Boracay WwoW 2013

Last Dinner and Shower !!

This shot was so fun to take :P It took me more than 3 tries to get a perfect shot!

This is sort of weird, but I was thinking about it when i was walking up the stairs to take a shower and when i was walking to dinner. The last supper (sounds so cool!) took place in this fancy restaurant on a hill at the end of the beach :) and we even had a beach devotional where everyone took turns and just told stories and thanked their fellow classmates. Taking this time to reflect on the trip, i must say, i think (i hope) i grew a lot both spiritually and mentally. There's so much that I've learned here. Many things can't be learned in the classroom and although that has become a "cliche" saying, it is definitely, absolutely, 100% true.

This is Gavrielle :) He's 4y-o, Claude's adorable
son !

These are  the shells that Hannah Ditz collected in Puka Beach!

 Experience accounts for most of the decisions we make in life and this trip will definitely affect many decisions i make in the future. Seeing kids with nothing smile as if the world was one giant piece of candy and the Sun was butter, I learn to appreciate that in which our Creator has created. To appreciate the friends I have. In this trip, I've grown closer to many other friends that I haven't spoken much to all year, and I've learned the true meaning of trust and to be confident in myself. So when I looked around my almost sand-free (AmyC is VERY particular about bringing sand in the room...) room, the dustbin that gave me SO MANY scratches on my knees, the noisy air conditioner that is so freezing cold, the cold, wet bathroom floor, the little dots of dirt and spider webs in the corners of the bathroom, and all the other things around this Jungle Barn, they'll contain memories that nothing else can compare to. So, to end this whole post, I give a great big shoutout to my fellow Senior Classmates of 2013, Mr dHT, Ms Foerger, Mr Kuang, and Mama Goetz for this whole amazing trip :)

I believe Melody took this shot :) the little girl is called Nicole,
she ate 2 big bowls of porridge! but only if I fed her. hahaha :) 

 Lots of love, Jackie Leonardo ^^

Is this really the end?

Every year at the end of a Week Without Walls trip, I come back home to Singapore with so many amazing memories, gifts, and stories to tell. I also come back every year excited for the next Week Without Walls trip that I would be going on. But as the final Week Without Walls and my Senior Trip comes to an end, I ask myself, is this really the end? Will I ever be able to go on amazing trips like this anymore in my life? What will I be doing this time around next year? Will the people going on Week Without Walls next year be able to live up to the things we did this year?

The sad truth is that we don't know the answers to any of these questions.
However, I am so grateful for the amazing journey ICS has been able to give me. Being somewhat of a social recluse back in Singapore, the opportunities to be able to go overseas and serve always gives me a better perspective of life outside a first world country like Singapore. I learn so much from each trip I go on and it will be hard for me to see everyone going on their Week Without Walls trip without the senior class next year.

I thank the amazing Senior Class for being so close knit. It is true that the Seniors mirror the Seniors they had when they were freshman.

This senior class is like a fruit salad from the Philippines. You have the very big vibrant fruits which represent the life of the parties in the class, and then you have the nestle cream which hold everyone together. You also have the raisins which would be the people who do not stand out as much in the class but make a difference.

Many memories can be taken out of this senior trip such as going snorkeling, banana boating, sunset sailing, and other funny inside jokes. Making fun of people's sun burns and peeling the nasty dead skin off of Jonathan Hane's back haha. Eating local food such as Halo Halo, which by far I think is the goldmine of nasty food. Shave ice that melts with dyed yam haha.

Everyone is leaving Boracay with more than just gifts for people back home. We are all going home with memories from each other. Right now as the Senior Class is writing in each other's farewell notebooks, I can tell you that this isn't the end. Instead, it might be the beginning of a new chapter in everyone's life :)

- Amy Chan

Jackie's post for the day!

 IT'S JACKIE POST TIME!!!

Hello guys... So due to reasons I can't disclose.... I can't go into the water and play and snorkel like the others T.T so I dutifully stayed on the boat and took pictures of them having fun :) like always. Hahahhahahah !!










