It’s still Jan. 7. We’ve spent our whole day at the build site but our time there is coming to and end. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and get all our departing gifts for the village. Here’s the plan:
We’ve given gifts before, but this was the first time doing it in the dark.
And this time there were so many on-lookers, not just kids.
The hardest part is breaking up 300 kids into even groups, from there it gets easier.
This time, each gift came with a gift card which we all hand made.
Only take 1 gift pleaseThis shows you how many people were at the party….and this is only half of the basketball court, the other half is behind me.After the gift giving, everyone had the chance to sign our t-shirts
After the t-shirt signing, we felt like celebrities as everyone wanted to take goodbye photos.
Look at how many people there are!The kids chant, “Chinese, Chinese, Chinese” which became Hilary’s nickname
After the photos, we made our way to our formal goodbye party.
We had VIP seats 🙂The closing ceremony was done beneath one of the basketball nets we donatedWe started off the festivities with a bang dancing to Katy Perry’s Fireworks and everybody joined alongWe were all given an individual opportunity to speak, talk about what we learned, and thank the community for embracing us into their livesThere were a lot of heartfelt momentsBernie Consul thanks ANCOP for their partnership with the TCDSBThroughout the speeches there were several performances……these kids are so talentedVida, our ANCOP coordinator welcomes us back next yearThe teenager performance blew us awayFilipinos sure love to sing and danceThis group even had their outfits coordinatedAnd of course, what’s a party without Gangnam Style!After the performances, we had several appreciation gifts to give including a manicure set for every lady in the kitchen for preparing our delicious meals every day.Merle Gonsalvez presents our foreman Gilbert a multi-screwdriver ratchet toolAngelie presents Tito Morrie a t-shirt and a hardhat signed by every student leaderMike and Merle present Vida a signed hardhat and wrist watch for always keeping us on time and on scheduleWe formally present the community with the wheel barrel, a luggage full of clothes, toys, and tools
The finale of the closing ceremonies was a singing performance by all the student leaders who sang Count on Me by Bruno Mars. After the performance we said our final goodbyes.
Adrian CamaraAndrea LlanesAngelie FloresBritany KasjakHilary TangKevin “The Boy” VillafuertaKrystal Dos SantosMearah ManaloMeredith BurdTeacher Merle GonsalvezTeacher Diane IgnotoAdult Supervisor Bernie ConsulTrip Coordinator Michael ConsulWe will miss them all!This cute girl always reminded Mike of his daughter ChaseFinal good bye to all the ladies who took care of usLast good bye to Tito MorrieKids waiting for use to load the van for the very last time
As we drove off one last time, it didn’t really sink in that we were not coming back the next day. There were many tears of both joy and sadness. We made a lot of new friends and created a memories that will last forever!
This looks like it was an amazing trip. I feel as though I was there too through your great photos. I cried at the end when I saw the photos of you all leaving. You should all feel proud of your accomplishments and the memories you created for the children and for yourselves. Way to go! This is why Catholic Education matters!
Catholic Student Leadership 
This looks like it was an amazing trip. I feel as though I was there too through your great photos. I cried at the end when I saw the photos of you all leaving. You should all feel proud of your accomplishments and the memories you created for the children and for yourselves. Way to go! This is why Catholic Education matters!
Thank you Nancy. Come with us one year. Thanks for your comment. Catholic Education truly matters!
I’m sure that these are great memories that will fuel all those involved for a lifetime…
Lifetime indeed. Every time I see these pictures so many emotions come back