Travel to the Philippines

I met the members of my LASA(love all serve all) team at lunch on Friday(2/20). As I looked around I realized that there is a substantial age difference between myself and the rest of the members of my group. Suddenly I became nervous about the upcoming segment of my trip and my exposure to people in need. Will I fit in? What will the work be like? What will I see at the feeding sites? Would I be able to deal with it all? This is my group as we arrived in Manila, Right to left standing, Rachel, Tiffany, Janey(L), Yuhee, Michelle, Ciel, Alison(L), Hyunbin, Brian, Dan(L), Chris, Meridith(L), Virginia(Group Leader), crouched in the middle is Tommy. The (L) signifies leader or adult, to me, they all look like students.

Manila skyline

After an on time arrival in Manila and bus ride to another terminal we learned that our flight to Caticlan had been cancelled. We were rebooked on another flight that flew into Kalibo a 2 hour ride from Caticlan. Could I get that supersized, please? Never flown a prop job before. This trip is full of firsts for me!

Is this really an airport terminal?

A little different from the customs we were processed through in Seoul and Manila.

The airline provided a bus to transport us to Caticlan with a minor twist. Four members of our party would need to go by van as there wasn't enough room in the bus. Alison and I volunteer and take Brian and Hyunbin and pile in the van with a group of locals. We began to question whether it was a good idea when the driver asked to see our passport and we realized that they were in the other vehicle. Two Americans adults traveling with a couple of Korean students? The van could have taken us anywhere, we wouldn't have known the difference! I am relieved to see road signs that indicated we were in route to Caticlan. We arrive and needed to wait for the rest of our group before proceeding to the boat. Brian kills time playing his guitar.

It is 8PM Saturday evening 2/21, and we are close to our final destination, Faith Village, on the island of Boracay. It has been a long day. We started out from TCIS at 3AM when we boarded the bus that took us to Incheon airport in Seoul. Tommy, Chris(looking away), Ciel, and Yuhee on the short boat ride that took us from Caticlan to Boracay. Upon arrival we had some pizza, reflected on the day and turned in for the night.

Philippines update

Well, arrived safely in Rhode Island at 4:30pm Sunday after 26 hours of travel. Jan and our friends, Art and Barb picked me up at the airport and we went out for an Italian dinner. Unable to eat much because I am so weary from the journey home. It was good to be home. Woke up on Monday morning to 10-12 inches of new fallen snow. Welcome back to New England! Monday and Tuesday are kind of lost days as I am in a fog due to the travel and time zone differences. It's Wednesday(I am starting to feel human again) and I will begin trying to update the blog for the Philippine segment of my trip. Hard to believe the trip is over. Still trying to process all that happened over the last 2 weeks. Stay tuned.

Not to much in the way of pictures today, just the campus dusted with snow during the night.

I met Isabel Searson, the high school principal. We discussed some different approaches to get some collaboration started between our schools including recording and podcasting effective classes. I am invited to attend the HS assembly and am introduced to the student body.

After my meeting with Isabel, I spend some time with Cynthia Dhinaharan. We compare notes on our network and infrastucture, as well as how they handle their laptop program. She is facing a new challenge in the spring when TCIS and GSIS switch to Apples. It will be interesting to follow up with her to see how that goes.

Rosie, who has been keeping my schedule this week, and I grab a quick bite at the MS. I try to walk around the block but it starts to snow quite hard so I wimp out and head back to campus.

My final meeting, is with Darren Price, Director of Technology and School Improvement. We try to summarize my stay and we both agree that we can strengthen our schools relationship by using technology. It becomes a matter of getting the right mix of faculty to collaborate.

Packing up for the Phillipines. Going low tech for a week. Hope you have enjoyed my rambling account on my stay in South Korea. I look forward to filling you in on my stay in the Philippines.

Later Ed

Day 6

Met with Jamie, who is the Technology Coordinator at TCIS. We discussed the possibilities of a collaborative learning experience between our schools. I had sat in on Mrs. Dewey's ITGS class yesterday and we also had discussed some different approaches, perhaps by getting guest privileges to courses on their Moodle server. Anyway it may be a starting point to strengthen our global relationship with TCIS. A foundation that could be built on and improved in the future.

Since my 1PM appointment had been pushed back an hour and a half, I used the time to start getting organized for my LASA trip. This involved doing a batch of laundry(more later in this post) after which I hit the streets.

