Tara, biyahe tayo sa Pilipinas! Come and travel to the Philippines!

Philippines is halfway around the world from Canada and airfare is expensive, much more than a trip to Cuba for a week of beach getaway. Moreover, because of its distance from Canada the overall travel time is not convenient -travelling for only 1 week is not going to be worth it. In addition, it is not a very famous country and a travel destination for Canadians hence, a lot of hesitation to those who are not adventurous and willing to experience something new. Furthermore, Philippines is a third world country -not having the latest technology and facilities may impair overall expected quality of travel.


I cannot agree more. So why travel to the Philippines?? First, let me tell you more about the Philippines.


Philippines an archipelago located in the Southeast of Asia and is composed of over 7,000 tropical islands. One of its beauty, the Banaue Rice Terraces, was named the eight wonder of the world. It was purely hand crafted by the Ifugao tribes over 2000 years ago to increase efficiency in their rice plantation.

Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

In addition, Philippines is very rich in water resources some of which are:

1. Palawan Island where you can find the longest underground river and the sunken ships from  WW II -America vs. Japan battle, 
2. Boracay Island -famous for its white sand beach and clear blue waters, 
3. Maria Cristina Falls -one of our hydro energy sources,
4.  Donsol Sorsogon where you will see and swim with the whale sharks -the largest fish in the world.

Whale Shark/Butanding

Along with its natural resources, Philippines has a lot of rare species. One of the most famous species is the Tarsier -the smallest monkey, as big as a person's hand. Moreover, Philippines is known to have 4 of the 6 sea turtle species; one of which is the Philippine Sea Turtle/Pawikan -weighing up to 700 pounds. To name a few more, Philippines is considered a home to Mouse Deer, Tamaraw, Flying Lemur, and Whale Sharks, etc.

Tarsier -smallest monkey

Philippines is not only rich in natural resources, but culture as well. We Filipinos are known for our hospitality, helpfulness and kindness. Our culture was influenced by several countries, mainly Spain, Japan, and America, including our tribal ancestors. While it is a combination of different cultures, Spanish culture is the most influential since it colonized us for 333 years. America also has been a big influence; they "rescued" us from the Spanish colony and ended up conquering us but eventually gave us our freedom. Soon after, the Japanese came and America came back to fight them and to help set us free.

"Bayanihan" -traditional way of moving 
houses and nipa huts

Our national language is Filipino/Tagalog but different provinces speak their own dialect. Surprisingly, a lot of the provinces do not speak Filipino at all, rather, their second language is English. It is only in Manila, the capital of Philippines, where Filipino/Tagalog is widely spoken. When I travel to other provinces, I would have to speak in English -travelling made easy for all Canadians.


Despite a more expensive airfare and a longer travel time, it is definitely worth it to travel to the Philippines. As mentioned, we have a variety of natural resources and rare species that are unique and breathtaking -definitely not your average beach or zoo monkey. Moreover, there are a thousand things you can do, such as shopping, snorkelling, scuba diving, hiking, sailing, water skiing, surfing, island hopping, etc. In addition, our culture is very unique and rich -a lot that can be learned.

So, what are you waiting for?? Save up and travel to the Philippines!

Proud to be Pinoy/Filipino!


Kay

Breaking News..the Mount's ISL... read all about it!

At the moment, I am the International Student Liaison for the IEC, working for Paula Barry and Nicolle Bowes. I applied for this position last year and received the job! I was so excited to be working for the IEC and ISS alongside the present and future international students. This position is made available to one international student every year, and I was fortunate enough to attain the role. I started in April 2011 and should end in April 2012, but to my surprise I have been offered the job again. This has never happened before and I am ecstatic!


Being the first to hold this position for more than a year does not only mean that I do not have to find another summer job, rather, I have done a great job that they want me to stay for another year. This is byfar one of the most rewarding experiences and I cannot wait to improve and make an even better impact in the upcoming year.


Hard work, positive attitude, and working in your passion will surely help you go a long way!

Another year I get to drive the Mount mobile, yaaay!! :))

the Mount's International Student Society (ISS)

At the Mount, I was treated as an international student even though I landed in Canada as a permanent resident. The International Education Centre (IEC), which I now work for as International Student Liaison, had always included me in their events and social activities. The IEC also introduced me to the Mount's International Student Society (ISS). This society brings all international students together through a series of events in hopes that we all learn about each other's cultures and to help one another cope with the new change of environment and culture of Canada. In 2009, I was nominated to be its Student Events Coordinator and since then, I have been very much involved with international activities. This role came with many challenges and joys that I most certainly have grown and developed positively.

As events coordinator, I had to plan and organize the year-round events and the biggest of all, Multicultural Night, which takes place at the end of the fall semester. By far, this was one of the hardest things I had done. This being my very first big project, my resourcefulness, leadership, dedication, and other organizational skills were tested. I can honestly say that I had no experience whatsoever in any volunteer work. I had never been an active member of any society nor did I have any experience in organizing events. Despite all these, and with my time and energy, along with the help of the ISS board and the Mount, the event was sold out and very successful. I was so proud of what we had accomplished, what I could have accomplished, and I wanted to continue growing and learning with the ISS and the Mount.

This experience was very rewarding that I became internally motivated to be part of as many activities as I could. To be more involved and to succeed in what I do started to become a need, and is now an addiction that I continuously crave. I continue to be an active member of ISS, currently holding the position of Asian representative, and will continue to be active until I graduate.

I <3 ISS!

ISS downtown social