrup) 
Tiki-Tiki (drops & syrup) 
Polyvisol 
Enervon 


OTHER MEDICINES 
Tempra 
Drapolene Cream 
Asmalin/Bronco 
Bactroban Cream
Elica Cream 

OTHER NEEDS 
Diapers (L and XL) 
Cologne 
Alcohol 
Cotton buds 
Baby soap 
Johnson Milk Lotion 
Johnson Milk Bath 
Johnson Top to Toe Wash 
Laundry Soap (Powder and Bar) 
Dishwashing Liquid 
Rice 
Biscuits
Juice 


My family and I plan to visit the orphanage after my students and I go on the 7th. If you would like to come with us and/or contribute to our donations. Just text, message, or call me, my mom or sisters.

Why I Teach

I had no clue what I wanted to take up in college. I received all my application forms from UP, Ateneo and DLSU but I didn't know what course to pick. I wanted to go into theater. I wanted to sing, dance and become an "artista." I loved the excitement of performing in front of other people. Stage fright was something that I rarely experienced. I was really hoping that the universities that I was applying to had a bachelor's degree on entertainment major in noontime shows.

Anyway, it was a good thing my mom was there to get me out of my fantasy world of make-believe and nonsense. So I told her all of the above and she said, "Bakit ayaw mo mag-teacher nalang?" My first reaction was, "Teacher?! Ewww! Ang pangit nang uniforms nila!" Mom rolls her eyes and says, "Bahala ka!"

Uh-oh...Mom's "bahala ka" is dreaded in our household.

After giving her stupid and flimsy excuses on why I didn't want to take up education, she then told me why teaching would be okay for me. She said, "Think of it this way Icka, teaching is like performing. At least you have an audience everyday." So, with no other option I chose to pursue education in college. DLSU offered double-degree courses in education so that was my first choice.

I'm sorry if my initial interest in education was not completely noble but that soon changed when I started taking up my major subjects in school. I met so many great and inspiring people in college. One of them would be my "bestest" friend, Welly. We were both education majors but she was specializing on early childhood education. Young kids really irritated me when I was younger so ECEd was not for me.

What really turned me around was my last term in school. We had to do our practicum in our chosen field in one of the designated praticum schools of La Salle. I got assigned to LSGH and taught 6th grade English. I was really nervous on my first day in school but my mentor was really nice and helpful so I was able to survive on my first day. I was so impressed with my students in LSGH, especially the "A" class. I didn't expect boys to behave so well in class. I don't think I ever got mad in my one month stay with them. (Galing talaga ng mga Lasallista or baka dahil wala na akong mga pinsan na natira doon :P) It was such a great experience for me that I couldn't wait to graduate and start my professional career as a teacher.

I've been teaching for more than 5 years now and I've had my share of ups and downs. I've met all kinds of students and parents. Some who are nice and some...not so nice :) I now realize why my teachers don't like checking papers and why writing on the chalkboard is not as exciting as it looks.

Lately, I've been having lots of "down" moments. I love teaching my students but the stress of the job has been giving me second thoughts. I've been working non-stop ever since I started teaching. It's a 24/7 type of job. I can't go and say, "Oh! It's 4:30 pm! I should stop thinking about work now. I'll just continue tomorrow!" If you're a teacher and you work like that then you're...weird. (I don't want to say anything really negative,haha)

I'd be so cranky, irritated, angry and depressed when I would come home from work that at one time I cried in front of my mom 'cause I was so fed up. I felt that I needed to get away from anything related to work. I felt a little bit better after talking to my mom, but there was still a little bit of that feeling left in me.

My sister, Ate Twinx, posted something on my Facebook wall a couple of days ago that reminded me of why I'm in this profession.


The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.--- William Arthur Ward

That led me to think what kind of teacher I am. Have I ever really inspired any of my students?

I just recently got back from a batch retreat with my 6th grade classes and I think I now have the answer to that question. Here is one of the many letters that I received from my students during the retreat. This is just one of the many reasons why I teach (and why I bawled my eyes out last night!).

Dear Ms. Icka,

Thank you for everything that you gave us and done for us. For me, you are a really special teacher. Not only did you teach us lessons in history, you also taught us values that we will cherish our whole life. You have been so patient with us and you were very kind to us. I really like the stories that you tell us. Some are funny, scary and different sorts of stuff. You made my grade 6 year very memorable. We are really blessed to have you as our teacher. You are somebody we surely won't forget. I hope that you would always remember the good times our class had together. We had so much fun with you. We laughed a lot, got touched with your stories and insights and so much more. You are really someone that we will remember as we go on through life and experience some more things in this world that we have not seen yet. We would always remember you wherever we may be. We love you so much! We are truly blessed to have you as our teacher, adviser, second mother and our motivation to go through life knowing that we should make each day count.

F.C.

I Wish I could have a Normal Work Day

Lately I've been feeling the stress of my job. The meetings, the paperwork, the extra work...the extra extra work. I didn't mind doing it before, but now, I'm starting to resent it. Sounds really bad but trust me you'll feel the same way if you were in my shoes.

