America; Land of Free or Of Freebies?
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Posted:Apr 19, 2010 7:08 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2010 6:44 am 31000 Views
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Let us start by saying that, life near or within the border is entirely different from the life far from this fence that serves as the reason of too many cries, anguishes and pains. Reasons and after reasons can be heard to justify every stand coming from the "secarios" of Mexico and the feds who protect the US interest. In the end, one thing is certain. Border is the place where you lost all your rights. It might be human, citizen or civil rights. "Nada" forget about it! You will be glad to meet respectful men in uniform who will politely inform and ask for your permission to search your possessions. The rests they will use their uniforms to coerce and threaten every individual they come across with.Before it will slip my mind,this act of disrespect never happens to everybody. It is common to everybody who got black eyes and hair. Never to any golden blond and blue eyes.A good picture of a "crappy" system motivated by racism and not by critical analysis or by dedication to the expected service.
I am a silent witness and recipient within this frame. Every time I drive to Tucson, I have to pass by the scrutiny of the guards in the border crossing. I notice that together with the new structure they built near "Tubac" is the aggressiveness to violate the code of conduct. Everytime I approach the giant white structure of the checkpoint, I am expecting a new drama of foolish questioning brought by underdeveloped "pea brains" standing by the side of the I-19. I found it funny than irritating. I am enjoying it because I always see the big difference of the regards I receive if I am driving with my "gringo" husband beside compared to I am driving alone.If I am with my husband, they just nod their heads and bid us good day but if I am alone, I have to stay for a while to answer at least 3 questions or more. Knowing that answering the officer questions is an option rather than an obligations I do answer anyway to make things faster. However, there are times that answering will not also speedy my pass but would cause for more questioning.
Yesterday after hearing the 8 o'clock mass, I decided to drive another 20 miles to pick breakfast in an old Cow Palace near Green Valley. I was stopped in the border crossing for the reason that my car got a alert. I was commanded to stay in their office as the go through my papers and as they dismantle my car into pieces. From where I was seated surrounded by five officers I was seeing 6 border patrols and 2 custom officers inspecting, going and crawling on,in and under my car. I was smiling because they looked a whole bounce of paranoid weirdos who searched in vain. My attention was diverted by the officers near me who struck me with series of questions like, what I am doing here in Nogales, since I am married am I going to take K,L,R (R? whats that?) and so on visa...Crappy questions. The one that had gotten me was i overheard two officers wondering where Phil. is. They thought its near Africa!!!Another asked me "when did you learn to speak English?" whahahahahaha. INTERESTING!!!!Eventually, I had seen one officer dug into the truck of my car. He unfolded a whole bunch of goodies and canned foods for my wolves that I had gotten from Costco last Saturday. They looked at each other and went back to me. To regain their pride one officer told me to "please unload my stocks from the truck when I got home". Obviously, they realized that what caused their sweet to bark in my car was the smell of threats and food coming from my truck. Their might be well trained but it is still who will salivate at the smell of jerkies and threats prepared for the dogs palate.
It was one small drama that I am used to. Infact some of the officers faces are already familiar to me since they keep on stopping me every now and then. With modesty, I already knew how to get through them. One sweetest smile and an air of flirting will always prove that they are still those weakling men who will melt down at the sight of thigh and cleavage. I stop asserting my words rather I opt to assert my feminine asset and it works!!!.
Is America land of Free? I DOUBT it!!! Is this a Land of Freebies? Absolutely!!! Those who will read this. I knew that You understood what I mean. Literally and figuratively you will see and witness the reality around everyday.
Good Day!!
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Blogging Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
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Posted:Apr 18, 2010 2:02 pm
Last Updated:Apr 19, 2010 6:30 am 31618 Views
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FFF has actually ignited my passion for blogging. I can still recall around three years back, I found my way and earned several friends in this site through blogging. I also first met my hubby here though he is not as active as I in FFF. Let me regress my topic about my husband. He was an fff member but just too tired to get into the depths of this site. He sent a lone message to a "sweet smiling" member who caught his attention (that's me nyahahahaha) and unexpectedly met here in the same Department here in AZ and eventually said "I Do!!". Going back to blogging, I extended my passion in my classroom instruction. I created a blogsite for my class and eventually, I unfolded the desire and passion of my students to write. Like FFF, I serve as the censor personnel who takes control of what will appear in our page. Whats the point of my post? This is to highlight the merits of blogging and express my awe to the great influence of virtual community in making or breaking ideas.
