My dear husband has been getting restless these past few days. I can relate and understand whatever he’s been feeling. I felt it when I stopped teaching for 6 months, the longest that I stopped teaching. It was right after I gave birth to Mateo. Since I gave birth on January, I got back to teaching on June. During that time, I really missed going inside a classroom and being a teacher. That’s when I realized that I will forever want to be a teacher.

For the past 7 or 8 years, the only break that Ramil got from teaching was a maximum of two months, typical summer breaks. It has been 3 months now and he still haven’t seen the inside of a classroom as a teacher. To say that I understand how restless he’s been feeling is an understatement. I can also feel how much he misses it now because I’m missing it myself because it has also been 3 months for me.

This is the reason why I’m kind of hoping that he’ll be asked to report for the last term of the school year in Brunei. In which case he might be Brunei-bound by the end of September and hopefully if things work out, we’ll be following him there by the end of October.

Of course, there’s also the fact that we’re working as freelancers right now. Although it is surprisingly getting us through, the earnings does not allow us to eat out as much as we’d want to, much less buy gold coins. The only downside is that we’ll be spending this year’s Christmas there if it does work out that way but it also means that Mateo will get to start the school year there come January.

Right now, I’m really just praying for whatever will be best for everyone. We have another family member arriving in three weeks so that should keep us busy and put the restlessness on hold for the mean time.

Mateo has been going to school for more than a week now and it has been bothering me ever since. See, we enrolled him in a traditional school. Actually, I didn’t know that such traditional schools still exist. I was very surprised that they still do and that they’re still actually still more common than the kind of school that I’ve been used to for the past 7 years.

I guess I took it for granted that the school I used to teach in was progressive in its preschool approach. So during the first day, I joined Mateo for a few minutes and from the 30 minutes or so that I’ve observed inside the classroom, I didn’t like it. Heck, I cried on our way home because I felt like I took away something great for him and forced him into something else.

During the first few minutes of the class, everyone was sitting down in their chairs and expected to be in their ‘best behavior’ which I interpreted to mean that they should sit quietly and face front. Believe it or not, the parent in me wasn’t the one who was screaming inside but the teacher in me! There were no books for free reading inside the classroom which even Mateo noticed! Even if the kids don’t really know how to read yet, they can still use them by looking at the pictures and ‘reading’ in their own way. How else can they learn to love reading?!?!

Aside from this, the teacher spoke mostly in Filipino. I’m not exactly pro-English when it comes to medium of instruction but she kept on shifting from English to Filipino even within a sentence. Even here at home, I would often remind Ramil and try to be conscious myself of shifting between two languages. Mateo has an excellent grasp of both English and Filipino but he’d sometimes say ‘Saan tayo going, Mama?’ which we would quickly correct into ‘Where are we going, Mama?’ or ‘Saan po tayo pupunta, Mama?’. I want to bring up a bilingual child but not someone who cannot distinguish between the two.

Lastly, and probably the last straw for me, were the homeworks! He went home last Monday with homeworks! Please take note of the s there. He wasn’t asked to answer just one page in his notebook and book, there were several activity pages! What’s worse, he went home with more the next day and he has been bringing home homeworks everyday. Heck, I don’t even give homeworks to my own grade school and high school students everyday especially if all we did for a particular day is to answer seatworks and activity sheets. I only give them out if the most that we did for a day is mostly discussion and some examples. Also, I don’t believe in too much homeworks for preschool students. First of all, they should have time for all kinds of play – outdoor play, unstructured play, and structured play. With the amount of homework that Mateo has been bringing home, I find that we lack the time for him to enjoy other things.

Just last night, he was happily playing with his Lego. Ramil was helping him out and he was enjoying putting together his own pieces or making changes to Ramil’s. I couldn’t take him away from it even when I knew that he still has a lot of homeworks to do because it wasn’t just useless play, he was learning even if it didn’t seem like it. He was developing his fine motor skills with the small Lego pieces, enriching his creativity by making his own structures, and enhancing his problem-solving skills by figuring out how to put things together. I wasn’t about to pull him away from that so that he can practice writing ‘BLUE’ or ‘YELLOW’.