Sunday nights are always a struggle for me because I know I have work the following morning. Sometimes I would find myself wishing, in the middle of the workday, that I was somewhere else.

Before, I used to think that it was enough that I love my profession. That I love working with my co-teachers. And that I have students who respect me. The sense of fulfillment is still there but I'm just too tired to recognize it.

I wish I could have a "normal" workday. A day wherein I can leave work to have lunch out for a full hour at any place I want to. A day wherein my job expectations are given to me in black and white. A day wherein I can work uninterrupted. A day wherein I can forget and leave my work behind after 8 hours working.

PAL-pak

I was lucky enough to book 4 tickets to Palawan in October before everyone else knew about their 788 promo. Our internet connection at work is slower than a sloth so I decided to call their booking office. It took me 20 to 30 minutes to connect to an operator. It was so long I was able to memorize their packages for Hawaii, Ho Chi Minh and Sydney.

I bought tickets for my mom, sister #2 (Kookee) and nephew (Ethan) for Php1592 each…not bad! They gave me my confirmation code and told me to pay at the nearest PAL office. I was a little bit surprised ‘cause in Cebu Pacific you can pay direct even through phone bookings. Anyway, I asked for their nearest office because I live in Cavite. The operator told me the nearest one was in Padre Faura cor. Adriatico. Padre Faura? Nearest ba yun? So I asked, “Don’t you have an office at NAIA 2?” Operator replied, “Meron po ma’am pero pinaka malapit po yng sa Padre Faura.”

Ummm…hello? Mas malayo kaya ang Padre Faura. It was “Nice-To-Be-Everyone Day” that day so I just “Okay.” But on normal circumstances, I would have said…

“Excuse me iha. May map ka ba jan ng Luzon? Hanapin mo yung Cavite. Tapos hanapin mo kung nasaan yng NAIA 2 and Padre Faura St. Using your finger, trace the way going to NAIA 2 from Bacoor and Padre Faura St. from Bacoor. Anong mas malapit?”

Moving on, our deadline for payment is tomorrow April 30, 2009. So I told my mom yesterday that I have to pay for our tickets today.

We left the house before 10:00am for NAIA 2. After meeting a lot of idiotic people on the road, we finally reached the PAL office.
The guard asked me, “Ma’am ano po yung business nila?”

I replied, “Magbabayad lang ng ticket.” He then gave me a pink stub. The stub said I was number 39. I glanced towards the counter meter and it said that it was serving no. 2.

WHAT THE HECK?! Number 2 palang?! Nagugutom na ako!

We had no choice but to wait. Mom and I went to look for vacant seats. Malas! We sat beside an Ilocana who just came from “ELAY.”

I wish I brought ear plugs with me.

She was carrying on and on about PAL being delayed (I agree)…her dauter (daughter)…roundtrip ticket…the weather…Pangasinan…waking up early…the ants who bit her. Ah basta! Nakwento na nya buong buhay niya. I glanced sideways to see how my mom was reacting to this lady…she also had her fingers pressed to her ears.

I almost jumped when Ilocana Lady suddenly asked me my number. I said, “Thirty-nine po.” She replied, “Oh may, your eeben purder dan me. I’m number chirty-tree.” The Chinese dude beside me suddenly stood up…and transferred seats. Crap! Naunahan niya kami!

After two hours…

We were still there. Waiting…with fingers pressed to our ears. ANU BAZ?! Ang tagal tagal! My mom was super irritated she went up to one of the counters already. They were getting the numbers mixed up. Some people were already making “singit.” Some customers were just booking the flights there. Hello?! MAGBABAYAD LANG KAMI. The LV lady beside me also went there just to pay for her tickets. She was on the phone from 9:30 PM to 12:00AM to confirm her flights. Bwiset talaga!

Finally, my number was called. Guess how long it took them to process my payment…

10 MINUTES.

TEN MINUTES LANG! I firmly suggested, after I paid for my tickets, that they should have had a separate counter to deal with those who have confirmed flights already. Of course the PAL attendant didn’t reply.

Ang galing galing talaga.

What-a-day!

It's December 24 and I needed a manicure and pedicure.

I decided to brave the sea of people at SM Bacoor. I went to 3 different salons and they all said I had to wait for an hour before they can accommodate me...HELLO!?! One hour...no way man! It's a good thing I saw this aromatherapy salon and there were a few people inside.

The receptionist was very accommodating and managed to convince me to get a manicure, pedicure, foot spa treatment and a foot & leg massage. (galing mag sales talk) It was worth it! They have this big Lazy-Boy type chairs and they give you two fluffy pillows. Sarap! I could stay there the whole afternoon.

It was 5 pm when I left the salon.

I stopped by SM Department store to buy a table for my room. Nothing fancy. Just a square monobloc beige table.

I was suppose to meet my older sister in SM but I forgot to bring my phone so I didn't know how I was going to bring the table home. Riding a jeepney with a 30 x 30 inch table is not easy so I decided to just ride a taxi going home.

After passing through a maze of people on the ground floor of SM, the attendant and I arrived at the taxi lane.


I told the driver my address (2-3 kilometers away from SM). He nodded, moved closer to me and said "Ma'am minimum po namin 300 Php."

