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Let the work begin [2014-02-02]

After months of planning, preparation, packing, and anticipation, we have arrived in the Philippines and are embarking on the 2014 projects!  There are always anxious moments as we check in our baggage at the airport, but thankfully all 250 pounds made it here to our home in Compostela on the island of Cebu.  Combined with the many boxes that we shipped in advance, it is a formidable pile of gear!  We have unpacked and at least partially organized the equipment that will be installed in six new schools this year.

One very exciting piece of news is that our former student Jade Reyes (featured in an earlier blog post) will be assisting Reneal IEO during our time here.  He just took the teachers’ board exam but will not be eligible to teach until January 2015.  We are so thrilled to have Jade’s capable help.  The three of us headed up to Cebu City Thursday to check prices and purchase the remaining equipment that is needed.  Jade got some interesting looks in one store when he asked for 23 mice!  We were able to get most everything although we did seem to exhaust the current supply of mice in Cebu City without fully satisfying our needs.

This coming week we will make our initial planning visits to each of the six new schools.  Our goals will be to survey the space that has been allocated for the IT lab, discuss table and wiring layout, measure needed cable lengths, and discuss the implementation schedule.  Our hope is to get all six systems up and running quickly so there is time to trouble-shoot any glitches and give plenty of time for training and familiarization before we return to America.

During our foray to Cebu City Thursday, we also visited one of our valued colleagues at Aboitiz.  Aboitiz is a conglomerate of companies in the Philippines that also has a very active foundation.  We were grateful and humbled to learn that Aboitiz will be donating some used computer equipment to Reneal IEO for placement in schools.  Further, with their extensive connections, Aboitiz will be assisting us in identifying some candidate projects targeting schools damaged by Typhoon Haiyan.  It is our hope that time and resources will permit Reneal IEO to join along with many other relief organizations in aiding victims of this terrible disaster.

I can’t end this post without mentioning what a joy it is to be back among our friends at Compostela National High School.  We were fortunate to arrive in time to join with the school fiesta on Friday.  There will be much blood, sweat, and tears shed in the next few months as we execute these projects, but days like Friday remind us of why we love this work.