Leaving

Well time has arrived and I can't believe. I leave tomorrow! Once I am back in the states I will update everyone on how my last few days here in the Philippines were spent.

God Bless!

Bring on the tears...

Yesterday was my last day to be with the regular colleges students as well as the Basic Education Department. So I took the time to go and visit each of the Basic Education classes and thank them for making me feel so welcomed here. The first class I went to I was fine, nothing wrong. It wasn't until I went and visited one of the freshman classes that I began to cry. Madame Rose in the student development center has a niece that is a freshman. She is probably the only student that I have any kind of interaction with in the SDC. She came up to me and just began to cry and that made me start crying. The rest of the classroom visits were really hard. The students were all very supportive, telling me that they love me and that they will miss you. I will definitely miss them all as well.

Part of the intramural's was an acrobatic show. The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't think I have ever been to an acrobatic show. Most of the guys that were in the show probably had some kind of gymnastics training. The strength they had was incredible. I had to hold my breath in certain situations because I was afraid that they could possibly fall, but come on they are experts. At times they were accidentally screwed up on purpose to make the crowd laugh. It was a very fun show, I also got to see tight rope walking, never have seen that before. After the show I did go backstage and thanked them all for the show. Kind of glad I was able to experience this before I left.

Last night was the night that I said goodbye to the college community. I thought I was going to be emotional, but I wasn't. I was actually stronger talking to them then I thought. I got from a group of students "We love you Brother Kevin", which I greatly appreciated. Other than that it was a great night with some great entertainment by the students. I am really going to miss this place.

5 days...

So I only have 5 more days here in the Philippines and I am getting sad about having to leave these people and head back to the states, however, I am ready to be back.

The intramurals go on all day. No lie, I didn't get to bed till after midnight last night because we had the singing competition, which I was one of the judges as well as the search for mr. and mrs. intramural. It was just so long and tiring. One of the other judges said he was bored. However, before the events even started the judges and I all had fun in the conference room just talking about random things. One of the judges was my age, so we hit it off making jokes.

Even today all I went to was different intramural events. However, I also got to watch the boys and girls varsity volleyball actually compete. Cor Jesu won of course. It is always fun with students. I put one of the badminton players on my shoulders and ran around the gym. Tonight was the dance night, which had a lot of really impressive dance styles. I really enjoyed them all especially the Filipino cultural dances. Then they had ballroom dancing, only two pairs participated, but it was really obvious who the better pair was.

Tomorrow is my last day of being at the school with all the students that come during the week. So a lot of my goodbyes will come tomorrow, I just hope I don't get really emotional with all of it.

Intramurals

Well today began the annual intramural competition here at Cor Jesu College which will take place the rest of the week. I am really happy that I am here to experience this event that has been apart of the tradition here at the school. Like all big events, the day started off with a Mass with the College. Br. Roger's brother who is a Missionary of the Sacred Heart was the celebrant of the Mass. My hopes was that the music was going to be the same as it has been at all the past Masses because I was going to record the music, but unfortunately it wasn't. So the music they usually sing will just have to be a memory in my head.

After Mass there was a ceremonial torch lightning as well as a race of the different divisions to hang there flags by the torch. Br. Roger, myself, and the president of the student government raced ourselves. I was really trying to race and I was running really fast too and holding on to Br. Roger, by the way we were both in our cassocks racing. At the very end I trip and tumble and slide on the grass and when I got up my first reaction was, oh no my cassock. Let's just say there was a pretty grass and mud stain on it. Lucky enough the lady that washes clothes here was around and took care of it for me.

My next project was to get pictures developed as a remembrance for some people. I have been getting asked to leave something for people or they ask me for a remembrance, so I decided to give them pictures that we are in together. I went and had them developed and have already begun passing them out.

There was also a parade through Digos that was put on by the college. I got to sit on the back of the truck that last years king and queen of the intramurals rode on. It was cool. Really cool street performances by the students of the college and the different divisions and unfortunately my camera batteries died so everything else that went on I missed it.

Also had my last meeting with the Campus Ministry Office staff and it was very positive. I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have had with them and the lessons that they taught me, which I am truly thankful. I am going to miss them, but they have really helped me grow.

Tonight was the cheer-dance competition and was it amazing. I really got to see the creativity of the students hard work put into action. I wish I was able to take pictures of it, but there were some incredible performances.

As you can see a lot went on today!

One week...

