Our students' options for 9th grade included Romania, Switzerland, and Sri Lanka. Our 10th graders were given the choices of Thailand, the Phillipines, Nepal, and Cambodia. Early in the year, an email was sent out to teachers to gauge interested in chaperoning these trips. Shannon and I both volunteered and told the school that we would be interested in any trip option. Not long after, we were approached about going on a trip together. We agreed, and were told that we were going on the trip to Manila.
As the weeks passed, our colleagues told us that the Philippines trip was "one of the worst" from the standpoint of reputation and perception as being the trip that the "bad" kids went on. We quickly replied that this school's "bad kids" were in fact, no problem to us.
As the trip approached, we had a few meetings where we discussed our itinerary, our expectations for students, and behavior guidelines. Each of these meetings got louder and louder and students who I regularly saw as quiet and polite in class, morphed into beasts of some sort of wild pack. They, at their worst, were still nothing in terms of behavior problems compared to students we had taught in the past, but it was clear that this trip was going to have some serious highs and lows from that standpoint. As the weeks went by, we ignored email after email regarding preparation and planning. We ignored all recommended vaccinations, and all of the sudden, our trip was upon us. We backed some bags and hit the airport.
We got to the airport on Friday afternoon and the six chaperones shepherded 36 students through
check-in and baggage drop off. We collected and redistributed passports and Saudi entry/exit visas seemingly every ten minutes until we got them to the gate. When it was departure time, we did a quick headcount, and after seeing that we weren't missing any, proceeded to the flight.
Our flight there was a 10 and a half hour direct trip. There were babies crying, students switching seats, constant chattering, screaming, and general frustration. Passengers from our plane complained to the flight attendants about our students multiple times, and after a few conversations with them, we were able to get them to go from "unruly and frustrating" to "annoying but tolerable." That in conjunction with a mid-flight manic attack from a student resulted in a long night.
When we got to the airport in the Philippines doning our school issued trip shirts, I was quickly told by a local man that the symbol and image on our vertical Philippines flag on our shirt, as displayed, actually represented the word "war." How appropriate. We wrangled the kids through customs, baggage claim, and currency exchange. Basically, we did all of the things people hate about traveling, compounded by 36 students. It was frustrating, but we got it done.
Since we were there too early to check in to our hotel, our first stop was to a mall where the teachers
let the kids wander and had a meal to themselves. After a bit of time wandering, we went to the hotel and then had a presentation. We were partnered with a local NGO whose job was to help build communities through guidance programs, occupational training, and house building. We heard all about the program and its goals, and our students eagerly looked forward to the next day when we would start work.
As the next day came, we set off to the village. When we got there, there was a welcome dance prepared by the community's children. The community had representatives speak to us about their village and the program had representatives as well. After they were done, our students were led through 5 stations as a part of an "Amazing Race" style contest which focused on incorporating customs and traditions of our hosts, with team building activities. We had students eat boiled duck eggs, that in my opinion, were way too developed, as they had fully formed wings and bones. After that, we enjoyed a lunch prepared by the village and our kids spent the rest of the time playing with children from the village. I myself participated in playing basketball with some village teenagers. We played on an old rim made of bent rebar and their kids destroyed the children from our school. The rest of the afternoon was spent profiling the type of work we would be beginning the next day.
After that, we went back to the hotel and got showered up. We went to dinner at a mall across the street from our hotel. At night, when curfew time arrived at 9:30pm, the chaperones taped the doors shut for the students so we could tell who left throughout the night.
In the morning, we woke up to an early breakfast and went to the village again. When we got there, we set off to different job stations. One station involved digging in a giant pile of rocks, using a hollowed out bucket to bag the rocks, and moving them to a center cement area. Another group did the same with a giant pile of sand. Another group, a bit larger, went to an empty field, and worked on digging trenches with shovels, and pick axes. The trench would later be used as a foundation to pour concrete into. That first day of work resulted in whining, complaining, dirty teenagers, and even a little bit of hard work. A few of them even ended up with some blisters. After explaining what those were, we looked back on our work and whether due to the sheer number of workers, or my relentless shaming of those students who needed 9+ 20 minute breaks throughout the four hour work day, we got a lot done. I had to remind myself throughout the day, that this was the first time for many of our students, that they had done any form of manual labor. Most of them were born with multiple nannies, maids, drivers, landscapers, and a whole staff who did this work for them. We even had a students, who is a part of a prominent family here, bring along a bodyguard to shadow him throughout the trip. It was a reminder as to who our students were, and how unaccustomed they were to doing this type of work.
That night, I took a group of students with another chaperone to the mall again. We had some dinner
and then went to see the movie, Black Panther. Since Saudi doesn't have movie theaters yet, my group was quite large, and quite excited. We enjoyed the movie before making it back to the hotel for curfew, and of course, the ceremonial taping of the doors.
The next day was another work day, with increased effort, decreased whining, and even more accomplished. That day, we added in some concrete mixing. The students learned about mixing rock, water, sand, and instant concrete mixture. They transported the concrete using buckets and a human chain, and even laid some out and smoothed it. Only a few kids got heat stroke! It turns out grueling work+Mountain Dew+Flaming Hot Cheetos-water=passing out. Who knew?!
The following day, we took a bus to an inlet, and took motorboats to an island where we hiked a volcano. As we went up the side of a volcano, we saw steam spouting out of vents. The 25 minute hike resulted in three more students passing out due to lack of nutrition and water again. One was even taken to a local hospital. It was a hot mess. The students who made it up without incident, however, enjoyed the hike, and being in nature. Shannon had to explain to one that leaves falling on him from a tree were in fact, not harmful. Some of our students have such limited exposure to...outside.
That night, a group of students who had raised money for the village through independent bake sales, and fundraising, went to the mall with me and another chaperone and decided to buy a bunch of toys for the kids, and a new basketball hoop, not made of rebar. Their fundraising and generosity was inspiring to me, and to the other chaperones.
The next day was another workday. We mixed cement. We played music. We hung out with the kids. We had a great lunch of fried fish, mangos, rice, and vegetables. We spent more time playing with the kids and some even gave the kids in the village henna tattoos. It was a great bonding experience. In the afternoon, after we finished the work, we assembled the new hoop, which they loved, and played a few games of basketball with them. It was a transformative experience for me as a whole, and hopefully one for the kids as well.
On our final full day, we went by ferry to Corrigedor Island. The island was a hub for military outposts throughout its history. It served as a primary strategic location for the US troops during WWII. It served as a military hub in the Pacific campaign. We toured old historic barracks, weapons, tunnels, and a fort. We saw some museums dedicated to those who fought and lost their lives in the war. We saw a monument focused on General MacArthur's time there, and another museum that focused on horrific treatment of people during war. It profiled Nazi concentration camps, local treatment of Filipinos by Japanese soldiers, and other atrocities. It was informative, upsetting, and important.
The next day, we set off, after 8 days abroad. We brought back all 36 kids, without having lost any. No one was badly injured, and hopefully all of them were changed, at least a little bit, by the hard work they endured, by the poverty they saw, by the connections they made, and by their experiences. I had an incredible time with our students. I made stronger connections with my students. I met new people. I had new experiences. I got to push some students to do some things that they don't normally do, and I got to share frustrations, triumphs, and another adventure with Shannon.
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