World Food Day

Can you imagine yourself only eating one meal a day

How about feeling so stuffed and still you needed to eat that one last cookie

Or ``eat with your eyes``. Take too much and not finish your food.

Nothing is wasted here.

Once in a while, we will have a special meal just to give thanks.

Spaghetti is their favorite

WE LOVE ICE CREAM!

Here they are!! 

Say Grace. Give Thanks.

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Monica

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Raise your hand now !

October 11 

Designated by the United Nations as International Day of the Girl

Creating awareness that every girl has a right to an education

Right to choose

There are millions of girls around the world who do not have that right today. 

We are giving 30 girls in the Philippines that right.


One day we hope that we can have more.

Raise your hand if now!

It only takes one girl.



Thank you for stopping by,



Hugs,

Monica

the flood

If we have snow days, Philippines has flood days..

Unlike snow, this water comes from polluted rivers and sewage around the community.

No boots can protect you from diseases.

I remember when I was little, I would wash my feet as soon as I get to school and when 

I get home.

I would bring alcohol and towel , hope for the best that I don't catch anything.

Unless there is a  thunderstorm and torrential rains, I never missed school. 

Flood did not stop me from learning.

Tricycle is one of our means of transportation

This is our church. Thank God the water did not reach the inside of the church

They move on.

People will still need to buy food, go to work. Life does not stop.

They are not even wearing any protection. 

The girls are okay. Their families are not affected by the floods . Thank God.

They are thankful just to be there. 

I don't complain much about snow days and rainy days, cause I know others have it much worst.

Just be thankful you are here.

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Monica 

under the tuscan sun..

 

 

it was my dream to visit Italy when I turned 40


that dream came true this summer..


very thankful for the opportunity and an adventure I can never forget..


here are some of my highlights..

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Cinque Terre

St. Peter's Basilica , Rome

Positano - Sigh!!

Tuscany Villa ( with 14 other friends and family )


as this summer draws to a close,


I look back on what happened to my life since the beginning of the year.

In summary:

Jan - Lost my Job after 20 years in the company

Feb - First visit to Hollywood with my close friend

March and April - Visit to the Philippines

May , June and July - sold my house in the suburbs,kids off to college

August - moved downtown and ITALY.

September - Back to school for me.

the blessings I received this year are overwhelming..

it inspires me to continue giving and sharing..


I'm back.. F.L.A.G updates to come...



Thank you for stopping by,



Hugs,

Monica







 

Under the shade of a Mango Tree..

Going home is like putting on my favorite pair of shoes.

It fits. I fit in.

I grew up in this neighborhood. so much has changed. so much also stayed the same

the country side is my favourite place to go.

my godmother's farm. Life is so simple.  How I wish.

The beach

walk on the beach. low tide.  I wish for the waves. but not today.

as I continue my journey here,  I began to reflect.

So many things I still have to do.  My next chapter will begin.  

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Monica



Nemo meets FLAG!

they have never been to any amusement parks especially not this one! Mixed emotions if this was something they wanted to see and do for our annual trip.  Only 'those' who can afford can visit this park. For them 400 pesos ($10) will rather be spent on food that seeing a bunch of fish.
But because they have worked so hard for one year, they deserve it!  Thanks to our loyal donors as well.

Field trip - Manila Ocean Park

ooooh and aaaaah!!

speechless, confuse or just in AWE!

Well, hello Nemo!!

Finally, they've had enough fish for the day!

For more pictures please visit us www.facebook.com/flagphilippines

Thank you for stopping by,


Hugs,

Monica



Day 1 . 19 hours on air

Already I am frantic! My carry on is too heavy. Check-in luggage both full (a tad bit over weight, damn corned beefs and SPAM) kidding!

What to wear? Elastics everywhere! Push-down and pull- up! No belts, no frills. Who travels like Victoria Beckham? NOT ME!. Sigh!

More like this! I swear. No i didn't bring any boxes, I shipped 2 months ago! smart eh!

 Right here waiting. No I am not singing Richard Marx song.  A sea of Filipinos fill the seats. Love it when they go home to the motherland. One "lady'' brought in 2 carry ons, what? She was not allowed.  Oh well, we always have one of us who will break the rules.

Bye for now! Here we go.

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Monica

I will be back

(singing out of tune) " I am leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again".

It will take me a few days to update my blog (fast internet is hard to find).  I can’t wait to share those pictures with you. For now, here’s a look back on what happened last year.  

Summer programs.. they love doing arts and crafts

our 1st Graduation

Jon and Irysh before the ceremony.. just goofin around

Please check our updates (don't forget us)  I will make sure to share the journey as soon as I can.

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs

Monica

it's more fun in the Philippines !

It is more fun always when I go back to the motherland.  Despite the traffic, smog, pollution, smell, heat. I could go on.

On the flip side (no pun intended) the beauty of our country is also breathtaking.

Underground caves - Palawan.

El Nido Palawan

How time flies so fast! We are now celebrating our one year blog-anniversary. We want to start document our trip and experience. Hubby started writing but it was kinda boring. I had to take over and save the day.

One year later, here we are for another exciting documentary of our journey together.  Our journey with our FLAG family, friends and family.  Chapter begins one more time.

