ISLP 2009 CEBU

And We're Off

2009-12-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

We are packing up the bus to head to the airport. We'll be home soon. Thanks to all of you who kept up with us on this blog and a special thanks to those who sent messages. We read them faithfully every day. We are all fine, a little tired, a little sunburned, and overflowing with excitement. Can't wait to see all of you.

Final Reflection

2009-12-18T16:10:00.001-08:00

Our work is done. We are packing this morning to go to one last museum and then a little time to rest before we start our journey back tonight. After several months of planning, 30 hours in airports and on planes to get here, and a week of working in four communities in Cebu; here are some final reflections...

We have a amazing faculty and students. Parents and families, you have every reason to be extremely proud. The students are not only talented and knowledgeable, but they have giving hearts and unselfishly gave of themselves this week.

The communities where we did our work were generous and giving. They gave us a heroes welcome each morning and were so grateful.

The sights, the sounds, the tastes, the smells all made for a unique cultural experience. Our students were able to partake deeply of many things that the Philippines has to offer.,,mountains, city, beaches, forts, churches, temples, Jeepneys, street vendors, rich and poor, homeless shelters and high rises, and the largest mall that many of us have ever seen. It is a beautiful and rich country, and we were fortunate to see a small part of it.

We made new friends. The teachers, community leaders, bus drivers, local law enforcement officers, and many others befriended us. We leave a part of our hearts behind us here, but we know that if we ever come this way again that we will have friends who will welcome us back. We owe them a thank you for all they did to make our time here the most productive and pleasant that it could be. Several of them are following the blog, and we want to say thank you!

More Thursday Info and Pics

2009-12-18T05:26:00.001-08:00

After days of silence I am finally ready to make a statement on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Simple words on this page cannot do justice to the what I have learned from both the children and the culture. Although Diet Coke is called "Coke light" and the bathrooms are called "comfort rooms", these people are very similar to us and our ideas of the ideal society. Though some may not have the assets to achieve their tangible goals they possess a certain attitude that cannot be mimiced with superficiality. Through my endeavors here I have learned a great deal about the possibilites of humanity and the "can-do" attitude. Simply put, this trip has changed my life.
On a lighter note, today (Friday) we spent the day touring the city and shopping. I dropped about $160.00 in the biggest mall I have ever seen and visited a 500 year old fort constructed by Magellan. The influence of cultures here is quite remarkable and there application is very unique.
Now, as we are finishing our last full day in the Philippines I am proud of the work we have done, happy for the lives we changed and gladly look forward to the future for these people. I only wish I could repay them for the impact they have had on my life.

Levi
COMM Team

P.S. See Jennifer I did do work.

Thursday

2009-12-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

Not much time today to write. Will update with lots of information later today. Everyone is doing well. We are off this morning to see some of the cultural sights.

Dental Team Update

2009-12-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Dental Team and ISLP assistants worked all week in Paril at the high school. In all they were able to help 115 patients. Many children and adults needed teeth extracted, but there were also many stories of great restorative work. One young woman had dental decay on her two upper front teeth (no dentists around,and I can't remember what they are called). Jay and Ashlee worked very hard to no only help her keep her two front teeth but restored her beautiful smile.

At the end of the dental clinic, the Paril High School and Primary School and barangay council gave them a very touching sendoff. The entire team was moved to tears. The community was so thankful for the service that was provided to them.

