Malayo ka man, May Maitutulong din

Bilang mga Pilipino na namamasukan sa ibang bansa, hindi mo maiiwasan ang pangungulila sa mga mahal sa buhay na malayo sa iyong kasalukuyang kinalalagyan. Minsan, naiisip mo kung bakit kinakailangan pa'ng magtiis kung kaunting kaginhawaan rin lang naman ang hangad mo sa buhay. Bakit mo ba sinasakripisyo ang sarili mo'ng kaligayahan na makapiling ang iyong mga mahal sa buhay? Ganun nga ka ba ka higpit ang iyong pangangailangan na pati sarili mo'ng pamilya na kumalinga sa iyo ay kaya mo'ng iwanan? Sa totoo lang, mahirap sagutin ang mga katanungang yaon. Mahirap sapagkat alam mo na masasaktan ka sa sagot. Masasaktan ka sapagkat tunay na nakakatusok ng damdamin ang katotohanan na bubungad sa iyo.

Gaano na nga ba kalala ang kasalukoyang sitwasyon sa Pilipinas na kinakailangan pa natin na mangibang bansa para lang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga pamilya o ng ating sarili? Sari-sari ang sagot na maririnig mo sa mga katanunga'ng ito. Ngunit pakinggan mo lang ang bulong ng mga tao na nagiging pipi habang sinasakyan ang mga kaganapan ng ating bansa at ikaw ay mamamangha sa sasabihin nila. Hindi sila ang mga tao na tumatamasa ng magandang buhay. Sila ang mga tao na sa kabila ng lahat, hindi iniintindi ang kahirapan sapagkat hindi nila naihahalintulad ang kasiyahn na manatili sa sariling bansa kasama ang mga mahal sa buhay. Sila ang mga tao na patuloy na naniniwala na may malaking mga pagbabago na maaari pa'ng dumating sa ating bansa.

Sa totoo lang, naitatanong ko din sa sarili ko minsan kung bakit ko pa kailangan na manatili sa bansang ito. Bilang isang guro, alam ko na may malaking maitutulong ang aking kakayahan para sa ikauunlad ng ating bansa sa pamamagitan ng paghubog ng mga kabataan na siyang magiging kinabukasan ng ating bayan. Dito sa Thailand, ang bawat pasasalamat ng aking mga mag-aaral ay hindi lamang nagsisilbing pampalubag loob sa akin bilang guro. Higit pa diyan, ito ay nagmumulat din sa akin sa tulong na pwede ko'ng maidulot sa aking mga kababayan kung ako ay babalik sa Pilipinas upang magturo. Gayunpaman, mayroon pa rin akong dahilan sa aking pananatili at iyon ay upang hubugin ang aking sarili para magiging handa sa malaking mga pasubok na maari ko'ng harapin sa tuluyan ko nang pamamalagi sa Pilipinas. Hindi ako pwedeng magsalita ng tapos pero sa tingin ko, iyon ay mga dalawang taon mula ngayon. Aking adhikain na sa aking pagbabalik sa aking bayan na sinilangan, madadala ko ang mga bagong kaalaman na pwede kong ibahagi sa aking mga kababayan.

Sa ngayon, habang ako ay nasa ibang bansa, wala akong ibang magagawa kundi gampanan ng buong puso at walang pag-iimbot ang aking tungkulin bilang isang banyagang manggagawa na inaasahang huhubog at lilinang sa kaalaman ng mga itinuturing na kinabukasan ng aking bansang kinalalagyan. Bilang isang gurong pinoy, wala akong ibang maidudulot sa kanila kundi ang aking sigasig at dedikasyon na sila ay maihanda sa mga pagsubok na maaari nilang harapin bukas. At ngayon, ako ay nasisiyahan sapagkat nakikita ko na ang simula ng magandang adhikain ng mga Pilipino dito sa ibang bansa lalo na dito sa aming paaralan. Buklod ng iisang damdamin at kaisipan na maiangat ang sariling lahi, ang lahat ay handa nang tahakin ang landas tungo sa malaking pagbabago na siyang magpapamulat sa lahat ng tunay na diwa ng mga Pilipino. Nagkakaisa, kahit saan at kahit kailan. Sana, sa tulong ng bawat isa, ay aming magagampanan ng buong husay at sigasig ang aming mga gawain at sana ang pagkakaisang ito ay maghahatid ng magandang mensahe sa bawat isa sa amin at sa iba pang mga Pilipino sa mundo.

Bilang mga manggagawang Pinoy dito sa Thailand na tinataguyod ang sariling mga pangarap at ang mga pangangailangan ng mga pamilya sa Pilipinas, ito ang aming magiging handog sa bawat isa sa atin. Wala akong ibang hangad kundi ang tagumpay ng bawat isa.