So, considering that Mateo is just 3 years and 5 months old, I went on a quest to look for another school for him. The school year is young and we didn’t really shell out a huge amount upon enrolling him in the school he is in now. I now have a prospective school but the monthly tuition will be double what we’re spending for the first school. Nevertheless, the school reminds me so much of Hedcen’s preschool approach that we are seriously thinking about it. I am thinking of taking on more work just to be able to afford it. Unfortunately, not until I’ve given birth because I’ve been given strict instructions by my doctor to get enough sleep (since I currently have iron-deficiency anemia). If we decide that we want him to go there instead, we will be bringing him for a visit so he can also try the place out. I was initially willing to let him stay in the traditional school because he’ll only be there for a few months anyway before we leave for Brunei but I just really can’t stand it. Both the teacher and the parent in me are crying out for him to get out of there.

Ramil and I were talking the other day about when we start planning our own house already. Believe it or not, we still envision a place like Antipolo for our dream house. We love it there because it is relatively unpolluted and it has a one of our requirements, lots and lots of trees.

We want a big lot because we want space for kids and dogs to run around. We also talked about whether we would get a homeowners insurance or not. Since a homeowners insurance would protect not just our house but also our things and personal properties inside, it might be a good idea.

Aside from these, we want a comfortable and functional house. Among the areas that I was specific with are the kitchen and the work/play/study/library area. We both agree that there should be ample space for lots of books especially since Mateo loves to books as well. So, a big lot, lots of trees, a functional kitchen, a nice library, and lots of space everywhere else. The homeowners insurance can come later.

Ramil and I are almost done finishing his papers for Brunei. Once we’ve completed everything and sent them by courier, we’ll hopefully get a feedback soon when he will have to report for work. We’re thinking that the latest would be end of December which means that hopefully, we’ll be able to join him there by the end of January. If he’s asked to report sooner then God-willing, all of us would be in Brunei before the end of the year.

It took us quite some time to complete his paperworks and for some of them, it might actually be easier to find diamonds. We’ve had to get several copies of his transcripts, English translations of his diploma, letters of recommendations, and many more. I’m just relieved we’re almost done.

With the impending move to Brunei, I can’t help but think about when we will be settling down in one place permanently. We thought that we will be spending many, many years in Antipolo, we were even ready to apply for a loan and pay for homeowners insurance so we can buy the house we were renting there.

Now we’re here in Novaliches, staying in my parents’ house and in a few months we’ll be renting again but this time in Brunei. Ramil’s contract will be for two years and depending on how it goes for us there, we might be staying for more than that.

This makes me wonder when and where we will be able to put down our roots. Well at least we don’t have to think about any homeowners insurance for a few years. Although it still might be a good idea to get a homeowners insurance even if we’re just renting a house since it will protect not just the house but our personal things inside as well.

We still think about planning our own house and settling down for good somewhere else. But I think right now, this is not what God has in store for us. We’ll be nomads for only He knows when and we’re okay with that. We’ll just go where He leads us.

We’ve been here in Novaliches for a week now today. Life has been hectic with unpacking and adjusting. I have been particularly careful with Mateo because whatever adjustments or difficulty he might have, he’s not going to be able to vocalize it. We just might notice differences in how he’s behaving.

To say that we were sad the first night is an understatement. Ramil and I both kept imagining how our house in Antipolo looked and how comfortable we were there. After five years of being on our own, it was a huge change to have to be ‘room boarders’. Nevertheless, we realized that everything will be equally difficult when we get to Brunei – the adjustment, the settling down.

Mateo seems to like it here so far although he’s been longing for his toys these past few days. I haven’t unpacked all his things yet and I think he’s craving for some semblance of familiarity with his old life. Also, he’s been very cranky and more insistent lately. I think it’s his way of trying to get some control back into his life since everything that has been going on has been out of his control.

School was so-so. Expectedly, Mateo cried the first few days. He wasn’t familiar with anything in the school and understandably, he didn’t want to be left in school. After three days though, he walked inside his classroom without much fanfare so that’s a good sign. Unfortunately, I’m not very happy with the school and the teacher. It’s hard to explain and I realize that it’s difficult to look for a school to send your child to when you’re a teacher yourself. I’ve shed many tears about the things he used to have in HEdcen and Antipolo and I’ve questioned our decision during times when I feel down.