Wed Pics

2009-12-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

The trip has finally sold itself to me

2009-12-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

After a few days in Cebu, we are nearing the end of our experience when I feel like I am just starting to learn. However, what I have learned so far is much more than I could learn in several weeks of normal schooling. The children that we are teaching have an innate curiosity and a love of learning. Whereas at home we have many children in school that are aimply forced by the law or by their parents to attend school, many of the people in the schools that we have visited walk two hours to and from school. This society places a very high premium on education. After a talk with the Student Body President of Binaliw Integrated School, Aikel Ardiza, he told us, "I really enjoyed it [the program] a lot because you and your company taught us learnings we did not know." He continued to say that the decision-making presentation was his favorite because it would help him make good decisions as a student body president. About the water filter experiment that the Department of Education taught, Aikel said that the students have no idea about such experiments, and the ISLP participants are helping teach them how to explain things.
With respect to the title, the trip has sold itself to me in the sense that I have been personally touched the past couple of days by a couple of events that made me appreciate the opportunities that children in our community can receive as well as the opportunities that are lacking to many Cebuanos. For instance, I taught some salsa dancing at the Mabini school on Monday, and one of the girls said that they would love to learn more, but there is no one to teach them. This touched me because I love dancing, and I love to share my passion with others. The thought that some of these children do not have the chance to learn because of finances or where they live makes me sad.
The second event just happened today at the Binaliw school. The students were performing a decision-making skit using the S.T.A.R. method. The scenario involved a father losing his job, and he and the mother explain to the daughter that she has to stop her schooling and go to work to help support them. After consulting her teacher, she decides to work during the day and attend school at night. When it comes to reviewing stage of the scenario, she pretends she is looking back on her decision after finishing college and becoming a successful professional (a difficult goal for many of these students to attain). She began to cry when she was talking about this, and it tugged at my heartstrings. After the presentation, I came up to her and encouraged her to work hard in school and continue performing at the best of her ability.
All these children are so genuinely appreciative of our presence that we feel happy to go to the schools every day to teach. I am sure we would all elect to stay for much longer if we could to help in these schools and learn from our friends, the Cebuanos.
Boris Yelin, Communications Team

My day in the dental clinic

2009-12-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

I had another amazing day in the Philippines. Working in the dental clinic in Paril was a change of pace from working in the schools, but still intense and exhausting and wonderful. I saw many of the same students we had in class on Monday and as soon as we jumped off the van they were shouting "Hi Rebecca!", "Hi OJ!", "Hi Rachel!". I think they remembered all of our names. I got to pull my first tooth today as well, although I'm not sure it counts because all I had to do was give it a little twist and it came out. I also saw a few things that made me tell Jay that I don't think I can ever go to the dentist again (because now I'll have a visual of what's going on in my mouth when I hear or see certain instruments)! There were some really cool restorative cases today and the student dentists did an awesome job of making the people of Paril's smiles more beautiful than ever- I could tell how much it meant to them to have full, white teeth where there was once black decay. It was hard to leave Paril and some of the girls I have befriended there. There were many hugs, photos being taken, and laughter and tears. One student broke my heart as she began crying when I told her I wouldn't be back tomorrow. These students, teachers, people of Cebu have truly touched my heart in a way I could never have imagined before coming here. They are the most gracious, generous, and kind people I have ever met in my life. I truly hope to take their humility home with me, to be more grateful for all the wonderful things in my life, and to be much less selfish and more thoughtful of others. This has been an experience I feel so blessed to have had; the Philippines will always be a special place to me and I will never forget the lessons I've learned from the people here.
Rebecca Hall, Communications Team

Wednesday at Binaliw

2009-12-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

Our day at Binaliw School was wonderful. From the moment we arrived, the students and teachers made us feel welcome. The children are so sweet, talented, and bright. We were honored to work with students in the high school the past two days. Starting each day with music and dancing has become a great custom for us, and we have enjoyed the pleasant start to our mornings.

The Justice Administration team developed and presented a powerful anti-bullying workshop. The students performed skits and talked about techniques that can be used to battle bullying in the school and community. The students were creative and put together excellent presentations.

The Communications team used a critical thinking model called STAR to lead students through a variety of scenarios. The students were enthusiastic, and our students did a great job of leading the activity.

The Education team used local products to build a water filtration system. Using used water bottles,sand, rocks, sponges, and cotton, students designed a small filter that we used to clean dirty water.

The teachers and students at Binaliw were wonderful. They treated us like special guests. Special meals, beautiful smiles, helpful attention, and classes that were ready for us made our time with the students and the teachers very special. Our friendships became very special to all of us this week.

More to come later tonight. I guess that will day to you since we are 13 hours ahead. Our UofL students are excited to tell their stories. To all the families, everyone is doing fine. No one is sick...OK, a little tired, but overall we are doing great!

