On Monday, we had a meeting about future non-academic workshops for Voc-Tech students like the Self-Discovery Workshop. We have begun assigning volunteers to develop and facilitate workshops on interviewing, professionalism in the workplace, intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships, social ethics, sexual education and ethics, and money management. We hope to complete the frameworks for these workshops within the next couple weeks so that volunteers can begin to administer these workshops as soon as possible.
I have been assigned to researching and developing a guideline for a Sexual Education and Ethics Workshop. At Tuloy, students are not allowed to have relationships to avoid distraction from their studies. Some kids have also had very heartbreaking pasts regarding sexual abuse, human trafficking, and more; therefore, having relationships at Tuloy could spark negative emotions and unwanted tension. Students definitely benefit from this rule at Tuloy, but there is still a high risk of pregnancy for girls shortly after graduating Tuloy. Tuloy wants to work on emphasizing God's purpose and plan for their life in this area. I will be praying, researching, and brainstorming on this topic this upcoming week so that I can complete a rough draft of the proposed workshop Tuloy could facilitate later in the school year. This workshop will go through many edits and revisions by other volunteers and spiritual staff at Tuloy before it is finalized to present to the students. Please pray that God will speak through the creators and facilitators of this workshop to inspire the Tuloy kids to follow His plan for their future family life.
On Tuesday, Dylan and I went to the annual staff picnic. All of the teachers, nuns, priests, marketing employees, accounting employees, and other workers spent the day swimming, singing karaoke (a HUGE thing in the Philippines), eating, playing badminton and cards, and simply enjoying each others company while celebrating what God is doing at the Tuloy Foundation. I loved being able to see the employees spend the day taking a break from their work to get excited about the next year at Tuloy. The Tuloy staff members are such a special and fun group of people! The picnic was held at the place pictured below.
In my dance classes this week, I have been focusing on teaching choreography for their performance on July 11. I wish I had just one more week to continue teaching technique before going into choreography mode, but I have been able to incorporate miniature technique lessons within the choreography teaching. Both groups are doing an amazing job of learning choreography very quickly. Group 1 has learned both of their pieces and Group 2 has half of their contemporary piece left to learn. Some of my students, however, have had to miss many rehearsals for football (soccer) practice. I know that this upcoming week will be very stressful as I try to reteach choreography for the students who have missed for football practice, but I also know that these kids are too excited to let their show be a sloppy mess. They are all over-the-moon excited to show their classmates what they have been learning and to wear their new "Tuloy Dance Clinic 2014" shirts. I can't wait to see their two jazz and two contemporary dances come to life on the gym stage. Although this week will be somewhat hectic, I know the kids will be working harder than ever in preparation for their performance. I am going to be so upset to say goodbye to my dancers after this upcoming week is over! Here are a few of the students' messages they leave me that make me smile so much:
Teaching English to the new Tuloy kids from Eastern Summer has been a lot of fun, too. The kids have learned so much so quickly in terms of greetings, objects in the dorm, body parts, and sports/hobbies. We have done fun activities and games such as "Simon Says," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," "Catch Phrase," "Charades," and "Pictionary." The kids are often very attentive and involved; however, one of my students seemed very distant toward the end of the week. It broke my heart to seem him with his head down and mind wandering. It was a big reminder that these kids are going through a very hard transition from their lives before the typhoon affected them to life at Tuloy. They are very far away from home and do not know many of the Tuloy kids very well yet. These kids are going through so much more than I have gone through, and they are over five years younger than I am. I use every English class to not only teach these kids, but also put a smile on their face and let them know that they are loved. Although one of my students had a harder time with smiling, I pray that I brought a little bit of light into his life this week.
This weekend, my family and I went to Zambales to surf and Subic Bay to swim with dolphins! Experiencing these new adventures with my family was priceless. Our new, 9-week old puppy, Mango, enjoyed the trip, too.
As I prepare for this next week, I am trying to take in all that I have experienced these past six weeks, plan my goodbye's and thank-you's to those who have touched me so much at the Tuloy Foundation (staff and children included), and examine the transformations that have occurred within me. I know that this week will be busy, emotional, and exciting. Thank you for your prayers!
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