New Classroom Technology: Interactive Board

"This is it class. This is what I have been telling. Technology would either help us in our lesson or would destroy our lesson. And right now, it's obviously destroying our lesson." This was my statement which stirred laughter in my Mathematics class last Monday.

This year, lots of teaching and learning facilities have been added in our school. One of them is the latest classroom technology called Interactive Board or IBoard. Through IBoard, a set of markers or a box of chalks are not needed anymore for anyone can write using one's fingers or the pens specially designed for it. Erasers are also not needed for one can easily erase a word, a sentence or anything written on it with just a single click. When using PowerPoint presentations,  slides can be easily projected on the board with additional features which enable the user to highlight, encircle or write on the slides to emphasize the concepts being taught.

In Mathematics, plotting points on the Cartesian Coordinate and graphing different kinds of functions is made easier through its geometry features. Additionally, drawing perfect circles and curves, straight lines and other geometric figures has never been that difficult by the help of the so-called smart pen which automatically transforms an imperfect shape drawn to a perfect one.

As a teacher, feeling worried for those students who were absent during the lesson has no place in this new technology. Everything you have done from writing something wrong to correcting them can be recorded and imported to a website or can be saved and converted to different file format according to the purpose. In short, the students who were not able to attend the class could access the lesson exactly as how it was taught by the teacher. This invention is truly amazing that it made me think how classrooms would look like few years from now. Maybe, Talking Board or TBoard would be introduced soon.

Interactive and interesting as it is, I still find it difficult to adjust with this latest technology for there are times wherein I don't know what to tap for a particular function. Attending a half-day training on using this latest technology wasn't enough to make myself abreast of its functions. I have been reading the manual but nothing could be compared to an actual practice wherein you become familiar of those different tools for specific tasks.

When I had my lesson last Monday, our supposed to be interactive learning experience with the new IBoard became a learning full of laughter and amusement as I and my students started to explore this hi-tech addition of teaching and learning facilities of our school. However, instead of focusing on my unfamiliarity of the gadget, I made the lesson more engaging by calling students to help me out in illustrating the difference of the graphs of exponential and logarithmic functions through the IBoard. The students were so enthusiastic. Thanks to this new technology. 

Inspired by a Broken Heart

I have always wanted to try but I am afraid to be hurt. Do I have to face my fear? Yes, I do have but I still believe that the right love will feel no fear. Inspired by those love-breaking songs, here's a piece of my soul... A sonnet that would always remind me to take extra care of my heart and of others'.

Loving you must be the most painful thing I’ve done. But I admit, I’m so happy to have known and love you even though you have never loved me. Maybe, my heart is in great pain because of love but still I love you just the same. I know I don’t have the right in your heart. I’m just a day-dreamer the one you never care. But it’s okay. What I only want you to know is I think of you everyday.

It’s really hard to know that it’s the end of our love story… I really feel so sad and lonely when I think of yesterday that would never come back. I really miss the good old days we used to share. I miss the smiles, our laughter and happy time together. It’s because of my love in you that I have to sit here in great sorrow. I think it’s time to go our own way. I cry my tears of regrets because you did not keep your promises. There’s no way to beg you to stay since I know your love already.

No one is supposed to be blamed just because we’re not in tune. At least, there are times when we used to love one another. But I don’t know if it was for real because as you’ve said, “Who are you to be loved?”. Maybe you’re right. Anyway, I’m just a simple guy who loves you. I am just someone whom you never loved. But what I have given to you is my best though it was not good enough for you.

You’re not satisfied of my love that’s why you looked for another one. For now, what I can do is to congratulate you and your new one. I’d never thought that something like this could happen and it’s the saddest thing in my life today. I’m happy that you’ve found found your love who is not me. All I could do is to think and dream of you in silent. Though I may not be you special one, I still want you to know that you’re to me. All I need you to know is I love you even if my heart is broken.

P.S. (Hugas Kamay) This is not a story of mine. This article was just inspired by the reality of the game of life.

OFW, Mabuhay ka!

Noong ako'y umuwi sa Pilipinas mahigit isang taon na ang nakalipas, may mga napansin akong mga pagbabago sa lugar na aking kinalakihan. Ang dating mga nakaladlad na mga lupain at hindi napapakinabangan ay naging mahalagang bahagi na sa kaunlaran na nagaganap.