So many candid pictures (ha.ha.ha.ha) so many people dove! I heard there were tons of fishes. There was also a cave with...nothing in it. Honest. Nothing. It's all dark. SENIOR TRIP IS AWESOME! Jen was afraid of the water because she can't feel the bottom of it, but she was a trooper and went in anyway :P under the great care of her awesome friends~
I saw lots of people try out back flips and all that fun stuff. Jacob and Andrew kept doing backflips! Sophia was doing them too, but i couldn't get a picture of her doing it... stay tuned for VIDEOS of them doing it ! (Sophia is in it!) Watching them snorkel was pretty fun ! Being able to take their pictures was an honor too hehehe. Being the trip photographer takes up quite some time.... But it's stinking awesome! please do check out Snapfish for the rest of the pictures :D they're all up there already! i've snapped almost 2500 shots. you can download any picture you like :) you've got my permission!

 The kids are amazing :) They won't stay away, they're all full of smiles and just sooo amazing ~The sunset! was amazing! The crescent moon was all that was shining but the whole moon could be seen. I love this sunset sillhouete! It' s Jacob on the left and Brooke on the right :) Dinner was awesome~

Ok now I'm just chilling out, waiting for my food baby to go away coz lunch was so yummy.... Afterwards, 8 of us got henna!

 the picture of the two awesome guys is Sam on the left and Jacob on the right :) they both got crosses, but Sam's got a dragon around his, and Jake's got flames around his. Brooke has a feather henna, Jen - a sun, Amy S - a star banner, Jackie - an owl, Mrs Goetz- spongebob! Jun - hello kitty (HAHA) and an intricate banner. The guy was super friendly. i cant believe that it's almost the end of this whole trip :( sunset afterwards was amaaazing.... i dont wanna leave this place!~
HAVE A NICE DAY READERS :D i'll be backkkk for tomorrow! (last day tomorrow :( )

-  Jackie Leonardo

Boracay Children Photos by Syndi and Jackie

Tuesday:  Senior Trip Day 2
Some of the students went back to the Agape School to help the students prepare for their national math exams.  This was a huge help to them and to the school.  I have been told that there never seems to be enough help.

Local Crafts at the Market

Another beautiful day in Boracay.  This morning Brooke, Janessa and I went for a walk and ended up teaching several of the local ladies who were selling beaded necklaces, a few new beading techniques so that their products would be more marketable to the tourists.  They were so eager to learn.  When we come back to Boracay again I should bring my beading materials and books.  Tourism is a growing industry on the island.  Anything that we can do to help the local people be self-sustaining will help them long term.  I will be going back again tomorrow to bring them some beading patterns and to see what they made.





At this moment;

• Some of the students are playing basketball against a local team 
• Mr. Den Hartog is grading senior papers
• Some students are on the beach talking
• I can hear local music being played at the restaurant next store
• A few students are reading
• I can smell tonight's dinner being made
• The sun is starting to set and I'm looking at a gorgeous sunset

Thanks to all the parents and the school for allowing the students to experience Boracay.  The seniors have worked so hard this past year and especially these past few months.  It's nice to see them connecting, making new friends, laughing, and making a difference for the Kingdom.
 -Mrs. Tammy Goetz
 

HELLO EVERYONE! Today is the first official day of Senior Trip!

It's been a great Week Without Walls, full of laughs and hard work! It's amazing to see how fast it has come to Senior Trip! Today some of us went to Puka Shell Beach where they have nice waters without the dreadful algae! Some of us went shopping for things to bring back home too! Borocay is pretty nice so far and it is easy to bargain for things here! And they have this really nice ice cream here called Chocolate Twin Popsicle which is quite nice! Tomorrow some of us are going to Scuba Dive so I can't wait to take photos there! - Amy Chan


<3BORACAY!

It's been the best so far. spending time with amazing people, meeting new incredible people,
life is good! :):):) laying in&on the water for hours at a time, that's been my favorite thing to do :D
 hey family! if you happen to see this! i love you!! -Janessa