I hate to say this, but I only have one week left here in the Philippines. I don't want to think about it because when I do it makes me really sad. I just hope one day I can come back here. As I type this I am actually in tears because of my adopted sister here and the powerful words she is telling me. She says, "3 months seemed too short for the joy you've bring." In those words I feel like God is speaking to me and that this is what I need to do with my life. I need to be strong.

I had a great experience staying with the Benedictine monks at St. Benedict Monastery. I really enjoyed visiting with some of them and establishing friendships that will last a long time. Awesome group of guys! Even though my time with them was so great, after I left them, things sort of went down hill. Let's just say somebody here at the school butted there nose into the Brothers business regarding me and really made me frustrated. She was crossing boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. However, the day got better when I was in Davao, went to the Mall, went to Holy Cross of Davao College to support some of our students in competitions they were in, and finally back to the mall to visit with Janette and Leslie. We went to a pier and saw a giant golden statue of David and ate some really good food. I really have enjoyed their generosity and hospitality to me since I have been here. The quote up above is from her. Gosh I am going to miss them very much.

Well today was another trip to Davao to do some souvenir shopping. I got some great stuff for some of my family members. I hope they like it. I also had a frappuccino today from this coffee shop, it was really good. I made it back to Digos just in time to catch the blessing and Mass in the new Basic Education Department building where all the offices are and the faculty room. It is a really nice building.

Well tomorrow starts the intramurals, should be fun!

Eden Park and the Philippine Eagle

I was finally able to attend Eden Park and to visit the Philippine Eagle. Eden Park is a nature park that is on top of one of the mountains here in Davao. The views from Eden Park were incredible. Really saw the beauty of God's creation there. The first thing we did at Eden Park is we received a 45 minute tour of the entire park. We had a really nice tour guide named Emilee and I think she really enjoyed being our tour guide. At different locations we were able to get out to take pictures. We got to visit an amphitheater covered in grass with beautiful trees and flowers, then another with the city in the distance where we got to visit a wishing well and a statue of a caribou, then we finally to see some Filipino music being played for us and I got to participate in it. It was really nice. After the tour we went and had a buffet lunch, but before that I took a ride on a little land zipline, which was fun. After lunch Br. Dan and I got to fish in a tilapia farm. I have discovered that I really suck at fishing and have always sucked at fishing. I think I have caught less than 5 fish in my entire life. However, that kind of increased yesterday. I caught either 4 or 5 to Br. Dan's 9 fishes. So I am not patient when it comes to fishing. Then after we fished I finally got to do what they said that I could do. I got to zipline! At first I was not nervous, but as I was climbing the stairs to the top of the platform my nerves starting to kick in. Once the guy had me sit in the position, my nerves were gone and off I went. It was so much fun. when I was getting close to the bottom I started to freak out about how I was going to stop. Their is a break already on the line and it kind of throws you, but it was fun. Even though it was short, I want to do it again.

After Eden Park we went to see the Philippine Eagle, which is endangered. Where the Philippine Eagle is located is a nature reserve, so they have more than just the eagle at the place. When you first walk into the location, there are numerous booths selling souvenirs and they are trying to sell them like crazy. What attracted me when I first got into the park were the python snakes that I saw. First I saw, two smaller pythons and I got to hold them both at the same time. Now I wasn't nervous holding them, what made me nervous was when the snakes face kind of got close to mine. After the first visit with those two snakes, we see two more pythons that were a lot larger and sure enough I was able to hold both of them as well. Gosh were they heavy. Other than that I was able to see other types of eagles, but really enjoyed seeing the Philippine Eagle. I also got to see a crocodile and a bunch of monkeys. I also got to pet a baby deer.

It was really my last big adventure here in the Philippines and it was a great last trip.

Tonight I will be going to stay at the Benedictine Monastery here in Digos and I am really excited about it. I need some time for myself. I am kind of hoping to get some kind of break when I get back to the states.

I tried uploading pictures, but for some reason they aren't showing any photos.

Late Night

So I was out way too late last night to put a blog together, so this one is for the past two days.