Tuesday

2009-12-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

Humbled is how the students describe their experience. The generosity and outpouring of friendship has been overwhelming. We are met each morning with a whole school assembly. The students and teachers perform dances, sing songs, and welcome us warmly. They are so honored that we chose their villages to work in and want to show us how much they appreciate it. The entire experience has been extremely rewarding for all of the ISLP teams.

Teacher's Comment from Binilaw School, "We will never forget the experience of working with the faculty and students at the University of Louisville. Our children have looked forward to this for weeks." Rosalie Ohayas, Science Teacher

Renato A. Garces, "I am very thankful for your coming to our school. The lessons have been exciting, and the students have learned a lot from the activities. I am always thankful when our children can learn more. Thank you!"

The ISLP team is doing well. Everyone is healthy and ready to go on Wednesday.

Hard at work

2009-12-15T01:05:00.000-08:00

We have been hard at work for two days in the villages. We have been welcomed so warmly by the people of Cebu and they are very receptive and grateful of our presence. Yesterday we saw 32 patients in the dental clinic and I assisted in suctioning, can't say that I found my "inner dentist", but I definitely learned a lot. Today, my group worked in the classrooms of Mabini. We had to be flexible as we were supposed to do one anti-bully workshop and ended up doing four presentations! I am enjoying every minute of this trip and soaking up as much as I can. As we are teaching the students, we are also learning so much from them. ~Emilie

Just Pics

2009-12-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

More on Monday

2009-12-14T04:50:00.000-08:00

After an incredible welcome by the village of Paril...music, dancing, children lining the street waving flags, and probably the warmest greeting we have ever experienced, our work has begun. Two of the teams spent the day in the classroom with teachers and children. Most classes had at least 50 students, so we were kept quite busy! The dental clinic saw 32 patients, mostly children who had never seen a dentist. The dental team was ably assisted by several other ISLP students and faculty. Our team received extra motivation from the warm welcome. We got a lot done in a very short time.

The principal at the Paril High School stated, "The teachers and I have been longing for people to help us. Our children have health and dental issues including malnutrition. Our children are very poor. Thank you for sending help to improve our student's achievement and lives." Principal Nilda Palag

Monday Reflections

2009-12-14T04:20:00.000-08:00

We spent the day in Paril, a small barangay in the depth of the mountains of Cebu, Philippines. My imagination could not do this area justice. As we drove up to these small communities, we passed through some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen in my life. Mothers were hard at work with their small children by their side, people passed us on one lane roads on motorcycles with more than the legal limit of people on the back, and livestock grazed on the side of the cliffs just feet away from the front door of family homes. From about a half mile away from the gates of the Paril High School, we began seeing small children dressed in Boy Scout and Girl Scout uniforms waving American and Philippine flags. This community had a heartfelt welcome for the University of Louisville students, calling our school the "best in America" and calling us their "early Christmas gifts." These people who have very close to nothing gave us a hero's welcome into their community. The children called us beautiful and watched our every move, the mothers dressed their babies up and brought them to the celebration, the students in the classroom were so eager to learn. These people who have nothing have taught me lessons about life that mean everything. These small villages in the middle of the mountains in an area you can't find on a map sang Christmas songs, spoke amazing English and talked with us about our lives with bright eyes and warm hearts. The people of these villages have "made my heart drop." We have 4 more days left here and these last 9 hours have really put my life in perspective. ---Rachel Noble

Monday Welcome

2009-12-14T02:40:00.001-08:00

I thought I was prepared for what I would encounter when heading up the mountain this morning. But after day one with the children I can honestly say that I am speechless. The people here are unbelievably kind, respectful, and eager to learn about anything we have to offer. Today as we were pulling up to the Paril school we were greeted with an overwhelming reception with children lining the gravel roads waving both American and Philipino flags. At one point during a prayer one of the senior students was giving I was overwhelmed with a number of emotions and tears began to fill my eyes. It was so humbling to hear her say "we are so blessed to have these visitors from the University of Louisville who have traveled here to reach out to the least fortunate..."

Nate Gilbert
Junior
Education Team

2009-12-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

The students and a few faculty had a bit more fun before the work begain...a boat ride out to the island. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time! In the afternoon, we headed to Ford's Inn to start preparing our work. The dental clinic got set up in the mountains, and the school based teams prepared and sorted materials. We are ready to go this morning! Lots of excitment about getting started. Will have lots more info later today.

