Traveling on a budget with legs as my gears

I wanna start off by saying I have absolutely no pictures from the Batch 4 graduation and I'm gonna get more into that later. Right now, as I promised in my previous post, I will first talk about how I cured the athlete's foot I noticed I got on May 23, 2017.

[WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT]

As you can see, the in-between of my left pinky toe is quite a disturbing sight. I couldn't help but overly worry about it so I started Googling like crazy and saw a home remedy that was quite doable: putting raw garlic! After taking a bath and scrubbing it silly, I started crushing garlic to release its juices, then I plastic-wrapped my whole foot with the garlic in between the affected area. I could feel it sting right away and in my head the fungus was starting to be killed. But because I was obsessing, I couldn't help but constantly check on it, practically breaking my toe off. The next morning when I still saw the athlete's foot intact, I turned to my mom for remedy.
She recommended the 2% w/w anti-bacterial topical ointment (MUPIROCIN - FOSKINA) I had left from when I was treating my stab wounds and it worked like a charm! After a couple of days, even when I continued to get wet because the duty calls for it, the skin of the affected area peeled off.

Mother knows best, after all.

At times when I'm not in the pool, I generously put baking soda on it to dry it as well as fight off the fungi's potential spreading. I never want to get athlete's foot again, so this is definitely a lesson well-learned. I'm more wary now of lending footwear and walking around public areas barefooted (although that's highly unlikely of me).

Thursday, May 25, 2017. First day of Batch 4. Aliyah, one of my students from Batch 3 re-enrolled and his dad requested me to still be her teacher from yesterday's graduation. I was handling her and another re-enrollee from last year when Coach Madel took Aliyah out of my class and gave her to Nikko. I could understand that it's only logical because Nikko is a great advanced lesson teacher, I just got pissed because she was already in my class and then suddenly she gets pulled out. I kept my smile nonetheless because I didn't want to ruin the kid that I got's first day. I was adjusting well, we both were, when after half an hour, Coach Madel switched my student with Nikko so Aliyah can be with me again. It felt ridiculous to keep interrupting the class, and what's annoying about it is that we got switched not because Coach Madel was honoring Aliyah's dad's request, but because Nikko requested it. There goes Coach Madel's tendency to favor other teachers again. I was so angry and disappointed at what just happened but I couldn't show it because I'm in the middle of the class. I also felt made fun of when the switch happened because (as I mentioned before, I'm still a bit shaky in teaching the Jammer 2 program, which is what Aliyah's course was) Nikko found Aliyah to have a hard time doing the butterfly kicks properly that's why he didn't want to continue having Aliyah as a student, and he was laughing with Coach Madel while making "good luck" faces indirectly to me because they know that I got pissed at them pulling Aliyah out of my class and now she's back, but with a newfound difficulty so "good luck"--that's what their laughter meant to me. One great thing I honed in my life as a swim teacher is how to keep things cool and collected ALL THE TIME. No matter how angry or sad I am, I don't let it take over my day's mission.

Friday, May 26, 2017. Coach Madel had to run errands so she wasn't around. Nikko was the acting head coach for the first half of the day and, actually, the day was nice. I've been looking forward to Saturday because of the Novice Swim Meet; I really want to see the kids in training apply themselves. Although there's no guarantee whether our attendance will be paid or not, I still wanted to come. Before the day ended, the operations supervisor, Coach Ecko, told me that I was going to be transferred to Elizabeth Seton School Main for the rest of my contract by Monday because of the decline of enrollees at Elizabeth Seton School Imus. I understand that I'm more needed at ESSM because of the student demand there but I'm dreading the idea of having to adjust to a new venue again. My first experience there being quite awful adds up to the non-excitement but I'm still hoping for the best and open for things to make a turn-around.

Novice Swim Meet @ Philippine Columbian Association in Quirino

Saturday, May 27, 2017. I drove to PCA with Rich, Nikko, and Fatima early in the morning. We got there at roughly 6AM, then Nikko went on his way to taking care of the student entries for the swim meet while Rich, Fatima, and I lounged around not knowing how the whole day will go because we just invited ourselves to come and are not actually part of the program.

