I have in fact been on a very windy road of emotions these last couple of weeks. Christmas has passed, New Years is now done with and the last stretch of school has begun.
Christmas in the Philippines, well what can I say other then it was as most people cautioned a low point. The 9 days leading up to Christmas include a lot of caroling where young and old alike come to ask for money or treats, but mainly money. They sing a few x-mas songs in English a few in Tagalog and then a thank you song when you’ve given them what they want. Its great the first few days then you realize it's the same groups coming and you feel a little cheated. It also includes 4 A.M. mass, you heard me right. Tons of devoted Catholics wake up at 3 A.M. each morning to make their way to church and sit in pews, chairs, or stand along the sides. It is really quite a sight to see, I know very few people back home who would actually make it to church that early. Christmas Eve you attend midnight mass and if possible that one is twice as full as the ones leading up to it. You then make your way home to stay up till midnight. My celebrations included some delicious deserts and lots of Videoke with my host family. We then went to sleep and all woke up at random times the next day but in time for mass at 10 A.M. on Christmas day. After mass we went to the mall to finish buying presents for various family members. That was a big surprise that first of all everything was open and second that so many people were still at the store. After buying what we needed we came home and spent the rest of the day lounging around in the true spirit of Christmas.
My experience was I would say typical and definitely not anything to crazy but it was still sad throughout the day to think if I was at home I would be doing this, eating this, able to go here. I was really nostalgic for past Christmases but did enjoy how sweet my host family was and how helpful they were in trying to keep me busy. The next day things got a lot better. I was able to call my family through Skype and so that really helped me cope.
New Years was a very different experience. A large amount of the volunteers from Negros Oriental/Occidental, Cebu, Leyte, S. Leyte and Bohol all met up for a weekend trip to Panglao, Bohol. White sand beaches, crystal clear water and Americans, What more could you ask for? It was a lot of fun and a good break from a rough Christmas. Although it was still hard to be away from family and friends being able to celebrate among people whom you can talk to about your experiences was extremely therapeutic.
Upon returning to site I realize now I only have a few months left before the school year in the Philippines ends in March. January means the end of the third grading period and tests, while February means the dreaded NAT and RAT*. March means preparations for graduation. In all of that I have to figure out how to implement PACA** and teacher trainings, which I was told, work best at the beginning and end of the school year. As well as help the teachers with strategies to help review for the tests so that students are prepared and of course Co-teaching. I really don't mean to make it seem like my life here is hard. I am actually looking forward to all of it because it means I'll have things to work on. Also, you should know a lot of the other volunteers have just as much to work on if not more.
So is the fabulous life of a volunteer.
*Also known as the National and Regional Achievement Tests, these tests cause a lot of headaches since they basically decide funding and put the teachers in jeopardy if their students don't pass. They have also been known to come with mistakes and difficult wording that would confuse even a native English speaker.
* Participatory Analysis for Community Action which basically means you use different methods and tools to figure out what your school, students, and teachers need so that you can create or improve projects.
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