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

Monica

Trip they will never forget

Time flew so fast and we are on our way back to the Philippines once again.  We are excited to see our school, the staff and of course, the girls. 

What to expect when travelling in the Philippines in March?  Hot, Humid and Hazy and we love it!  I always stay in my neighborhood where I am from.  It keeps me grounded and appreciate a lot of things I take for granted sometimes, like hot water.  Yep, we don't have hot water so cold showers for the next 2 months. 

The community

This time I will be staying a bit longer to spend time at the school, my mom and search for opportunities to grow the school.  We are also planning our Graduation for the girls who are ready to start their grade 1 at the local public school within our community. 
What is in store for them? Well, this time we are taking them to the Manila Ocean Park (www.manilaoceanpark.com) It is a famous attraction in Manila that has over 10,000 marine life in its famous indoor ‘aquarium’ and much, much more.  THIS WILL BE A SURPRISE FOR ALL THE GIRLS!!.  I can’t wait to see their faces. 

Our girls have never been to any amusement park in their lives. I remember last year when we went for our swimming party and that was the first time they have seen a swimming pool! Imagine.  Most families who can afford to go to Manila Ocean park are of course rich and affluent and they can go there at least 3 or 4 times a year. Our girls will so happy just to be there at least once (for now). They deserve this for they have worked hard. We are looking for sponsors to help us fund both our graduation party and trip to the park. We need to raise $700 for both our trip to Manila Ocean Park and our Graduation Party.  The cost for each student is $30.  All donations can be made to our local church Connexions Ministries whom we have partnered with to grow our school and create more awareness.

If you are interested in contributing to our graduation and field trip event, please send an email to monica.vera@flagphil.com

"No matter how bad your life is, the first thing you should do is help somebody else that's worse off.  Because it will put everything into perspective. I don't care how bad its, you're missing a leg, you lost your job.. go help somebody else, that's when things start to change." - Tony Robbins.

 

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs

Monica and

F.L.A.G Team

The boy who swam to school

With all the time I have these days, I am able to explore (watch TV) the programs back home (Philippines).  I enjoy food shows, travels and culture.  Most interesting and heart breaking shows are documentaries on children around the country who are missing the opportunity to go to school.
One story about this boy who lives in Cagayan near the area where Sendong , the typhoon that  took the lives of many due to landslides and floods.  His small village was not hardly hit but it destroyed his only way to get to school - rope attached from one rock to another above the river. Built by his grandfather, this rope has a wooden cable car where he can sit and pull to cross the river.

SO WHAT DID HE DO?? HE SWAM.   After swimming for about 45 minutes, it will take him about 2 hours to walk up to mountains to reach the only school in his village. Unbelievable! ( how often do our kids whine because they didn't want to go to school?)

Friends, I am simply sending a message to all of us how blessed we are.  We feel stress because we are not able to keep up with life or (the Joneses). These stories and images changed my life, how I live it. Although I will never meet this boy ever in my life, these images I will never forget.  

 

Thank you for stopping by,

Hugs,

On behalf of the F.L.A.G team

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7 billionth baby and it's a GIRL !

Today, there are several reports circulating around the world about the 7 billionth baby.  One of those babies was  born in the Philippines 2 minutes to 12 midnight on Oct 31.   It was also predicted he or she will be  born within the poorest of the poor.  The prediction was right.  Danielle Ray Camacho was born in the Philippines, mother stay-at-home-mom and father a driver who probably earns close to nothing compare to us here. 

She has been added to the 600 million girls who will not have access to proper education.  Like any parent, they have  hopes and dreams for her. Would love to meet her one day and I can be wrong, her parents will probably be able to work very hard to give her the life she deserves. Who knows maybe 5 years from now, we had solve the global poverty problem? Again, one can hope.

Our girls at F.L.A.G will not be part of that statistic and we will make sure of that. With your support we can continue to bring more in and stop global poverty... one girl at a time.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again,

Hugs,

The F.L.A.G team

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Educating children in Dominican Republic

After a week of much needed rest with my husband in Dominican Republic, we are fortunate to have visited a school funded by the tourism industry in Dominican Republic.  Similar to F.L.A.G, the children in this school came from underprivileged family and  education is not accessible to everyone.  Ages varies from 6 to 12 and they are schooled for 9 months.  After they complete, they are able to attend a government funded school on which they will continue elementary to secondary education.

One of the school buildings funded by private tourism company in Dominican Republic

It is a good feeling to know  that education is a universal right for all walks of life - it doesn`t discriminate race, color, background. Once education is given, it is the most POWERFUL thing one could ever have. It opens to limitless opportunities and doors of possibilities. 

I am so happy that someone out there has the same vision as my husband and I.  If only we had more to offer so that we can extend our support to all the girls around the world.  One can wish and dream.
We are blessed to have the means to give back and still have a restful vacation however it is also heartbreaking to see children who are not getting the same opportunity our kids have today.


There are 600 million girls around the girls who do not have access to education, 600 million! F.L.A.G has 23 of those girls. What if one in every household in North America supports one girl.. wow! I think we can make a difference .. One girl at a time.

She will go places! I know that for sure!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again,

Hugs,

The F.L.A.G team

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Visit us www.flagphil.com