Had my camera this time and took some pictures of a market. The woman who worked there offered to take my picture, so there I am. All without speaking any Korean except gamsahamnida( thank you), of course. Took some photos from the chaos looking up at the quiet place I had found yesterday. Even found a stairway that led me to that quiet place. Looks like this is a pretty popular place. Probably for meditating. From up here I see the KTX(bullet train) headed south, I believe, to Pusan. Without the ocean I am having a little trouble with my internal compass. So it may be heading north to Seoul. Anyway. I find that the path goes completely around the campus of Hannan University, and leads right out to the street the campus is on. As I head back to campus I see some more of that coffee thing going on. Trying to figure out why it is always in English instead of Hangul script, just curious.

Have you been waiting to hear about the wash? Well, I am up early again. So I go out for my morning jaunt. Running ahead of schedule I decide it would be good to get my laundry done so it will be dry to pack for the second leg of my journey. I load it up and finally look at the buttons and realize I can't read what they say. It was easy to determine what the red and green button did but the rest was all greek to me! I must be getting caught up on my sleep, because I had the presence of mind to take that picture and bring it up to campus, and seek help. Thanks, Laura Lynn, forgive me it I misspelled the name. High Tech washer, drier not so much!

I am little out of sequence here but the picture of the dirt pile is the location of the new campus for TCIS. Great location! John Nelson showed it to me on the way to a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant. Once again another very pleasant evening.

I wrote this post on the same day, I must be catching up! And it is only 10PM on Thursday. (It is hard to believe that I began this venture a week ago!) That will go down the drain, as I am looking at a 3AM departure on Saturday morning for the Philippines. No need to get up early tomorrow, I am up to date! Good night.

End day 6.

Day 5

Attended Admin meeting this morning just to be introduced to some of the business administrators. Prayer and reflection is a very important part of this community and the meeting begins with scripture readings and a reflection of how it can be applied in our dealings with people. This is a totally new experience for me. It does seem to set on calm tone for the meeting, at least to me.

After checking in with Jan, I head to Student Life to meet with Virginia and Craig who will be on the LASA trip with me. I sign the typical forms of release(no turning back now!). We talked about the mission and our activities, schedule, etc. From the schedule I received we will be working at a construction site in the morning and afternoon. We will be taking a break between 10AM-2PM to avoid working during the hottest part of the day. During that time we be able to swim, explore the beach, shops and D'Mall( whatever that is, I am excited to see). After our afternoon work at the site we will meet and go to feeding sites. At these sites, I believe we will be bringing books, medical kits, and vitamins to children who rely on the missions for assistance. While I was there a couple of students came by to hang out a little(Hannah and Chelsea pictured above with Craig). I have had the opportunity to enjoy these spontaneous exchanges with the students and find them refreshing. I guess it is because they are not bringing me a broken laptop! Virginia informed me that she is unsure how secure the Philippine accommodations are and I am still trying to decide if I will bring my laptop to the island. Perhaps it will be best to leave with my other luggage at TCIS. That being said I will be unable to do the daily postings. I will switch to low tech journaling and put to good use the gift from my friends in the Development Office(thanks again!). Quite frankly, I look forward to the break. Keeping this up has been a little more work than I thought it would be. It has, however, filled many sleepless hours, and hope you are enjoying it. I will probably do one post to cover my whole Philippines experience when I get to the Seoul airport(provided I have the energy and a connection). At the very least when I get back stateside.

Set out for a walk after lunch to find a path that John Willoughby had told me about when I first arrived. I have tried to locate it, but have been unable to do so due to darkness in the morning. It doesn't get light until 7AM here.

As I set out I see the lunch wagon, coffee seems to be a big thing in Korea, and apparently goes with anything(previous posts from Seoul - no whiskey served on the street?). As you can see I found the path, what a neat, quiet place tucked in the middle of chaos.

The close up is the building where I have been trying to get some(it is getting better 4AM today) sleep.

Enjoyed a Korean sunset on my way up to have dinner with the Deweys, Grant, Rachel, and their three sons. We are joined by Kirsten a Spanish teacher at TCIS. I can't say enough about the people who have hosted me here at the school. They are so friendly and welcome you into their home so warmly.

Walk back to my apartment with Kirsten. She makes sure that I don't get lost, as the streets in the area are a little confusing to a newbie like me. These people are very thoughtful.

End Day 5

Day 4

Today was spent on the TCIS campus, quite a contrast to the Hilltop; as you can see from the photos. Makes me even more appreciative of the green space I enjoy back home. The dining hall experience is also quite different.

