Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hard at work
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
Monday, December 14, 2009
More on Monday
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
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
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
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
Nate Gilbert
Junior
Education Team
Sunday, December 13, 2009
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.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
First Day in Cebu
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!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Arrived in Seoul, Korea
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.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Ruminations on day three of Tom and Tom's Excellent Adventure
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
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
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