SATURDAY:
SATURDAY:
Today, our group departs from TIS to Hong Kong, then onward to Cebu. We’ll keep you posted once we land safely in the Philippines. Students are excited and in good hands—thank you for your support!
We left TIS in Good Spirits and slowly made our ways to CEBU Safe and sound. From Busses, to planes, to mini vans we made our way to our hotel and had a good nights rest.
SUNDAY:
SUNDAY:
When we arrived at our hotel, we felt exhausted and ready to sleep in. After sleeping in, we woke up and had some tasty local food. But the travelling didn't stop there! We rode in our minivan groups for 3 hours to the main diving city, Moalboal, where we got to the lovely hotel and had lunch. We had some free time, during which most of us got to enjoy the pool. However, it was very rainy, which was a fun experience for all!
After changing, we walked through the streets to get to this great restaurant where we enjoyed more local food and celebrated Chloe's birthday with cake! Arriving back at the hotel, we had some icebreaker activities and made general rules for the trip that everyone had a part in writing at the end of the day.
MONDAY:
MONDAY:
On the third day of our experience trip, we experienced scuba diving. We were filled with energy after having such a delicious breakfast. We then walked to a nearby diving resort to learn and practice diving techniques. The equipment was cumbersome, making moving even in the pool challenging, and putting on the wetsuit was definitely the most exhausting thing to do for the day. Additionally, many of us felt ear pain due to the water pressure. Despite this, we were still anticipating the afternoon's activities.
After lunch, we took a short break before putting on our gear and heading into the ocean one after another. As we slowly descended, the discomfort gradually faded, replaced by the breathtaking sights around us. Colourful fish swam past us, while corals of all shapes and forms lay beneath our feet - even the starfish boasted vibrant hues. The undulating corals resembled rolling mountain ranges, and the seaweed rising from the seabed seemed like towering ancient trees, while fish seemed to fly through the sky. When we swam to warmer areas, sunlight streamed down from the surface, casting a dazzling glow over everything.
In the evening, we walked to a seaside restaurant. We were lucky enough to catch the last glimpse of the sunset, and everyone couldn't help but pause to admire it. The dinner was hearty and a perfect way to satisfy our hunger. Before heading back, we played golf. There were many creatively designed courses, and they were a lot of fun. It was a perfect summer night.
TUESDAY:
TUESDAY:
This is the fourth day of our experience week, and although we are tired, we continue to push forward. Today, we had breakfast at 8:00 am and we walked to the shore. At the beach, we saw a dog in the water, and we took a 20-minute boat ride to Pescador Island. When we arrived, we received an excellent briefing on what and what not to do as we snorkelled. Then, we broke off into two groups and got dropped off in two different areas in the water. The first area was filled with jellyfish, coral, colourful fish, and specifically blue starfish.
Then at our second destination, we swam against the current and held on to the boats as we watched a great, shimmery wall of sardines. They swam around us, and they were mesmerizing. We took the boat back to Moalboal, then had lunch at the hotel. And then, we took a van to White Beach. It started to rain, but it was okay because we kept a positive mindset and continued to play in the rain.
This playtime consisted of various activities, including volleyball, frisbee, swimming, badminton, soccer, and many more. For our service aspect, we then did a beach cleanup along the shore. There was a young local girl who also helped us pick up trash. After the trash pick-up, we walked along the beach during the sunset to dinner, where we had the fanciest candle-lit dinner. The vans then picked us up from the dinner place and drove us back to the hotel. At the hotel, we reflected on our trip's highlights and heroes so far. Most people said their favourite highlight was diving, and the majority of heroes were each other, because we worked together as a community.
WEDNESDAY:
WEDNESDAY:
For our fifth day, the night was rainy and loud, but we managed to wake up early and arrive at 7 am for breakfast. We were supposed to go canyoneering during the morning, but due to harsh weather conditions, it was cancelled for our safety. Instead, we had a lazy morning where we had a moment to relax and catch our breath from all the fun activities we did earlier. Fortunately, we pushed through with a positive mindset, and our teachers and trip leaders were able to find something fun to replace the cancelled activities.
Since we had a pretty chill morning, for lunch we took the vans to Cebu City. The drive was about 3 hours, but it was worth it because we had lunch at Jollibee. At Jollibee, we enjoyed delicious fried chicken, spaghetti, fries, and other meals. After lunch, we took the van to visit certain historical sites like Magellan's Cross and Fort San Pedro. Magellan's cross was the first ever cross planted in the Philippines and symbolizes the start of the Philippines' biggest religion ever, Christianity. While we were there, we took multiple photos of the cross, and some of us got candles to put beside the cross, which also came with a ritual meant to wish us luck, safety, and good health. After that we went to fort San Pedro, the fortress was used a defence against invasions and was once a zoo but was restored back to a fort. We learned a lot about Filipino history and took a lot of photos around the site.
When this was done, we went to the SM Mall in Cebu. We had about 2 hours left, and we spent all of it shopping. Many of us were happy to go shopping as the Philippines had a lot more things than Macau did. After our shopping activity, we went to have dinner back at our original hotel, and after that, we retreated to our beds.
THURSDAY:
THURSDAY:
On our Sixth day, we woke up early in the morning to start our fantastic day, then we went to the CCEF center for information and a detailed timeline for the day. We first drove for 1 hour to the bay, boarded the ship, and then the ship tour lasted about 1.5 hours. We got off the boat onto a white wooden board, which was both fascinating and terrifying. After we arrived on Olango Island, we got on a tricycle in pairs. At first, everything was going rather smoothly, but we were trapped by the people who were going home after the parade that had been held on Olango Island. We experienced a traffic jam for 1.5 hours on the road. We arrive at the Olango Wildlife Sanctuary (O.W.I.S.) to observe birds and mangroves. We also planted mangroves ourselves, and after a few years, they may grow into a mangrove forest. We saw many different kinds of birds flying and eating with the telescope. We also went on a scary and exciting stone path that we had to jump over the stones to cross. Then we saw the sunset and a heron standing by the bridge.
Then, after the Olango island trip, we took the ship and travelled back to Cebu, where we had a fantastic night with good food, fun karaoke, and a lovely cake for Ms. I's birthday! Happy birthday, Ms I!!
FRIDAY:
FRIDAY:
And just like that, our trip has come to an end. We will go to the mall for a quick shopping trip, then have a short Lunch. After which we will head to the airport and be ready to come home. See you soon.
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