Its nice to be backed here in bloglandia. I am wishing everybody Blogger a warm day all the way from AZ.
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A Big Diffference
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Posted:Jan 18, 2010 7:48 pm
Last Updated:Jan 20, 2010 4:38 pm 30326 Views
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If there is one thing I learned from being married, it is that living with another person day and night requires a whole lot of adjustments, negotiations and multitudes of patience. True that I am claiming that marriage did change my lifestyle but I just realized that change or rather changes have integrated themselves subtly that I was not able to notice their distinctions. Circumstances will just manifest and leave me without a choice. Since, arguing is not my forte, I apply the sense of timing in order to move my cause. Part of my cause is making a major decision for my career. Most of the time I do my job not because of obligation but most of time it is because of the accountability that I accepted. In line with the same concept, accountability will sometimes take time to accomplish. Often, I will leave to another destination of my journey after I accomplish all that are supposed to be done in my vocation.
The beginning of the school year had proven to be difficult for me because I entered into a pact with my better half--to move to another city after this year. I dont want to leave yet because I believe that I am not yet done with the things that I am supposed to do. Eventually, this year will about to end soon. My director have been discussing with me our plans and projects for the next year. I had lump in my throat whenever I thought of the day that He will ask me to sign my new contract. The time did come. I asked for 1 week thinking period and I tried to discuss things with my husband. You can imagine all the disagreement and head cracking deliberations which ended into dreaded silence of the whole home. Our first silent war of will.
I was determined, I have to stay for another year. I signed my contract for the next school year and prepared myself for the worst to come inside our home. The typical me---stubborn and determined. My decision was revealed at home and husband shrugged his shoulders. I won.
This simple scenario had led my husband to a realization of his former impression about Filipinas. He thought that Filipina wives will only say yes and will remain obedient to their husbands but he had proven himself wrong. He was laughing while he was telling me his impression. He can not believe that his little Filipina wife will beat his principles in life. In the end, I acknowledge the value of giving in in marriage but blind obedience are words not found in my vocabulary. I always believe in love and I have given up a lot for the sake of love. However, giving up doesn't include forgetting my identity. It always makes a big difference if a woman can stand up for herself.
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A TEACHER'S CHRISTMAS REFLECTION
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Posted:Dec 19, 2009 7:00 am
Last Updated:Jan 13, 2010 5:18 am 30481 Views
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The joys of being a teacher that no money can buy are seeing the students having progress and awareness of the real essence of life and receiving back the love and gratefulness in whatever ways students might express them. As a teacher, the best thing to do is to be prepared with the unexpected. 
Today, I already knew that the craziness of Christmas will happen. Squirming, squeaking and jumping middle schoolers were terrorizing our classroom. My tension and stress levels were fast rising as I searched for my assistant. I was wishing that the day will fast forward to dismissal period. Inshort, I wanted to scape the time of Christmas program because my patience was vanishing. My tolerance level was very short due to hormonal turmoil brought by my monthly cycle. Tough!!! but I managed to smile anyway. Things went on and on. Students exchanging gifts and cards, gulping on pizzas, diving on tremendous piles of chips (gosh) smearing the carpet with sodas and playing out loud their favorite mexican music.It was a total wild and riotous party. I kept on watching the clock hoping that I will be saved by the bell of dismissal. HUHUHUHUHU!!!
Anyway, I was able to affirm and confirm (again) that teachers are always the apple of students' eyes and attention. They are very observant with teachers' ways, wants, mannerisms and dislikes.
Proof # 1:
My brood surprised me with a simple skit they prepared showing myself inside the classroom. They also prepared gifts for me. They gave me bags of chips and bottles of sodas----Oh my gosh!!!