Yesterday I continued on with the Br. Polycarp Foundation to another school in the feeding program. This school seemed to be bigger than the other two schools that I had previously been too. First location that Ninoy took me to was where the ladies were going to be cooking. It was outdoors, but connected to the schools canteen. As the ladies were starting to cook, I helped the canteen ladies out by assisting them. The bananas that were in front me sold out because I secretly think all the students wanted to buy them because I was right there. After the lunch was ready we headed to where the students would be eating there lunch. Since we had some time before that I walked around the school and visited with some of the children, which is always fun. As part of the process with Ninoy we are taking pictures of the students that are being fed through the program. However, I was taken back when I saw that one of the students in the first grade was the same age as me. I was not sure if this was an error, but it was the truth. I don't know why, but I felt really bad about him being in a class with 7 and 8 year olds. Come to find out he was in the hospital a lot when he was younger and he is a very slow learner. The students enjoyed there lunches and I was glad I was able to witness the process. I am also amazed at the dedication of the parents to the program. It really goes to show there love for there children in participating in the program.

Last night I went to the funeral home for the girl that died here. We had a Mass there and it was really nice. One of the Hummingbirds and I sang the responsorial psalm, which was "shepherd me O God". I love that psalm. Afterwards I almost drove my first motorcycle, but decided not to do it because I would want to practice in a field first.

With intramurals coming up next week here, groups are slowly perfecting there cheer dances. However, one of the rules that they are given is not to hire a trainer. So Br. Roger goes out periodically to check on different practices to make sure that the rules are being followed. Well I went with him last night and the first group we went to was busted. I actually felt really bad for the students because they had broken a confidentiality agreement that said they wouldn't hire a trainer and they did, plus we have pictures as a proof. Interesting to see what Br. Roger might do to the group, will he let them perform or ban them from performing. After we did some more stake outs we went and had some drinks with Jo Jo. We ended up staying out till almost 2 a.m. I was pretty exhausted this morning and didn't wake up. Let's just say I am going to sleep good tonight.

Today was my last day to travel with the Br. Polycarp Foundation. The school we went to today was down the road from the Power campus. What was different about today was that there were no parents there yet when Ninoy and I had arrived. I don't want to say that I was worried, but I wasn't sure what time they were going to come or if they were coming at all. The principal told us that the day before, none of the parents had shown up. However, before Ninoy and I started to help with what we could, the principal showed us around the school and I got to visit some of the classes, which was a lot of fun. I really liked the energy of some of the students there. After the tour, Ninoy and I began to help taking the leaves off of a vegetable for the meal. Slowly, but surely the parents started to show up and the feast was now in the process of being made. I was happy that I was able to contribute with what I could. One of the parents did say that in the three weeks that they have been doing this, her daughter has gained some weight exactly what the program is setting out to do to increase the weight of the children. So I was really happy to hear that it was working. I felt that this experience with the Br. Polycarp Foundation has opened up my eyes to some of the needs of the children here especially in regards to nutrition. If I ever come back to the Philippines, I want to work with the Br. Polycarp Foundation.

Children, Caribou, and a Komodo

I was so excited this morning to take off again with the Br. Polycarp Foundation to another school that is part of the BLT program. It wasn't the first time I was in the area where the school was located. I had gone there before when the other group of Americans were here. What was different about yesterday's experience from today's is that the school was bigger, had more students, and a better place to actually cook. I found it very interesting that where they were cooking was right behind the principal's office. I really enjoyed visiting with the parents that were there to cook. To me is shows how much concern they have for their children's health by taking time to share in the cooking. One thing that came up today was that some students had dropped out of the program due to the fact that the parents either didn't want to cook or didn't want to take time out in helping. So I applaude the parents who do the work to help improve the lives of their children. I also got to help out today. I got to squeeze coconut milk out of the chopped up coconut pieces. Talk about a hand work out. It was fun, and it was the first time that I had ever done that. After that I just passed different ingredients to the main cook. Ninoy and I soon set out in getting the mugshots taken care of. As the students took there photos they were then asked to sit down to receive the food. My first thought when I saw the amount of food they received was if it was enough to feed them, but come to find out it was. Some of the children didn't really eat all of there food. Hopefully as they start to eat more of these meals, the will start eating more. After lunch when I was outside with the children entertaining them, I did notice that some of the kids were extremely skinny and they happen to be the ones in the program. Some of the children actually recognized me from Mass at the Benedictine Monastery, which I thought was cool. They were happy to tell me that they were altar servers. I'm glad that I was able to do a lot more today and bring some smiles to the children's faces.

