October 1, 2008
Tropical Storm Higos (”Pablo”) has been marching across the Philippines for two days, and we are getting beaucoup rain in Luzon! Ramadan ended today, so all Republic of the Philippines government employees were excused from work, and classes were suspended in public schools. I’d bet that schools will be ‘closed’ tomorrow due to flooding and risks of mudslides, rockslides and drownings. more →
June 30, 2008
Because I stayed up late helping Mack with his project and feeding him and puttering around on my own, I didn’t go to bed anywhere near midnight. And when I awoke, my right shoulder and my knees hurt so much I was disinclined to arise and go to work rebuilding the chapel in Baguio Gold. I hadn’t told anyone that I’d be there, anyway. So tomorrow I should begin working there (if they permit me).
June 16, 2008
Today I took a jeepney into Baguio City to buy plumbing supplies and student supplies that I didn’t buy last evening after Mass. Seems that every day but Sundays I buy something for the A/V/A family in Baguio Gold.
June 9, 2008
Well, we took Toni Rose back to Precious Jewels Learning Center (K- grade 3) to meet her teacher, Joy and to retrieve her new uniforms. But we couldn’t get the jumpers. Typical. TR can wear her plain clothes tomorrow, along with other pupils whose uniforms aren’t ready.
June 6, 2008
Since my sister inquired, I’ll tell you:
Precious Jewels Learning Center in Tuding (Kindergarten - Grade 3) charges 12,500 pesos for the 2008-2009 school year;
PhP 10,000 tuition ($234.57) plus 2,500 pesos for miscellaneous fees ($58.64)
That’s 41% of annual college tuition here! And it’s Kindergarten, from 8 to 11 a.m.!
June 5, 2008
On Sunday afternoon, Dominic and I heard that Toni Rose wouldn’t be going to Kindergarten at Baguio Gold Elementary School. I asked why, and I heard that BGES doesn’t offer a Kindergarten class. In the past it had tutors, but the last tutor has quit.
Monday afternoon I asked Mack to look into this when he returned to Baguio Gold from Baguio City, where we had gone for his new student seminar at City High.
May 23, 2008
Reportedly Patrick went to Mangga this morning to consult with his previous teacher or get a document. He was supposed to meet me and his brother Mack here in the flat afterward. We would go to town together to meet requirements for registering Patrick as a high school freshman. We waited a long time for him, did not get a phone call nor text from him, so I decided that Mack and I should leave without him to go do errands in the city.
May 22, 2008
I have felt miserable most of the day since awakening, and I really only want to go to sleep now. I’ll just say that today, like Monday and Wednesday, Mack and I have criss-crossed Baguio City and Tuding via jeepneys and taxis between three schools and a National Statistics Office to try to get documents and pay fees so that next week Mack can register in Baguio City National High School’s main campus rather than return in June to the BCNHS annex campus in North Aurora Hill.
May 16, 2008
This morning Mack and I took Audrey back to his pediatrician’s clinic in Patria de Baguio Building off Session Road. We were running late, so I didn’t got to the lock box section of the central post office before we went upstairs. I forgot to go afterward, as I wanted to get the prescribed expectorant from the nearby Mercury Drug store.
May 6, 2008
While I await Mack so that we can return to the city to buy chicken wire, vegetable seeds and a 5-gallon jug water dispenser for his family, I will write. In my medicine-induced sleep this morning, I had vivid dreams, including one about volunteering in a Filipino school. I dreamed that a high school vice principal, whom I met yesterday, hassled me about fellow American volunteers tutoring and coaching sports after school. She was adamant that I was supposed to collect money from them and give it to her. So I’ll tell you what I didn’t write yesterday about Mack’s education.
May 2, 2008
(Dominic) After surveying the land, Brian and I have discovered that the Philippines government is not very accommodating of foreigners who want to set up shop either a for-profit or not-for-profit organization. Apparently, many bad actors have come to the Philippines for less than noble purposes and hid behind not-for-profit organizations in order to operate drug rings, sell pirated videos, prostitution, or whatever.
Brian writes of
misadventures in
the Philippines