They genuinely imitated (wow!!!) including the movement of my eyeballs whenever I am frustrated.
Everybody was laughing reaaaallllllyyyyyyy loud with my reaction.
Proof # 2:
The truth is; I never like sodas and chips. I dont know but my taste buds and preferences cant take them in my system. Even my husband found it fantastically impossible. I got a packet filled with bags of assorted chips and bottles of sodas. I was not able to hide my dismay when I had seen the content of the present. It made my students extremely glorious for they achieved their objective(waaaaaaaaaaaahhh). For the sake of curiousity, I asked my students how they knew that those are my dislikes considering that I had never shown publicly any obvious hint of chips and sodas distaste. Their united voices told me that they have been observing and noticing it for almost two years now. They cant remember a time that I picked a chip or held a glass of soda in so many occassions that we have those junkies in our trips, parties and outings.They also knew that I will end up distributing those bags of chips and bottles of sodas back to them.Hahahahahaha.
It was the funny side of my students and I was truly overwhelmed with piles of gifts and cards of all sorts on my table after the day. I got an incredible amount of M and Ms (my favorite), body wash of all kinds, kitchen ric-a-racs, blankets, perfumes, books and a lot more. It took longer for me to load all my treasures inside my car when I was going home. My coteachers were laughing because I was literally dragging a huge plastic bag out of my door. I was glad that no bags of chips and bottles of sodas left too.
When I came home, I asked my husband to help me unload things. He was teasing me about my students intentions and motives in giving me all those gifts. I did not mind his provoking jokes because last year I had the same scene during christmas.I retained some of my boys,failed some of my girls, suspended some traviesos and made some prepare a 20 page research on the importance of homework with only God can count how many revisions. Still, we are fine.
In my work, there are many heartaches and frustrations but as I look at the gifts piled in my living room, cards I kept in a special binder, posters painted by my students hanging on the wall and poems composed for me, I realized that the bad moments are just a fraction of the joys these have been giving back to me. I may not be receiving the highest salary that should compensate my labor but the rewards of happiness and dignity are more than enough to keep me going and look forward to every new day to come.
If I will be asked to choose another life in the future, I will never hesitate to choose once again the life of a TEACHER.
From my soul and spirit, I thank all my students who have been teaching me to become a better teacher everyday.
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FINALLY, IT'S OVER!!!
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Posted:Dec 17, 2009 9:07 pm
Last Updated:Dec 19, 2009 7:15 am 30906 Views
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School ends tomorrow. I just finished packing my tiny gifts for my brood. Thank you to the luck I got from the secret card of Victoria Secret. The value was enough to get those tiny sprays and lotions that will surely delight my teeners.My boys got the tiny roller blades that many of their age are getting crazy now.
Whew!!! The busiest week will finally end and I am excited to spend my two-week winter break. I want to take my time with the break because right during the first day of class this coming 2010, I will have marathon of meetings and Special Education program evaluation lining up in my sched.
I want to get enough sleep in time for the day of my "execution" with the state evaluators.Meantime, I am convincing myself to think highly of break, break and break. Forget about work!!!!
Happy Hoidays to Everyone here.
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PETS CAN BE FRUSTRATING
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Posted:Dec 9, 2009 5:49 am
Last Updated:Dec 9, 2009 6:07 pm 29925 Views
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I have been living with pets as far as I can remember. I got rabbits, cats and dogs and not just one or two but quite a number of them. In dealing with pets, I have known one thing. They can give happiness and frustration as well. Since they are animals, they play and destroy things.
Here in US, I am blessed with two lovely wolves-husky mixed ( Mexican Gray and Tundra) wolves and two lovely savana-bengal breed cats. They came in my life one after another. They were gifts from my husband's . My wolves (Maya and Hawkeye) are celebrities wherever we go and passersby will always stop to greet them or sometimes take a picture with them. They seem to enjoy their celebrity status too. As an owner the compliment is always extended to me.
