04.26.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:42 am by admin
I was crazy enough to apply for EARCOS this year. I had been asked by our school to apply in the past, but I was way too chicken. I attended EARCOS in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia last year and once I had my feet wet a bit, I thought I was ready to be an adult, for real. : )
EARCOS is an organization of elementary and secondary schools in East Asia promoting instruction development. The head office is actually on our Brent campus. Pretty lucky for us. The Director is on our campus all the time and so we get the ins and outs of what is happening before anyone else. It is also pretty good for our future in Asia to know these people personally. : )
In August, schools get the focus of the EARCOS conference for the year and pass the word to their staff. If you are interested in presenting, you can apply and give a mock presentation in October to your own school staff. If the school endorses you, and if you are selected by EARCOS, then you present your workshop at EARCOS. There are also big wigs (experts in education, science, math, psychology, etc etc etc who are paid to be there) – teacher presenters are just itty bitty things (that’s me – but it looks great on a resume!). : )
I’m lucky to have a school that believes in me and thinks I am better than I really am. Ha. I was peer (and boss) pressured into turning in my application and giving a mock presentation on reading fluency… I was completely and utterly nervous… but I did it and I am glad I did! I was selected and they sent me to Bangkok in March this year to present. AH! So much to do!
It was really hard to prepare… I have been without a laptop for over a year! All I have is my desktop school computer and Ryan’s laptop is nearly broken in my eyes (I can’t use his touch mouse pad correctly). We ended up purchasing a laptop for me a Christmas… and FIFTEEN HUNDRED USD later… ugh. I was so upset. It was my Christmas gift from Ryan… but that STINKS! Some people like getting new technology – but of course, I was irate and stomping my feet the entire time. So much money for a stupid computer (and that is why I will probably never own one of those cool iPhone things… are they still called that?)
March 28 came way too quickly. On the morning I had to leave, I let Ryan go to school before me because I was going to catch a bus (from school) to the airport at 9:30am. I figured that I had time to have Bing help me pack my bags (spoiled, yes I know) and go to school to see my kids in their morning band concert before hopping on the bus. But then, disaster struck. I was saying bye to Bing and the kitties when we realized that the handle on my suitcase was broken! It wouldn’t extend! AH! So I ran upstairs to find a suitcase that would work. We have tons of suitcases, but of all different sizes and weights, so the only one option I had for my clothes and weight limits, I grabbed. We repacked my clothes quickly and by this time I was sweating (so mad because I didn’t want to start the day off hot and miserable). I grabbed the suitcase to walk to school… and we realized the WHEEL WAS OFF! It was missing a wheel! How the heck had Ryan and I kept two suitcases that were broken? Did we think they would magically fix themselves?…. well, we probably thought Bing would fix them… Nope! We hadn’t used either of those suitcases since our summer trip to the states; we always pack super light for every other trip. But since I had to pack for 2 weeks – with both beach and professional wear – I needed a bag that would hold 15-20 kilos (about 40+). The professional wear wore me down… a 2 week beach trip would be easy, but throw in those extra work pants, shirts, and shoes… I felt like a real tourist walking into the airport with a big bag!
So back to the story… TWO suitcases failed us that morning. I had to run to school to catch the tail end of my students’ band concert and Bing brought my bags to school and I made it to the airport with all of my things!
Francoise (grade 4), Mia (ESL), Jenny (ESL), and me (grade 5 and speaker). At the airport after a long day of travel. It is amazing – it is only a 3 hour flight but it takes forever with travel to airport, waiting at airport, getting through immigration, then once you are in Bangkok it is about a 40 minute drive into town.
Ryan joined me in Bangkok 2 days later but we both had to bring the oldest, ugliest luggage we own. Our plan was to buy new luggage in Bangkok (it is everywhere) but Ryan was too worried about quality… so we will have to purchase a new set (or 2) when we are back in the summer.
We stayed at the most beautiful hotel, Lebua, in Bangkok. It is the hotel with the rooftop bar in The Hangover II movie. Crazy, right? Every room is a suite! I had it to myself for 3 nights and then Ryan came to join me.
