Nutrition Month

Did you know that July is the official Nutrition Month for the Filipino DepEd. Yeah, exciting stuff. Today was their big finale day. There's nothing like a school wide celebration. All day I constantly found myself asking, "Is this really happening?"

The day started with an earthquake drill (did I mention it was also Natural Disaster Prep. Month?) . This was interesting, cause in Florida we dont' focus on earthquakes so much. I'm told that earthquakes don't happen very often in this part of Leyte, but still, always important to know the drill.

Next on the program agenda was food preparation. All the students brought food items to cook for lunch. It was cool to see students walking up the hill to school carrying coconuts, grates to cook on, squash, and all the other little ingredients that come in clear little baggies that you can buy at the market. All morning I watched kids who are the same age as American middle schoolers cook over open fires, use machetes to hack open coconuts, and plant lemon grass and fruit trees. I kept thinking... this is more working than I ever did in all my middle school years combined!

I then got to judge the best vegetable and dessert competition. Finally, a competition that I really want to judge! Delicious!

The afternoon a dish garden competition (a competition that wasn't very high on my list of wanting to judge) and parlor games. The games consisted of couples dancing with a lime stuck between their foreheads trying not to let it fall, a drag competition, and then this one game that involved the kids trying to make the longest line by laying down their clothes and accessories on the ground. yeah, that game involved all guys with their shirts off, and several in nothing but their underwear. I didnt' even know what to say, fortunately the game had to be halted for the 3:00 prayer...