However, my two playful wolves are always wolves who got some wild nature. They sometimes thought that everything outside our door is for them to play, tear and make fun of. Well, they are wolves and they do not have any discretion about hpw valuable things are.( waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!)
Yesterday.
The package that contains some books I ordered from amazon was left by the delivery man outside our door and they had their good time tearing all the contents of the box. When I arrived, I was greeted with torn pages of the books scattering all over the yard and the two wolves chasing each other while tossing some pages on air. They left nothing except torn pages.((:
I was so devastated, frustrated and enraged. I tied them both and decided not to give them food. Wolves are vry intelligent. They knew when they messed up and they are on timed out. They looked sorry but it did not console me.
However, I love my wolves. As I seated on our stairs looking at them I realized that they are animals and what I lost were books that I can still reorder. I stood and walked to them and when I smiled, Maya stood and gave me her signature hug.Hawkeye followed.My heart melted.Forgiveness was given. We reconciled (hahahaha). After few minutes all three of us were seen walking up to the hill for our daily afternoon walk.
My husband shrugged his shoulder and shook his head while watching me and my pack.
I reordered the books and this time I have it delivered in my workplace.
There is frustration but my pets still enrich my life daily.
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MISTAKEN IDENTITY: HEIGHT or something else
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Posted:Dec 6, 2009 8:49 am
Last Updated:Dec 7, 2009 7:15 pm 30600 Views
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I was in the midst of delivering a morning sermon on "responsibility and accountability" when I saw our principal behind the glass door motioning me to come out. I saw her urgent facial expression and automatically I scanned in my mind the events that happened previously. Everything seemed okey. No troubles but I went out anyway.
She pointed the new photographs of my students exploration that I posted on our bulletin board. There's nothing wrong with the photos until she asked me to identify the student in blue baseball cap and white ASU shirt. She was so melodramtic while telling me that she never remembered that we have that new student and we are only allowed to bring our officially enrolled students in any explorations we have. I was laughing and I agreed that she is not a student because she is a teacher. The girl is ME besides my towering boys. It was hilarious and it was not the only time that this same incident happened.
I experienced being dragged by our 4th grade teacher while she was instructing the students to line up and pay attention. Our director was looking for the Middle school coordinator while I was seated in the seat next to my class listening to the announcement.The U of A librarian asked for the teacher of the class who was facing her while I stood right in front of her. Parents informing the office that the teacher of their is not around to answer their questions. So on and so forth!!!!
This predicament happens because all thought I was a "LITTLE GIRL or ONE OF THE GIRLS" in class. I have enough of these "little girl" misconceptions. I asked another petite ( she is shorter than me) in the 3rd grade if she experiencing this mistaken identity as often as I am. She was laughing and told me so far "NO".
POR QUE? Meaning it is not the height issue.
I go further in my investigation and asked both my fellow teachers and students.
Here are their answers:
* You never wear make up or even lipstick.(shocks!!!)
* You comb your hair very simple not like the bunch of curly crowns on head.(gosh!!!)
* You dont wear that very high heeled shoes.(ouch!!)
* You dont have that long artificial and clorful nails. (nyay!!)
* You dress comfortably not the tight fitting and sexy dresses.(Yay!!!)
* You dont have that different colors of flashy woman's bags with the blings on them. (what!!!)
* You look reaaalllllllyyyyyyyyy young in your age. (wow!!!)
Okey!!! Enough... my students were laughing when suddenly they shouted in unison.
MISS, WE ALWAYS RECOGNIZE YOU EVEN IF WE CAN NOT SEE YOU.
HOW? I asked.
WE LOVE YOUR SMELL.YOU ALWAYS SMELL SWEETLY AND YOUR SMILE IS AS SWEET AS YOUR SMELL.
Stop it!! I am convinced that you already learn your similes.I told my class.
However, they insist that their daily association with me made them familiar with the smell of my perfume and they always knew that it is the thing that makes me different from them. Whenever they smell me, the also knew that it is not the little girl who is around but Ms Jenny who will get them to suspension and fail them if they can not accomplish their tasks.