I had a sitting room (with a flat screen TV that isn't pictured)! It soon became my closet. : )
Beautiful bedroom with king sized bed, flat screen, free wifi, and balcony overlooking the city! All of the rooms are suites and breakfast is included. I looked online and you can get deals on agoda for a little over 100 USD a night (that is GOOD and way less than places like the Shangri-la where your room would definitely not be as nice! The Shangri-la is nice in Bangkok because it is right on the river, BUT - for the total package most people we know prefer to stay at The Lebua. Just sayin'...
The school paid for my flight and hotel, which is pretty amazing! The conference was down the road at the Shangri’la, which is right on the river. It is a beautiful hotel – but the Lebua is a much better deal and hotel! I was really glad our school knew about this place! So we just had to walk about 7 minutes down a fun local road to get to the conference. The only downside was that it was HOT! But otherwise, it was not a big deal at all.
On the last night, there is a big gala where everyone dresses up (there were probably 800-900 people there), eats great appetizer type food, drinks wine, and dances! It is a fun time to hang out with coworkers in a new setting and meet teachers and admin from other schools. This was the crew from Brent (plus a couple teachers who used to work at Brent but had moved on to new schools). It is amazing what a small world it is, in the international teaching world. We have met so many people that I first assumed we would never meet again, but we keep running in to them at sporting events, random beaches around the world, EARCOS conferences, etc. Wow. I better mind my P's and Q's. : )
PS – My presentation went well. Not perfect. But well. I had people email me afterwards asking for my presentation notes and asking questions about how to improve their teaching. Awesome.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 8:19 am by admin
Lisa, Sarah, and I took advantage of Ryan’s APAC weekend in China and took off for the island of Palawan to explore the Underground River and the beaches nearby! Ryan and I had already been there with AJ and Tyler a couple years back. We had an awesome time with the boys, stayed at great hotel (Daluyon), and enjoyed the Underground River. I am sure I posted about it… 3 years ago. Has it really been that long?!
The girls and I booked a cheap flight to Puerto Princessa (the only option… and about 80 USD a person) and took a private van ride (about 60 USD) for 1 1/2 hours up and around windy mountain roads to get to Sabang Beach (the closest to the Underground River). We stayed at Daluyon again (shout out to AJ for finding it the first time we came). There aren’t many places to stay on this beach… several budget places that I would rather not stay at in my old age (ha… almost 30) and two nice places: Daluyon and Sheridan or Sheriton. They were building the Sheridon when we were there with AJ and Tyler and now it is finished – new and a bit overpriced, but they have a great resto!
The girls and I took a personal day on a Friday and the only flight available was Friday morning (bummer). It is always so nice when you can get a Thursday night flight and then have the entire day on Friday – because with a 3 day weekend you want to get the most out of your days. A lot of the destinations in the Philippines are an hour or more from the airport to your destination.
We arrived at the hotel on Sabang Beach around 12 noon and spent the afternoon on the beach.
Beautiful, beautiful beach surrounded by the mountains that are home to the famous Underground River.
A view of the beach and the 'Sleeping Giant', under (or inside) is the Underground River!
We inquired about going to the Underground River (the reason most people come to the beach) and they told us it was booked! WHAT?! When we had come before, it seemed like you just hop on a boat, get there, and go in! This time, it was SO much more crowded! I kept telling the girls, “don’t worry, they just think we are tourists and are trying to get our money by making us think we can pay them more to get us on a tour.” I was SO wrong! We finally talked them in to walking us to the pier to catch a boat and it was SO crowded! The beach itself was, and is never, crowded at all, but the pier was packed! We waited over an hour to get on a banca boat to get over to the Underground River.
Finally loading our banca boat! We got the VIP treatment for sure... our guy in the light blue shirt got us a private banca and escorted us the entire way.
Excited to be on the banca! We had no idea that we'd get to the next beach in a hurry, so that we could wait another hour or two...
Arrived... and now for more waiting...
One of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. While waiting for our turn, we sat in a nipa hut in the jungle, drinking cokes and eating sky flakes (saltines) and this monkey hops onto our table and we freeze! Monkeys are cute but SO scary- we had no idea if he would attack (for food) or just be cute. These are wild animals! My heart totally stopped. He came closer to me and I was slowly trying to get myself in a position to be able to get up and RUN. Luckily, he just grabbed my coke and carried it over to a nearby tree and started drinking! WHAT?! So crazy!