Gayunpaman, sa kabila ng lahat, dinig ko parin ang mga hinaing ng karamihan sa ating mga kababayan. Tulad ng dati, marami parin ang nangangarap na makarating sa ibayong bansa at makalaya sa kahirapan na dinaranas sa sariling bayan. Tanaw ko man ang mga magagandang pagbabago sa aking sariling bayan sa panahong iyon, hinimok ko parin na ikasya ang aking mga paa sa tsinelas ng aking mga kababayan nang sa ganun ay lubos kong maunawaan ang kanilang mga buhay. Mahigit isang taon din akong nawalay sa kanila at simula noong ako ay umalis, nag-iba na ang buhay na aking tinahak. Ang mahigit isang taon na pamamalagi sa Thailand ay nakaimpluwensya na sa akin pati na sa pananaw ko sa buhay lalo pa't bilang isang magtuturo, hindi ko pweding ipagdiinan ang aking sariling paniniwala at pananaw sa aking mga mag-aaral at mga kasamahan sapagkat sila ay may sarili di'ng mga pananaw at kuro-kuro sa buhay. Hindi ko pweding ipilit na ako ay tama sapagkat ginagawa ko na ang mga bagay na ito sa Pilipinas bagkos ay kailangan kong yakapin ang aming pagkakaiba.

Kaya naman, sa aking pag-uwi ay unti-unti ko na namang binalik ang aking sarili sa kung saan talaga ako nabibilang sapagkat alam ko na walang kultura, lugar, karanasan, anyo o tagumpay na makakabago sa aking pagka Pilipino. Sabihin ko man na ako'y manhid at di nag-iisip, manunumbalik parin ang aking pagka Pilipino. Nakarating man ako sa ibang bansa, mas mahalaga parin ang buhay na aking kinagisnan.

Ilang araw ang lumipas, akin nang napagtanto ang buhay na aking iniwanan. Unti-unting bumalik sa aking ala-ala ang sari-saring mga dahilan kung bakit umalis ako sa sarili kong bansa noon. Kasabay nito, aking naintindihan kung bakit sa kabila ng mga magagandang pagbabago na aking nakita ay mayroon paring mga Pilipino na handang magsakripisyo na tahakin ang matirik na daan na tinatahak ng mga Pilipino na namamasukan sa ibang bansa. Muli kong napagtanto na pili pala ang mga pagbabago na aking nakita. Ang nakinabang pala sa mga dating tiwangwang na mga lupain ay pawang mga tao rin na dati nang matiwasay ang buhay. Akala ko ang mga bago at naggagandahang mga bahay na aking nakita ay pag-aari na ni Juan dela Cruz. Bagong mansyon pala iyon ni congressman dahil nagsawa na siya sa dati niyang mansyon. At eto pa, nabili pala ni mayor ang dating palugi na negosyo ni manong. Sa madaling salita, umangat ang dati nang nakaangat at nabaon ang dati nang nakalubog.

Sa kabilang dako, may nakita akong magagandang bahay sa di kalayuan na pagmamay-ari pala ni manang na ang anak ay nakapag abroad sa Hongkong. May isang malaking hardware naman sa di kalayuan na pagmamay-ari ni Jean na dating CPA at ngayon ay caregiver na sa Canada. Namangha naman ako at nasa pribadong unibersedad na si Nene kumukuha ng kursong Nursing. Sabi nila, nagkaroon na daw ng katuparan ang pangarap niya sapagkat nasa Kuwait na ang kanyang nanay na dating guro sa pampublikong paaralan.

Dalawampu't isang araw lamang ang bakasyon ko sa Pilipinas noon at gusto ko na sanang lumagi na lang upang sa ganun ay di na ako mawawalay pa sa aking pamilya. Sa totoo lang, masarap mamuhay sa lupa na maituturing mo'ng sa iyo. Walang hihigit pa sa mga panahon kung saan kasama mo ang iyong mga mahal sa buhay at sa mga sandali na ikaw ay nakakapaglingkod sa sarili mong bayan. Subalit, ang mga panahon na iyong nilagi sa ibang bansa habang tinutugunan mo ang pangangailangan ng iyong mga minamahal at isinasakatuparan ang sarili mong mga pangarap ay hindi rin mahihigitan ng mga panahon kung saan ikaw ay namamalagi sa Pilipinas at nakikita ang iyong mga mahal sa buhay na naghihirap ngunit wala kang magawa. Ayon sa isang OFW na nakausap ko, sa kanyang pangingibang bansa nasumpungan niya ang karangyaan ngunit alam niya na ang kaligayahan na kanyang hinahanap ay sa Pilipinas lamang niya matatagpuan at ito ay sa piling ng kanyang mga minamahal.

Malungkot ma'ng isipin ngunit ang katotohanan ay hindi natin maiiwasan na bilang mga Pilipino, kinakailangan pa nating mangibang bayan para lang maisakatuparan ang mumunti nating mga pangarap para sa sarili at sa mga mahal sa buhay. Ngunit sa kabila ng lahat, bilang mga OFW, ang atin lang pakaisipin ay nabuhay tayo sa mundong ito upang magsilbing inspirasyon ng lahat. Ang mga OFW ay mga Pilipino na nagmamalasakit para sa kapakanan ng pamilya, ng Pilipinas at ng buong mundo.

