The first day of school.

First period, English.
-I shouldn't worry so much.

Second period, Math Analysis.
-haha, glad for a funny teacher. Relieves the hard work. but am I told that tomorrow the seating chart is based on where you chose to sit by? Who am I to sit by when all have already chosen their seats? I am saddened.

Third period, Euro AP.
-I'm worrying about attendance. What if choir takes up days of this? I'M READY

Fourth period, Dance.
-Seeing that racquet sports was in the same period, I instantly felt the urge to change to that. And after being in the dance room, I really desired to get out of dance into racquet sports. I don't think I can live a year in that cold, dark room. I'd long so much for outside air and more challenge and more fun. ohhh...

Fifth period, Choir.
-I looked beside me, and Azzedine wasn't there anymore, like last year. I feel so, young in this choir. There aren't so many sophomores and I long for Treble Choir, its largeness, its familiarity.

Sixth period, French.
-I see Sonia, and I feel like breaking into tears of gladness. Last year she had been my schedule buddy, in every single of my classes. Walking to classes together, staying up doing allnighters together. This is the only class I have with her now, and I am very grateful. She has gotten skinnier over the summer; she has accomplished what she told me was her goal. x] Yet in the seat chart, I am seated in the far corner of the room because of my last name, and I feel out of it. I can hear Monsieur DeShan talking so distinctly in the other room and I laugh at the thought of what the kids in his class were thinking. I had been so excited last year.

My first day was not so good. Not so good. I can't wait until lunch tomorrow. A period I have with my friends. :]

Joanna inspires me.

She seems to connect everything around her, to God.
I remember in VBS, they tell us to spread the word of God...
"Why are we sometimes scared to tell about God?"
I don't think I have built enough faith for me to simply blurt out how grateful I feel.
Maybe I feel like I'm forcing a religion onto somebody else.
Or maybe I just can't find the connection sometimes.
I think that feeling grateful is comforting, a form of joy.
I want to grow stronger with God.
In reality, to me, God is my hope, my faith, my love.
Why do I live? I'm living for God. I'm living for the afterlife. I'm living for what he's given me.
I wished I could see the brighter things in life, to be happier. It seems as if anytime I'm sad or angry, it's like I'm disrupting the image of what God wanted the world to be like. Maybe I get angry and that anger subtly spreads among others, or I am sad with regret when I could be enjoying what I am gifted with.
Ohh. . .

From the Philippines

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Once again, I find myself in an internet cafe in the Philippines. On the computer with no immediate responses to the messages I send out, because of the large difference in time between me and the world I am familiar with. However, I am fond of the place I am in at the time, and I enjoy the lively hood and environment in a very unique way, different from the way I love home. When we first stepped out of the airplane, into the airport, first thought-- HUMID. Sticky and hot. We bumped into a friendly white guy who was to marry a Filipino woman. We waited outside for about one or two hours, for our ride. Our plane had arrived one hour early, and our drivers had expected us one hour late. Unfortunately we did not have contact information. cough, mom cough haha. So we had to call America, then to call our uncles in Manila. The numbers I had seen seemed wrong. But it was just my American eyes. Although it was around 4-5 in the morning when we arrived, there were many people out on the streets already. Yes. Unusual. But it could have been because it was a school day. Friday. We took pictures of the unusual. People on bikes, tricycles, these ghetto Filipino bus looking vehicles called jeepneys. People walking with buckets on each end of a long stick. Stray dogs, stray cats. The barrios, these poor looking houses beneath the bridges. The heavy traffic. The large puddles on the road. The pedestrians having the time of their life. Capturing the roosters that make this screaming yell that act as an alarm clock. The heavy greenery. All so interesting. AFVillage. We see Uncle Wally's house. Nice! Geometric. Looks big, isn't very big. Much glass, much wood, many mirrors. Content much inspired by Uncle Wally's desires. Interesting, cute, love the stories. Stone house? Interesting story. Log house? Exciting. It feels weird to be served by people. It is the only job they can get. It is not forced labor. They'd like to do it. So they keep them, as a Christian way. Stories/talks with these people are highly educational. :] I learn from the people. and I enjoy it. Meet the Seranilla side of Ate Nikki's family. They reside in Canada. Names are Sean and Armie. We meet more Candadians later. We go to Cabanatuan. The childhood home of the Briones family. We have a tour around the place. It has much potential but is poorly kept. I love its countryside. Beautiful Beautiful. We see the Pacific Ocean. We see Uncle Teddy's house. Nice! Very nice color, and then I realized that the middle class Filipinos (that have nice houses) like color. Different colors. I can see why Janeczka's family likes color so much. And why her house is nicely painted colors like yellow and teal and orange. The rooftops around this village are colors like blue and red and orage and yellow. Interesting. I see people working out in the rice fields. I see ducks laying eggs for balut. I see streets flooded so heavily with water that a picture of it could pass as Venice. I see an upgraded version of the tricycle, now instead with a motorcycle! There are many malls in the Philippines. from Mall of Asia, I see the South China sea. There are malls such as SM, Green Hills, Market!Market! and many many more. Right now I am in the Rockwell mall. I see Uncle Ernie's old house. I did not remember it at first, but once we went inside upstairs, I vividly remembered the memories that I had with my cousins there! and how I had to be carried downstairs because I had been so scared of the cockroaches x] yes.yes. I remember. But now Kuya Em and Kuya Dennis live there with there children. I find it so hard to believe that I AM an aunt. I am. Yes. We spend only two nights in Cabanatuan. But I seriously love that place. Next time I would like to stay there longer. So here we are in Makati/Manila. I really don't understand the difference x] I haven't been told. I will tell you more. haha Maybe if I get to be in another internet cafe soon. This is just the basics of what I've seen. :] WELL Good bye foolkkss! :] greetings from the philippines -michelle.