Philippines Part Deux

So here we are in the 2009-2010 schoolyear. The sequel to our hilarious cult comedy "The Quattlebaum's go to Monkey-mountain." We're back, and we're up to our armpits in work. Yeah, just let that visual sink in for a bit.

Where do we start? We've been here almost a month now. It's gone by very quickly..and so much has happened. 

Lets start with the car. Our fantastic Toyota Corolla. 

Our friends and colleagues were incredibly helpful to us last year, but in all of the BIG stuff, some very vital little things were lost. Such as the fact that if you leave your car parked all summer in the driveway... you're going to have a problem when you get back. Lucky for the Q's.. there are two of us, so we each got a problem to deal with. 

The first problem was that the entire interior (that's fun to say fast) was completely covered in mold. Fuzzy, green/brown mold. We have cloth seats. So our car's smell resembles that of a sweaty gym sock.

Problem #2. If you leave your car parked all summer, it might not exactly work well when you get back. We replaced the alternator, and the car still wouldn't start. The thing is though, the car seems to have a sense of humor about not working. It's tricky like that. For example, it will start just fine, then we'll drive with our new friends out to eat, or to go grocery shopping, and when we go back out to our car, it just won't start. The engine won't turn over. We now know that the battery had a bad connection, and this has been fixed (we think), but you never do know with our tricky, tricky car. It keeps us on our toes.

On a completely different note, we've met a really nice couple from the U.S. who are about our age, and don't have kids yet. They're also Christians, and their personalities mesh pretty well with ours. It's nice to have a couple to hang out with and do things with. We're really enjoying their company, and they've been extremely good sports about our crazy car.

That brings us to the actual work portion of our 'work' experience. This is where we get a bit busy. 

Last year we had ample free time and decided that as 'veterans' here, we needed to become more involved. We definitely got our wish. Melissa is now in charge of coaching the lower-school swim team and I'm in charge of coordinating the lower-school student council. Which means I've been planning our yearly acquaintance party for the last two weeks, trying to get students to plan games etc for us to do. The problem with this is that this weekend there's a professional development opportunity in Manila that many of the teachers are attending..which means our party might not have as much supervision as it needs. It could prove interesting. 

Overall we're very happy. Busy, but happy. I'm reminded of something my Dad says though, "If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space!"

I guess we're taking up just the right amount of space then. 

I'll post some pictures of our students and Melissa in action teaching later.

Quattlebaum signing off.

JEST field trip

On Tuesday I took my students to the JEST (Jungle Environment Survival Training) camp. We looked at many exotic animals, mostly birds and insects. Then we watched our guide make cool stuff out of bamboo, like cups, spoons, forks, plates, traps, soap, water, and rice cookers. The biggest hit was when he made fire. The video shows him in action below.

http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/sports_leisure/subic_bay_jest_camp.htm

Dreams..

Dreams are crazy sometimes. Last night for example I dreamt that I was lying in bed and all of the sudden it started to shake really hard. It was just like I imagined those 'magic finger' beds to be like. Next in the dream I went to school and found out that one of the volcanoes had erupted, and the school was closed for the year due to the ash. What a crazy dream!...

Then I went to school this morning. Things were completely normal until my first kid came in and said "Mr. Q! Did you feel the earthquake last night?!" That's when I realized, it wasn't a dream at all. At least the earthquake part. The volcano part was a dream, so we will not be returning home any earlier than expected.

We're right next to the big circle labeled Olongapo. The earthquake was a magnitude 4.9 and was centered about 70km away from us. Basically it would be like being in Washington if there were an earthquake in St. Louis. Below is a map of the region that shows in a bit more detail where we are, and where the epicenter was. We're all OK, there was no damage to our home or school, so don't worry! It was just a neat experience. Glad we were far enough away that it wasn't such a big deal.

That's all for now!