Niño and his medals

The morning program was so relaxed because we only had Niño as our entry. He was first place in back stroke--that was the only swim when he didn't hover over his opponent to check on them. When he finished, he exclaimed, "First place. I told you I was good at back stroke." We all laughed in celebration. He could've also gotten first place in freestyle had he followed the plan to breathe every four strokes only but he finished second anyway. The important thing too is to just have fun.

When the afternoon program came and the student entries flushed, things got a bit hectic. We worked the event even if we absolutely had no assurance if we'll get paid for it or not. The ESSI and ESSM entries got joined together in one camp as the sky confusedly poured and scorched alternately. I tried to ease the stress by going on an uncharacteristic money-spending spree.

I got a Speedo - Endurance swimsuit at the Speedo booth where items were supposedly sold at a huge discount, but when I first went over to look, the prices were still at an all-time high.

I took a second look and luckily found gold with the price of a beautiful stone. Hours passed and I noticed the booth just behind Speedo where active wear apparel were being sold. I got a ton of items which are actually just like the other gym clothes I have in my wardrobe but I'm very financially illiterate like that when it comes to sudden catches-of-the-eye, which is the main reason I rarely bring cash so...

Expenses for today's haul
PHP572 - Speedo - Endurance swimsuit
PHP150 - Coolwear top (pink)
PHP200 - Coolwear skirt (black)
[the following are not in photo]
PHP150 - Coolwear top (white)
PHP150 - Coolwear top (green)
PHP200 - Coolwear criss-cross top (pink)
PHP350 - Champion shirt (gray)
PHP200 - Coolwear halter top (lavender)
TOTAL: PHP1972


I got the Coolwear lavender halter top for my mom and the rest are for me. The white Coolwear top would've easily been my favorite had I not forced to get the size small because I thought it'd be ~fitting~ even when I am so obviously a medium to large build. Oh, well... a girl can dream. I love everything that I got, though! Some things that others found surprising for me to pick were the skirt and the pink criss-cross Coolwear top. Little do most people know, I am actually a closet kikay/princess and I have yet to come out. 😉😉😉

Monday, May 29, 2017. First day at ESSM and I was late for three minutes. I took too long locking my bike and detaching its accessories. I really hate that I have to park outside. Not only does this crippling worry of my bike getting stolen won't leave, it's also really time-consuming to have to detach then re-attach things.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017. I made a new friend in a new co-teacher, Angelica. I found out that she's a legitimate teacher so I got interested to know her. Apparently, she's also just been newly assigned to ESSM. What brought us together is our same sentiment about the atmosphere at ESSM and how unwelcoming it feels to be there. I handled an adult in the afternoon because she missed her original morning schedule, but I supposedly don't have any student at 3-4PM and is just a shadow to Coach Alvin. I did some review of the previous lesson then proceeded with back stroke. Coach Alvin, a coach/senior swim teacher at ESSM, was just in the lane beside me. He looked over my class, then told me off by saying, "Mali yan. Hindi ganyan mag-back stroke." (That's wrong. That's not how back stroke is done.) I was so appalled and humiliated to be told off in front of a student like that. I responded, "Ito 'yung turo ni Coach Madel [sa ESSI]." (This is what Coach Madel taught me.) Coach Alvin spoke again, "Mali nga 'yan, kasi may bago na. Maniwala ka sa'kin kaka-attend ko lang ng seminar." (That's wrong because there's already a new method. Believe me, I just came from a [coaching] seminar.) He then realized the interruption he just caused and instructed me to continue on with the lesson. After the class, I was gonna confront him about the way he told me off and how he should not have done so in front of a student, but he beat me to it by apologizing right off the bat and then explaining to me the new back stroke method of teaching.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017. I'm handling VIP students at 4-5PM but they're just filling in their remaining classes and are not actually part of Batch 4. I had quite a hard time because this is the hour when the swim squad trains, so the pool space is a bit limited. It's their last day today, thank goodness. Admittedly, they weren't my favorite to teach just because their pickup is slow--you have to tell them the instructions twice because they can't get it the first time, although they're very promising swimmers.
Thursday, June 1, 2017. Because my VIP students are done with their classes, I didn't have students again so I was tasked to shadow Angelica. I felt myself overshadowing her when she showed weakness handling five kids, but my intention was to save her from looking defeated. I remember the feeling I got when Fatima had done the exact same thing shadowing me in my class at ESSI during Batch 1. Now I understand how you don't actually mean to overshadow... it just happens.