First Day in Cebu

2009-12-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

Since everything was on time and we arrived on Friday night Cebu time, we were able to take one day to rest and relax on Saturday. We rested by the pool, swam in the sea, went parasailing, and finished up some of the shopping for supplies for our week. Everyone is doing well. No one is sick. We are all well fed. On Saturday night, we had a lovely dinner on the beach and were entertained by local dancers performing cultural dances. Several of us tried tinnickling (hopping over bamboo poles). I don't think I spelled it correctly, but it is not in spell check. We are going to see some of the islands this morning, then we start our work this afternoon. Dental clinic to be set up and classroom activities to be finalized. Thanks for all your comments!

See Some Photos

2009-12-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

http://tinyurl.com/islp-cebu2009a

Arrived in Seoul, Korea

2009-12-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

We made it through two legs of the trip. The 14 hour flight to Seoul was long, but everyone appears to be doing well...maybe a little sleepy! We are here for two hours, then we make a 4 1/2 hour flight to Cebu.

Ruminations on day three of Tom and Tom's Excellent Adventure

2009-12-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

Following 30+ hours of international travel, and two very hectic days of scurrying around Cebu, tying up loose ends and acquiring the last of our needed supplies for our mountain dental clinic in Paril, we awoke this morning to a glorious tropical morning sunrise over the Bohol Strait. The vista from our hotel room incorporates the northern extent of the green Punta Engano peninsula and the range of aquatic shading from the lightest of aquamarine to the darkest cobalt blue. To the west are the mountains with their building morning cummulous, that casts an even darker shade of green. Further east lies the islands for which the strait is named. Spectacular! Breath taking! After the frenetic pace of the last few days, it is difficult to just kick back and enjoy the ambience, so we have to get out and tour around the grounds of the resort and the surrounding semi-urban environment.The grounds are immaculate, with an attention to detail that is not often seen in our part of the world. The grassy areas resemble golf greens in their carpet-like appearance. There is the spectrum of tropical plants, and flowers with their myriad fragrances, a visual and olfactory feast. This place is where it is impossible to take a lousy photograph, even with the cheapest camera, simply because the colors are so bright and the scenery so visually interesting. It has become our custom to go to the executive lounge first thing, to catch up on email, and have a first cup of coffee, converse with Joseph the concierge, and then go to breakfast down off the main lobby. For a person who only has breakfast on weekends(and sometimes, not even then), this is a rare treat. Served buffet style, there is literally anything that a reasonable person could desire, in the way of breakfast cuisine. Marvelous! Wonderful!

One of the contrasting things that I have noticed during our stay here at the Hilton, is the enthusiasm that the service staff and management have manifested for our comfort. These folks are genuinely friendly, and go out of their way to be sure that every need is attended to. This morning we were joking with some of the wait staff in the cafe where we were dining, and discovered that they were students from local colleges and technical schools serving an internship in hotel operations. What a cool concept! It never occured to me that there would be a need for such a thing, and further that an organization like the Hilton would have a relationship with the schools that would facilitate on the job training, but it makes perfect sense. My experience in American Hotels runs the gamut from surley hotel personnel who act like you are really ruining their day by just showing up, to grudging service that hast to almost be grovelled for. It is incredibly refreshing to be treated as we have been here in Cebu. The hotel's General Manager, Harald, (the top dude) paid us a professional courtesy visit this morning to inquire as to our expectations and the level of service experienced so far. Can you imagine? Laura, you must have made a hell of an impression! Later we met with Eunice, the Event Planner, to make final arrangements for our group's stay, and again, what an incredibly competent and genuinely caring person she is--wanting everything to be just right! She met with us at lunch later, to discuss the ISLP, and it gave us an opportunity to learn about each other's culture and background. Tom J. asked her what, I thought, was a very simple, yet profound question. "Eunice, is there anything that you would like to know about life in America that you haven't been able to ask about?" She was very thoughtful for a time, and then with some hesitation, asked about the "problem" with Muslims in our country after 9-11, how "we" got along with them, etc. This gave us an excellent opportunity to talk a little bit about just what it means to live in the very diverse culture that we live in, and how everyone can get along. Next she inquired as to "race relations", and we were able to discuss that. We assured her that, indeed, in the past, there had been pockets of very difficult race issues, and to some extent, there remains some to this day, but in our estimation, things were a whole lot better know, race relationship-wise than they had been in the past. I told her how my mother was nurtured by local black lady who served as her "wet nurse", because my grandmother was unable to nurse her, and that, in that community and time, nobody thought anything about it. We spent some time talking about how incredibly diverse our society is with the unbelievable mix of ethnic and religious, and cultural groups that make up our society and what life is like in the US. She asked about gun ownership and violence............... You know, technology, as embraced by the media has not served us well. Her impression, no doubt, like the impression of much of the world, of American Culture and values, and indeed, of individual American citizens, has been colored and distorted by what passes for entertainment beamed by satellite throughout the world by greedy, financially driven corporate institutions, bent on making as much money as they can, to the expense of the society that spawned them.

