And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." Mark 6:31

So we went on a silent retreat the past weekend which was basically just like going on vacation by yourself which is actually really relaxing. It was in this really beautiful place on a lake right outside of Manila. You can see the city in the background of some of the sunset pictures. All weekend I just laid by the pool and read and ate and watched the sunset. Definitely a nice break from Manila and praxis and school. Its so incredibly hot in Manila right now. Its almost 100 EVERY SINGLE DAY. I'm just constantly sweaty so it  was nice to go to a place with a breeze and have rooms with AC. May is supposed to be the hottest month here so I'll definitely be ready to get back to New Hampshire in 4 weeks!

The sunset was so amazing the first night we were there.

This is the chapel that we had mass at over the weekend. Definitely made church way more enjoyable.

Pool!

You can see Manila to the right of the sun. 

We all really missed being loud so when we got back we had a really long loud dance party.

Some of the girls in our neighborhood were showing us the dance they made up to Super Base.

And here's a couple photos from my day at praxis yesterday. The kids are so cute and we've been able to spend a lot more time with them recently. I'm teaching a ballet class to some of the girls a few times a week and they are so cute! I think I'm going to make up a dance to teach them so they can perform at their Fiesta in a couple weeks. They're so excited about it and really serious about practicing. It makes me so happy to be able to dance again and share it with all these beautiful kids!

Maryann giving me a big hug. 

Practicing first position and plies! 

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” 

-Mary Oliver

Praxis with family!

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” 
― Annie Dillard

Here are some pictures from when my family came to my Praxis site last week. It was so beautiful to have them all together in one place.

Spring Break

Hi Everyone! I just had an amazing two weeks with my family visiting. The first week they hung out around Manila and I got to introduce them to everyone in Casa and they came to my classes and Praxis site. It was so wonderful to be able to share my experiences here with them and everyone in my community was so welcoming and excited to meet them. Then on Sunday we headed off to Anda, Bohol  a smaller island in the Visayas south of Manila, to a beautiful beach resort.  The trek out was pretty long after an hour and a half flight and two hour rocky van ride but it was definitely worth it.  It was the most beautiful place I've ever been.  When we got there they greeted us with whole coconuts with straws in them filled with coconut water.  We spent most of the time relaxing on the beach there, swimming in the pool, and eating and drinking. It was so relaxing and nice to have some time to spend together after me being away for so long.  We visited some caves on the island that supposedly had spiritual healing powers and went on a walk down the beach and into town there. The native people who lived around the resort were so friendly. All of the children yelled hello and waved to us as we walked through the village.  On our last day at Anda we visited the Chocolate Hills and Tarsiers, these little tiny monkeys found only on Bohol. Those places were pretty crowded and touristy but it was cool to see them.  After the touristy morning we headed off on a boat to Cabilao, a small island off of Bohol.  The resort on Cabilao was definitely not as luxurious as Anda but it was in such a beautiful place so we spent most of our time there on the beach anyways.  We went snorkeling along the coral reef surrounding the island.  A little ways out is what they call the drop-off where the reef just ends suddenly and you can't see the bottom of the ocean it just fades into this deep blue color.  We saw lots of brightly colored fish and starfish along the edge of the reef.  Wednesday was my 21st birthday so we celebrated on Cabilao with drinks from the Tiki hut. I got a Mango Colada and the bartender played happy birthday for me on his guitar.  It was a pretty low-key 21st but it was really nice and I'm already planning a trip to MA's to celebrate all of the birthdays my roommates and I missed when we're back in Boston this summer! We left Cabilao this afternoon and now we're back in Manila and they're all leaving me tomorrow morning! I'll miss them but I'll be back in the US in 7 weeks! I can't believe how fast it has gone and I'm looking forward to meeting back up with some of my friends from Casa tomorrow and going to spend Easter with my roommate Teresa's family here in Manila! 

Beach at Anda

Walking to town

Breakfast at our table at Anda White Beach Resort

Will on the boat out to the caves on Bohol

The infinity pool and the ocean at the resort. 

The Chocolate Hills, they were a little green still because there's been more rain than normal.

The Tarsier monkeys

Woo 21 at the Tiki Bar!

Cabilao

The water was so clear 

Me and Will

Will Me and Mom on our last day on Cabilao

Sunset at Cabilao

Spiritual healing caves on Bohol

I feel so thankful to have such a wonderful family who was willing to fly 24 hours across the world to see what I've been up to and take me on such an amazing vacation! Love you guys and I can't wait to see you when I get back in May!