Do we stand out or what?! Haha. Waiting for our turn on the little beach in front of the river.
When we finally got there, it was STILL crowded! We waited over an hour just to go on a short ride through it! It was insane. From the first time we went to now – there is a HUGE difference in tourism (mostly local, which is pretty darn cool). The first time we went, it was literally a 2 hour round trip adventure (and we even HIKED back). This time, it was over 5 hours and we took a boat round trip! WOW.
The entrance to the Underground River.
Finally on our SHIP! Heading out for the river!
Those are BATS up there!!! Crazy cool rock formations with freaky bats hanging out!
Hung out with a monitor lizard before leaving! So huge!
We got back to the hotel just in time for me to catch Ryan’s championship basketball game on the live feed. I sat at our beach bar, drinking San Miguel’s, and rooting on the Lions. So fun! The school that hosted APAC, Concordia in Shanghai, had live blogging so I could follow the game. A lot of random people thought I was a bit crazy, sitting all by myself in the corner of the beach bar, making weird noises and hand motions at a computer screen. : )
Before we left, we knew we definitely had to try the new tourist attraction – the ZIPLINE! We took a walk down the beach, a ride on an ox and cart, and then a hike up the side of a cliff, to the zipline. It was super fun!
The starting point is at the edge of that cliff. So the zipline is completely over the water. It is an AMAZING view and ride. I wished I was able to jump off into the water at the end. How sweet would that be?!
So fun! It cost about 500 pesos (10ish USD). It is definitely a new, fun thing to do while visiting this beach. (It is actually on a small, deserted beach that is walking distance from Sabang, where we stayed). The Underground River beach is further away (about a 10-15 minute banca ride).
It was definitely a fun trip! I’m so lucky to have people to travel with over here!
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04.23.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:14 am by admin
Camp is such a wonderful experience. 100 eleven year olds and their teachers staying two nights in a hotel. : )
It is actually so fun to look back on – because every year it is SO much work to get there and put it on. This year was no exception. But the ‘after’ is really nice!
I am the leader of grade 5 this year (no pay for a lot of extra work: organizing and running camp, Market Day, Science Fair, etc etc etc) so I was not a happy person leading up to camp. But, once we were there and everything ran smoothly… and then finally got home again… I was really happy! Especially since I always get a 3 day weekend beach trip right after camp!
Grades 4-8 go to camp at the same time, but in different locations. The school is pretty empty for 3 days while we are all away! Grade 5 goes to Camp Caliraya every year. It is a recreational facility/resort 2 hours south of us. It is on a man-made lake and they have a lot of activities for the kids to do – the only problem is that WE have to run the activities. So we bring extra help (guys and girls who work for Brent as aides).
We do a lot of fun things with the kids: wall climbing, earth ball, speed boat rides, zip lines, swimming, soccer, basketball, mudslide, and a bonfire with smores!
We’ve had excellent weather every year, knock on wood!
Here are some highlights from this year…
Practicing for their skit (Pac Man's kid and my student, Stephan).
Canoeing on the lake!
Fun zipline!
Capture the Flag
Principal, Diane, Tammy, Rach, Sarah, and Blake (grade 5 teachers and our fearless principal - new this year)
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04.09.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:00 am by admin
Our Lower School Social Committee decided to change up the type of parties we have to celebrate the beginning, middle and end of the year (yes, we like to party) … this year they switched to ACTIVE parties… we bowled at the beginning of the year – did I blog about this? – and we just had a fun kickball tournament! Ryan reffed one game, but had to leave for a basketball game. My team did not win… I know, I know. I was surprised too. : ) But we had fun and Sarah and I had the best outfits! Our team names were based on animals from the Phils. We were the RED TARSIERS! (Tarsier Monkeys are found in Bohol, where we had our first vacation in the Phis).
I love Tarsiers! : ) I had the shirts made at our local mall. They just put in a t-shirt design shop. All I had to do was tell them a vague idea, they went on google to find a graphic, they cut out the stuff I didn't want, and VOILA! Our own shirts and design! Haha. So cheap and so easy!