One of the great things about our program, is the chance to correct the misperceptions that the media has brought about. In our daily interaction with the "local folks", we can get to know them as individuals, and they can get to know us as Americans. By our conduct and the care that we manifest for their circumstances, we can show them that we are not as we have been popularly portrayed. And, by our wanting learn about their concerns and culture, we can make the point that we are fellow human beings trying to make our world a better place for us all.

As I write this, the group should be arriving in Seoule. Tom J. and I eagerly, (no kidding!) await your arrival in Cebu. Man, are we gonna have a great time!

Submitted by TC

Advance Team Travels to Paril

2009-12-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today (Thursday, December 10, 2009) was another tiring but very productive day. Let me first say the hospitality has been phenomenal. We feel so welcomed and many of the hotel staff appreciate what the University of Louisville is doing for the local barangays. Our mission work as ambassadors has been acknowledged a few times already.

TC and I awakened and ate a nice breakfast at our "usual" table. In fact, the hotel just takes us there now. It is funny and nice. Immediately following breakfast our driver, Mario, arrived to take us to Banilad and Paril. Why do we need a driver? Well, it is really easy to explain but easier to show. The traffic is crazy. The driving culture is very different to us world travelers. But the biggest reason is we'd get lost trying to get wherever we needed to go, if not find an accident.

After 40 minutes we arrived in Banilad barnagay and met Judith, Marichu, and Erra at the elementary and high school. We also had the pleasure of meeting Marichu's husband, June, and her youngest toddler daughter. She was a beautiful little girl. Because there isn't a place to really eat between Banilad and Paril, we went to a local restaurant to eat an early lunch. We ate Chinese and it was delicious.

Following lunch we returned to the school and the kids helped us pack the van. The 45 minute drive up steep hills and dirt roads lead us ultimately to Paril Barangay. There we found all the principals we would be working with waiting to receive us. As a group they all are very appreciate of the university not only choosing their schools, but our willingness to collaborate with them and their teachers. As I hear comments like these from these leaders it tells me we really have a fantastic interdisciplinary model built around incredible collaborative partnerships across the world. We have come soooo far.

After we reviewed the schedule with the principals it was also nice to hear of our advance work between our faculty coordinators (Dr. Joy Hart and Dr. Kandi Walker). These two, along with the principals, have sent many emails arranging the program. All that advance work and preparation is really showing. Following our meetings we retired to the computer lab at the school to inventory some of our supplies and begin to put together some items that will be needed on Sunday when the students set up the dental clinic. We built the extension cords, attached the different air fittings, and assembled different lights. The local teachers assisted as well as made us homemade corn on the cob. That was delicious.

After a few hours we completed what we needed to do but realized we had other supplies we still needed. We returned to the city in search of a pressure regulator, which we ultimately found, before returning to the hotel. TC and I arrived back at the hotel at 7 p.m. It was another long day. Again, I was so tired I fell asleep in the van. The only reason I woke up was we arrived at the hotel. As soon as we got into our room I laid down and didn't wake up again until 12:30 a.m. I checked emails and the internet to see if our delegation made it out of Louisville. I also called the office. TC was out cold. To my surprise I fell promptly asleep after an hour and didn't wake up again until sunrise, as did TC.

