【講師コラム】メル講師No.22～Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” ~ Ibn Battuta～

Happy Friday, Mommies and Daddies!!! It’s me again, Teacher Mel, for this week’s instructors’ blog entry… How is everyone doing?.. Have you all been great?.. I sincerely hope so… I am doing really, really fine these days… The 2022-2023 school year had just ended, and my son is now enjoying his long summer vacation with me everyday… So we get to enjoy watching a lot of movies and practice singing a lot of classic and pop songs together… He is now 14 years old, and going to be in his 3^rd year at junior high school next month… Ahh.. How time flies… My son is almost 175cm tall now but he is still my baby… I am glad that he has not changed much even though he is a teenager already… He still sleeps next to me every night and goes with me wherever I go… He still tells me everything about his day… Oh, I really cannot imagine him having a girlfriend soon… I am sure parents with teenagers  can relate to how I am feeling… Do you feel me Mommies and Daddies?

Anyway, I was told that the new topic for the teachers’ blog entry is about the places in the Philippines that we would recommend people to visit… Ohhhhh! We have tons of marvelous places to visit here in the Philippines… When it comes to NATURAL BEAUTY, THE PHILIPPINES CERTAINLY IS THE PLACE TO BE… Magnificent beaches, jungles, islands, waterfalls, mountains, and many more, NAME IT, WE HAVE IT…

“IT IS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!”, this is our country’s official slogan and I could not agree more… I am sure that many of the instructors have already recommended the most famous tourist spots in our home country, like Boracay, Cebu, Palawan, Baguio, Benguet, Bohol, Tagaytay, and others… So I decided to introduce a place that not so many of you might know about… THE MYSTIC ISLAND OF SIQUIJOR… Has anyone of you heard about this island?.. It is a small yet bountiful island. A synergy of nature’s beauty and mystery, and a bliss waiting to be explored.

Siquijor is nested in the western corner of Bohol Sea and surrounded with the bigger islands of Visayas and Mindanao. People who already visited it often say that it is a small island that offers big surprises. It is also formerly called “Isla de Fuego” or Island of fire during the Spanish era because if viewed from a far distance at night,  the island cast an eerie glow in the horizon because of the swarm of fireflies that inhabit the island…

The island of Siquijor is widely known for the magical and mystic stories surrounding it… It is also known as the ultimate lair of sorcerers, witches, and shamans or healers… But more than these things, Siquijor is popular for its many pristine beaches, almost untouched forests, beautiful waterfalls, captivating large underground cave, mystical century old balete tree, unexplored mountain towns, many historic sites and extremely friendly locals. And if there is one thing that you do not need to worry about during your trip, that would be crime. Locals often say that the residents of Siquijor commit next to no crime in fear that they’ll be cursed by black magic as punishment.

I am a type of person who loves anything magical and mysterious… If given the chance, I would definitely visit Siquijor! And if you are looking for an adventure that is out of the ordinary, I’d definitely recommend you to visit it and be captivated by the mystic island of Siquijor…

Travelling, without a doubt is one of the best ways to enjoy and know more about life… By traveling, we learn and explore other points of view first-hand or through hear-say. Either way, we discover there’s so much more out there than how we initially saw the world. Naturally, after our travels, we return home as better versions of ourselves, with a deeper understanding of the world surrounding us…

That’s it from me today, dearest Mommies and Daddies… I hope that you enjoyed reading my blog entry this time… Thank you soooooooo very BIG for always supporting Englidhbuds… Aahhh… It has been more than 8 years since mommy Kayo and I have started Englishbuds… Many of my students who were not even going to elementary school yet that time are already in junior high school… I am happy beyond words that I still get to see them until now… Thank you so very, very much… I can never thank you enough for letting them continuously see me after so many years, Mommies and Daddies… I will keep doing my best for our tiny, unique and lovely English buds and for our beautiful English buds who have started blooming amazingly and incredibly already…

See you again in my next entry, Mommies and Daddies… Always, always remember to live each day humbly and happily… And always choose to be kind… Till next time…