Boholanas, Lola Nening and Mom (although Mom was born in Bukidnon, Mindanao)

My dear friends, kumare, kapatid, Ate,

Pls forgive me that I didn’t get to ask (some of you) in advance but I had less than a day’s notice. I am to present to high school girls in a public school in bohol for a creative writing workshop in the morning tomorrow thus I facebooked, googled and picked my brain about what I know of you as your wonderful selves. I will use it as my guideline. Besides my mom and lolas, aunties, cousins, I honor you (as you inspire me). And also honor those who have passed. I Love u!

Topic: women before and now

Activity:

Honor and thank the women who have helped shape your life. Share the story of your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, teacher, neighbor or friend and the positive mark they have made. Write a short letter to lola, ina, kapatid, teacher, mentor, friend, kapit bahay……

Miss Philippines World 1967 Maita Gomez, who turned into an activist during the Marcos administration, died of a heart attack on Thursday, July 12, 2012.  Maita Gomez was the founder of the women’s organization Gabriela.

‘Please let me express my beauty, my indigenous self.’ – Manobo elder as told via Leny Strobel at Kapwa3 2012, Baguio City

If we want our girls to benefit from the courage and wisdom of the women before them, we have to share the stories. – Shireen Dodson, author of Mother-Daughter Book club

I’ve learned people will forget what you said or did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

Let’s not let the danger of the journey and the vastness of the territory scare us; there are no bridge, one builds them as one walks. – Gloria Anzaldua

I treasure the times I spend with students. – Jessica Lacaba, teacher, Filipino Club Advisor at Encinal High School, Alameda, California.

From now on, i will speak like i am reciting poetry. – Mira Yusef, co-founder and current executive director of Monsoon United Asian Women of Iowa.

Weaving across generations. – Holly Calica

Share your beauties of our sacred Bohol – Judy Talaugon, Chumash-Bisayan, mother, teacher, activist of the American Indian Movement: “Columbus is Hitler to us. .  . You’re talking about a real annihilation of a people after his arrival.”

That’s how we pull together. – Michele “Shelly” Vendiola – a Native American (Swinomish – fish village) and Filipina. She is a native rights activist, who worked as Campaign & Training Director for the Indigenous Environmental Network, a national native grassroots environmental justice organization working with over 230 native communities impacted by industrial development and contamination.

When cleaning, it makes room for other things. Just when you think, “There’s not enough room here,” you discover how much room there actually is once you throw shit away. I think there are some parallels between cleaning the house and cleansing your body. – Janet Stickmon, author crushing soft rubies, teacher, poet, mother

“We are born where the sun rises, rest where the sun sets, and in between, we love, we learn.” ~ Anonymous

Post-class notes:

It was inspiring to listen to the youth. The class, mostly girls and a handful of boys, ages 11-13 years old, started with an ice breaker. As June in Bohol was celebrated as the Nutrition Awareness Month, I asked the class to share a favorite vegetable starting from A-Z and why. The connection with eating healthy, protecting mother earth with indigenous peoples were easily picked up by the youth. I mentioned what Kuya Lutgardo Labad, honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Boholanos around the World (TOBAW) 2012 for Culture and Heritage, shared with me that ‘All Boholanos are indigenous.’ You should have seen how the youth reacted  🙂

Moving along, I played a radio interview I did last year with Ms. Michelle Vendiola with the young ones and they learned about Paddle to Swinomish Canoe Journey 2011 and big words like colonization, anti-miscegenation law and about Indi-Pinoys, Swinomish-Pinay, Chumash-Pinay. For the main activity, they wrote a letter to honor mother earth/women from the quotes listed above. It was amazing! just wished I had it on video!! Or a pix! So much fun! I am so honored to be part of their life even for a few hours. Thank you Mam Marlene and Putong National High School (formerly Bohol High School).