The Quattlebaums

Easter

Being perfectly honest I didn't expect the Easter Bunny to visit us here in the Philippines. I shouldn't have been so negative though, because he found us just like he always does.

Saturday night, Easter eve, he brought Jordon and I pizza and coke on a motorcycle. I didn't see him, but Jordon did and said he looked pretty cool.

Then, Easter Sunday, I woke up and Jordon let me know that the Easter Bunny had been to the house. Apparently, the Easter Bunny, or EB, as Jordon calls him (I guess they became pretty good friends) came over to hide some eggs and decided to help out around the house a bit. He did all our dishes and took out our garbage on the way out. EB really spent a disproportionate time at our house and I appreciate his efforts.

I can't think of a year I haven't participated in an Easter egg hunt...and this year was no different. It was the perfect way to wake up. Thanks for the fun EB (and I didn't even need to flatten Lindsey to win!)

Then Jordon and I ate the breakfast EB prepared some time between the time he was doing our dishes, hiding eggs or taking out our trash.

After that we took a walk...it was ridiculously hot but totally worth it. We saw a troop of monkeys crossing the road. I don't even know how many there were...they just kept coming.


Oh, and Kristin asked for photos of the foliage around our house. So here are a few I took on our walk.


Then we went home, watched Yes Man, ate Brinner and called our families. (Or we might have called our families on Saturday...I can never keep track of these things.) It was a perfect day.

And finally, a query for the public. Are cockroaches juicier in the dry season (spring) than in the fall (rainy season)? It appears that way to us.

Evidence:

Lovingly yours,

The Quattlebaums

P.S., Here's a recent photo of Jordon and me on Twin Day of Spirit Week. That was the week before Easter Break. We figured our moms would be curious to see what we looked like now. You know moms.

EARCOS - Borneo

My entire life I have had difficulty remembering ‘things.’ As a child, nearly every car trip we went on began with the question, “Melissa, are you wearing shoes.” And generally, I wasn’t. My mother lovingly refers to me as a flibberty-jibbit.

I was feeling exceedingly confident as I packed for my teaching conference in Borneo. I checked and double checked to ensure everything I needed was there. Let’s face it, I was downright cocky with my newfound packing abilities.

Unfortunately, my hubris was entirely misplaced as I discovered when I reached the airport…I had forgotten my passport. Of course, those who know me aren’t in the least surprised.

This meant I had to buy a ticket for the following day and missed the pre-conference. But it all worked out for the best. Wednesday is known as Mothering Day here. Mothering Day is considered a ‘break’ from Lent. Jordon and I gave up pop for Lent. So on my free day I went to the store and bought Jordon exorbitant amounts of pop, candy, chips and other snacks. I then proceeded to hide them all over the house so he’d have delightful surprises the five days I would be gone.

I also went to the bookstore to find a couple paperbacks for my trip. Jordon gets a kick out of the fact that the people who work there recognize me as an extensive reader. They make comments about how many books I buy every week. It’s sort of embarrassing...but funny, I guess.

So, I made it to Borneo. It was a very short flight, as it is the next big island to the southwest of the Philippines. The resort (5 star) that the conference was held in is 5 lines of latitude above the equator. It’s the closest I’ve ever been, but unfortunately, I could not see the equator from where I was. The theme of the conference was environmentalism and basically being good stewards of the earth’s resources. There were some amazing keynote speakers…one of them was the guy they based the movie Fly Away Home on. I learned a lot.

I was encouraged by the different break-out sessions I went to. Some highlights were on teaching vocabulary, math games, science inquiry, writing workshop and theatersports.

My fellow teachers and I made sure we had time to experience Borneo as well. We went shopping, swimming, dancing, and snorkeling. It was a wonderful trip and I am so glad the school sponsored me. My only regret is that Jordon was unable to join me.

We saw these people learning how to sail on Dewitt Dinghies...made me think of 'ol Weatherby Lake. Didn't you learn how to sail in these Ninz?

