A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES

If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax; I'd limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after the other, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had it to do over again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over again, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dance; I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

-=Attributed to Nadine Stair=-

I found these pics at Flickr.com a pictures of the common situation in my country Philippines.The pics reminds me of the usual and routinable life in the Philippines but laid back and so simple.
There's no really place like home, and home is where your heart is. The above phrases were also taken from smiles4angels account as I was viewing his collection of pics.I Just simply love it and relate the message.
The pics that you just see above are just among the slices of life in the Philippines...miss home.

TEACHERS PRAYER

Teacher’s Prayer

I want to teach my students more
than lessons in a book;
I want to teach them better things
that people overlook -
the value of a rose in bloom
its use and beauty too,
a sense of curiosity to discover
what is true;
how to think and how to choose
the right above the wrong,
how to live and learn each day
and grow up to be strong,
to teach them always how to gain,
in wisdom and in grace,
so that they will one day make the world,
a brighter, better place.
Lord, let me be a friend and guide
to give these minds a start
upon their way down life’s long road,
then I’ll have done my part.

Becoming a teacher wasn't a dream for an impatient person like me, but you see I am teaching and graduated the course.
I can't literally believed that God had put me into this profession...and now trying myself to enjoy this kind of vocation in a foreign land.
As I was roaming around the net world, I thought of browsing a teachers prayer..so I stumbled down on a certain page and found a lot of prayers including for teachers. I am posting it here because I am already loving this profession because this is what the Lord wants me to be.
Teaching Thai students the English language isn't easy nor a piece of cake..you really have to exert effort, patience, and understanding. Somehow, the prayer above would be my tools to use just to reach out the heart of these young innocent future leaders of this Siam country. I may not appreciated it now but in the long run, God would extend the horizon of my human understanding.

THE ADJUSTMENTS OF A SINGLE MALE

It's the 1st day of the month of December. As usual, I was away for awhile since my sked is quite tight. Its already Christmas and we can't stop that. The most wonderful time of the year has arrived and I can feel the cold wind touches my face, but the spirit of the season seems to be lonely and dry because Thai people doesn't celebrate Christmas.
This really makes me lonely more so as I'm away from my family for the first time,celebrating the yuletide season an ocean away from friends, kins and my parents. Honest to goodness, I am still adjusting now..I don't know when I am going to adapt the atmosphere of being away from home.
There are moments that I was almost tempted to shout and scream at the top of my lungs because of the feeling of being congested and enclosed with loneliness and nothingness.
Living in a foreign land makes you cry and sigh and even asking yourself why am I here? this isn't the country that I wish to be...I arrived expecting adjustment to life here in Thailand would be a breeze since its the Philippines neighboring Asian country.
The transition is a very stressful one, the reason I am physically stressed and my weight is loosing out of control.
My discouragement is due to a combination of things which left me weak and powerless. No matter how much would I try to fit in myself still there is lacking and am always a foreigner.
I found one of the hardest adjustments was getting used to living in such a land that you never wish for or dream of. I am also struggling of loosing sense of close tight relationship with the people around.
I miss the companionship of my friends and acquaintances,family, and I always have this feeling of being a lone hitch hiker most of the time.Despite of the lessons I've learned in life I spent most of the time feeling sorry and lonesome.I am tryin myself to study the language so that it won't be so hard for me to adjust the culture but I am not motivated to do so because the lacking of interest.
I just found myself in the midst of wilderness looking for something far and nowhere. Just encouraging myself deeply that God had brought me in this country because he has a reason, but my heart refused to accept that I have the purpose why I am here.
Last month I was in Laos exiting as required by some foreigners who can't obtain a certain visa. I spent 2 days and 1 night in Laos just to get a non B visa at Royal Thai embassy in Vientiane, Laos.
The country wasn't that impressived but it's peaceful. The language they were using was similar to that in Thai.
I was enjoying when I went there because I got the chance of meeting Filipinos so as with other foreigners sharing the same problems.
We stayed in a simple hotel with simple foods.The night was a bit fun just as the Filipinos love to sing in videoke.I decided to walked around with new found friends in a baywalk.
The trip going to Laos was so tiring because we were just boarded on a van with 11 passengers. We left 10 in the evening at Bangkok and we arrived in Laos early 5. We left the van and boarded to a bus that took us to Vientiane to process our papers at the embassy.
It was really hot at that time and tiring, but it's a good experienced to travel to a neighboring country around Asia.
Despite of that, my struggles isn't finished yet...I need to continue my journey no matter how lonesome it is.