This afternoon I came back to Cor Jesu just for a little while, but then I was out again with some of the team from the Br. Polycarp Foundation. They took me to a river. You might say, oh a river, but this river was really cool. It makes me wish that I could find something like that in Syracuse for meditation time. There is a bridge crossing the river that no four wheel vehicles can cross and it isn't a rope bridge, more of a rope metal bridge instead. Some of the highlights from being at the river was my failed attempt to wade across the water with the strong current which almost ended in an epic fail. Being able to go splash a caribou in the water that was cooling off. I tried to go towards its head, but they warned me against that. It was still cool though, but the icing on the cake of the river trip was right before we left, a few men were walking across on the other side and in the hands of one of the men was a Komodo dragon. At first I thought it was an alligator, but the team said it was a Komodo dragon. I have never seen one out in the wilderness before, maybe the zoo, but this was the real deal. I wish they were closer because I would have loved to have seen it up close.

Looking forward to going back out again tomorrow. I also only have two weeks left.

Br. Polycarp

So yesterday I did absolutely nothing. I was at the house the entire day, the only thing I had done that day was go to Mass, but that was about it. The night got even better, I was able to go hang out with my Filipino family, Janette, her husband Leslie, her brother Rey, and his friend Ruben. We went to the Bay Walk here in Digos, which is a place I had not been to and like usual did some videoke. After we did that we went and got some chicken, I love friend chicken. Went back to Janette and Leslie's house for some drinks, eat the chicken, and more videoke. It was fun and I was glad that my day which was boring turned into something really positive. I really appreciate the hospitality they show me.

Today was the first day I went with the Br. Polycarp Foundation to one of the schools to start the new BLT program. What this program does is it takes students who are under weight and provides them with a healthy lunch in the hopes that they will reach normal weight as well as an improved nutrition. What a great morning it was to spend it with the children. I was fascinated by the school that I was at. It only goes from kindegarden to 4th grade. Some of the class rooms have more than one grade in it. The classroom or the building more like it housed the 1st and 2nd graders who are being fed through the BLT program. I was glad that I was able to see the parents working together to improve there children's health. I loved how they were cooking everything with the open fire with the pots. In the states we have gas ranges and ovens to cook are food, but I really felt like the way they were cooking the food makes it taste a whole lot better. Being able to play with the children and seeing a smile on there little faces brought so much joy to my heart. I was telling myself "that God is here and is present." The kids enjoyed seeing me, they would follow everything that I was doing, so they walked like me, acted like me, and did the same gestures like me. Even though they don't have much, they seem to have an appreciation for what they do have. The ladies that cooked the food also let Ninoy and I have some, and it was really good. I feel that Br. Polycarp would be really proud of what the foundation is doing and it makes me really proud that the foundation is living out our charism.


This afternoon I was able to rest and recollect. I feel like once I get back in the states, I need a nice retreat. I feel like I am taking in so much that I am starting to not process it all and it is make me feel kind of lonely. The song that comes into my mind is "Too Much Love Can Kill You" by Queen. This evening we had a house meeting and I feel like I got to play devil's advocate. I was challenging something dealing with the schedule. On Saturday's we have it down as attending the Benedictine Monastery for Mass, which requires us to take a car because it is too far to walk. The two Brothers that drive lately have seem to sleep in, which leads us to finding other forms of transportation. I like the Benedictine Monastery and prefer to go there. I was told that it is from the work load that they have and they are tired from it. My question then is "Why have us down to go to the Monastery on Saturday's if you know you are not going to be up to take us?" That's a question I am now thinking and something I should of been raised. Then again our life as a religious should not be consumed in work. Are life isn't all about work, it's part of it, but it is not the only part. That's one thing I am learning about some of the Brothers here is they are workaholics, they might not mean to be, but that's how it is in the position they are in. They just need to find the balance.

This evening was quite an emotional roller coaster ride. I attended the wake of the student who committed suicide. The Hummingbirds Liturgical Club was there as well to provide a prayer service and lend their voices in song. It is sad because the girl was an only child to a broken family and felt like a failure. Some of her friends got up and gave some very emotional speeches. Filipinos express emotion best when it is in their native tongue, although I didn't understand what was being said, but when it got to the point where the room was crying, I was starting to tear up. I too question why a girl as young as 19 years old would take her life. I wonder what goes on in the mind of somebody who commits suicide. We were there probably an hour and a half. I think the mother appreciated it, she got emotional at times herself, but she stood strong. My prayers go out with her. I might be going back on Wednesday night for one last time. Wakes here are often referred to as vigils and they can last form a week to nine days.

Any way back to the Br. Polycarp Foundation tomorrow! Looking forward to it!

Shock!

