This week at school it was WIKANG FILIPINO -  lots of stories, games, dances and information about the Philippines - most of it in the Tagalog language. I understand about 15 words in Tagalog...so I did miss lots of the information!   Today was the culmination of Wikang Filipino but it was also the end of our 5 week long READING CHALLENGE.  What an exciting afternoon it was!  Uncle Paul, Uncle Andrew and Uncle Joel made some amazing deals with the kids for the reading challenge....if the kids won the challenge Uncle Paul and Uncle Andrew had to wrestle some really tough guys.....and Uncle Joel would lose his hair AND his beard.   For five weeks the three Uncles have been telling the kids that "Reading is boring".....to which the kids would respond "Reading is fun" .   The kids each had individual goals to reach in reading in order to get enough points to win the challenge.  There has been lots of banter back and forth during these five weeks!    I will let the photos tell you the rest of the story!   It was a fun afternoon in Cebu!

The  kids have an unexpected holiday from school.  Today is the funeral of one of the ex presidents of the Philippines (Cory Aquino ).  So the kids are making the most of it...as are the teachers who are nowhere to be seen!   The yard is full of activity.  One obvious missing element is that there is no one playing basketball though!  Joel and Andrew have all the big boys playing basketball at a nearby basketball court.  The wagons each are jam packed full of 4 or 5 kids with others pulling and pushing - good to see that cooperation!   A few of the kids have brought out their coloring books and crayons to the picnic table.   A few more kids are sitting around outside reading - more are doing that inside I have heard ( read about the kids reading program on the CSC web site)  Joemar is here in my office with me sharing a Coke.   We have a few of the little girls busily working on some very complicated recipe - they fill up their pots and pans only to discover that the recipe was all wrong....because they dump everything out and start all over.  Likely too much dirt and not enough leaves would be my educated guess. Some kids are making beautiful art with sidewalk chalk on the driveway!  We often have a very colorful driveway!   A couple of the kids are helping Uncle Patrick make a "Happy Birthday Uncle Paul"  sign.  One of the Aunties is playing "train" with the kids...she has about 8 kids in a line behind her as they navigate the playground!  A few of the preschoolers seem abnormally attracted to the water faucet today,  every time an auntie is not in the immediate vicinity one of them runs over and turns on the faucet!  Barto and Christian are racing around the yard...can't believe all that energy!    Hmmmm....have to stop here because one of our darling 9 year olds just grabbed a baby and was running away from the aunties...thinking it a great joke.   She will very soon learn that it was not funny.  Ahhhh...I love my job, everyday is different and I always know that something exciting  will happen!