Today I attended 3 chapels(2HS 1MS) which I enjoyed very much. Actually 2 chapels, 1 was a repeat performance as they can't fit the entire high school in so they run it twice. I asked to attend the second one so I could take some photos. It also gave me the opportunity to share our school prayer in the segment that prayed for people going on LASA(Love All Serve All) missions next week. Imagine me volunteering to get up in front of half the school. Talk about out of your comfort zone! Thanks Joe for sending that along with me.

After the first high school chapel I chatted briefly with Ms Lee, a former student from St. Marks School who had been to St. George's for sport's competitions. She had suffered an injury which kept her in Korea this year, but was hoping to return to St. Mark's next year. I wished her good luck, a very nice young lady.

The evening was spent with Mr. Van Dyck who treated me to the public transportation experience Daejeon style. Ate at TGI Friday, an evening off from Korean. The real treat of the evening came after dinner, however. Turns out Jamie had to pick up a few groceries so we headed across the street to Emart. What an experience! The place was wild with the employees barking out what a bargain you could get on the item they were selling. It was great fun to see familiar looking packaging with Hangul script on the labels(camera back in room). One again I am sure I provided amusement for the locals as two Miguks(Americans) set out to find the items on his list. To bad someone wasn't recording us, you could probably sell this stuff as cultural comedy. The transportation portion of the evening consisted of one bus ride(including a transfer), one subway ride, and a cab ride back to campus. The full Monte. Great way to see the city.

Jan, I threw in the pic of the bakery for you. It is right outside the campus, and is a favorite spot for the students of TCIS. A lot of good looking stuff there, but I resisted an only got a coffee. Trying to keep expenses down, Elizabeth:-)

End day 4

Day 3

Monday 8:30am here in Korea. I pile into a van with, Darren, Deana, Lee, and Ryan, head for Suwon City, some 60-70 miles from Daejeon to pay a visit on GSIS(Gyeonggi Suwon International School). GSIS sister school to TCIS. I sit in on a Technology meeting with Darren and the administrative staff to discuss a new initiative that will be implemented this spring.

Enjoyed a Korean lunch in the school's dining facility(spicy chicken, bean curd, seaweed soup, and of course kimchi). Take a tour of the school with Frank their "Tech Guy". The school is 3years old and is a beautiful facility. It is 2:00pm, getting very tired. So I take a break and go for a walk. Suwon, at least the part I experienced on my walk is a very nice city. Happened upon a very spirited group of Seniors playing croquet(in 30 degree weather)! Found a path going up a hill next to the school, reaching the top I find a small graveyard you can see the school in the background. I guess this is very common in this country.

Really fading on the drive home. Had a very pleasant dinner with Darren Price, his wife Lara, and two daughters, Sarah and Casey. We were joined by Brent and Jo Frazier. Brent heads up Residential Living at TCIS. So far all of the people I have met are very warm and welcoming. They make you feel right at home. This makes being so far from home a little easier.

Brent drops me off at the apartment at 8:00pm. In bed by 8:30pm. I am exhausted, sure hope I sleep tonight. End Day 3.

Day 2

Well my body is still in little Rhody time zone. I am up very early catching up on some of the posts(still way behind) while I wait for the Hotel to start serving breakfast. Had a semi-Korean buffet that actually served Spam(haven't seen that for years). Mr. von Boode had suggested taking a walk through Myongdong(sp?) an interesting area of shops. As I walk through the narrow streets of this area my Blackberry begins receiving email for some strange reason? I am able to send out a few quick replys before it stops working again. I had hoped it would work over here, but I guess not. Thank God the Quest calling card works(thanks Hollie for providing the toll free numbers), just not sure what the rate is.

Attended 9AM mass at Myongdong Cathedral, celebrated by an Irish priest, no less! Beautiful building.

Back to the hotel to check out and meet Mr. von Boode. We spent the afternoon at the Korean Museum Of History. I saw displays from The Three Kingdom's era(37BC-AD668, but don't quote me on that). It was a great afternoon. Norbert is fun to be with and has incredible knowledge of Korean History. I can't thank him enough for making my short stay in Seoul so enjoyable.

There were many children at the museum and I was amused at their curiosity of my different looks. I stick out like a sore thumb, but the Korean people are friendly and helpful.

