The Filipino Way of Getting To School

The Filipino transport system is unlike any other. If you're not native to the Philippine Islands then you're sure in for a culturally mind-boggling treat. It's time to put yourself in other people's shoes. Black Filipino school shoes that is. Get a glimpse on what it's like being a Filipino student (Not the ritzy ones).

Walking

That's right. Good old walking. We're not so different after all.
It is definitely preferred by the average Filipino family to enroll their children at a nearby school for financial reasons. Some would even move homes near the schools their children are enrolled to for convenience. A closer school equals walkable distance. A walkable distance equals no need for fare money. For this the only things needed are a good pair of sturdy shoes to last the whole school year and a convenient water container to make sure you don't pass out from dehydration on the way. 

A group of girls on their way to school.

Motorcycles

This vehicle is a very popular means of transportation not only in the Philippines but potentially the world. It's fairly easy to learn to drive one of these things not to mention its relative cheapness. There's a high probable chance you'll see one in every household you'll encounter in smaller cities. As a mode of transportation, this is ideal for students trying to get to their schools considering the crazy traffic that is ever so rampant here in the Philippines and these things get through traffic like a knife cutting through butter. Early in a Monday morning you will definitely see a student being driven by his dad or his brother.

Tricycles

This vehicle might be new to you if you're not southeast Asian. Behold the Tricycle. 'Tri' referring to the extra third wheel attached to a cart which is attached to a motorcycle. A cultural innovation indeed. You'll probably see different versions of this in neighboring southeast Asian countries. Try to look them up.
In different areas here in the Philippines you will see different assortments of this vehicle. Some carry six passengers. Some seven, eight even but commonly these colorful motor powered carts usually just carry about five. An efficient and a less time-consuming vehicle. As a student myself I basically owe this hunk of rolling metal technically my success on getting to school on time. Fare is a whooping cheap price of  PHP 7.00  or roughly 0.18 US dollars. Crazy isn't it? And never underestimate these things. These things are durable.  From  rough roads to flooded muddy paths this baby endures it all. 

Special thanks to Manong Driver. Just cruising.

PUJs

The PUJ or the Public Utility Jeep I would say is  the most popular means of transportation in the Philippines. You are not Filipino if you have not ridden in one of these they say. There's a high probable chance you'll see one in every city here in the Philippines. The inside of this majestic vehicle can carry a maximum of twenty to thirty people depending on the vehicle's size. The size will vary in specific places. I ride these four times a day. Getting to school and back. The fare on these range from PHP 8.00 to a max of PHP 20. It is important to note that the law requires drivers to give fair discounts to students and to senior citizens.

A small sized PUJ.

How Filipino Students Eat Lunch

Some people out there might not have a clue on how the Filipino youth today is being fed in school, this blog post will give those people an idea on how we, the Filipino youth, eat at school.

'Bring your own lunch' system

This practice is very common in the Philippines. The students (majority of the population) will wake up as early as 4:00 AM to prepare their food for breakfast and lunch. Being an Asian country, the Philippines' staple food is rice. From breakfast to dinner, rice will always be served whether your at a restaurant, a side sit-in food place or just at home. The students pack their food in small containers together with the rice. Unlike other countries, Filipino schools usually don't have a cafeteria that's big enough to hold all students during lunch, so the students just usually eat their lunch in their classrooms or outside at a carenderia or a small sit-in food restaurant.

'Buy your lunch at school' system

Most schools here in the Philippines have indoor canteens that serve children their snack foods and lunch food every school day. The students buy their rice and main food in these canteens. The canteen usually just pack or put the food in small plastic bags, for convenience sake. But, extreme usage of these plastic bags are the most likely cause why the school's garbage dumps exceed over-filling on a daily basis.  

Rainy School Days in the Philippines- A Filipino Student's View

Being an island nation in the tropics, the Philippines and the Filipino people are fortunate enough to be  given only two seasons to deal with throughout the whole year.
The rainy season sucks most especially for commuting students.Yes, we do know that the rain is a divine blessing sent from God himself that nourishes the Earth and replenishes the depleted resources the wild scorching heat of the dry seasons cause. But, it is the nonetheless an inconvenience for traveling.

Rain or Shine?

The weather today can never be predicted. Let me share a story. Yesterday, I woke up to a beautiful lullaby sung by the soft caressing rain. So here I am getting ready for school feeling all good and refreshed thanks to the rain (I'm a pluviophile) and I decided to bring an umbrella expecting that it would probably rain all day long. So I brought a big umbrella to school. When I got to school the roads were already flooded. (Here in the Philippines, it sure do flood a lot!) Lucky for me I know how to maneuver myself in tight muddy roads without getting inconveniently wet. At 12 noon (Lunch break) the rain had already stopped and the sun was already scorching hot (Wet floor + Hot sun rays = Humid air), An unexpected turn indeed. I go home every lunch break because I live near my school. At home I decided to leave my umbrella because seeing how hot it was already I figured I could leave it because I figured bringing a big umbrella was just pain in the neck. When I got back to school, all seemed well until 4 pm when classes were about to end, the sky turned dark and strong rain poured... Regardless I really wanted to go home so I decided to enjoy the rain soaking everything in my school bag and ending up with me getting a bad cold.

Why, Oh Why???