The fish were plentiful and beautiful (very brightly colored). People were feeding these from the dock to the beach. They weren't afraid of us either. They would get up and swim close. The coolest thing I saw was probably a giant blowfish and it's family.

Maybe I've been inundated in Asian culture. I can't seem to stop myself from throwing up a peace sign when someone's taking a picture. I'll have to find something new to do with my hands.

The sunset was glorious nightly.

International Food Festival

Our school had an International Food Festival on Saturday. Jordon and I were expecting a casual bbq but as soon as we walked out of our door we knew we were in for something else. We could hear the party music from the soccer field all the way up at our house...a 15 minute walk away. (Playing family favorites like "Making Love to Booty Music." We hear that song just about every time we leave the house.)

We got there and the whole soccer field was full. There was a huge jumpy castle for the kids to play in on the far side. Food booths skirted the field and this food was not your average bbq food quality. It was very well done. There were 6 large booths with 65 food options. In the middle were tables and chairs and at the other end of the field was a large stage for the talent show.

Jordon and I first went to the Korean booth for jab chae and boricha. Then the Taiwan booth for dumplings. We wandered over to the Europe table for chocolate fondue but it wasn't ready yet. So we went to the American table to get brownies and cookies. The twice baked potatoes and burgers looked so good we couldn't say no. Needless to say, we were so stuffed we could barely move. Luckily it was time for the talent show. These kids went all out.

Below is part of a number done by the grade one and two Koreans. The grade 2 kids are up on the stage and the grade 1 kids are on the grass in front. They were so adorable.

And at the very end there was a huge fireworks display. It blew Weatherby Lake's firework display out of the water. Part of that had to do with the proximity of the fireworks. They were being set off on the far side of the soccer field. Everyone knows the utils experienced in a fireworks display are in direct proportion to the danger one feels one's in. And this was a good one. High utils had by all.

Talking under water

I haven't been feeling well this week. This morning as I was doing read aloud one of my students raised his hand and said, "It sounds like you're talking under water."

I've noticed that everyone gets really frustrated when kids don't understand a lesson. They get frustrated for not getting it. And I get really frustrated because I've tried to teach them the same thing so many ways that I'm all out of ideas. It makes me feel like a bad teacher. I tend to feel like a bad teacher when I'm sick. Maybe it's because I'm extra spacey? Or maybe I have less patience? Who can really say?

On a more positive note, it's my wonderful mother's birthday today for her, yesterday for me. Happy Birthday!

Noisy Neighbor

The above is a photo of our noisy neighbor. Daily he comes over and yells at us to let him in our windows. When we tell him that he's not invited in he just flies over to another window and tries again, like we don't know it's him at a different window.

We should be getting our new laptops sometime this week. And that's really exciting. For the past month we have been sharing Jordon's and while it's been ok, I can tell he wants his independence back. One good thing that's come of us sharing a computer is we've watched a lot of shows together. We're almost all caught up on 30 Rock, and Flight of the Conchords. And yesterday we started Burn Notice. Oh free time. As you know we've got plenty of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dJRQBN8lN0

Jordon is working on mummifying chickens with his students as they student ancient cultures. It's pretty gross, but the kids are enjoying it. Maybe he'll write more about that later?

Jab chae is the yum.

Not much new to report. We're still thoroughly enjoying our life here. Teaching is going quite well. And, the parents seem to be appreciative. We've gotten a chocolate pound cake, 2 boxes of chocolates, and jab chae (delicious korean noodles) this week alone. Either they really like us or they think we're too skinny. After school today I was given a hand painted fan. The mother let us know that her cousin painted it and is a pretty big deal. It's beautiful.

We have a couple adventures in the works, and will be sure to keep you updated:

Melissa will be attending the EARCOS Teachers' Conference to be held at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia March 25-28, 2009.

And then on April 4th both of us will be traveling to Beijing with the Manderin Club for Spring Break. We'll be there for a week or so.

