Louise Silvestre

Treat People With Kindness

[louisesilvestre]

Hundred Islands: Hundred Memories to Reminisce

          2020 is really a rollercoaster year for everybody. Six months ago I was anticipating where we would travel next or if we would even spend summer in a different place. My family and I barely go out for a vacation, and last year’s experience was actually a summer to remember.

          The best place I’ve ever travelled to so far would be the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos, Pangasinan. It has a total of 124 islands during low tide and 123 islands during high tide. Its islands look like a shape of a mushroom or umbrella due to its rock formations and trees surrounding it. It is said to be about 2 million years old because according to a theory it is already a part of the sea bed a long time ago.

            I have already visited the place twice, but it still amazes me every time—if only I could keep it to myself. I was very young the first time I went there, I can only remember the joy I felt when I swam underwater not even able to open my eyes. I was with my mom and some adults she knew.

            When I came back it was around a year ago, I was with my family and relatives. We packed a lot of food and clothes because we don’t want to spend on unnecessary things. We visited more islands than we had the first time, and I was still amazed with the beauty of nature. Each island was unique and so beautiful, if you look very closely they’re different from one another—like people with different personalities. The trees and birds were so mesmerizing; I never wanted to go home.

             We rode a boat like the last time, but it was longer so more people could fit in. It was the first time I went with my little sister too so that makes it special. She loves the sea as much as I’m scared of it, and I love the trees as much as she gets bored with them. So I guess we’re a perfect match for that trip. As we were watching the islands pass through us we could see the clear blue green water below. I even let my fingertips trace the beautiful sea and it gave me a weird feeling as if I was connected to it in a different way. I looked up and saw the beautiful skies and the clouds were like a magnificent masterpiece painted in a blank canvas.

             When we reached the first stop we were led to a stoned staircase. We climbed up the mountain and there on top you could enjoy the view where you can see the neighboring islands, boats and tourists. It was a wonderful sight despite of the number of company we had in that same island. There was also an island that we visited where it was linked to another island by plastic floats or boards. It was very scary to step on due to the subtle waves of the sea, but it was fun and worth it after reaching the end.

             And then, when we were ready for lunch, the driver of our rented boat drove us to a more private island. There weren’t any other people around because it didn’t have any tables, stairs or caves unlike the other islands, but it was very peaceful and we enjoyed our packed lunch. I even sat on the sand where the waves could reach my legs, it was actually comforting as if my thoughts were being taken away and drowned by the sea.

             I saw a lot of shells by the seashore and there were a lot of tiny crabs that tickled my feet. After eating we preceded to the last stop where we decided to spend the last hour with. We swam in the cool and breathtaking sea, even though I don’t know how to swim. I jumped up and down when my chin hits the water and somehow tried to swim underwater. It was so refreshing to feel the calmness when I dipped myself down and opening my eyes to adore the skies and the trees and everything that my eyes could land on.

              I am out of words to describe how beautiful that place was. If I would be given a chance to come again I wouldn’t hesitate to, I would also want to bring my pets with me because I saw some dogs swimming with the other tourists and I find it cute. I am so excited for the crisis to be over so I could get to visit different places again and spend time with my loved ones. But until then, I would be here reminiscing hundreds of memories from the hundreds of islands that would always have a special place in my heart.  

[louisesilvestre]

Summary of the Philippines’ Battle Against COVID-19

It all started in January 2020, when the Philippine government had slow response regarding the banning of flights from China, where the virus was first evident, saying that it would be unfair or us to ban flights from China and not from other countries as well. So, later that month the virus—which was formerly known as NCoV—has reached our country.

In February, the first confirmed case of a Filipino was a crew member of the cruise ship called “Diamond Princess” who got quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan. Then later that week the President announced for the military to instill order among Filipinos to control the panic that has risen. In the first week of March, there was a local transmission of the virus in the city of San Juan. DOH Sec. Duque said that it wasn’t their intention to not disclose information to the public but rather, a problem occured in the reporting system. In the following week, the president announced Metro Manila lockdown which caused thousands of Filipinos to struggle in passing through the checkpoints the night before the official lockdown. The entire Luzon was also set to enhanced community quarantine when it was reported to have 142 positive cases of COVID-19, which caused majority of the population to temporarily lose their job, but some worked from home. This issue made a lot of Filipinos worry and demand help about their financial capacity of surviving their quarantine state, because even the reliefs and money given to tax payers will not last . So the president then gave power to the police to make warrantless arrest on violators of the quarantine. In April, news about protests, arrests and shooting were reported. It made a lot of the Filipinos afraid of what might happen because Pres. Rodrigo Duterte said that the military and police can shoot anyone who resists and urges to fight against them as for their safety. There was also a report about a police officer name Debold Sinas, who is the chief of the Philippine National Police's National Capital Region Police Office since 2019, who celebrated his birthday and violated quarantine rules due to lack of physical distancing in the said event. The authorities said that the pictures posted were only “edited” and there seems to be no problem about it, which angered many of the Filipinos for treating the vulnerable poorly while favoring those men in uniforms. From the month of June up to this month of August, news circled around the opening of classes, lack of budget to carry out mass testing, and also looking for solutions to those who permanently lost their job. The battle of the Philippines against COVID 19 is very chaotic since we were not able to take immediate response when it first came here in our country. It is very saddening and frustrating as a Filipino to not be able to do anything to stop this crisis aside from following proper sanitation and procedures, observing proper physical distancing, and also voicing out our opinions about certain issues revolving around us. But I believe, our very opinions can, and will always, make change as long as the government officials and local authorities will hear us out.

