Today was the day that we spent most of our time in worship. We woke up at the same time as yesterday to go to have breakfast in the cafeteria. I had quite a surprise when I saw that oatmeal was already on the table. Now, I’m not a big oatmeal person because of the texture, but the oatmeal we have was a little finer than the oatmeal in the States. It also had all of the extra stuff (sugar and milk) added so it was very good. After breakfast we came back to get dressed for church.
Church was your typical Sabbath school, well despite having everyone in the sanctuary divided off by pews, and what Christie and I used to call when we were little “big church”. Today they had a special service 1) for Philippine Independence Day and 2) National Women’s Ministries Day. All of the speakers were women. Now, there were a few differences that I noticed. I remembered from last year, but I will elaborate, that the sanctuary is in a very large building, but the walls consisted of large windows instead of being bricked in. Fans were mounted on each vertical structure and were scattered in between the pews instead of air conditioning. The service was about 2 hours long, which is unusually long for a Seventh Day Adventist church service. Mrs. Darlene said it was a typical service from the 60s in the US.
Lunch was a potluck at the house. All of the guidance counselors of the working students made food for us, including some chicken adobo and beef. Needless to say, the boys and I were definitely happy to see some real meat for lunch! After lunch we toured about the campus to see some of the working student dorms. To give you an idea of what the living conditions are in a dorm room there are typically 10-12 people living in a, I would say, 400-500 sq. ft. room. There are bunk beds and lockers for each individual. Bathrooms are a community bathroom at the end of the hallway or in the basement. These spaces and drastically different from the dorms of the non-working students who live in about the same size room with only 2 to a room, private bath, with maid and laundry services. It was an eye opener for everyone, especially those who had not visited last year.
After siesta time, we went to a sun-down service in the gym run by the working students. Ate Glad and Uncle Prom were the speakers. They had great encouraging stories for the students. You could just tell that the students appreciated their words. Dinner was held after the service back at the house with all of the officers because not only did we have dinner prepared from the cafeteria, but we had so much left over from the lunch. Each officer got at least one plate of food for dinner as well as a to go box for tomorrow.
Now, the rest of the group is giving English classes to the working students and will probably be there for another hour. And why are you not with them you ask? Well…dehydration has hit me fairly hard. Water, that is bottled water, isn’t exactly readily accessible, especially on Sabbath when the store is not open for business. I definitely did not have enough to drink so I am here at the house. I’m very fatigued, but thanks to the speaker at church, Dr. Tobias, she gave us a large container of water to keep me hydrated, at least through the night.
So, I have noticed a couple of things as I’ve been blogging. One, I have left a few fun things and facts out, but I have written them in my journal to write down. Two, I haven’t really written anything that pertains to how I’ve been feeling personally. Every post seems to be a summary. Well, now that I have a little bit of time, I will elaborate on a few of those things.
Let’s see. Where to start. Ok. Well let me start with a description of the beautiful trees here at AUP that you will definitely not find at ETSU’s arboretum. One is the fire tree. It was not in bloom last year so we didn’t notice it, but this year we have gotten the chance to see them. They are fairly large trees with several branches. The flowers on the tree are bright orange (not like UT orange) but almost a neon orange. It is one of Ate Glad’s favorite trees. Another tree that one of the working students’ officer, Hana, introduced me to is the “calachuchi” tree, otherwise known as the plumeria tree. Its leaves look like something from a magnolia tree, but the flowers are the size of my palm with the most fantastic smell. They are quite beautiful. Can you tell that I hold a Biology degree?
One thing that was mentioned in Sabbath school was class participation. Students, listen up! So, in the US class participation is typically 10% of a course grade. If you talk, actively take notes, etc. you get full credit for participation. You can ask questions, give your answer whether it is right or wrong, state your opinion and it all counts positively toward your grade essentially. Well, apparently here in at AUP class participation is a little different. If a professor asks you a question and you answer “wrongly”, then points are automatically deducted. Correct answers don’t really go toward an increase in the class participation grade because a student is expected to know those answers. So, be thankful that in your classes, well I guess at least in my classes, it was ok to be wrong in stating an answer because it is part of the American way of learning.
Another thing, this is kinda straying toward a persuasive side…many people get upset in the States when someone does not know English. Business is conducting using English only and this is throughout the world. In the Philippines, when Marcos was president, he mandated that Tagalog would be the national language of the Philippines. However, now, English is required of the students, faculty, and pretty much anyone holding a decent job here in the Philippines because, as Uncle Prom stated, “English is the business language of the world. If you don’t know English, you don’t conduct business.” In my opinion, I’m a quite saddened to here this. Growing up, I was not taught Tagalog mainly because no one thought I would ever need it (we never thought we would be traveling back to the Philippines). However, I remember listening to my dad talk with his sisters or other family members. I loved hearing him speak because the language is so different from what I was exposed to at Meigs and Hume Fogg (Spanish, French, German, Latin, etc.). The thought that in say 100 years no one will be speaking Tagalog for the sake of business is very sad to me. So, keep in mind that the majority of people are causing many countries to abandon their heritage (i.e., language) for the sake of business. Many cultures have already lost their languages forever, which may have been useful in the future.
Ok. On a less opinionated, preachy note, I want to talk about some of the feelings that I have had over the last couple of days. First, I am still very excited about what is to come! Despite the very hot days and rainy afternoons (It is currently thunder storming outside); I am enjoying my stay here at AUP. The strongest feeling that I have is awe. The working students definitely cause me to feel awe. To think that my biggest worry in life, currently, is what my next move in terms of career is, is so small compared to some of the working students’ worry as to when their next meal will be. The idea that many American students are embarrassed to be going to school for 5 years instead of 4 is so small compared to the 10 years it takes for many students to finish just an undergraduate degree! Even though these worry weigh heavily on their hearts, they still smile. They are very gracious to the sponsors, which are what they identify us as, and we really haven’t done anything yet! All I can say is that I’m so happy to be a part of this mission trip. If I could express/show/have you come here and experience the joy and strength that these students possess, I would.
Tomorrow I will be giving a “testimony” and encouragement speech tomorrow right before we hand out the bags. I have been restless as to what I should say other than, “Keep up the good work.” I think I will share my story. Explain that they aren’t the only ones with worries and that we must keeping praying and having faith, which for me is extremely difficult in this part of my life, that God will have his plan revealed to us and that He will always provide, whether it is food or guidance. I think that’s what I will say…
Well, I’m off to bed, I’m getting a little more tired so I’m going to have another banana and bottle of water. Hopefully the thunder and lightning won’t keep me up. Post tomorrow!
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