And End and a Beginning
Tests are finished. Assignments are all turned in. Final grades are posted. Folders, binders, and lockers have been cleaned out. It must be summer!
It is so hard for me to believe that I’ve been here for the whole school year already! Though we have two more days (filled with award ceremonies and parties), I have survived (and thrived) during my first year of teaching at Faith Academy!
As I look back over this year and the transition to the Philippines, it has not been without its struggles. There have been moments of homesickness. There have been times when I had no idea who my friends would be. There have been hours upon hours of grading (and me wondering when I was going to get everything done). There have been struggles with students.
But, there have also been so many incredible things. There has been laughter. There have been jokes from my students. There have been warm hugs and gifts. There have been new adventures. There have been moments of discipleship and relationship-building.
We recently had a Middle School end of the year banquet, and I was sitting with some of my 6th graders. Afterwards, another staff member mentioned that he loved watching me interact with my students. My reply was, “They are why I’m here!” They have been such an incredible blessing to me. I have loved watching them grow up physically, academically, and spiritually throughout this year. As I look back on pictures from the beginning of the school year, I can’t believe how much they have changed! These kids have a special place in my heart, and I am looking forward to the fact that I’ll be able to continue to build relationships with them next year.
Me with my table of 6th grade girls at the banquet!
As this school year comes to a close, I think this is the first time in my life that I have not been “ready” for summer. So often I am looking forward to being done with school, but I feel like I could keep going for a while! However, I am also looking forward to the new beginning that this summer holds for me: learning Tagalog.
I currently live in Antipolo City, which is just east of Quezon City. You can see Baliuag as the red dot north of the city. This is where I will spend the summer!
A week after school gets out, I will be leaving for a city north of Manila called Baliuag. While there, I will be doing intensive language study with a tutor who used to run a school up there. Five days a week, I’ll be doing three hours of class with her in the morning, and then I’ll be spending time in the afternoons out in the community practicing my Tagalog. I also will be living with a Filipino host family. He is a pastor at a local church. I will be in Baliuag for five weeks, and I am SO excited about this. I am longing to know Tagalog in order to be more involved in the Filipino community, and I am stoked about the chance to focus on it for this amount of time.
Summer will fly by quickly! When I return to Manila, I’ll be moving into a new apartment (next door to where I am now), helping with new staff training, and preparing for another year of school. Next year I’ve been asked to teach 6th grade math, one class of 7th grade math, and 8th grade English. I’m excited to spend some time getting to know next year’s 8th graders that I have seen around this year but don’t know.
Thank you all so much for how you have prayed for, encouraged, and supported me throughout my time here. My heart overflows with gratitude. I have no doubts that this is where God wants me, and He has used your prayers, notes, and financial support to grow me and impact the lives of my students. I think you and I will never fully know the impact of your sacrifices until we reach Heaven. May God bless you richly!
Amanda
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