THREE HUNDRED PESOS! WHAAAAAT!?!

You have got to be kidding me! With three hundred bucks I could have rented a coaster going to my house!

After recovering from my shock, I immediately told the driver "Bawal yan ah!" He just kept smiling and shrugging his shoulders. Argggggh! AZAR! I would have wanted to give him a piece of my mind but I told myself that it's Christmas...I'll just hunt him down after tomorrow. *snicker*snicker *

So how did I go home?



I rode a jeepney carrying my 30 x 30 inch beige monobloc table, only to find out that my older was in SM waiting for me to text her.

what a day...

Doing Something Because You WANT To NOT Because You HAVE to

I just recently had an exposure trip with a couple (there were 40+ of them!) of students from school and I realized how different our views were when it comes to community service.

I remember doing community service back in high school. It was so much fun not because we got to get out of school but because we got to experience something unique and very humbling.

During my first year in high school, we had a market exposure. We had to buy ingredients in a wet public market for our cooking class. We were suppose to make pancit canton. The school made us ride a jeep...take note...no security guards. When we got there, our teacher instructed us on where we were suppose to meet and then set us loose at the market. It was funny at first because most of my group mates have never been to a public market. I think the tinderas were secretly laughing at us because whenever we would ask for the price of the ingredients they would answer in Spanish (e.g. kinse, kwarenta, singkwenta). We'd look at each other and say "Ahhhh kinse" and then someone would whisper "What in the world is kinse? How much is that?" Some of us would mimic the other buyers and start sniffing at the vegetables so that we wouldn't look stupid. That really was a great experience. Even though we smelled bad and the place was really hot.

On my second year, our exposure trip was cancelled due to the lahar flow in Central Luzon. Sophomores would always go to San Simon, Pampanga to meet with our sister school there and interact with the farmers. It was a bit disappointing but we got to go to San Simon on our junior year. It was a short exposure but meaningful. We ate with the family that we were assigned to and brought them lunch. One of my groupmates, Sasha, brought Jollibee hamburgers and fries with her and for them eating Jollibee was already a feast. They could only eat at Jollibee once a year because they couldn't afford it. Some of my classmates went home muddy that day because they actually walked the rice fields with the farmers!

But nothing could beat my senior year in high school. For fourth year, we were to spend 3 days with a family who lived along Boni Avenue. We didn't sleep there but we got to spend 8 hours a day with our foster family. We accompanied our foster moms and dads (and even siblings) to their daily activities. My foster dad was a tricycle driver so I spent one morning riding at the back of his tricycle waiting for passengers. My foster mom was a stay-at-home mom so I did chores with her around the house. I ironed clothes, cooked Adobo, swept the floor, washed the dishes, solicited money for a funeral, etc. As we went around the barangay, I would see some of my classmates chatting and working with their foster parents. One was even washing clothes because her foster mom was a labandera. At three o'clock we would hang-out at the nearby sari-sari store and drink Coke from a plastic bag and play watusi with the kids in the barangay.
I am so proud and thankful that I was able to go to a school who had a heart for service and was able to instill in their students the value of humanity. In all our exposure trips, no one ever complained of the heat, the smell, and how tired we all were. That was all part of the experience. I have batch mates who were the daughters of politicians and business tycoons but you would never hear them complain during our exposure trips.

No one complained at all.

You're probably wondering why I wrote this blog...I'm just frustrated. Frustrated because some of my students chose to complain when we went to "camp." They complained so much they were not able to appreciate what was right in front of them. They complained so much they lost the essence of what the activities were all about. They complained so much that I was ashamed to be their teacher for that day.

You Think You're So Cool...

I was surfing the net and going through the profiles and pictures of some of my students in school and to say that I'm disappointed is an understatement.

They post pictures of themselves drinking alcoholic beverages...smoking in public...partying at places where they're not even legally allowed to go inside...kissing and smooching each other...calling each other foul names.

I keep asking myself "Why?! Why do they have to do these things?" I've gone through high school and college and never did I allow myself to be so reckless and stupid. I guess it was because my mom's sense of values was deeply rooted in me and my siblings.

I don't smoke 'cause I'm asthmatic and it's a nasty habit. I don't drink alcoholic beverages 'cause they taste bad to me and I'm allergic to it. I don't go to noisy clubs because I'm not a fan of chaos. To say that I have not used foul words is a big lie so I'll just say that I use some discreetly. Some of you might probably think that I'm some weirdo nerd who has no life at all. Maybe I am. SO WHAT? I'd like to think that I just made the right choices for myself and I don't regret any of it.

I just don't see any reason why these kids have to do it. And then it hit me...they think it makes them look cool.

All these things done for the sake of "coolness." Being "cool" won't get you accolades (worth getting). Being "cool" won't get you a fulfilling job. Being "cool" won't get you real friends. Being "cool" won't set you as good example for your kids in the future. Being "cool" is not cool at all.

Someday some of you are going to look back at the things that you did and grimace at the fact that you were so ignorant...that you wasted your time doing nonsense...that you hurt a lot of people... and that you thought that THAT WAS COOL.