It has been days since I have blogged. First of all I was on retreat with the Brothers at Catalunan Grande. It was a nice retreat, gave me some time to reflect, however, it was cut really short. If I am going to be on a retreat where I have to be silent, it takes me a couple of days to really get into reflecting mode. Even though I wasn't able to become a contemplative in that time, I did enjoy the time away and it was quite relaxing. Secondly, the night I finally got home from the retreat, it was like 10 p.m. and I was really tired. Yesterday was Br. Romel's birthday, so I didn't get home till almost 11 p.m. and then was up super early for Mass and prayer. I am just getting really exhausted.

I didn't really got out and do anything today. I was able to go talk to one of the Freshman Formation Program classes on goals and responsibilities students should take when it comes to school work based off of my college experience. I think they enjoyed it, but I just hated talking about myself, but it was what was asked of me. I then went and played some basketball and volleyball, but it was after playing that I got some shocking news. A girl set to graduate this year took her own life today by hanging herself with a wire. It was quite shocking for me to hear. Unfortunately I don't know her name, I think she was president of one of the clubs, so my prayer goes out to the repose of her soul and for her family.

As I currently type this I am running a fever, not a bad one, but one we must monitor in case it gets worse. Usually they tell people to go to the hospital when they have a fever just to check and make sure it isn't dengue.

One thing I have to tell everyone about is something called a quantum pendent. Br. Noelvic wears one and he had some with him on the retreat. Four of the Brothers had me sit in a chair, with only two fingers, they were positioned under my knee caps and under my elbows and they tried to pick me up, but no luck. Then they put on the quantum and did it again and to my amazement and disbelief had me in the air with just two fingers. It was crazy, and I want one real bad.

Retreat

I will be on the semi-annual retreat with the Brothers till Thursday August 12.

It's going to be hard...

I can already tell everyone that it is going to be extremely hard to say goodbye to some of the people I have met here in the Philippines. How do you say goodbye to some people that you have learned to love as friends and family? This is what I am dealing with and it makes me sad. I actually cried a little tonight knowing what I am going to have to face in the coming few weeks.

Today was probably one of the hottest days that I have had to dealt with being the fact that we did not have electricity till lunch time, so I was sweating my butt off. So to say the least, I stayed outside most of the morning given the fact that being inside was much hotter. I even pulled a chair up and sat outside the campus ministry office just so that I could cool off. I was able to get a drawing of me with a zipline with rebels waiting for me, so I could give it Br. Eli, who won't let me go to this one place to go ziplining because he is afraid that rebels will kidnap me. He enjoyed the photo.

The afternoon went by pretty fast, was able to see Br. Romel and Br. Noelvic who came in from Manila for the retreat. I also went and got sized for my very own Cor Jesu College basketball uniform. I have seen a picture of what they will look like and I am looking forward to actually getting it.

Other than that nothing to exciting happened today, did go videoke with the Brothers tonight, which was fun. I know once I leave here I won't be doing that anytime soon.

Will be on retreat for the next three days!

Lazy Sunday

Even though Sunday's are typically the only day I can actually sleep in, I do not take that advantage. Why you might ask? I like to attend the Mass at the Benedictine Monastery here in Digos and it is also the time I can actually see and chat with Br. Thomas. He is one of the younger monks there and we have been keeping in contact with each other through facebook. What I also really like about attending Mass there is that I know the music is going to be good. To me nothing says a good liturgy then good liturgical music. Also in development, one of the monks has already asked his prior if I could possibly stay the one night at the monastery, which I don't think is going to be a problem. Now I just have to find the time in the next three weeks.

I came back by the house to relax, nothing was really planned for the rest of the day. I watched a movie and then went to Mass again for the second time today. First time was because I like Mass at the monastery, second time was because it was the First Communion of the grade 3 pupils here at Cor Jesu College, which was held at the Cathedral. It was really nice and I am glad that they went over all the music with the students because they were singing loud and proud. It was also nice to be able to witness them receiving Jesus in the body and blood of Christ. Let's just say, they had a lot of cute faces after they had consumed it. Plus our cooks son was making his First Communion, so I went to cheer him on. He is a cool little guy who hangs out at the house sometimes.

Other than attending Mass, I went to a few of the stores here in Digos to try to find some shaving cream, but no luck. I guess Filipinos don't grow facial hair fast enough that they would need to buy shaving cream. Speaking of hair, one thing that I kind of makes me sick is seeing moles that have hair growing out of them, but here they are everywhere. One of the guys that brought up the gifts during the offertory had one bad and I was thinking to myself "why don't you cut the hair?" Plus it is really creepy.