I board the 17:00 train to Daejeon. Man, this train really cooks! I am greeted at the station by John Willoughby. He held a sign, but I am sure he was able to pick me out from distance being one of the few Americans among a sea of Koreans. I enjoy another Korean meal with John, his wife Heather, and Ken, another member of TCIS faculty. They get me settled in my apartment. Get to bed by 9PM. Still searching for the time zone. It is now 3AM, Monday, and here I am blogging. I will be picked up at 7:30AM and am scheduled to visit GSIS in Suwon City about 1-2 hours from here. Well I think I am caught up for now, and need to try and rest for a few hours.

There is so much more I could share, but as most of you know writing and typing isn't my strong suit. End Day 2.

Annyong.

Streets of Seoul

Took a different route back to the hotel to take in more of the streets of Seoul. Observed many different sites. The restaurant with what I thought was a strange combination of items. Is that a Korean moving van?

Back to the room, finally got to shower and change, been in these clothes since Thursday AM, phew!

Met Mr. von Boode(P01,P05) for Korean Barbecue and a couple of maekchu(correct spelling instead of phonetically as in previous post). He ordered everything including some things that I had never tried before, everything was delicious. Jan, I ate marinated raw crab and some white fish as well! Trying to soak in the culture of Korea so flexibility is key. Back to room 8:30pm, really, really tired. End of day one.

Lunch can you translate that?

After seeing sites in the palace area I headed back to the hotel to see if my room was ready. I wanted to try to go to a performance of Nanta which Joe G had suggested. It was going to be hard to make the 1PM show so I just got my luggage into the room and headed back out. After a pleasant walk through a sort of artsy section that bordered a park, I found the theatre. Once again luck was with me. they had changed the show to 2PM, time for lunch.

The nice people in this restaurant are probably still laughing at the crazy American that wandered into their establishment. Unlike with the people I had encountered earlier, language wasn't a problem since they all seemed to be able to speak some English. No chance of this in this small neighborhood restaurant. I must not of been the first tourist since they had pictures on the wall that helped me order the above meal. It was a mixture of meat, vegetables served in a stone bowl to keep it piping hot. Served with rice, garlic and kimchee. Not exactly sure what was in it but it was great!

The show was great. So much percussion and energy. If you need some slicing or dicing done these are the people to see! It's hard for me summarize the performance other than it all happens in a kitchen using knives, rolling pins, pans, and other items used for cooking. Funny entertaining and a great way to spend the afternoon.

Day One in Seoul

Although I was tired from the long flight, I was able to cover a lot of ground on my first day in Seoul. I checked into the hotel, caught up my previous posts and headed out. I started by heading to the meeting place for a walking tour I had seen on the web. It started by Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace of Joseon. My timing was perfect and I arrived just in time for the changing of the guard, a very colorful ceremony that dates back to the 15th century.

My Ride

Ready to hit the streets!

The beer

My first Korean make-chu, and it really is noon back home! Served with a hot roll with a warm filling, of what I am not sure, however, very good. Hope the dogs haven’t been let out already!

The food

2/14/2009 12:39AM Korean Time

Happy Valentine’s Day-Jan, I forgot to get you a card.

Due to the fact that I was unable to connect via my Blackberry at JFK this will be a multiple post. Linda I almost gave you a call. I was feeling your pain.

Well, I am about 4 hours away from Seoul. Got a little sleep on the flight, but looking forward to getting back on the ground. It has been a very pleasant flight and the flight crew was great. We enjoyed two meals while in flight, but I am not sure exactly which ones they were supposed to be. They offer American and Korean cuisine. Seeing that I am in transit to Korea I had one of each. The Korean meal was very interesting. It was green tea rice porridge, with fruit, and a very tasty vegetable that was slightly pickled. I asked the stewardess what it was but couldn’t really understand what she said. It sounded like, omlette so maybe it was breakfast. Will have to investigate more, because I really enjoyed it and would like to know what it was. Hopefully I can get connected after landing and get this posted. At any rate when this gets posted; I’ll be a Seoul Man!

The trip

2/12/2009 11:15PM EST
Joe G. you were right, I just arrived at my gate and even though I am sitting in New York, I feel as if I have left the country. I am surrounded by Korean people, and understand very little of the conversations. Truly I am the foreigner here. The music is peaceful and calming. I am ready for overnight flight to Seoul and excited about what tomorrow will bring! annyeonghi gyeseyo

2

On my way!

Well the beer I just enjoyed calmed my nerves somewhat:-) Flight to JFK delayed an hour. Thanks, Jan for helping get connected via my blackberry, I am not sure that how I forgot to set that up. More from JFK later.