CULTURE SHOCK-most depressing feeling

Coming and teaching in Thailand wasn't a serious pivotal plan, just as its the only poor 3rd resort I reserved when hitting USA or China fails.
Right now, I am still in the brinks of culture shock. Weighing myself in every nook of the situations in order to adapt the country.
I thought it would be easier for me to get used to a country which is only an Asian neighboring country of the Philippines.
To my surprise,I felt a total naive ignorantly when my feet started to thump on the Siam soil, without knowing what to do and what's happening around. Just like a blind grappling in the midst of the dark without direction.
Honest to goodness, traveling or working abroad is a tenacious desire since I am purely surrounded with US immigrant kins and friends,which is up to now a wish to be granted,hopefully.
My heart is reluctant to show its feelings of agitation which to be in Thailand is a fulfillment of my long desire or not.
Hence, journeying to USA is still on the highest level of my dreams. It doesn't matter though if its not an English speaking countries so long I could make a conquering quest to the land of the blondes and white.( do I sound like a racist? don't get me wrong please, I hate segragation)its just that they have the nicest and progressive countries on earth.
Frankly, I'd have to say my dreams isn't fulfilled yet so as the God would give me the chance to see America or the countries that I long to see.
When I arrived at Bangkok (new) International Aiport it occured to me that Thailand is technologically progressive than Philippines. The airport is so big and centralized comparing to that our new terminal.
I was really stunned when we got on to a taxi which was a right hand drive. The city itself is not as dirty like in Manila.They don't horn their cars, no smoke belching and not reckless driving.Got the chance to see Bangkok for 5 days because the school wants me to obtain a working visa, which the system in the immigration was really confusing and bad. A few of them can speak English, really.
During halloween, they celebrated it differently from the rest of the world like the usual we do.Its one of their big festival which was a cleansing of the soul by floating small flower boat made of banana or improvised one.
I watched how they celebrated it and its noisy to be exact but tolerable.

MY FIRST TRAVEL ABROAD

Sorry for the long blog absence...I failed to write something because my time was occupied with so many things. Now, I am back and updating it once again about the recent happenings of my life. I didn't expect that the first country that I was about to visit is Thailand. It never popped out just as my plan would be either in the USA or China. When a sudden call came from Thailand, I was hesitant at first to accept the call since it's not my target. I prayed hard and was asking for signs from the Lord, believing that it was really God's will. All my things were packed up just as preparing myself for the new environment that I am going to trod. As I was heading to the airport with friends to accompany me, I never felt the excitement nor the happiness since I knew that I am leaving for a country that I never prayed so hard nor asking God for it that much. When Cebu Pacific Airlines touched down at the airport, my feelings were like backing out and going home to the Philippines. The emotions of homesickness hit me like a fist while we were driving to Bangkok to get a rest for a while since I arrived almost 12 midnight. The excitement had never visited me so I didn't appreciate much of my coming here to Thailand. After all, I thank God for giving me the chance to see the other side of the world though it didn't reach my expectations. I hate to complain at all to the Lord because He has been so good to me. The place where I am staying right now is located in the northern part of Thailand, 3 hours from Bangkok by van and 41/2 by bus. I felt more frustrated when none of them can't understand my English nor nobody from the place could talk to me except the Thai English teachers with their awful lucid English, but for the high school students, it drained my strength so badly. To be in Thailand wasn't a dream to me since I am always wishing to be in a country of blondes and white people, especially in the English speaking countries. I knew God works in mysterious ways but sometimes my human understanding isn't deep enough to comprehend His ways. My first day of teaching was so terrible so as on the second day since I can't fully extend my horizon on how to tickle them. Nevertheless, I am already here but still praying that God would send me home.

 

MELANCHOLY PLACE

As a young person, happiness and contentment isn't hard to achieve so as finding the way which you never know where to go. Uncertainties in life is becoming normal to human just as the way you look around seems to be monotonous.
This is the common life of a common person who tried to combat the loneliness of this world while finding the light in the midst of a dimmed melancholic place.
Just as the blind continue to grapple the hard things he can hold on to, the same way we continue to walk in the darkside of life until we finally found the light beyond the borders of failures.

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

Was blog absent for a while..decided myself to be in the hiatus for a couple of days since I was occupied with tutorial works so as my monetary budget was out..then. Now, I am back and love to share things more of me.
When you see the face of a person smiling, just as the sunshines in the sky shows the world that one feels happy and the moods is soaring high.
Most of the times, I feel so very sad and really don't know why, maybe its because I am struggling & grappling still attaining my dreams. Friends would just jokingly said, its a matter of tuning yourself through different frequencies of life; go with the flow of the current where it leads you.
Life is like a river continuous procession moving forward in a steady stream. Sometimes the flowing is rough when it isn't too deep. One of the reasons why I am sad its because halfway of my friends and acquaintances were already gone abroad and some of which were expecting me to be at the other side of the world already, grazing the greenest pasture.
I have thought occasionally that I was born unlucky, deprived by fate. Albeit failed a hundred times or so I am still firmly determined to try with the hope fortune would give its damn way. As luck would have it, my spirited heart has resolved the simpler form of acceptance, so long as the world continue to revolve around the axis there is still hope.
As the song goes " beyond the dark cloudy nights, the sun is shining through".I would have retired my fate if God would leave me just as it is..but I believed He won't do that to a special creature like me.