I was almost tempted to settle for homeschooling Mateo for the mean time but I didn’t want him to miss out on socializing with classmates and other people. In short, he’s going to school now simply because we want him to have friends/classmates and the 3-hour reprieve would give us the opportunity to work. I figured he won’t be finishing the whole school year anyway.

I still plan to augment whatever he’ll learn in school by teaching him here at home but right now, it’s kind of difficult to do with the humongous boxes in the garage still waiting to be unpacked. I think teaching him will still be a challenge even after we’re fully settled here because by then, it would be almost time to start taking care of an infant.

So I am also realizing how horrendous adjustment would be when we follow Ramil to Brunei with nothing but clothes and books in our luggage. I would have to take care of a preschooler and a baby the whole day if we’re not able to fix Mateo’s student visa before we get there. Not to mention all the chores that a normal household has and fixing up the house.

Nevertheless, we’re keeping the optimism most of the time. I still strongly believe that God has put us where we’re at right now and everything is going according to his plan. Things will be difficult and challenging, yes, but nothing that we can’t handle. I am looking forward to many, many things because despite the difficulty right now, we are clear about where we are headed.

There have been many inquiries about the place my dad was selling, the one where his small restaurant used to be. My parents are very optimistic with the many inquiries they are getting and they look forward to cutting back on their losses with the sale.

Right now, my dad is thinking of another investment for when he comes back and when the place gets sold. For the mean time, I’m thinking of suggesting that they buy gold eagle coins. Gold is an excellent investment option nowadays and many are actually investing in it as well. The value of gold is well-recognized everywhere and gold prices are relatively more stable compared to other investment products especially with the unpredictable financial times.

Whatever happens, I hope my parents’ next investment is more successful than the last one.

My mom has been having problems with security in her store business and my dad’s closed small restaurant. Since my dad temporarily closed down his small restaurant because he was offered another contract, his small restaurant business has been closed. Unfortunately, they discovered a few weeks ago that some burglars got in and took some valuable items. So now my mom is paying someone to stay there and watch over the place. They’ve decided to just put it up for sale and they want the place secure because there are still a lot of things there. It would have been better if they have security equipment installed so that they wouldn’t have to worry.

Another place where they could use a security video camera is in my mom’s store business. She currently employs two girls to man the store but she is highly suspicious of them. They report lowered earnings every time my mom cannot go there to manage them. I suggested installing a camera and she agreed so I’m currently thinking of how to go about it. I’m currently researching about such equipment and since my mom’s store is open for around 18 hours everyday and we both don’t know much about such things, I think we’ll also need a backup battery and equipment guide.

It can be pretty difficult to run your own business especially if there are lots of security issues. It can be very tiring for my mom if there’s a need to visit the store more than several times a week. Hopefully, I get to help her by giving a solution to her business security issues.

This guest post compliments of Diane Grayson-Barnes

One of the best home improvement projects that I have experienced is installing new laminate flooring in my dining room and front hall. After years of looking at our ugly tile in the hallway and carpet in the dining room we decided that laminate flooring would be a great improvement to both areas.

We purchased the boxes of laminate and the underlayment padding as well as the kit that includes the spacers and tool for installation at HomeProImprovement.com.

The whole installation only took a weekend for both areas. The most difficult and time-consuming task was to remove the old carpet and tile and all the tackless for the carpet. Then the floors were then prepped and cleaned for the new flooring. Putting the flooring down was like using puzzle pieces, with each fitting into the next.

We never really used our dining room prior to installing the laminate floors but now we are proud to have this room and use it every day. The floors are really easy to clean and are absolutely beautiful. This home improvement project has to be one of the most beneficial and useful of all projects we have done in the past.

I’ve mentioned in one of my posts that I am now thinking of going for a master’s degree next year in Brunei. The government of Brunei grants scholarships to foreign students and one of the programs they allow is Master of Teaching at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The guidelines for next year’s scholarship will be out by November of this year and the program will start on August next year.

I’m looking forward to applying and I’m praying that I get the scholarship. It’s so amazing that I get this urge now after five years of teaching. I’ve been looking up many research college degrees because everything seems very interesting to me now.  I guess I would be a better student now since I’ve experienced being a teacher.

Since I’m planning on pursuing this option I would most probably take the TOEFL in the next few months. This in itself is something new once again because I haven’t taken a formal test in a looooong time. I hope I ace it