Mabuhay ang mga OFW!

Khun Pinoy's Thailand Teaching Adventure

Going abroad is a dream of almost every Filipino. Millions of Filipinos are scattered in every part of the world working in different fields. And yes, I am one of them. An ordinary Filipino citizen, I left my country full of ambition and hope for myself, my family and my country.

After learning that Thailand is opening its doors for foreign ESL/EFL teachers, I confidently crammed up my things and headed to the “land of smiles”. At first, making such decision was very hard since that would be my first time to stay away from my family. However, as I glimpsed on the brighter side of working abroad, I easily made my decision firm and immediately dealt with my passport and other preparations for my flight going to Thailand.

Things happened promptly that I woke up early one day joining the buoyant applicants in the field of language teaching. I really thought that things would turn out the way I expected them to happen but it was the other extreme. Contrary to what I believed, seeking for a job has never been that easy in Thailand. As twenty-year-old neophyte in the arena, I have encountered plenty of appalling incidents along the way such as the slur of not being entertained because I am not a Caucasian, the frustration of not being understood when asking for directions, the bleakness of applying in the remote areas in the provinces where nobody understands my purpose for coming in their school and many others. In all honesty, I was in an uphill struggle before I landed a teaching job in Thailand. However, I did my best to hurdle every impediment along the way just to find a shelter that would embrace my ambition of joining Thailand's international teaching force.

As any job-hunter would experience, my application in different schools has been turned down for various reasons (i.e. no vacancy, they need English native speakers only, I am too young, etc.). But still, I did not lose hope and continued to believe my dreams. Luckily, a Filipino acquaintance while attending Sunday mass in a Catholic church offered help by guiding me to a province called Samutsongkhram. That province is the smallest in Thailand composed of only three districts. Of all the schools I have visited that day, I was lucky enough to hear positive response from the head of the English Department of the last school I visited. Although she said that they already have two English native speaking foreign teachers from Canada and England, I could still sense her eagerness to hire another foreign teacher.

The following week, I received a phone call from that same school. They asked me to come for interview and teaching demonstration. Eventually, I passed in the interview and demonstration lesson with a unanimous vote from all English teachers in that school. That very day, I assured them that if given a chance to work in their school, I would do my best to showcase the ability of the Filipino teachers. I could still clearly remember how I reassured them that as a Filipino hoping to teach in Thailand, I would do my best not to disappoint my very own country and so their school. Yes, that sounded like an interview cliche.

That good news I received was not the end of my battle but the beginning of my real journey as an OFW. With my family's unending encouragement although they're very far and my conviction that life would not give me something I couldn't bear, I leaped over the challenge of teaching young Thai kids who have zero or very limited English. It was my first time to teach seven-year-old kids in an actual classroom situation and what added to that first time experience was the fact that most of those kids have just started learning English as their foreign language. Most of them could hardly utter even simple greetings in English. That experience was really challenging and very fulfilling at the same time especially when I heard them speak the language for the first time.

Over the months, I taught classes of different levels until I was permanently assigned in the 6th Grade. I showed great interest and respect to my students' culture, tradition, interests and identity and provided the help they needed whenever possible. I have been with them in almost every English contest they joined including the unforgettable Skit Contest which brought us to the provincial and national levels. In return, my students eagerly shared what they have by helping me understand their culture and feel happy about it. Interestingly, I learned Thai language from my students.

In the end, I have understood the real value of teaching abroad from my young Thai students. My perspective towards my profession has become more global and diverse. In the light of teaching, I have seen how my passion and dedication changed the lives of my students. I realized that my decision to go abroad has never been in vain for I have harvested more than what I have expected. As I look back the difference I made in my students' lives, I never thought of my main reason in coming to Thailand anymore for I got more than what I really wanted.

The following school year, my school hired another Filipino to work with me. However, after teaching there for one year and six months, I left for a better teaching opportunity and better pay in Bangkok. The best thing was their trust in me was still there although I was leaving because, for the last time, they asked me a favor to find a replacement who is a Filipino and if possible, "as good as me". I left that school with pride and looked forward for another bountiful experience to show my ability as Filipino teacher in a huge Catholic school in Bangkok, Thailand. So far, I just had my contract renewed last June 2009 for another one year and I am still looking forward on continuing my teaching career in Thailand for the next few years.

My being a Filipino will never end every time I leave the Philippines for wherever my fate brings me, my heart will always linger to my very own roots. Doing my best and expressing my passion to my host country would not necessarily mean that I am treacherous to my own country for every good thing I do for this temporary home of mine is a reminder that as an OFW, I give hope to our nation and I share blessings to the rest of the world.

Mabuhay ang mga OFWs!

Post Script: This blog post is an official entry to Pinoy Expats Blog Awards (PEBA) 2009. For more information about this award-giving body, click the image below