A child's life

The kids in Barangay Bahile were so awesome! While I do love my students here in Japan, they can't compete with these kids in terms of openness, curiousity, friendliness, and spirit. Although many of these kids didn't have a lot in terms of material possessions or toys, they were so full of love and joy! It was very powerful.

The imagination, resourcefulness, and inventiveness of the kids when they played reminded me of myself when I was a child.

A little, unused bus became a space with endless possibilities.

Foreigners with cameras provided endless entertainment for the kids. There was never a shortage of kids eager to pose for a picture! They loved seeing their pictures on the digital camera screens afterwards.

A big pile of dirt made for an exciting (and filthy!) playground.

One of my favorite kids, Walter, built pyramids out of spare pieces of wood, while we made bricks.

I truly hope that I will have a chance to go back there again and see all these beautiful children once more.

The children of Barangay Bahile, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Province, Philippines!






If you haven't heard yet, my trip to the Philippines was amazing!
The Mie JETs group that I was a part of went to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province. We were volunteers with Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program. We worked with people in Barangay (village) Bahile to build houses.
The people on the Board of Directors there and the people in Barangay Bahile, especially the children, were amazing! I loved the way that we were welcomed with open arms and open hearts.

The children loved dancing, and generally danced all day, everyday, when we were in the village. It began as soon as we arrived, when the children danced for us at a welcome ceremony!

The adorable Anthony wearing our team leader's hat and camera.

The trip only got better from there! Everyday we got to hang out with the children during our break times and meal times.

They even got into the act and carried bricks with us sometimes. So sweet. A lot of the kids could speak some English, which was fun for us. Even the little ones who couldn't speak English were still our buddies.

2 beautiful girls in front of the daycare center in Barangay Bahile.

Hello Kitty Nurse




Ohmygod. I am so lethargic. I can barely type.
I have been staring at my computer screen, trying to plan my upcoming elementary lessons, but I seem unable to form coherent thoughts.
This is what happens to me after a week sitting in the board of education office. I don't know what it is about this place, perhaps it's the fact that I usually have nothing to do while I am here, but I just go brain dead.
I wish for something to do, but then when I come up with something, my brain seems unable to function. This is pitiful.
I feel like I need a giant Hello Kitty in a nurse uniform to drop in and give me a generous shot of adrenalin. If the adrenalin didn't work, the sight of a Hello Kitty nurse might just cheer me up a bit.

pineappleidiotic


Ok, so this tasty fresh pineapple I bought, a "sweetio" actually, has been calling my name.

After the Philippines I've been craving fresh fruit...

So, I sliced up the sweetio pineapple, and began feasting. I was eating a lot. Half way through the pineapple I began to wonder if eating a lot of pineapple could hurt your mouth. I was thinking more of the acidity than anything else. Then my mouth started to bleed.

Yes, I ate so much pineapple that my lower lip started BLEEDING!!!! I guess gnawing all that delicious pineapple off the rind was a little abrasive on my lips.

Fuck! Deliciousness makes me idiotic!