School's Out for Summer

It’s Monday, May 21, 2012.  We returned to LCP this morning after being away for over two weeks.  There was a small crowd of college scholars hanging around the gate as Jacques and I arrived on our bikes.  When the boys saw us their faces lit up.  They immediately lifted their hands for high-5s and simultaneously shouted “Welcome home!” 

Welcome home.  Home. 

I’ll rewind a little. Jacques’ site placement at the university is challenging.  I get frustrated just hearing about the seemingly backward policies, impossible learning environments, and ego driven decision-making models; I just hear about it… he has to sit in it day after day.  If you know him, you can imagine how difficult it is to observe without giving input, analyze without making adjustments, and strategize for improvement without the ability to implement.

 The summer months for students in the Philippines are April and May.  Since Jacques would have these months off from “teaching” at NORSU, he opted to spend his free time at LCP especially focusing on the boys living in the Consuelo Home shelter; ages 14- 18.  He had already been creating activities for the boys once a week for the past year so this was a very natural fit. 

LCP has provided a welcomed change of pace.  The boys love him.  The social workers want to hear and understand his feedback. Our supervisor admires and appreciates his insight.  He of course dove in to reading the “Shelter Manual”- page by page- to fully understand the mission, vision, and policies guiding the shelter programs.  Simply stated, at LCP Jacques is able to be his dynamic self.   

To kick off the summer, Jacques suggested we host a “Fun Day” at LCP.  We came up with a series of short activities in which the shelter youth could compete.  They balanced brooms on their fingers, tossed coins in coconut shells for points, and jumped around to remove the “junk in their trunk”.  

  

 We then got to spend some quality time with a small group of girls that were unable to spend Holy Week with their families.  Not wanting to miss a chance at meaningful “learning opportunities”, Jacques suggested we provide the girls with choices for each day’s activity.  “Why not let them have some power and control?”

The highlight of the week was taking the girls snorkeling for their first time.  They literally shouted through their snorkels, "fish, fish, fish!" and cooed, "Oooh it's beautiful." 

Somewhere in this time, Jacques also started planning an adventure for the youth in Independent Living (18- 21 year olds living at LCP while attending college).  We knew we had a full schedule ahead, yet Jacques really wanted to create an opportunity to connect with this particular group of youth.  

As plans for this outing began to unfold, Jacques joined me for six days during an environmental awareness camp.  The first 3 days involved training our youth leaders.  Jacques served as "camp cook" and prepared snacks and dinner for 16 of us each night.  He spent hours biking all over town collecting ingredients, cooking large quantities of Jambalaya and his famous tuna spaghetti, and in his spare time helped me plan for each day.  During camp, his sole focus was to collect photos and footage to create a closing ceremony video.  It was a perfect 40-minute video with features such as lyrics to strategically selected songs being sung at the opportune moment to match a specific picture and photos changing in precise time with the background music.  See a brief video review of our camp here: 

 With a small window of free time, we were able to take the Independent Youth on their adventure.  We hired a jeepney and rode 2 hours to Lake Balanan.  Some from our group had never left Dumaguete.  None of them had ever been to this particular location.  We spent the day eating, playing in the waterfalls, eating, swimming in the pools, and eating some more.  Jacques has made it his personal mission to introduce as many Filipinos as possible to the joy of PB&J.  In the land of fish and rice, I am not complaining.    

Following these grand adventures, we left LCP for two weeks to participate in a "Mobile Education Training".  Along with 14 other Peace Corps volunteers, we facilitated education sessions to teachers from all over our island.  I facilitated one and a half hour Classroom Management and Vocabulary sessions while Jacques presented 3-hour lessons reviewing his in-depth research of the brain.  At the end of my very last session, a woman remained in my room.  She thanked me profusely (teachers seemed very grateful for the entire conference), and then went on to tell me she had also been in Sir Fournet’s brain session.  She told me in great detail how she learned her brain is sometimes hijacked by certain events; and how she now better understands her students’ brains so she won’t get so frustrated with them when they look hot and tired.  She told me she would use some new techniques she learned for getting students’ attention and for engaging both sides of their brains.  She seemed authentically excited to share out loud the new information she had absorbed.  It’s exciting to think even a small part of her new-information-high would continue into her classroom. 

Following the conference, Jacques and I took the weekend to get a way.  It just so happens the Philippines provides beautiful and inexpensive tropical settings for a little rejuvenation.  In times like these, it’s easy to forget we’re in the Peace Corps.  We swam, we kayaked, we dove, we ate, we slept… we enjoyed peaceful time together.  

And then we headed home.  This morning, the warm greeting at LCP’s gate quickly washed away any end-of-vacation blues I may have been carrying to work with me. 

When I started this journal entry, I intended to review April and May’s events.  As I reflect on this whirlwind of experiences, I realize it has become a tribute to Jacques.  While this was not my intention, it makes perfect sense.  We have had a very awesomely… maddeningly… amazingly full summer mostly due to Jacques’ creativity and ability to “make things happen.”  I’m grateful to have selected a partner that has a knack for consistently improving himself (and me!) and the atmosphere around him.   

The boys this morning summed it up best…  when I’m with Jacques, no matter where we are in the world…  I am home.