An Emotional Goodbye to Zarraga NHS
So much has happened over the last few weeks that it would take writing a book to capture them all. So for the sake of brevity (that was one of the concepts Ma'am Jenn's English class was covering while I was there) let's skip to the end. Nothing about this day was typical. To start, i over slept so I was rushing to get out of the hotel. I knew that this would be a long and emotional day, and I just felt an overall unease. As I scarfed down my breakfast, I saw a sign that all would be okay.
When I got to school I was immediately able to relax. On the first Monday of each month the teachers dress in the traditional outfits of other southeast Asian countries. Unlike when teachers dress up in the US, usually in a silly or otherwise informal way, these teachers were rocking it. During the morning flag ceremony, every time a teacher came out in costume, the students roared. It was beautiful to see the students so appreciative of the teachers being dressed up. The first teacher I saw was Miss Jenn who completely took my breath away. Over and over, I couldn't believe how good everyone looked.
I was supposed to have the morning off, but I requested to come in and observe as many classes as I could. I wanted to make sure to spend as much time as possible with the students and teachers who welcomed me so unconditionally. I first observed a religion class which was beautiful to watch. While we don teach value education for a number of reasons, it was actually nice to see it in practice.
Next was Ma'am Jenn's English class. This was really cool to watch. She has perfected making the students comfortable and relaxed while also maintaining boundaries, which is so hard for a young enthusiastic teacher. She was covering a number of topics in English and was pulling kids to the front of the room to act them out. She selected a male and female student to basically flirt with each other by giving compliments. The students were so comfortable and were having so much fun acting things out in class. Again it was evident that I was in a masterful teacher's class.
After some other very impressive observations, trip to a private school to talk to teachers and students, and an interview with the school newspaper staff (they asked some very good questions) it was now time for my farewell party. If my welcome party was any harbinger of what to expect, I was in trouble. My hope was that I could say a quick goodbye without much fanfare or interruption to the day, but my experience with the Ilonggo people taught me that reserved was out of the question.
The event itself is a bit of a blur due to the emotional nature of what transpired. First, Ma'am Jenn, the emcee, said some nice words, then the show got rolling. First some teachers presented some small gifts after reciting a reading to me. They were figurines of a horse-drawn carriage, a jeepney and a tricycle to remind me of the ingenuity of the Filipino people. Then came the dances. Not the students, but the teachers. Two different groups of teachers performed, much to the delight of the students who feverishly cheered for them. Not surprisingly, I was asked to dance with each of the teachers. No problem.
Then it was my turn to speak. What could I say? I told them I loved them. I told them that i would return (which I have every intention of doing), and I repeated to them as much Filipino and llonggo as I could in an attempt to honor them. This was hard as I was so emotional given all that was transpiring.
We then played some games. The first (I can't remember the name of this one) was akin to breaking a pinata full of candy. The second, "Going to the Market" was basically a relay race and an excuse to have me dressed as a woman. We won that one. Then it came time for the giving of gifts. I was not prepared for this. The first to give were the 12th grade students who I had the pleasure of teaching. I was so touched by their presentation to me that I was...so many things: touched, speechless, overjoyed, humbled.
Then it was time for the students to dance. First, the school dance team came on stage and performed a number in which, not surprisingly, I was grabbed and pulled up in front of the class to perform. It was a beautiful number and when it was done, we hugged and kissed.
This was followed by an announcement that if any student wanted to give me anything, they could approach the stage. It was such a nice gesture when students began coming up and handing me beautifully constructed cards. But it didn't stop. When my hands were full, a teacher came over and took them from me so that I could continue to accept the cards, posters, and other gifts that students had prepared for me. It brought tears to my eyes. As each student handed me their cards, they thanked me for coming, shook my hand, or hugged and kissed me. I originally thought that they had been forced to do this by their teachers (which some of them might have) , but after reading them, I don't think that was generally the case. If it was, students went above and beyond. I received roughly 10-15 pounds of letters, each one masterfully and creatively constructed.
After what seemed like an endless stream of students, it was time to revisit the dance that the students so masterfully performed for my welcome (I posted this individually). They seemed so happy and so proud to be sending me off in such a fashion. The only thing left to do was to say goodbye. Again, Ilonggo hospitality proved that they are the nicest, most thoughtful people that I've ever met. The entirety of the school sang to me.
As they sang, I could see some students in the back making hearts with their hands. I blew them a kiss and there was almost a stampede to catch try and catch it. It was very cute. I communicated non-verbally with as many of them as I could knowing that there would never be enough time to talk to all of them. After the song ended there was a great cheer, then the part they were all waiting for came. After Ma'am Rita gave her closing remarks (she was with me for most of my stay in Iloilo, putting her life on hold to care for me), it was announced that any student who wanted a picture with me should come to the stage. I then took selfies for what seemed like hours. I would have stayed for days. More hugs, more kisses and more selfies, then it was time to go.
How do you possibly decompress from such an emotional day? Video karaoke of course.
After some singing and dancing with those people who I truly think of as family (I call Sir Zoilo my older brother while he calls me his bigger brother) , it was time to retire to my hotel where I spent the night reading the cards that the kids wrote and wiping tears away. I actually had to pay extra baggage fees to take all of the cards back to Manila. I was happy to do it.
It will be some time before I can truly express how the people here made me feel. I can only hope that the exchange was (or will be) somewhat equitable. Whenever we interact with someone, I believe it changes the course of our lives. My life has been so profoundly changed by the people here, it will take awhile to appreciate how different my life is now having interacted with them. I can only hope that they benefited at all by having met me.