We're extremely excited about those trips. And we're also excited for our trip back to America. It'll be good to be home.

Christmas in the Philippines..

Wow, it's been a really long time since we've posted, sorry about that. The Quattlebaums are alive and well in the Philippines, and a lot has happened in the last month.

We got the credit card situation taken care of, and we've been fully reimbursed for the fraudulent charges. Good news.

The week after that post, we had out school production. Here are a few quick snapshots to show you how epic this was. I was working the spotlight, and Melissa was working to keep a gaggle of first grade 'angels' from turning into little hellions. It was pretty fun, but we were all happy for it to be over. I'd been working to help with the show since... early October I believe..


Melissa and the ladies hanging out back stage. Doesn't she look lovely?


Me doing my thing on the follow spot.


Melissa's class. This must be the 2nd performance. During the first night, the little guy who is waving couldn't find his mom, so the entire time during the finale of the show he was bawling his eyes out. To his credit he didn't miss a beat on his choreography. He's quite the character, and requests to be addressed as "Mr. Man CJ".

This is a little wider shot. How we managed to fit the entire lower school on this little tiny stage was a miracle.

What's a play without some ribbon dancers? There was only one fist fight. One of my students got into it with a 4th grader because one of them sang the wrong words during rehearsal.

After that we had another week of classes, and then it was vacation time! Justin and Anya came and met us at school, which was fun. They got to see our classrooms and meet some of the other teachers. We took off and went to the beach for a few days, where we stayed in Nipa huts (think woven plant fiber walls, bamboo slatted floors, thatch roof) and had a small army of cooks taking care of our every need. We got to meet Anya's family, which was terrific. We had a great time with them. During our stay with them we drove a couple of hours to San Fernando and went to the 100th annual lantern festival. All of the neighborhoods in the area get together and each creates a 'lantern' that puts on a neat sound and light show. My favorite was *does his best robot voice* San Juan!

Here are a couple of snapshots of the lanterns. They were huge. There were so many people there. (whoops, forgot the camera cord at home, will add these photos in a bit)

The next morning the four of us, me, melissa justin and anya walked up the beach a ways and found this wonderful area where the surf was really pounding us. It was beautiful. I took my wedding ring off and set it in our beach bag on top of a towel so that it wouldn't come off while I swam.. it's pretty loose on my finger and I didn't want to risk it. Most of you can see where this is going. While taking the towel out, the ring was flipped into the air, and was lost. We looked for 30 minutes, crawling through the sand, but the wind was blowing so hard that we figured it was covered and lost for good.
When we got back to the property, Anya told her family what happened, and they insisted that they should go look with a fresh pair of eyes. They found out that a fisherman walking by had found the ring, and taken it. We put the word out that the ring was a 'remembrance' ring (the stones are from a ring my grandfather gave my grandmother the day my dad was born), and the driver went door to door looking for the fisherman. Soon he found him, and brought him to the cabins. We gave him a small reward and got my wedding ring back. What a miracle!
The most memorable thing about the trip is the fact that I now have a new sister-in law to be. My brother popped the question after seeking her fathers blessing, and she said yes. We've very happy for the two of you and love you very much.

Eventually our time at the beach ended, and we had to say goodbye. We'd planned on catching a bus to Manila to join them for Christmas, but it just didn't work out (the bus company didn't take reservations on Christmas and Christmas eve, so we would have had to go in to the bus station at 2am to try and catch a bus into Manila)... we ended up staying home and spending the holiday with just the two of us. It was lovely.

Vacation went by in a breeze. There's some other stuff that happened.. memorable things like driving in Olongapo for the first time, and trying to have Melissa's laptop repaired..and now we're back to the 'real world'. Paying bills and taking care of business. It's good to be back from such a nice break. We're rested and rejuvenated and no longer feel like this...

and this....

We love you all, miss you fiercely and hope to hear from you soon. -The Quattlebaums