Let the apprenticeship begin!

Our trip to Mindoro is not just another vacation. Our main intention is to immerse our family in a farming lifestyle and learn as much as we can as apprentices. We were fortunate that Kuya Jon, the father and main farmer of the Sarmiento family conducted a two-day training and farm tour and allowed us to participate. Delegates from United Nations and Bangladesh were present and they made our learning experiences even richer.

Learning about issues, strategies, and systems with and from farmers, leaders, and entrepreneurs.

The farm tour gave us more visual and hands-on experiences.

My first attempt in building something that includes a hammer! I made some labels for the trees that the delegates planted to set off the carbon footprint they produced when they traveled to the farm.

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Exploring Naujan, Oriental Mindoro

About a minute after I started researching about the things we can do in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, I received an electronic notice that informed us that we missed paying our internet bill and then the connection was cut immediately. Usually I would panic, but we resorted to our original plan instead: to explore and be surprised by the things we will find on our own, to be lost and ask about places we can visit, instead of having a list of "things to do". Actually, not-knowing adds a distinct flavor to adventures, which offers a thrill factor when you navigate through places you have not seen an online preview of. This free-style travel plan also help us take our time and just enjoy the experiences instead of rushing from one destination to another. So here are some of our new discoveries: The municipality of Naujan boasts a good collection of ancestral homes that took us to another era in our history. For only P100, yes one hundred ...

Trip to Benguet Day 2

Despite our peaceful and cozy slumber under warm blankets on a cold La Trinidad weather, we had to wake up to our phone's alarm. We set it at 7am to give us prep time before our 8am strawberry farm tour. It's just walking distance from the house so we got on our feet right after a cup of warm coffee (also produced up North) and some Valley Bread (local brand of white bread loaves), toasted and topped with coco jam. We passed by a local market filled with fresh fruits and vegetables harvested in the valley and lines of souvenir/pasalubong shops brimming with strawberry products, as well as wooden and woven crafts. As soon as we reached the booth where we had to sign up for the strawberry picking, an ice cream vendor handed us spoons of irresistible strawberry ice cream to try. With the sun warming us up for the adventures of the day, we helped ourselves indulge a bit with cones of this cold, sweet treat. Then we headed to where the strawberries are, finding out ...

Day#3: Mansalay's Mangyan Burial Cave, Mangroves, & Buktot White Beach

While enjoying our ride, Daddy saw a port and was curious, so we stopped to explore like we usually do and it was just the perfect time to enjoy some snacks so we bought some chips at the local sari-sari store as well. As we were licking our salty fingers, we saw some mangroves or bakawan, lining up a portion of the shore. Here are some pictures of what we discovered and enjoyed next. We walked along the white shore, soaking in the unbelievable sight composed of mangroves, white dead corals mixed in the sand, and clean and clear water. It was definitely a stop worth taking! When we reached a certain point, we found out that there are sea guards who are more than willing to take us to a cave. The tide was high, so we had to walk in knee-deep water, which made the experience quite relaxing and memorable. We learned that the Mangyan Burial Cave is the resting place of some skulls and bone...

Unschooling James and Adam

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