So busy week this week, will be gone Tuesday through Thursday on the semi-annual retreat with the Brothers, it should be fun.

Time please slow down, thanks...

Just the mere fact that I am leaving at the end of this month makes me sad. I passed the airport today and was thinking to myself, oh gosh I am going to be here soon. Why couldn't this exposure last 6 months instead of 3? I think what is hard about leaving is the fact that I wonder if I am ever going to see some of these people again. I don't want to forget some of these people, it is just hard to say good bye in general. I usually don't like good bye's, I like to say see you soon, then it gives me hope that I will see them again.

I didn't blog last night because I was way too tired after the volleyball game we had, which the team I am on won again. Yesterday I went to a school called SPAMAST. Now I originally thought this school was an elementary school that was developed through the Br. Polycarp Foundation, but I was way wrong. SPAMAST is actually a college and it is a school that deals with marine technology and aquatics, so it was very interesting and I was definitely shocked when we pulled up and I saw all college aged students. Cor Jesu helps with the first Friday Masses at the school, so we were there to provide the music and assistance wherever it was needed. It just so happened that the priest celebrating the Mass was the priest I saw get ordained on Wednesday. SPAMAST just so happened to be his second Mass to celebrate since his ordination. He really knew how to work the crowd, he tried to do his best in english when it came to his homily, but he went into the native dialect. He actually mentioned something about me not understanding and having a huge nose bleed. When a Filipino does not understand what is being said, they say "nose bleed" as if so much is coming at them that it causes their nose to bleed. It's a fun little expression. Came back to the Cor Jesu and then began to wash some clothes, which takes me forever.

The afternoon got busy for me. I had to read over the Campus Ministry information that will be published in the student handbook, I walked back and forth from the Cathedral a few times, either for office purposes or to have my confession heard. However, I did not attend the first Friday Mass at the Cathedral, but I did go with JoJo because we were going to be attending the vigil of an alumnus who died from bypass surgery who was only 30 years old. When I got to the house, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that my own brother is 30 and how I would feel if this had happened to him. What was interesting is that they family is a family I see all the time at daily Mass. I believe the father is the man I receive Communion from. Myself, JoJo, and the Hummingbirds helped with a prayer service, which I was able to lead. I feel bad though because I wasn't sure how to pronounce his name, so I had to ask JoJo when it came to pronouncing his name the first time so I wouldn't screw it up. I think the family enjoyed it and it really made me happy to see the Hummingbirds there outreaching to the community. Like I said at the beginning of this long paragraph, we played volleyball last night. There is never a dull moment in the volleyball games, you just have to be there to see for yourself.

Today was an interesting day to say the least. Last night I couldn't sleep, so I woke up tired, not wanting to go to prayer, wishing I could stay in my bed, but duties call. To my astonishment I was the only one that was awake, which made me frustrated because the two people that drive were asleep and this means that I would have to find some way to get to the monastery for Mass. Br. Dado ended up being awake and we took a tricycle to the monastery. However, trying to get a ride back was difficult, I think we ended up walking almost a mile, in our cassocks waiting for a ride. So that was sort of frustrating. Then I really got frustrated when I asked permission to accompany JoJo and some of the students to a location within Digos that will be used I guess for picture taking, but that was shot down. I wasn't in a good mood after that, I went back up to my room and just laid down. This became my reflection for the day. The more I thought about things and my time here, I started to feel bad because right now one of our aspirants is in the hospital terribly sick and here I am wanting to go do something fun since it is the weekend. I feel like I am being selfish with what I want to do with my weekends. Although I hate coming to this conclusion, but I need to stop trying to make things all about what I want while I here, but then again I am only here for a little big longer and who knows when or if I come back. All I know is that I really want to go to Eden Park to see the Philippine eagle before I leave. The day did get better, I ended up going with Br. Eli to Samal island. It's been two months since I have been there and this time around I wasn't sick and the water was a lot higher. We only stayed for a little while. In going to Samal, I actually missed a basketball game that I was suppose to play in here at Cor Jesu, hopefully we will play a few more before I leave. Time is running out and there is only a few things left that are important to see while I am here, I just hope that they come together.

Here we go

So I feel as if I am slowly running out of time here. I have less than four weeks left and it is really making me sad. I have to enjoy the time that I do have left. I just know that it is going to go by super fast.

