Nachodoodles

Two and a half months after school began, Nacho showed interest in going to school.  He would also pack his small backpack when Elise would get hers ready.  He would make sure he had his pencil, notebook, crayons, blue ruler, water bottle, juice box, milk box, cookies, extra shirt, powder, face towel...... all that for just a ten-minute car ride to bring Elise to school!

We decided that nothing would be lost if we let him go to school too.  The school recommended that he join the Baby Nursery class, which is for 3 year old kids. Not the BABY Nursery class!  I wanted them to assess him and hoped that they would put him in the Nursery Class, as he already knows his ABC's, 123's, shapes and colors. He can even write his name already!  But the Directress insisted that he should do the Baby Nursery Class first, which had more play.  The Nursery class had many workbooks already and the children sat in traditional rows of desks.

I agreed, and was thankful because it was the only class with an air conditioner.  The classroom was also brighter and cheerier than all the others - with lots of pictures and labels. I observed for a week, and we decided to go with it.  The class only lasts for two hours, and so I just wait for him outside. He would check if I would still be there, or ask for help if he needs to go to the bathroom.

When he gets bored, he would write on the white board, and the teacher would just let him do so while she carries on with her class, flashing colors or letters for the other students to identify.  And a few days ago, the teacher put her head out the door and said to me,"Mother, Nacho won't let us erase the white board until you take a picture of his drawing."

Here are two more taken on different days:

And yesterday, it was Nacho who stuck his head out and yelled,"Mama, I have a surprise for you!  A letter!"

Notice the "MAMA" he wrote on the upper left side. His face was beaming, and I asked him what he wrote about, he said, "I am almost ready to go home."

Five-Day Manila List

Seven days to go before we fly to Manila to spend quality time with family, whom we miss so much.  It's also a rare time for us to do things we miss and go to places we miss and eat the stuff we miss...... so I figured we have to make a list to maximize our five days!

In no particular order, here is a random list I came up with: 

1.   Celebrate Tita Lisa's, Tito Chito's, little Mela's and my Mama's birthdays. This means lunches or dinners or just simply quality time.

2.  Spend time with the babies: 3yr old Mela, 2 yr old Bea, 1 yr old Ina, and little 9mo. old Jacob!

3.  Cook a healthy dinner for my beloved mother.

 
   Been a while since I last whipped up something and if time permits, bake some squash bread! 

4.  Go to a mall and get some oil control film.

6.  Watch a movie in a movie house.  This is what we REALLY MISS DOING.

            I hope Despicable Me will still be showing when we get there.

7.  Visit Powerbooks or Fully Booked.

8.  Bring Nacho to his beloved Gymboree.

9.  Let Elise climb, slide and enjoy the rides in Fun Ranch.

10.  Try to resurrect my Sony Ericsson phone of two years.  It just did not turn on one day.  I take most of my photos with this phone's 5 megapixel camera to document our evolving life here.  It reads documents and spreadsheets, and the WiFi feature is very handy for me, who needs to connect with the world outside the island... I can listen to the radio and my play lists and.....aaaargh! If it is truly dead, I will be heartbroken.

11.  Get some Li'l Hands washable markers, lots of them!  The ink on ours is running out, and am already throwing them out one by one. 

12.  And of course, visit Papa's grave and say hello as often as I can while we are there...

Cannot wait to go home to our loved ones as we sleep in and brunch, play Nintendo Wii, sing our vocal chords out on videoke marathons and enjoy comforting home-cooked meals. 

Countdown starts today!

Puni Leaf Weaving Lessons

Nacho reminded me about the little fish made of leaves that he saw a little boy take home the day before.  He wanted one, and I told him we'd find someone who could make one today.

Kuya Junito, the very quiet lifeguard, knew how.  First, he got some coconut leaves from the dwarf coconut tree. 

 Then, under Nacho's watchful eye, started weaving the leaves...

It's started to look like a...

...FISH! 

 He quickly began weaving another one...

Nacho squealed when he saw this one!

Then, a pinwheel! But Nacho was not impressed, as it would not go with the soft breeze.

Without saying a word, Kuya Junito worked on one more. It took him much longer than the previous ones.  Nacho was starting to get sleepy, but was determined to make sure Kuya Junito was doing it right.

Finally!  A tiny baby turtle! 

Nacho brought them everywhere --- to the beach, under the tables, under the bed, into the bushes, and even pretended to fly them like they were kites. But he insisted that the pinwheel was a starfish.

He played with all four of them for several days until they turned brown and the weaving came undone. 

"Thank you, Kuya Junito!"
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The Birdwatchers Club, in August 2009, sponsored a Puni workshop at the National Museum.

