A Basketball Game, A VIP Lounge, and yes, Our Jobs

Well this past week was a BUSY one. In the last post I had talked about FINALLY starting work last week, which was SO GREAT! Not to say that Matt and I haven't been enjoying our time here, but it was really fantastic having to do some research again, putting together a power point, teaching, and basically having 6 classes HAVE to listen to you. Ohhh the power. How great it is! But no, seriously, the classes went fantastic. The topic I was talking about last week was a comparative study between the U.S. branches of government and election processes and the Filipino branches and elections. Turns out, they're pretty similar, being as the U.S. wrote the Filipino Constitution! Don't worry, though, it's not exactly the same, thank goodness! I think the best part of the class, though, was the question and answer period at the end of the power point, in which I was asked a broad array of questions including, "Are you a monk?", "Are you married?", "Do you have a girlfriend?" then followed by, "Well, then do you like Filipinas?" Great, thanks kids. The best questions though were actually regarding politics, and focused mostly on the U.S. perception of Obama, a few questions on the upcoming election, and frequently asking for the U.S. perspective on the War on Terror. Smart kids! 

Now, recall, if you will Dear Readers, that one of the Rules of Benedict is doing all things in Moderation. Well, the monks didn't want us to get too caught up on working without some fun. So, we again ventured to the Basketball Arena to see our San Beda Red Lions take on one of their top rivals. Well, throughout the course of the game we shot somewhere around 35 or 40 free throws, the other team had 5, yes FIVE players foul out. Needless to say, we won the game handily with an 18 point margin. We're not 15-0, our last game of the regular season is on Wednesday, and if we win that we'll have swept the regular season tournament. What that means is that we're automatically seeded as the #1, and in order to win the Championship we only need to win 1 game, whereas to lose it another team will have to beat us 3 times. Yes, 3 times. So...chances look good! And I know you're all wondering, no, I did not bring my camera this time and thus I did not get a media pass this time. I know, disappointment, but time was short and we couldn't afford more confrontation with security guards.

Again, all things in moderation meant that once our week of teaching had ended, we deserved another ridiculous experience. This time it translated to going and visiting the Law School students on Saturday night who were staying in a 5 star hotel in Manila prepping for the Bar Exam, which would conclude the next day (After 3 weekends of testing). Well, when we walked into the hotel everyone was in a big ruckus, which left Matt and I alert, but then were told that there was a Senator and a Movie Star in the lobby. Holler. Well then we went up to the floor that the Bedans were on and the Abbot and one of the Fathers gave them a blessing for success for the next day, we gave moral support, and then the Abbot took us to the 27th floor, the top. And what was on the top floor, you ask Dear Readers? The VIP Sky Lounge, complete with the Sky Lounge Band. And oh how amazing they were! They ranged from Prince to Frank Sinatra, Van Halen to Air, and provided great comedic relief in between hits. So there we were, Matt I and, the two Benedictine Volunteers, in the VIP lounge with the Abbot, a Father of the monastery, the Dean of the Law School here in Manila (THE top law school in the nation), the Dean of the Law School in Alabong (the #2 law school in the nation), one of the top narcotics judges in the nation, and one of the top case judges in the nation. Matt and I have begun to realize that we're basically in a giant fraternity now, the San Beda fraternity, which ranges from those I've already spoken of to 2 Supreme Court Justices, the Mayor of Manila's largest borough, Quezon City, and the wealthiest man in the Philippines. We're in good hands.

Now, again, I don't want to make it seem like we only have fun, and that everything is just AMAZING. It is, of course, but at the same time there is a great level of danger here, which is one of the challenges that the BVC promises-challenges, that is. I've never lived in a dangerous place, ever in my life. I grew up in White Bear Lake, a safe suburb of St. Paul. I went to SJU, one of the safest places in America. I worked at a Boy Scout Camp for 8 years. I studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan, often referred to as the safest city in the world. So, naturally, the Philippines, and Manila, are a challenge to me, because it's one of the first times that I feel relatively unsafe when I'm out in public. Again, I'm always with monks, and so nothing would ever happen to us, but still... So, what this all translates to is that Matt and I are still leaving with a chaperon to ensure our safety, and after this past week this has continued to be justified. Late last week 2 Americans and 1 Brit were gunned down in different parts of the Philippines, 2 of them in the north, though, which is not common. Then, two nights ago there was an off-campus explosion that wounded 47 total people, 44 of them Bedans. The 44 Bedans were waiting outside of the University that the Bar Exam was being held at, waiting for the examinees to come out when they were finished. Apparently the bomb was intended for another University and accidentally went off near our students, but all the same, the fact that someone bombed a group of future lawyers was SO foreign to Matt and me. It's been hard to wrap our heads around it, and the fact that it left so many of our students injured has sent a real shockwave throughout the college and monastery alike. So, I realize that this did take a somber turn, but we're still safe, we're still fine, so don't worry for us. Pray for the students and their families. This is all part of the challenge of the BVC, dealing with new situations and scenarios, and all we can do is be thankful for the time we've had here so far and hope that our students heal quickly. 

For now, though, I hope you all enjoy your week, enjoy fall (which has apparently hit Minnesota in full bloom), and talk to you all soon! Be well, do good!