La Enseñanza Es Amoroso

I cannot deny that I love teaching in any ways, in any times and in any places. This was rooted perhaps on my experiences back in college days of which I survived my education through part time teaching in high school elective classes and numerous tutorials to high school students and elementary pupils. Ways back then were just the act of earning money and consequently integrated to my system and I already love it.

The fulfillment of being mentor cannot be measured by any compensation. Although adequate wages which will commensurate the efforts are just the matter of monetary requirements, but the internal fulfillment, satisfactions and happiness offered/received by imparting knowledge and wisdom to every individual are immensurable.

I was employed as high school teacher after I graduated my Engineering Course from the prestigious university. I was teaching for more than three years before I moved and practiced my engineering at the local government of my place. Opportunity came and I become an OFW here in the Middle East.

It was hard for the start of being an OFW. Homesickness, communication barriers, foreign and local policies, customs and traditions are some of those you need to adjust and embrace in order to survive and make life if not easy at least bearable. I met new acquaintances who later become my friends and networking of friends has established because of different activities I attended and graced through invitations. Luckily, I landed to a group of people who love Photography – This is the start of the continuations of my passion in Teaching. I never thought I could still be in mentoring, but as the saying says, when it rains it pours.

Jeff Filcom invited us to join the cause of their institution. We found that the vision and mission of the institution are very helpful and relevant to those Filipinos who are seeking skills to develop in themselves. These skills will leeway them for more opportunities in their life. Because of public demands that there must be a class that will teach photography on its essence, the Photography Class is offered. Photography is not an easy class. You must have a camera which cost is expensive plus more accessories which will be needed in the learning from basic to advance. I had the hard time of preparing the course outline since there was no established course for photography to follow. I researched and spent time on reading articles and blogs about photography until I came out a syllabus of 13 sessions with 3 hours per session. The pilot class had 10 students – the maximum number of students we can accommodate.

Presently, we are in the fourth batch of Photography Class. It is very nice to see that the students have already posted good pictures on their FB accounts. Some have already engaged into photography works as their sidelines while some have just in the idle mode. 

Photo credit to : Roderico Lasconia - First Batch of Photography Class

Eid El Fit'r 2015 - Travel Guide To Asser Province

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus is a rare winter visitor to the northern Hejaz and Central Arabia that has been recorded once in Jeddah and once in the Eastern Province on the Dibdibah 18 & 19 December 1986. As a result of the status of the species it is possible/probable the birds all refer to a single individual, as the distance between the first and second sightings was about 100 kilometres to the west, and the distance from the second to the third sighting was about 80 kilometres to the north. On July 20, 2015 we saw similar species at Tanoma Mountain Al Hejaz Region while we were traveling from Abha to Al Baha.

Habala (Arabic:حبلة) is a small mountain village in the 'Asir province of Saudi Arabia. It was originally inhabited by a tribal community known as the "flower men" because of their custom of wearing garlands of dried herbs and flowers in their hair. In the past, the village was only accessible by rope ladder, and in fact, the name Habala comes from the Arabic word for rope.

"Another scenic area, although isolated, is northwards along the escarpment from Habalah. Here three great pillars of rock stand away from the edge of the escarpment. One, with a top shaped like Cleopatra's needle, is supposed to make a poet of anyone who can stay there all night without becoming insane. The others are flat topped with a green sward and on one are the remains of house foundations as well as many cairns arranged like sentinels along the edge of the sheer cliff."^[1]In the 1990s, during a push to promote tourism in the region, a cable car was built to provide access to the traditional village with its stark mountain views. In consequence, however, the local "flower men" were dispossessed of their homes and forced to move into a modern village created for them in the valley below. When they refused to move, they were evacuated forcibly by the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Today, some of the original inhabitants are allowed back up to the village, but only to perform their traditional dances for tourists during the summer months.