The back says "Tarsier" and inside is a picture of tarsiers in the trees! The guy making the shirts found an image and made it fit perfectly inside the letters! How crazy! Way better than I could have imagined!
I'm not the only competitive one! Mike (as the first base coach) was taken out by Patti and Gwen! Coach Arandez came running to help everyone up! Super funny! Patti really wanted to make it to 1st!
I’m really glad our parties have become more interactive (very fitting for elementary teachers!). The bonding has been really great for everyone and I feel like I have had the chance to meet new people (and old people) in a different light.
Lots of fun. I think teachers have more fun than anyone. : )
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Posted in Uncategorized at 7:34 am by admin
Ryan took his first varsity basketball team to Concordia International in Shanghai this year and WON the championship!
Coach Ryan - heading off to Shanghai and leaving wifey with all the 'kids' 
As most of you know this was my first year as the varsity basketball and I was very lucky to come into an extremely talented hardworking team. I had a blast coaching them, and really enjoyed coaching basketball. The pace of the game and the impact that a coaches offensive and defensive strategies can have on a game is a ton of fun to plan. My favorite part of coaching basketball is planning and coaching practices.
Our Tournament this year was in Shanghai and I just about froze to death the first night. The other Brent coaches and I (the girls teams had their tournament at the same school this year) had about a ten minute walk back to the hotel from our coaches meeting and none of us had winter jackets. I was the only one who owned one and it is sitting in my closet in Washington.Two of the guys are Filipino and they only had a couple of sweaters and light weight jackets and my assistant coach is a 6′ 7″ guy who has lived in the Philippines for 5 years and Arizona before that so he didn’t have a warm coat to his name and they don’t sell his size here in the Philippines. The only warm clothes he could find here was a FUBU sweatshirt that was two sizes too small. Pretty comical. We had to duck into the a 7-11 at one point and huddle around a heater. To our defense it was the coldest night of the year for Shanghai this winter.
The tournament was exciting and we were lucky enough to go 6-0 and win the championship. The championship game was played against Hong Kong who was a solid team and shot the ball well. The game was back and forth until the end. They took the lead with 20 seconds left with two free throws to go up two. But the boys didn’t roll over and we hit a three with 3 seconds left and played great defense to seal the win.
All in all it was a great trip and great season. It was a great experience and I am eager to get started again for next season.
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03.01.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:59 pm by admin
Ryan has played for the Brent faculty basketball team for the past four years. Every year the league seems to get a bit more competitive. Usually, the Brent team blows everyone else out of the water. We have several expats like Ryan, Scotty, Hardeman, Walkie, James and Tony. We also have two tall Filipinos who work for the Activities office, John and Erwin. And Roy is another Filipino who teaches Upper School Social Studies. It is a solid team. This year they got in to a league (were invited to play) about 30 minutes away. It was better competition and since the games were on weekends, Ryan’s team could never get everyone there at each game (bummer). They ended up losing the final game, but had fun doing it!
Both teams after the championship game.
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02.13.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:47 am by admin
The festival is held in January of each year to honor the Santo Nino. Our friend Arni has family in Iloilo, so Sarah and I got the full experience. It was quite the weekend!
A bit from Wikipedia…
Dinagyang began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez of a local Roman Catholic parish introduced the devotion to Santo Niño in November 1967. In 1968, a replica of the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez as a gift to the Parish of San Jose. The faithful, led by members of Confradia del Santo Niño de Cebu, Iloilo Chapter, worked to give the image a fitting reception starting at the Iloilo Airport and parading down the streets of Iloilo.
In the beginning, the observance of the feast was confined to the parish. The Confradia patterned the celebration on the Ati-atihan of Ibajay, Aklan, where natives dance in the streets, their bodies covered with soot and ashes, to simulate the Atis dancing to celebrate the sale of Panay. It was these tribal groups who were the prototype of the present festival.
In 1977, the Marcos government ordered the various regions of the Philippines to come up with festivals or celebrations that could boost tourism and development. The City of Iloilo readily identified the Iloilo Ati-atihan as its project. At the same time the local parish could no longer handle the growing challenges of the festival.
The Dinagyang is divided into three Major events: Ati-Ati Street Dancing, Kasadyahan Street Dancing and Miss Dinagyang.
