It's that time of year again when students, teachers, and parents come together to celebrate the annual Caduawan Elementary School Christmas party. Today, I'm busy preparing for both my son's and my mother's party. My son is in third grade at Caduawan Elementary School - Caduawan, Tabogon, Northern Cebu City, Philippines, where my mother also teaches sixth grade. It's a hectic day for everyone with lots of preparations for the celebration.
Chicken Afritada and Fried Chicken
At around 7:00 in the morning, we woke up to prepare the foods that we pledged to bring to my son’s school. My son had pledged to bring fried chicken for everyone, and my mother had asked us to cook chicken afritada for her students. We were busy throughout the day but it was productive. I take pleasure in participating in school events, especially when it involves my sons. We managed to prepare everything, and after cooking the food, we walked to the school, which was conveniently just a walking distance to our house.
Grade 3 Classroom
Grade 6 Classroom
After delivering the foods to the school, we headed back home to freshen up and get ready. Unfortunately, we found out that the water supply was cut off, which was a major inconvenience since we had woken up early to prepare for our day. It's frustrating when you need to take a shower or do essential tasks, but there's no water available. Luckily, Ulbo Spring in the nearby barangay of Libjo, Tabogon, Cebu was a lifesaver. This spring has water available 24/7, so we drove there to take a much-needed bath and prepare ourselves for the day ahead. From our house, it is a five to ten minutes drive.
Ulbo Spring - Libjo, Tabogon, Northern Cebu, Philippines
The Ulbo Spring of Libjo, Tabogon, Cebu houses a refreshing spring with flowing waters. The power supply in our area is sourced from this spring. Besides the spring lies a spot where people can joyfully swim around. When we arrived, we joined two children who were having a great time swimming. We also took the opportunity to wash ourselves with shampoo and soap for a quick rinse. We spent about 10 minutes there before heading back home. Our main objective was to take a refreshing bath before heading to school for the Christmas party. The spring water is clear and icy cold.
After we had a quick bath at the spring, we then went home and dressed up. We prepared ourselves and got ready to go to school and enjoy the Christmas party. We had two Christmas Parties to attend to, grade 3 for my son and grade 6 for my mother. What a busy day indeed!
As we reached my son's classroom, I witnessed how the parents were actively participating in the well-planned games organized by the teacher. It was heartening to see the parents supporting and cooperating with each other to make the Christmas party a success for our children. Many of us contributed food and money to make the event memorable. Watching the parents play was a delight, and it was heartwarming to see everyone sharing and helping each other during this festive season. Although they invited me to join them, I was too tired from waking up early and declined. Instead, I decided to check on my mother's classroom.
When I went to my mother's classroom, it was about time that they had lunch, and they asked me to take a photo of them, which I did. These pupils are already in 6th grade, and they are responsible enough, and they helped my mother with their preparations and classroom design.
My mother asked me to lead the prayer before we all had lunch, which I did by offering a brief expression of gratitude. I gave thanks for the blessings we receive every day, expressed appreciation for all the students and parents who helped make the Christmas party a success, and asked for a blessing on the food we were about to eat. Afterwards, we enjoyed the delicious food we prepared.
The students had also ordered from a well-known fast food chain, but it arrived late. Given that it was already lunchtime and everyone was hungry, we didn't want to keep them waiting any longer. So, we decided to proceed with the foods we had already prepared and the ones that some of the parents had brought along. We skipped the late delivery from the fast food chain and continued with our lunch, enjoying the party.
My son and our little cousin visited my mother's classroom and joined the Christmas party. They both had ice cream and enjoyed themselves. It's always fulfilling to see children happy.
The learners gathered at the quadrangle because Jollibee the mascot is set to arrive. Everyone did had a jolly Merry Christmas! Ciao!☺︎♡