Final Filipino Days

This is Stacey writing. We spent our last few days in Cebu checking out a last few select sites. Thursday we went to Bigfoot Studios with PP Greg Curda from RC Cebu East. Greg works as a foley mixer in second design and has won an Oscar for sound design in The Hunt for Red October. He was originally from Chicago then moved to Hawaii where he got a taste of the tropics and furthered his move to Saipan and finally Cebu for his final full feel of the tropics in a developing country. Bigfoot Studios is a film studio that was behind the makins of many films. Currently they are working on a new reality fashion show, Design Genius. The studio employs about 100 people and teaches about 50 students from the International Academy of Film and Television. The academy offers several certificate and diploma programs including filmmaking, acting for the camera, sound design and professional immersion. Only about half of the students are from the Philippines and the other half are international students from around the world. We were able to tour both facilities where we were able to see stage setups, sound equipment and props. We were actually even able to go on the stage of the film they were beginning that day and experience the view from an actor’s perspective with th

Bigfoot studios

GSE team with Greg Curda (center) and Allan Limas (right)

The next stop was to The Church of Latter Day Saints Temple that was newly built in Cebu City in June of 2010. We were greeted by President Schmutz, who acts as a sort of team leader to the young missionaries that the church sends out around the world. Many young Mormon men serve as missionaries at age 19 for two years. Mormon women serve at age  21 for 18 months. During the question and answer period, the question was asked why there was a difference in length of service. Quipped a Rotarian, "Maybe because women are smarter than men."


From here we continued to another building for lunch and some conversation. We were then given a tour around the temple and given an overview of their religion and about the temple itself. We were able to enter the waiting room of the temple, but the rest of the temple is off limits to those who cannot prove their commitment to important rituals of the Mormon faith.

 

It was then a Take 2 of our camera time for the day as we went to have a television interview about our rotary experiences. We were interviewed for a public access tv program called My Rotary, hosted by PAG Baba Panopio(RC Cebu). On the panel were team members, Nicole and Stacey, team leader, John, District GSE Chair, Dick BarbaI, and PP Allan Limas.

The GSE Team in the My Rotary studio. From left to right: Stacey, John, host PAG Baba Panopian, Dick Barba, District GSE chair, Nicole and PP Allan Limas

 Our last meeting with Philippines rotary came at our Farewell dinner hosted by RC Cebu Gloria Maris and Cebu Fort San Pedro. The dinner and fellowship were wonderful and were held with the walls of Fort San Pedro with a luau theme. We were able to partake in one last night of videoke and dancing. We were also joined by a few members of our past host clubs who were there to wish us well. You will all be greatly missed, but will always be in our hearts.

For the farewell dinner, The GSE team offered a special rendition of John Denver's "Country Roads.". first line: Almost heaven, Pennsylvania . . .".

We had one day left to pack and enjoy a few relaxing sites of Cebu. We spent some time on the beach and also visited the sites of the Mactan Shrine and also the burial site of Lapu-Lapu, a tribal leader who is celebrated throughout the Philippines for resisting the Spaniards. He is credited with killing Ferdinand Magellan, a European explorer who was the first circumnavigate the globe.

Shrine to Ferdinand Magellan (his final resting place)

Lapu-Lapu monument

 We boarded a boat taxi that took us to a small island. From the dock we hopped on a motorized tricycle to reach our destination at the bird sanctuary. We relaxed with a picnic lunch and our last fresh coconuts. After our bellies settled we took a long walk out to a lookout point where we were able to see a variety of migratory birds and wade around in the water with the starfish, crabs and little fish.

Our taxi boat to the island

Walking out to the observation tower

Stacey finds a starfish

The afternoon was relaxing, just what we needed to prepare for our long trip back home. We spent the evening with our host families enjoying a last few hours before they transported us to the airport. The same big welcoming crew we met just one month ago were all there to give us all their "See ya soons" as we walked through the airport security gates and waved our sincere thanks. We could not have asked for anything more from our hosts. I think I speak for all of us when I say, thank you for all that you have done for us and all that you have been to us. We will never forget all the friends that we have made. You have all made our experience absolutely AMAZING! You will forever be in our hearts! Thank you for everything.





At the airport we are awaiting our flight home with our brains and hearts full of Philippine culture and love. Excited to share all we learned, the next destination we aim for....Pennsylvania.