Teddy Bears Around the World

Jose met teddy bear “Chi-chi” from the Philippines. While Jose will travel to the Philippines, a country that is part of Asia and is far far away from Jacksonville, Chi-chi is left at San Jose Episcopal Day School.

Jose-Philippines will now be part of the MinLand team in delivering children’s books to remote communities and poor children in the Philippines.

Jose promises to send photos of his activities in the Philippines.

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The San Jose Episcopal Day School has been donating Children’s Books and other learning materials to Move On Philippines for the benefit of poor children in remote, poverty stricken and conflict affected areas in the Philippines. Mindanao Land Foundation is Move On Philippines’ partner in the Philippines.

Hi! It is Jose the Bear again. I am currently traveling in Dubai, UAE. If you are looking at a map, try to find the Persian Gulf and look south. Dubai is on the south shore of the Persian Gulf. It has both desert and beach so there is lots and lots of sand. It is already hot here, even in April. It is in the 90’s during the day. In the summer it will get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It is hot in Jacksonville, but not that hot. I have spent the day driving around trying to see as much as I could.

Let’s start with Dubai Creek. The Creek is a natural sea-water inlet which cuts through the center of the city. It is the historic focal point of life in Dubai. A stroll along its banks evokes the city’s centuries-old trading traditions. I was captivated by the color and bustle of the loading and unloading of dhows (these are the small boats in the picture) which still ply ancient trade routes to places as distant as India and East Africa.

Next we went to find the tallest building in the world.

Next we found the Burj Al Arab Hotel. I am not staying here but it is really fancy. They have a fleet of Rolls Royces that will pick you up at the airport. At night the lights on the outside of the hotel change color. It is amazing to watch.

Look close at the back ground of this next picture. It is the Mall of the Emerates. I thought a UFO had landed on the mall, but no, that is Ski Dubai! Can you imagine skiing in the middle of the dessert? It’s true. Look through the windows in the next picture. You can see the ski lift and the snow. Amazing! We had lunch in the mall and then continued our drive.

Then next picture shows how much construction is going on in Dubai. The city is booming. Every where you look there are new high rise buildings going up. I have never seen so many cranes in one place.

One of the biggest projects is the Palm Jumeirah. Have you heard of the islands that are being built in the shape of a palm tree? Those are here in Dubai! Here is a picture from outer space that shows what the islands look like.

I have really enjoyed my visit here in Dubai, but I am looking forward to coming home to SJEDS. I will fly from Dubai to New York; it is a 16 hour flight. From there I will continue on to Jacksonville. I send all my love to SJEDS! I miss you lots! Love, Jose

I am on deployment with one of SJEDS students’ father to Kuwait.

Do you know where Kuwait is?

We originally moved into tents for a couple of weeks. The tents had from 5 to 7 people in them. I actually didn’t mind living in the tents (except when the the wind and sandstorms kicked in). We have since moved into what are called pre-cast buildings (PCB’s). It is kind of like a big warehouse. These buildings hold 58 people and me. We use lockers and blankets for walls. The good thing about the PCB’s is that they have internet connections.

The weather is starting to warm up. However, it is also sandstorm season. We have had a few sandstorms so far. Below is a little idea what a sandstorm looks like. The pictures are of a ship in the port. One on a clear day and one during a sandstorm.

The most fun I had was when I went to work with Mr. C. a couple of weeks ago. I also get to hang out with Commander Thom. You can see him in the pictures with me below. We made rounds around the yards and made a few friends along the way.

Playing cricket: My friend Ajaya likes to play cricket. That is a game where you swing a flat bat at the ground. I even caught the ball. You throw the ball at the ground. We  played with Ajay’s uncle, Parveen Mamaji.

Going to the wedding: We went to a wedding in Bombay. Ajay’s aunt Jessica Maasi got married. There was a dance called Daandhiya. People do the dance hitting sticks against other sticks. I also played freeze tag with Ajay.

We rode motorcycles in India . Ajay and I were very brave. I went over a big gutter and we saw lots of dogs and bulls. We were on a farm.

I am so excited to have accompanied Louis, Janette and Joseph M. on a trip to the Holy Land in the summer of 2006. I got to visit some historical places like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho, Nazareth, the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.

In Bethlehem, I visited and the Church of the Nativity and had the opportunity to sit on the Alter above the Nativity place. In Jerusalem, I visited The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and had the opportunity to sit on the altar above tomb where Jesus was buried.