Today, the main part of the festival consists of a number of “tribes”, called “tribus”, who are supposed to be Ati tribe members dancing in celebration. It should be noted that no actual Ati are involved nor do they benefit in any way from this event. There are a number of requirements, including that the performers must paint their skin brown and that only indigenous materials can be used for the costumes. All dances are performed to drum music. Many tribes are organized by the local high schools. Some tribes receive a subsidiary from the organizers and recruit private sponsors, with the best tribes receiving the most.
The winner actually wins a trip to New York to perform in the parade next year!
Beautiful people, costumes, music, and dances!
Crammed in to our plastic chairs and viewing area (the area where the Governor's guests get to sit) to watch the performances.
Sarah wearing one of the beautiful masks, made from all natural materials.
This is the team that won last year, and this year too. They had an enormous bird - and the dance included the eggs, the hatching of the eggs, and the chicks growing up. So crazy!
On the street with one of the dancers!
I had a blast with Arni and Sarah! It was such a great cultural experience to be at a real festival (without a bunch of tourists) and to be with Arni and her family. The next blog with have pics of her family and what we did with them. This festival was really cool. I have no idea how Ryan and I would do it on our own… I’m not sure we’d be able to! Arni is leaving after this year so I am really happy that I got to experience it with her.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 7:06 am by admin
For the first time in 4 years, we had a very quiet December break at our home in Brentville. Boooooooooo. We didn’t travel because we really needed to be around for adoption stuff and getting our ‘days in country’ completed. I don’t think anyone needs to ask how I felt about not traveling.
We had to get creative with how we spent our time, especially since it RAINED all break!
Ryan spent a lot of time figuring out his XBox and reconnecting with his college buddies through MW3.
He has his own little corner in our living room (the only living space in the house). It works out well so we can be in the same room without having to compromise TV or videogame time! Ryan wears the headset so he can talk to his buddies back in the states who are playing with him.
I took a lot of naps with Charlie.
We went for several day-road trips. Gotta love the jeepneys.
We had a lot of dinners infront of the TV. This pic is proof that I've learned to eat with chopstix. I also experimented with a couple Indian dishes over break! Nothing crazy...tika masala and butter chicken are two new favorites in our house though!
Charlie and I watched a lot of garbage TV shows to pass the time and fulfill our guilty pleasure time. : )
We tried to sit outside and enjoy our garden, Christmas lights, and the cool weather.
Christmas Eve dinner on the top of one of our favorite hotels, Viviere, in Alabang.
We started our first painting project. Ryan had to tape off the wall so we didn't get white paint (to cover the puke brown) on the green walls.
My nail started growing back! Before break, I jammed my toe during class. I had blood everywhere - it was a mess. I toughed it out and after 4 hours of teaching, I finally went to Ryan's office to have him (as opposed to the clinic) clean me up. I kept the nail on for a week with a bandaid. Ryan would clean it every night. But it finally got to the point where I needed a pedicure. My girl Jess hooked it up at my village spa. She took the nail off and made the rest of my toes pretty again. And you can see the corner of my nail starting to grow back!
All in all- our break was very relaxing and we did get a lot done. That’s not to say that we didn’t get our fair share of laziness done either. : )
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02.09.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:50 am by admin
Our first Christmas kitten.
The kitten that came home with me after a day with my Canadian Hair Master, Robert, is still living with us.I originally brought him home, thinking that we would find him a home with one of the new teachers that came this year. Welp – not the case. They are all cat haters. So we are stuck with Charlie… we love her to pieces, but six cats is a lot. : )
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Posted in Uncategorized at 3:23 am by admin
We fly Cebu Pacific for all of our domestic flights and even short international flights to Thailand and Vietnam. It is a pretty low budget airline and full of fun. They always play the ‘show me’ game where they will call out a random item and if you are the first to raise it- you win silly little gifts. Everyone we know has one at least 3 or 4 times. We’ve kinda got the hang of it and keep random items handy. : )
We took a trip to Boracay over Christmas Break and we were lucky enough to get the dancing stewardesses! It was on the news back in the states and we were laughing so hard that we got to see it live! (Click on the link)
cebu
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