Philippines Adventure, Pt. 14
This was week three of hauling water. I am getting used to having to collect my water in a plastic pail, walking down the short hall from the laundry area where the source of our water is located, and dumping it into a blue plastic tub, which I use as my “shower” and flushing water reservoir. It is not so bad. I am thankful to have any water. There are hundreds of thousands of families around the world for whom carting water each day is not an unusual act of unfamiliar circumstances but is rather a daily chore that must be completed, sometimes with the travail of great distances that must be covered to reach the source of water. I suppose I can feel a small amount of solidarity, if only a minutia. I finally discovered—about two days ago and after I wrote my opening statement—that I could turn on the water whenever I needed in order to fill the tub. Now, I do not gather water but simply flip a switch. How nice!
I wrote some thoughts about week 14, and I wasn’t going to post them because they are maybe a little convoluted and literary, but I showed them to my aunt, who is a writer, and she told me to post them. So, here they are: I cannot believe that I am already at chapter 14 of my time here in the Philippines; yet so much has changed in my life, that I suppose it is a wonder that it is ONLY chapter 14. Maybe my incredulity is unfounded since it is logical that experience such as the one I am undergoing would dramatically change a person’s perspective on life and personal viewpoints. Even I was desperately ready for a change when I embarked on this Filipino expedition. I knew that my life would be altered for the better once I got on that plane bound for lands halfway across the globe. Now, I can muse and reflect upon the changes that have been made. More comprehensive than the paradigmatic modifications that occurred during the first round of my time in the Philippines has been this second bazaar of teaching and learning through which I have been wading since January 9th. The reason I call this a bazaar is that I no longer know or desire to know what will happen or what I will learn and absorb. My intent is the same as the person for whom a bazaar is an opportunity to peruse the masses of material and edible goods available from the widest variety of societal swaths: to snatch up the gems that will forever influence my way of decorating or filling my world.
I have committed myself to greater discipline, believing, as many of the great contemporaries and historical figures exhibited, that discipline is the secret to success. Two things have recently changed in my life: I have once again commenced in training my physical body to do what I want it to do; and I have started to seriously read my Bible, grinding the verses back and forth, trying to comprehend the Truth just as wheat is ground to make flour, which is entirely more digestible and usable. The first is a physical representation of that which is going on in my spiritual world. Running for me is the way that I practice discipline, honing a certain sense of dogmatic stamina that is necessary for facing multifarious challenges in life. The second is my opportunity to look into the only book that gives life and by peering into those pages, I am strengthened and empowered with my identity in Christ.
Strawberry Cake
One of the staff members and I decided to make a strawberry refrigerator cake. (When I heard the word “refrigerator” I said I am all in, knowing that it did not involve trying to operate the 19th century oven.) We asked all the students if they were willing to contribute the equivalent of 55 cents to making this wonderful confection. They enthusiastically agreed. (It may take some effort to get them to pay for their manuals, but when it comes to special treats like this, they are all in!) This cake involved a processed concoction of Nestle ® All-Purpose Cream—who knows what’s in that—sweet and condensed milk, strawberry jelly, and graham crackers, which are pronounced gray-ham here in the Philippines. We layered the strawberry cream on top of the gray-ham crackers then gingerly placed another layer of gray-hams and creams, topping it off with some gray-ham crumbles. (I love that pronunciation. Filipino English is so much more emphatic, meaning they really emphasize forgotten syllables, which gives the language a more rhythmic quality.)
It was then refrigerated overnight, waiting for us to slice it up for our movie party on the 12th. (When we are here in the Bible school, so not on a mission trip or preparing for some activity, we have Friday Movie Night, which is always a fun diversion from the weekly schedule. We watched silent Buster Keaton flicks the week before, which were off the rocker funny!) To top off our strawberry cream delight, I took two kilos of fresh strawberries, chopped them until they looked like a pink morass, and added some sugar, letting it sit for a couple of hours before delicately spooning the mixture over the strawberry cake slices. What a presentation of pink exquisiteness. Our default Valentine’s Day treat or as they call it in the Philippines, Happy Hearts’ Day, which I find more accurate for our modern-day celebration of St. Valentine.
Three weeks to go!
I have about three weeks remaining of teaching, which is quite incredible to me. Sometimes I feel as if I just got here, but when I think back on all the books I have read, lessons I have taught, doctrine I have adopted as my own, it does not seem impossible that I only have a short while remaining with the students. I am currently entering my third week of leadership classes with the students. I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to teach them leadership, a topic that intrigues me. Leadership is such a double-edged sword, swinging to the nth degree of positivity and negativity, literally making or breaking organizations. We have discussed how to spot a leader and how to lead when you are a part of the pack and not the top dog, so to speak. This week we are looking at the secret to winning, which is a great opportunity for me to instill in my students the concept of dreaming and having a plan for fulfilling those dreams. It was interesting to find that many had never thought about making a plan or seriously thinking about what it would take to accomplish their dreams. I love imparting thoughts, which have never been considered by the listener, as I also love to receive thoughts I have never pondered.
Even though I have only been with these students for four months, I feel a deep bond with them. Not only do I teach them, but I also live with them. I see them at 5:30 am and I see them at night, before they go to bed. I know about their families and their dreams. It will be hard to leave them, but it is good to know that they have made a lasting impression on my life and I have made a positive impact in their lives.
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