Today (Friday, December 11, 2009) we have an off day since we met all of our objectives the past two days. We canceled our driver and simply went to breakfast, where to our surprise, the special events manager was waiting for us to talk about our groups arrival. TC and I are beginning to think the hotel has installed chips in us. They seem to know wherever we are at all times. Even in the cafe the wait staff was asking about the ISLP and appreciative of our university's work. The manager joined us for breakfast and we went over some of the items on her list. Like all things vice presidential, I know little about all the wonderful arrangements Laura Mercer has already arranged. The logistics of the ISLP is very demanding and Laura has been fantastic.

After breakfast TC and I walked outside of the hotel to get a better idea of the immediate area. We know our students will want to explore and outside of the hotel are several small vendors that would be happy to sell items to eager tourists. We also walked to a nearby Japanese restaurant we might consider for next year. During our walk we took more pictures and did some video interviews before returning to the hotel.

We both are sitting in the lounge. TC is reading and I am typing. Again, to our surprise the General Manager (Harrold) came up to say hello to us. He was very grateful for our business and looks forward to our delegation arriving. He has been a part of the Hilton family for 20 years. We also had a pleasure of meeting local college students who are completing their internships at this hotel. They, naturally, are looking forward to seeing some U.S. students.

Later today we meet again with the special events manager and then just wait until the large group arrives. We have a small surprise for everyone and a few surprises for our faculty.

Written by Tom Jackson, Jr.

Advance Party Arrives in Cebu

2009-12-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tom Clark and Dr. Tom Jackson left Louisville, KY on Monday, December 7, 2009 as the advance party for the Cebu, Philippines trip. Ordinarily there is not an advance trip, but since this is the inaugural trip it was necessary. Their roles will be to make contact with the different coordinators in Cebu, as well as acquire some of the supplies required for the dental clinic.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 -- So far our trip has been darn near perfect . Tom C. (TC) and I arrived to the Louisville airport as it started to snow and ice. We figured not again. It wasn’t. We boarded the flight and departed a little late but we were in the air and on our way. Then the airline captain said we had to hold awhile because of traffic in Atlanta. We thought, “Oh no. Not again. Here comes Birmingham!” (Note: one of the previous trips included a holding pattern and diversion to Birmingham) Well that didn’t happen either. We landed and worked our way slowly to Terminal E and slowly ate at McDonalds. We then leisurely went to the gate with plenty of time.

The flight to Seoul was full and a good flight. TC had nobody next to him in the middle section. Basically there were four seats and the two ends had people. He was loving it. He watched four movies and started his book. I watched four movies, played 60 holes of online golf, and lost $1,000 in Blackjack. Fortunately it was play money. The 14.5 hour flight went quickly.

After landing in Seoul we went to the KAL (Korean Air) lounge for frequent fliers. We had a nice meal in a relaxing atmosphere. After eating we checked out the electronic stores and exchanged cash. I would NOT suggest changing cash in Seoul. It will be cheaper using the money exchanger in Cebu we have arranged. Also note that the layover in Seoul is NOT a lot. Just keep that in mind. We got to the gate with about 20 minutes to spare. With a large group we might have been searching for people.

Flying to Cebu from Seoul was very difficult. Although both TC and I had entire rows to ourselves, we had been traveling all day, it was dark outside, we didn’t have the entertainment system, and it was just tiring. We were ready to get to Cebu and that flight was 4.5 more hours. That was a long flight. We both napped on that flight, but not too much.

We had a few things waiting for us upon arrival. A short customs line and luggage. Yep, the three bags we checked (suction and two stations) all arrived just fine. Our carry-ons made it too, making this one of the few flights everything made it with us. TC had his usual backpack of everything. I had my small suitcase and backpack. We had no questions leaving the airport and the Hilton people were outside the terminal to the right waiting for us. They bumped us up to the executive level upon check-in – that was very nice.