Well I wasn't able to blog last night because I was really tired. Yesterday morning was really busy. I ended up going to two Masses, one for the daily Mass, but we had forgotten that we were invited to an ordination, which we attended. The ordination was at Mary Mediatrix Cathedral. I guess they waited for that date to have the ordination since it was the feast of St. Jean Vianney. The Church was really packed, but as a religious we had reserved pews. It lasted two hours, but as any where you go, the rite is the same. However, here in the Philippines during the offertory, offerings other than the bread and the wine are brought up, like fruit, can goods, paper. However, this new priest is going to have a lot of new stuff. What else was different was the fact they let the guy address the crowd before we were dismissed, which took a little while. One thing that is hard with everything is the language. I am trying my best to learn it, but I don't have enough time to learn it. Other than that, I went to the tailor yesterday to get another shirt made. I realized that I am going to end up heading back to the states with more clothes than I actually brought with me.

Last night I had the hardest time trying to fall asleep. My air conditioner was leaking water into my room, so I was constantly up checking that, but the problem was resolved today thanks to the maintenance people here at Cor Jesu. I hung out in the Campus Ministry Office, typing up some Morning Offerings that the Brothers use here to take back to the states with me as well as prayers for the intercession of Venerable Brother Polycarp. I feel like the community I live in does not pray for the intercession of him enough. We want him to be a saint, it requires our prayers. Two words for lunch today: fried chicken! Absolutely amazing! I spent the afternoon reading some stuff on the our Rule of Life. It is important for me to try to learn as much as I can about the Rule of Life and how to best live it.

Since I wasn't playing basketball or volleyball tonight I went and hung out with the security guards. They are all really nice and I enjoy getting to know them. They really try there best at speaking english to me. I really am going to miss them all. I took a picture with some of them today, which I might have developed and give it to them to remember me by. They might not be here if I ever return here. As we were talking, they kept on saying something about a white lady here on campus. I was shocked to hear there was a white lady on campus, but come to find out the white lady refers to a ghost. Very interesting indeed! I think ghosts are really cool. Who knows what could happen here in this last month.

Don't interrupt, rude...

So I woke up really tired this morning, even though I slept really great last night. I was so tempted to just stay in bed. Some of the Brothers stayed up past 11 last night with the videoke machine. However, morning prayer calls and so does Mass. Mass at the Cathedral here in Digos can be really long. The Cathedral is called Mary Mediatrix Cathedral. This mornings Mass ran really long given the fact that the priest gave a 15 minutes homily for a Daily Mass and since it is in the native tongue I typically zone out. When I come back to reality I realized that the guy is still talking. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy attending Daily Mass it is part of my life, but when it runs so long, I get really distracted. This is my thing with Mass, I believe a Daily Mass should last about 25 to 30 minutes. If it runs under 20 minutes, I feel as if I don't get much out of it, it is like let's hurry up and get this over with. Then if a Mass runs longer than 30 minutes well distractions take over. Something else happened today that I have never experienced before. This woman walks up and gets a blessing from a woman behind me and then she comes and sits by me and gets a blessing then asks me for some money. I do not carry money around with me, especially if all I will be doing is attending Mass. I told her I didn't have any. This lady was dressed for Mass, even though there appeared to be bleach stains on her brown outfit and she was wearing a mantilla. Mass was not even over yet, grant it, it was the end of the Mass, but still she interrupted Mass for me. After she left me, she went to another Brother and did the same thing. I feel bad that I cannot give money to every beggar that I see, I do not have the money to do that, but I don't give money period, if I am going to give them anything it is going to be food.

Since today was a slow day since students in the college have exams the rest of the week, it is really quiet here. I went into Digos twice today to go look for some items and both times I was in the city, I got a beggar asking me for some money, actually one child was screaming at me. I went into the city first with Br. Dado to go get a new load for his phone. On our way back to the school we stopped by a bakery to get some bread. By the way the bread here is amazing! There was a beggar outside, but when she saw me in the store she came up right behind us with her cup. An aspirant was with us and he gave her a peso, but as we were leaving her, Br. Dado gave her a piece of bread. That is how I prefer it. After that I went with Br. Kokok to go find me some shaving cream, which we had no luck. Filipinos don't seem to have a problem with facial hair. Checking different stores, we ran into children that were begging. One boy was like "money money money." Then we passed a little girl doing the same thing, but this time she was screaming it and she was only screaming it when I was passing by. Like I said, how I wish I could do more, but they see me as a rich American. Especially seeing the kids really breaks my heart.