As we all know climate change is ultimately changing our world as we know it. When I was younger the dry seasons were just that, dry. The rainy seasons were, well, wet. But now things are taking a different turn, the national meteorologic agency of the Philippines (PAGASA) has officially announced 

that the rainy season has officially begun but it's not to be a shocking matter when you experience scorching hot days and ankle-deep flooding at the same time. It is not hidden that climate change is greatly affecting our daily lives and is becoming more serious as time goes by.

Typhoons and the Government

In Manila, as I see on news shows, they quickly experience heavy floods when rain starts to pour down. The government doesn't usually cancel classes when it rains but when a Typhoon is present, the government issues a cancellation to prevent accidents from the strong winds and strong down pour. Anywhere in the country that is under a storm surge signal (Signal No. 1-4 depending on the strength of prevailing winds) will immediately issue cancellations in classes.

What we can do

To everyone who is reading this, you can help prevent serious damage to the environment caused by climate change through small acts. Throw garbage properly, plant trees. Anything from small to big will make a difference. Just try because as we all know, one spark can start a fire. Peace.

Homework - A view from a Filipino student

Have you ever wondered how Filipino High School students do their homework? Have you ever wondered what the differences could be between homeworks here in the Philippines and homeworks from your country? If you have then the answer to those questions are simple. Homeworks here in the Philippines are no different from where you come from.

Homework or Assignments

Most of schools here in the Philippines commonly call homeworks as "assignments''. The term homework is almost never used in my Province. Now if you're wondering if Filipino students can speak English, then the simple answer to that question is Yes, a big big Yes! For those who do not know English here in the Philippines is an everyday tool in life. Most educational and non-educational books are written in English. From product labels and instructions to street signs, everything is written in English. 

How assignments work here in the Phils.

Assignments are given to students by their teachers to further deepen their knowledge on a specific lesson or topic and are usually passed on the next day. Usually sheet works and the common 'answer this' portion the text book. Assignments, in my case, are given almost daily. Unlike foreign systems, Filipino students do not choose their subjects and schedules. We sit through 8 hours a day in the same classroom with the same classmates and learn the same things from 8 different subjects. Each subjects are taught by different teachers depending on the school. (Some schools in poorer regions have limited teachers.) Almost everyday, a maximum of 8 assignment from each subjects are given to us students in my class. 

A Common "Problem"

In my classroom (and probably most classrooms in the Phils.), almost half of the 45 students in my class do not do their assignments on the assigned day. Because of this, the students usually become very hectic on the that day trying to answer all the assignments and because this is so, students usually tend to cheat and copy answers from those who have done their assignments. In my class, this is a daily occurrence. The reason for this problem is primarily the big old LAZY sickness.

The only solution, I think, to this problem is a little hint of something that I like to call Willpower. With respect to the awesome teachers who dedicate their days for the youth, they are never the ones to be blamed because the assignments they are always giving are never hard. As a Filipino student myself, I can admit that I too am pretty lazy. This is not something anyone should be proud of and I'm currently trying my best to fix this problem. If you think you have this problem too then try to fix that problem step-by-step. Slowly, you will achieve your goal. Peace.

The Filipino Student

   Being a high school student anywhere in the world is no joke and being a Filipino high school student is no joke either. From homes to schools, we, the Filipino youth, are raised and trained to be hard-working and productive citizens of the world. My name is Earl and I'm going to blog about the everyday High School life of a Filipino student starting now.

   

    The Philippine education system (until 2012), unlike from other countries, used to be comprised of 1 year of nursery school, 2 years of Kindergarten, 6 years of Elementary School, 4 years of High School and finally College (years may vary depending on the course or the field the student is studying). But recently in 2012, the Philippine government changed the system to the 'K-12' education system similar to that of the US and Australia. All students who graduated Elementary school on School Year 2011-2012 were the first batch to expreience the new system. I consider myself very fortunate to not have reached the new system for the reason that the new system adds 2 more years of High School which means 2 more years worth of money to be spent on Fare, food, Etc. 

   I am now in my 4th year of High School (last year of High School before I go to College). I graduated Elementary School in S.Y. 2009-2010. Elementary school was not very challenging for me compared to High School. My class is mostly composed of 16 year olds and a few 14-15 year olds (I'm 15 years old). I don't have any classes today  because today is Sunday.Classes here in the Philippines is different compared to most countries. In public schools (where I go to school), 30-80 students in the same year-level are assigned into one classroom together to form a what we call 'Section', where they become permanent classmates until graduation. Students do not choose there own subjects and time schedules. The teachers rotate their schedules to teach their subject to one classroom in one specific hour of the day and to another classroom in another specific of hour and this system usually goes on throughout the whole school year. The first subject usually starts around 7:30 am for a whole hour then another subject after that hour. Students go to school as early as 6 am everyday to prepare for classes and goes home mostly around 5 pm. This is a daily schedule. At 12 pm, we have our 1 hour lunch break where we chat together about class and "finalize" homework. Then at exactly 1 pm classes usually resume. All in all there are about 8 subjects us students sit through throughout the whole day and classes usually end on exactly 4 pm  everyday.

  The life of a Filipino student does not stop here. I still have so much to discuss about being a Filipino High School student. So please watch out for more of the yet-to-come blog posts I'm going to post here if you want to know more of how being a student here in the Philippines can be quite stressful and enjoying at the same time. Peace.