Friday, June 2, 2017. I woke up with my left ear hurting, probably from all the diving and underwater sinking. I left work with both my ears hurting. I couldn't treat it yet because I was staying at my grandma's house which is just a three-minute ride away (=more time to sleep and lounge around).

Saturday, June 3, 2017. Went home after work and was able to treat my ears with anti-inflammatory prescription medicine.
After taking a bath, I dry my ears with a towel and then I drop a few of this on a q-tip. Then, I clean my ears with the wet q-tip. I expected the q-tip to come out as really really yellow, since I haven't cleaned my ears for so long because of the scare of just pushing in the dirt further. When I finished cleaning my left ear first, the q-tip had black, grime-like particles and it smelled like dirty water. My right ear was not as dirty.

Monday, June 5, 2017. This is supposedly my last day already as Coach Ecko made me sign an ~end of fixed term contract~ paper during the Novice Swim Meet but I guess I'm being extended. A part of me is glad to still be needed, another part of me is in dismay because I kinda wanna rest and think about my next career step. I'm thinking of doing off-season work but there are a lot of factors to weigh in. Yes, I love what I do but I have no faith in the company I'm working for. I feel so stretched to my limit as a human and only honored when a good thing I did is recognized by another. Today, a venue head from Sta. Rosa came as a reliever, Coach Jonel. Having no classes in the morning, he was able to just observe us. He told me by lunch, "Grabe, ang galing mo humawak ng Snapper. Alam mo 'yung hindi nag-iiba 'yung energy mo kahit tuloy-tuloy 'yung klase!?" Of course, I appreciate the compliment. But then he tried to credit the way I work to someone else. "Sino venue head mo?" I told him, "Coach Madel." Then, Coach Karla (the head coach who was a bitch to me before) said, "Hindi nga 'yan nagha-handle ng Snapper dun e. Dito lang siya nag-Snapper!" (implying that it is her who made me good at handling Snappers). Coach Jonel replied, "Ahh, ang galing mo pala Coach Karla." How completely annoying. I don't even take credit when my students do good because all the credit goes to them. Just like when you refuse to credit yourself when students don't do so good because, again, it's their work. You're merely a guide in their journey to learn.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017. The Batch 4 graduation was awful to a fault. I felt like the whole program was a waste of time. It's like, they just wanted to get it over with. Seeing the parents' faces seemingly annoyed and disappointed really embarrasses me to be part of something substandard. There's no center command. Even when there was numbering on the students, it was barely followed. The talent showcase was unexplained and disorderly. I miss the graduations that we have at ESSI; they weren't perfect, but they were always something that we work hard for. When I went to give suggestions to a co-head of Coach Karla, Darwin, he told me, "Wala e. Ganyan lang talaga graduation namin dito." Blatant non-recognition for what can be improved. These people are strong examples of who I don't want to be.

I wasn't able to take any pictures or grab any pictures of the graduation from anyone because they also didn't take any. There were no food from parents as well, which is not mandatory anyway but is just odd coming from a venue that poured food in celebration... not just for the teachers but for everyone--graduates, parents, pool boys, guards. Coach Karla treated us to some pancit, barbeque, and pichi-pichi from Amber's though, and of course, I'm thankful for it. Free food are life savers, always.