I guess there is truth in my students' observation. I was receiving mistaken identity from adults but everyday I receive compliments from students about my smell. Never that I remember a certain student who has mistaken me for a little girl.
Or Maybe it just take one to know one.
I am not certain. AS to the little girl identity, most of the time I am taking it as a compliment from the adult community but it is also a disadvantage specially if I will be dragged and be shouted to get in line.
Lastly, I am certain that the issue is not a matter of HEIGHT but it is something else.
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Of Culture and Religious Beliefs (inspired by eb1209 blog)
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Posted:Dec 3, 2009 8:15 pm
Last Updated:Dec 6, 2009 8:41 pm 30838 Views
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I was moved by Ate Elz (eb1209) blog, Him and I, and I had a mixed emotion towards the very reason of saying goodbye. I really can not found some exact words to gather and organize my opinion about the issue of cultural and religious practice that a certain group should adhere no matter how professional and adept the members might be to the modern trend of this educational oriented world. It is not a matter of taboo but it is a matter of commitment not the practices alone but to the family who molded and defined each member's being.
I ended remembering and becoming honest to the very reason why my own dad had disowned and "punished" me for a long time. My dad was formerly a chieftain of an ethic tribe in Mindanao. My grandfather and the whole clan had worked hard in order to send my dad to a prestigious university to become the first member to obtain education. My dad is exceptional because behind the ethic origin he is naturally intelligent that he was able to hurdle the university requirements with ease and flying colors. He went back to pursue the interest of his tribe and he was finally given the honor to hold the highest position. However, my dad had disobeyed some major rules when he converted himself to Christianity and married my mom. It broke the heart of his whole tribe but he continued to serve and promised to offer back his first born to the customs and practices of his roots. Luckily, the first born is me.
I was groomed through our tribes practices, beliefs and cultures.Expectedly, the bethrotal was also set between me and the of another chieftain. I was conditioned that my fate was also prepared but as I further my education I knew that I will never be who they wanted me to become. I disobeyed (like my dad) everything set and I stayed away from the origin of my people. I never denied that I have with me the blood of my ancestors but I can not simply fulfill the fate that was supposed to be accomplished by my dad. I told my father that I can not pay what he owed to his people. It was a big, messy and chaotic crisis which moved around the world of embarassment in my dad's name. In the end, I stood firm to what I believe is good for and would make me happy. I endured the consequences for years and years but I never succumed to the circumstances. There were lots of dramas and coercions but it did not work on my behalf.
It was just a couple of years ago when my dad finally ceded to the fact that he can never let me do things that I did not found favorable to me. He accepted that his disobedience had bore fruits and I had gotten the very good portion of it. He had gotten into the point of admitting that education had changed him and the change had extended to us his . Afterall, I am his . I never forgot that I have with me the ethic blood and I always acknowledge that fact. I might had removed the veils and practices of my tribe but I never forgot that in one way or another I can be who I am and at the same time I can inspire specially the women of the tribe by showing that with perseverance and hard work there is a better place beyond housekeeping and rearing. Now, I am supporting the tribe through the scholarship I am extending to the students who aim to become somebody someday.I did not go to the path they prepared to for me but I have proven that my disobedience has given back more benefits to my people.
I had went back to grandparents and met my people who chastised me to death before and I have offered them a very good honor that they very proud of now. Wounds had taken times to heal but the humility to ask for apology had paved the way that many younger generations have been benefitting today. I am always proud eveytime I come back to my people because little as I am, I have brought them a new perspective to see and a new horizon to aspire. I am an educator who got a liberal views in life but I am also a member of indigenous tribe who is always proud of my people and my own identity.
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Give me a Break
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Posted:Nov 30, 2009 5:26 am
Last Updated:Nov 30, 2009 5:15 pm 30020 Views
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My baby and travel partner, Maya the Wolf.
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CATastically Beautiful
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Posted:Nov 30, 2009 5:21 am
Last Updated:Nov 30, 2009 5:30 am 28223 Views
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These are my camera shy Bengals, Coco and Bruno. Finally, I was able to capture them together. What a joy!!!
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