In regards to campus ministry work, I didn't have much to do today. So I chilled in the office and read the Bible, trying to get through as much as the New Testament while I am here and will probably finish reading it back in the states. I also am trying to learn the National Anthem to the Philippines. I have gotten all the lyrics down, but I still need to practice. Br. Roger has said if I can memorize the anthem, he will then give me customized Cor Jesu basketball uniform.

I am starting to get really sad because I only have four weeks left here in the Philippines. I just hope the time goes slow, but I know it will go by fast. I want to truly cherish the time I have left.

Holy Crap it's a Bat

Well I had something happen to me today that was a first. I was heading to Davao at like 5 a.m. to visit Br. Dan and we were driving along the road, then all of a sudden something flies in the vehicle and hits the top of my chest below my neck. I told Prince, our driver, something just hit me. We waited a second, then he turned on the lights and it was a bat, I was like holy crap it's a bat. I started to pick my feet up, I placed them on the dashboard, out of pure shock. It then hopped on the seat and flew to the back of the vehicle, I was going to hop out and open the back door, but then it flew back to the front, where I was able to kick it out of the vehicle. Man was it exciting and funny. If only I had my camera. The fun of the Philippines you never really know what is going to happen. I wonder if I could be Batman now.

Well went back into Davao as I said to check up on Br. Dan. Br. Dan's health has improved tremendously. The dengue is under control as well as his pneumonia. The doctor said that once his blood pressure gets back to normal, she is going to release him. I know that makes him happy. It was good to see his color back to normal.

Today was Br. Roger's birthday. I really thanked Br. Roger today for always willing to take me to somewhere new here in the Philippines to help increase my experience here. He even talked to his brother about taking me to a gun range to shoot a bit. Since we were in Davao all day, we got back this afternoon a couple of hours before his birthday fiesta began. It was nice to have so many of his friends here with us to share in this moment. He even asked me to lead the prayer for the blessing of the food. And of course we had videoke, why wouldn't we. Unfortunately the song selection wasn't that great, but I made it through though not the best. I have been inside now for almost an hour and they are still out there singing videoke.

I am hoping that tomorrow my schedule will go back to normal, hopefully Br. Dan will be released. I need some me time and hopefully I can make time for that tomorrow, which I should because exams start tomorrow for students here.

Road

So Br. Dan is still in the hospital. I went into Davao yesterday going to have some fun with Br. Poloy, but when we got to the hospital Br. Dan was on oxygen and looked worse then he had before. I thought he was getting stronger when I left on Saturday. The dengue is gone, but what took over is pneumonia. The oxygen is helping him breathe a little better, which is also helping him sleep a lot better. So instead of going around Davao, I stayed at the hospital with him for most of the day. Yesterday was also Br. Paul's birthday, which birthdays here are a big thing. I was struggling with the decision on whether or not to head to the party or stay. One of the guys from the Matina house was there and I tried to get him to go to the party, but he was adamant about staying there since this was his time. I think that is something with Filipino culture is that when something is scheduled it is hard to break them from the schedule especially when it comes to sitting vigil. I did express to Br. Dan how guilty I feel for not being there all the time with him, he told me I need to stop worrying about it and that there are others taking care of him.

Today I was able to sleep in a little

bit, but was satisfied that I had my first good nights rest in a long time. Went to Mass at the monastery, there is something about Benedictine monastery's. It was great as usual, I pretty much stick out as a sore thumb. Got to

see one of my monk friends there which is nice, it is the only time in the week that I am able to see him. Came back to the house to work on some things. This afternoon Br. Roger, Joe Joe, and myself went to visit the family of one of our student workers. I don't know much about the student work, but they say she is poor without hope, so we are doing whatever we can to make coming to the school easier for her. Just getting to her place was kind of rough, went from concrete roads to dirt roads, to rocky roads, then driving through grass. They seemed like really nice people but I had no idea what was being said.

After that we went to a resort where the graduate school was having a get together. We got there a little late and it was breaking up. What was nice about this place was that it was a farm as well. they had ostriches, horses, cows, and chickens. I love horses so it was nice to be able to pet one. I actually had to cross the gate to get to the horses. After that came back to Cor Jesu.

Something that has just come up that really bothers me is my family. I hate to say this, but I really feel like my family doesn't understand exactly what I am doing with my life, they see it as a big joke since I am the butt of there jokes anyway. I feel really disrespected by them sometimes and when I do say this, they act like I need to take a chill pill. I need to detach myself more from them then I already have. I am trying to make a difference in my life and I'm sorry if that is to hard for them to understand.