[louisesilvestre]

Thoughts About Online Distance Learning (ODL)

Majority of the Filipino students were asking for “academic freeze” until mass testing is carried out in our country. This is due to the increasing number of positive cases of COVID-19 patients in the Philippines, which will lead to risking thousands of lives if physical learning will be conducted. A lot of schools have been preparing and testing a new method of studying with the use of technology—online distance learning. Online Distance Learning (ODL) or E-Learning is where teachers and students use e-mails, internet and etc. to be able to receive and transmit knowledge that does not require face-to-face interaction. According to CNN Philippines, there are 4 million learners that were not able to enroll this school year due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, which is very saddening. But as of now, ODL is the most effective way to continue the school year without risking the lives of people for the sake of education. It is still very far from what we were used to. The normal classroom setting is replaced by a screen in front of you as you learn from home and I am very much concerned with the fact that not all homes are capable of having a friendly setting in which students can learn without much distraction. As a student we really can’t control whatever it is that surrounds us; the noise and other variables around you can still get its way to not let you focus on what you’re doing at the moment. A lot of adjustments will be made, but not only for the students but everyone involved in this situation. It really needs time management skills and determination to be able to achieve our goal, which is to finish school and reach our dreams. Another thing that concerns me is the fact that the Philippines have a slow internet connection which is one of the most important requirements in ODL or e-learning. Having a slow connection can greatly affect the performance of the student because they have to attend online meetings and accomplish certain tasks on time. This could cause stress to students due to the fact that no matter how determined they are in learning there are still things that they can’t control. We really can’t compare physical learning to online distance learning, but even though a lot of these disadvantages concern me I am still grateful to be one of the students who are able to participate in this method of learning. I will still be as determined and motivated to do my responsibilities as a student and as a daughter. I am very much grateful for my family for their patience and ability to provide our needs despite this pandemic. Therefore, I will grab this opportunity to learn and inspire people that no matter how difficult the obstacles are we should never be shaken or be terrified by it. There will always be a way to pass through such circumstances. References: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/8/12/4-million-out-of-school-youth-covid-crisis.html  https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1300803/deped-ched-asked-to-initiate-academic-freeze-until-virus-mass-testing-is-conducted

[louisesilvestre]

Things I’ve Learned During Quarantine

In the midst of this pandemic I have come to realize a lot of things in life and also practiced new routines that helped me stay safe and healthy during quarantine. 1.) Being Productive

Time is gold. We never know what will happen in the next few hours of our lives, so it is very important to make use of time properly. I’ve always list down things I want to do in a day and manage my time back when I was in junior high school, but as the days passed by a lot of activities and school works keep on adding in the list and it’s very stressful to look at it everyday.    But ever since quarantine I started to feel unproductive, because I keep telling myself that I deserve a rest. So I started listing down my activities in a day just like what I used to do back then. Then I planned which time of the day I’ll be doing whatever is on the list. It helped me cope up with anxiety and stress, and can also be a form of exercise rather than just lying on the bed all day. Every task I finished gave me a sense of fulfillment. And also, I suggest listening to your favorite playlist while doing your tasks, because it helps you feel motivated and energetic the entire day. 2.) Practicing A Healthy Lifestyle I know this should be part of my daily routine already before quarantine even began, but I’m very stubborn and I always feel like I don’t have the time to exercise and all that. But of course like I said, we should be productive and spend our time wisely. I know a lot of you are all nighters, because hey I am too! But let me remind you that health comes first, and we should take care of our health ALWAYS. To be honest I still don’t exercise that much but I’m working on it so I could say that quarantine made me realize the importance of proper diet, exercise, healthy sleeping routine and hand washing because we all wanted to be safe and protect our family from danger that this pandemic holds. And also, eating at the right time, flexing our body and having enough sleep are important keys to being productive aside from planning and organizing tasks everyday.  3.) Quality Time with Family and Friends Before quarantine I used to spend time with studies and school-related stuff, I can’t even have a proper conversation with my family because I always lock myself up in my room to catch up on my deadlines. And thanks to quarantine, I had the chance to make up for all the stories, bonds, and little games I miss doing with the most important people in my life. Spending time with them by watching movies, eating and cooking from time to time and also doing household chores help me relieve stress from everything that is happening around me. I also tried catching up with my old friends that I haven’t talked to for a long time through social media and vlogging. It really is fun to just forget all your problems for a while and just be yourself, enjoying what you do. These are only some of the things I did and learned from during quarantine, but it sums up most of it. I hope you learned something during your quaran-cation as well! What are the things you suggest on doing this quarantine?