Staff Blog

On Monday of this week, a new business venture was begun at CSC!  The Level C1 kids are trying their hand at a food business to learn about math, economics, supply and demand and who among their teachers and aunties has a sweet tooth or an unhealthy need for soft drinks!  :)

For the next 12 school days, each day during the snack time break they will sell their handmade goodies (and handpurchased drinks); something different will be offered each day.  The first day was a red hotdog in a soft bakery bun---they also provided ketchup for those who prefer a more dressed up dog.  I had forgotten to visit the school during snack time, but I needn't have fretted as the group came to my office with their food, their bank, complete with tissues and ketchup if I needed!  Such service!  They also excitedly told me that they have Coke Light; however when I asked for one I was told that I could visit their school for that one.  :)  But really, how can you turn them down?!  And T. Glenda is a smart cookie to encourage them to make their business a mobile one!  :)

Yesterday's snack was arroz caldo, a warm soupy rice dish.  Again, the girls found me in my office.  They were, however, sold out of arroz caldo, but were wondering if I would like a drink.  They had decided to also make their drinks a part of their mobile sales---I rewarded their business savvy with my purchase of a Coke Light.

Today was gulaman; a gelatinous dessert.  It is the consistency of jello but today's was made with coconut milk instead of water.  I bought one for 3 pesos and a Coke Light to wash it down, 25 pesos for that, so my delicious snack was 28 pesos in all.  That is about 50 cents---a steal!

I have heard rumors that Monday is pancake day!  I am SUPER excited for Monday.

At the end of this project, they will calculate their earnings, split them amongst them and will go shopping together.  I have already asked some of them what they think they will buy, so far the unanimous decision has been: JUNK FOOD!  Go figure.  ;)  

  Today's snack

Future business ladies:

 They are learning early and are quite persuasive already! :)

I love how EXCITED these girls are about school and learning and I LOVE how they brighten up my day when they come to my office in the morning!

Oh and the face masks are so they practice proper food handling and hygiene; there is no end to the benefits of this project!

Also, did I mention that Monday is pancake day?  I am looking forward to Monday...

:)

Getting people from place to place is only one of the many uses of bicycles here in Cebu. They are used for hauling hardware, ice, bringing pigs to market and delivering products to stores and food outlets. Bikes with sidecars are the only form of public transportation in some parts of the Philippines. And adapted bikes are often used as food stands on street corners and sidewalks around the city, where vendors sell fruits, vegetables, snacks, cooked meat and ice cream.

Of course, the bike pedalers who are the most important to us are the CSC kids, who love to ride around the CSC grounds. They come in all sizes, but they love to bike! Thanks to our generous supporters, they have quality bikes to ride, helmets for their heads, and a safe place to learn and practice.

When we were still in the Philippines, I always loved watching Auntie Febe in the Eicher kitchen making all kinds of foods. But this particular meal and this particular batch of pancit canton was extra special because it happened to be for the sweetest little lady's birthday party.

She watched as the aunties washed and cut the vegetables, cooked the meat, simmered the sauce....

and then went about the task of getting all those pancit noodles into that one pot. There are a LOT of noodles required to feed this big family.

Pancit canton is and will always be one of my favorite dishes from the Philippines. The noodles soak up all the flavor of the broth where the veggies and meat are first simmered. It's just plain old nooddle-y comfort food. Squeeze a little calamansi on top and you're good to go.

Delicious pancit, coming right up!

Eicher’s Pancit (also known as Bam-i) 

2 lbs. uncooked noodles – Auntie Febe used a combination of pancit and vermicelli
4 cups sliced mixed veggies: cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and green onions
1 lb. lean pork, cut into very small pieces
½ cup oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 pork bouillon cube
6 cups water

1. Soak the vermicelli in water for about 5 minutes or until soft. Slice and chop the veggies.
2. Brown the pork in the oil with the soy sauce, garlic, and onion.
3. Add the water and bouillon cube to the pork and bring to a low simmer. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the uncooked pancit noodles and soaked vermicelli. Simmer over low heat until the noodles soak up all the broth.

You can buy pancit noodles at many Asian grocery stores.

The picture above looks seemingly harmless, doesn't it?

Well, beware!  If you are found at CSC with such an item in your possession it will be confiscated forthwith and you will have to submit to an inquiry.

:)

The "elastico game" was the trend of the moment.  Games tend to move in cycles here, you will learn why below.  The rules, as best as I understand them, is that you put a rubber band on the ground.  Then you put your hands together, your right thumb over your left thumb with your pointer and middle fingertips touching and you slap your hands on the ground just behind the rubber band.  The rubber band then jumps!  Of course, you want the rubber band to go far and if your rubber band goes the farthest, you win all of the rubber bands!

Can you imagine why this game is now outlawed?

Yep.  You guessed it.  For some reason, there were arguments over who actually won and whose rubber bands were whose.  Some kids had many, many, many and some had few.  It reached a point where the game seemed to involve more fighting than fun.

So, intervention was necessary.  The picture above is only a fraction of the stash collected! 

:)

It won't be long until there is a new game trending.  The creativity amongst our children is astounding!  Already I have seen a small group of kids throwing blades of grass over a roped off area of the yard, trying to be the one who threw the farthest.

They are getting wiser...it's got to be impossible to outlaw grass... 

It sure seems like we've said a lot of goodbyes lately. People come and go: adoptive parents, CSC kids, visitors, staff. And, of course, for each "goodbye" there is a corresponding "hello." But goodbyes can be hard when they involve people we love: family, friends, co-workers, children. Sometimes we can find comfort in knowing that we'll see them again, maybe even soon. But with some of those leaving, particularly children going for adoption, we do not have that assurance. But that is part of life at CSC. People leave. We can take heart in the words of the song we always sing when people are saying goodbye:

God will take care of you,

Through every day, o'er all the way.

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

God's rich blessings on all those who have taken a seat at the picnic table to hear the song and to receive the hugs from children, workers and staff as they prepare to leave CSC. We know its not an easy place to leave.