 

Let's help keep this art form alive! Puni De Malolos a group dedicated to the art, is attempting to revive and propagate Puni weaving as a true Filipino art form.  Support the craft and save the environment by choosing puni products instead of other non-biodegradable materials.  Visit them at http://punidemalolos.multiply.com/journal. 

Weekday Morning Grind

We start each school day by checking the water in the car radiator, just in case, since the days are burning hot.

On some days, we make a quick stop at the gas station.  Here is where buses stop on the way to the city proper, to load gas.   Mamang sorbetero (ice cream man) makes a killing. 

This is also where I get palpitations as gas prices are sky high, approximately P10 more than the ones in Manila. 
 

Sometimes Elise needs some cartolina or manila paper for a school project, or we just need to replenish our supply of Sunkist juice boxes (or "quick lamig" packs, which are better!).  The neighborhood grocery store has almost everything.  

Pablico Rd. 1 is where we turn right.

A few meters later, we are greeted by the familiar sights of some domestic animals that were left to wander along the small roads.

A full-grown white and brown goat feeding on leaves from the bamboo fence...

A skinny horse taking a break...

A full grown pig basking in the hot sun...

Here comes the parade of black chickens crossing the street everyday at exactly 9:45A.M.

Just before the final left turn to the street of the school, neatly lined mango trees dot the corner lot.

To the right, a lonesome carabao (water buffalo) grazes on the long grass. 

 The bumpy ride ends and we turn into the parking lot of the school, where Elise gets off and walks to her Grade 2 classroom.  I bring Nacho to his Nursery class where he stays for two hours.

And I patiently wait outside his classroom, just in case he needs me, savoring precious alone-time. 

My Palawan

I LOVE Palawan.

Been a long time since I wrote on this blog, and during that time, I was regaining my composure and spinning slowly to find the North in my inner compass.  I got homesick for Manila and did not feel like I wanted to stay here anymore.  Okay, I didn't miss Manila, but I missed family whom we left behind.  It's true, it takes about six months before you truly feel homesick. And it happened to me, on the sixth month!   Should have been used to the sixth-month homesick bug by now, since it has has happened every single time I live away from home.

Now I can say that with conviction.  I really DO have genuine love for this island - beyond being awe-stricken with its beauty - the lush Puerto Princesa City sidewalks,

safe, slow-moving traffic

long shady roads for joy rides

small rivers and creeks

domesticated animals just taking their time

... the spectacular skies and beaches!

More than all that, I love this place because of what it has done for me.  It has stripped off so much baggage, turned me inside-out, and filled me up again!

And when I stand back now and look at myself, I recognize someone whom I met some 12 or 13 years ago,  spontaneous and full of courage and hope.  And so now, I start my life again, inside and out.

One Month of Sad and Happy Events

Kids and I are settling down again here in Puerto Princesa after spending a month in a daze. 

Papa passed away last May 25 and we were in Manila for a couple of weeks.

Then Mama, my brother, sister, aunt, cousin, sister-in-law and nieces decided to visit Palawan when we went back.  This was the first time we all spent time with each other in decades!  But Elise's school already began! , Here is a picture of her in her school uniform.  Her skirt was too long and I didn't get to have it shortened till after another week.

She was attending classes on most days while the others went on city tours and explored Puerto Princesa.  We all wished that Elise was homeschooling this year instead of her attending regular school, with all the back and forth trips.  But of course, she missed a few days when we all went on a four day trip to El Nido.  We spent precious time with each other, mostly while aboard outrigger boats and lounging on secluded islands.  This is one of my favorite pictures of the El Nido taken by Rene.

The kids and I had a previously scheduled trip to Manila so when the day arrived, my family went back to Manila as well. After the short visit, the kids and I returned home by ourselves to Puerto because Elise needed to attend school.  I cut three inches off her skirts, she got caught up with her missed lessons, and a few days later, we all flew back for an all too-short weekend for Papa's 40th Day.

Back...

and forth...

So, these days, our routine has gone back to normal.  Elise is in school for half a day everyday while I am homeschooling Nacho.  As he naps and plays by himself, I am quickly getting my groove back in between washing and ironing school uniforms, preparing lunch boxes, going back to writing, figuring out this family relocation business, and trying to accept the passing of my beloved father.

All these details that have to done sometimes gets mixed up in life's big heartaches and pressing dreams.  But life goes on, regardless if you follow your plan or not, whether you make your bed or not, whether you are nice to people around you or not. And it certainly will not wait for you to realize things.   And in whatever you do, you either nudge or drag everyone else connected to you.

But I learned that if I look at life anticipating happiness, then yes, life will be happy.

My list of Things To Do is now full with big and small projects.  I think I am BACK.