Joseph, the concierge on the executive level was awesome. After having a nice nights sleep we woke up about 6:30 a.m. We checked emails in the executive lounge as Joseph brought us coffee and helped us with EVERYTHING. We added minutes to my phone (yep, it still worked from our last trip but just need minutes), helped us set up internet in the room (costly but he gave us a better deal), and checked on our big group reservations. It was all there and paid for in full. I bet Laura is happy to hear that piece of news. He also helped us Skype.

We then went downstairs for a free buffet. The dental supplies did not arrive, although they did arrive later after we left. Their wire-transfer also arrived so they were very happy. At 10:00 a.m. Marichu and Erra arrived with Mario (our driver) to take us to Cebu for supplies. They bring birthday greetings to Joy, as do Tom and I. It was nice having them with us. We went straight to the building supply store. It was like a smaller Lowe’s. We got almost everything we needed. Those items we could not find we later found them in one of two other hardware type stores (Bennetts and Ace). After the building supply store (which took a long time) we dropped all the items off in Judith’s office. Judith is one of the coordinators and the principal at the Banilad Night High School. Her office was just up the street and very near where we will be staying for the bulk of our trip. After picking up Judith we went to the other hardware stores for our supplies. We also went to the pharmacy to pick up our order but it wasn’t ready yet.

We finally ate a late lunch/early dinner about 4:00 p.m. then rushed to the pharmacy to get our order. After dropping everyone off, and leaving our supplies in Judith’s office again, we came back to the Hilton totally wiped. Exhausted. I was so tired I immediately started to fall asleep (and fell asleep) once we dropped everyone off. Remember the drive from the Banilad to the Hilton is about 40-45 minutes.

It was a VERY productive day. We have all the things on the list except permanent markers. It was so productive, tonight TC even assembled some of his fittings he just bought for the units before crashing. He is out cold right now. I have caught my typical night owl second wind.

Tomorrow we go to Paril and drop off supplies. We will meet the new principal and familiarize ourselves with those operations. That is all we have planned. That will take most of the day when you figure 40 minutes to get to Judith’s office to get the other supplies and the 40-45 minute drive to Paril. We should arrive around noon or so and will probably stay a good 2-3 hours there. We have no plans to set-up since that is for the students. After that we are done with a day to spare. We can get caught up, rest, or solve new problems we didn’t know we had.

I will check us all in on Friday once I learn you are on your way (let me know when you leave SDF and ATL). My hope is to just give you keys when you get into the Hilton so you can go straight to bed. Of course the nightowl in me will still have me up.

Written by Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr.

Our Teams

2009-12-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS

Faculty:
Dr. Joy Hart
Dr. Kandi Walker

Students:
Rebecca Hall
Ryan Kiser
Rachel Noble
Katlyn Pawley
Boris Yelin
Levi Shanks

EDUCATION
Faculty:
Dr. Sherri Brown
Dr. Margaret Pentecost

Students:
Nathan Gilbert
OJ Oleka
Caytie Page

JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION

Faculty:
Dr. Price Foster
Bryan Hamilton

Students:
Emily Dupaquier
Jennifer Cruze
Susan Wilhelm

DENTAL

Faculty:
Dr. Tom Clark

Students:
Jay Burton
Melvin Washington
Aronica Boyle
Jabrea Bennett
Ashley Lee
Shuka Moshiri

ISLP 2009 CEBU, PHILIPPINES

2009-12-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

The UofL International Service Learning team will be traveling to Cebu, Philippines from December 10-20. We will post information and pictures each day on this blog. Families and friends can keep up with our work and send messages to the service learning team.

Four interdisciplinary teams will perform service in four communities. The dental team will set up a dental clinic in the Peril, but all ISLP students will do a rotation in the dental clinic. Our ISLP students are trained and ready to assist. Each team is interdisciplinary, but each discipline leads in the planning of classroom activities in three mountain schools and in one city school. The Communications team will use the "STAR" critical thinking exercise to help students make good choices. Justice Administration will use role play and small group discussions to talk about bullying behavior. The Education team will do a science experiment focusing on water purification.

Students and faculty have spent the past several weeks preparing for the ISLP experience in Cebu, and we hope that you will join us on this blog. Just sign on as a follower or create an account to post comments.