Wow!  I can’t believe it’s already been two years since we first opened our doors on January 22, 2007.  We had our 1st year anniversary celebration here at the office, but our 2nd year anniversary was celebrated with a bang as 75 students, friends, and clients invaded Puerto Galera with us!

With four vans, two SUV’s, and a lot of heart, we started our journey on Ayala and made our way through Batangas to Lea Beach where our two private boats awaited us.  The sea was calm and the sky was cloudy, but a glimmer of sunshine gave us hope that we were going to have a great weekend ahead of us.

We celebrated on day one with The Treasure Hunt / Amazing Race, and the team of Kiko, Edward, Jhana, Jason, Grace, Amy, Arisa, Rebecca, Jinny, and yours truly, Chris, won this event.  Our prize?  Dinner and a movie!  Yehey!

That night, we saw some great videoke singers, excellent dancers, silly jokers, mild to wild drinkers,good eaters, and so much more!

On our way back, we had another excellent adventure as our boats traveresed high waves and rocked the boats!  The high seas were no match for AIEPRO!

Thank you to everyone who joined and helped us!

I have celebrated Halloween here in the Philippines for the last three years.  During the first party, I was with my friends at a condominium at the Prince Plaza next to Greenbelt.  There were less than ten of us then.  I was a goth or the Crow lookalike.  Last year, the party was held at my friend Dan’s house in Dasmarinas Village here in Makati.  I was a simple security guard.  There were about 20 to 30 of us there.

This year, it was a much bigger party, with 70 ghosts, goblins, monsters, vampires, warriors, goddesses, witches, devils, princesses, and more.  We had so much food and beer.  We had a DJ complete with smoke, laser, and lights.  We partied the night away.

We had games: The Ship is Sinking, Simon Says, and Speed Dating.

The winners of the contests received Php 3,000 for 1st, Php 2,000 for 2nd, and Php 1000 for 3rd.

It was also an international affair.  We had about 50 Filipinos and 20 friends from S. Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Ireland, UK, Australia, US, and more.

Next year, we hope to have an even bigger party.  How about 100?

Here are some pictures.  We have many more at our main website forum or gallery at www.aiepro.org.

Halloween Party 2008

It’s that time of the year again folks when you need to go to the supermarket to buy assorted confectionaries, to give to those children who will knock on your door or window or ring your door bell and say, “Trick or Treat!”

Don’t you just find these children adorable, dressed in different costumes, from ghosts and goblins to superheroes? On October 31, you will see them running around in a frenzy, excited to get their free sugar rush, holding either a plastic bag or the typical orange Jack-o-Lantern.

Halloween is one of my favorite American holidays. It’s autumn in New York at this time; leaves are scattered all over the ground in assorted shades of yellow, orange, and green. The wind blows these leaves in the air, creating a beautiful scene in the suburbs. I love the sound leaves make when you step on a crisp one.

Oh, I forgot I’m in Manila. To console my homesick heart, I remind myself that our country was and is still influenced by American culture, and so, we continue to celebrate Halloween, year after year, and this year is no exception.

This year, I will be joining the Halloween party of *American Institute for English Proficiency (AIEP) where I have been working as an English Specialist for a little over a year now. In essence, I get paid talking and spending time with students and I have fun doing this at the same time. We don’t only teach English grammar and writing, like most English schools, but we also help our students to speak with fluency, to hold their head up high with confidence, and most importantly, to think for themselves.

I’m really looking forward to this party next week! I already have a costume. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go to last year’s party because I was out of town with my family. I know everyone who will be at the party will have a great time getting to know each other. We will eat, drink, talk, laugh, sing and dance the night away! In AIEP, we don’t only value education; we believe developing strong relationships is key in order to improve communication skills. Our students come from different educational, professional, and racial backgrounds, but our common ground is we all speak in English.

*American Institute for English Proficiency (AIEP) is located at 6772 Ayala Avenue, Suite 610

Makati City, Philippines 1226. Our offices is in The Manila Bank Center, Corner Paseo de Roxas Please.

Visit our interactive website at www.aiepro.org or Email: info@aiepro.org

You may also contact us via:

Phone: +63 (2) 893-1566

Mobile: +63 (0917) 850-3456

Telefax: +63 (2) 893-1566

US Phone: +1 (702) 987-3141

Two of the main concepts we teach here at The American Institute is confidence and critical thinking.  We want our students not only to speak English, but to be fully assertive and to think intellectually.  We want our students to be free thinking human beings, capable of making sound decisions.

And one of the ways we accomplish these goals is by respecting all of our students.  We want to understand their situations, listen to their needs, and respect them for who they are.  We allow them to be creative, to be critical, and to be purposeful.  At the end of the day, we are not only English teachers, but guides, advisors, and friends.

In this blog, we want to discover the humanity of our students, our friends, and everyone around us, regardless of their color or creed.  We believe that the essence of education and of being truly free, is through understanding one another.

We present to you…Fearless Faces!