Giving and Receiving

Yesterday, our 2-week seminar finally culminated with the awarding of certificates and a farewell luncheon for our foreign participants. 

I'm glad that I took part in this seminar. Not only did I gain knowledge, I also gained 12 new international friends, and 6 new local ones.

I couldn't let my new international friends leave without something that would remind them of the Philippines. So, I gave them souvenirs that were distinctly Filipino.

For the ladies, embroidered fans were the perfect reminder of the hot weather they experienced in the Philippines.

The embroidery on the fan is very intricate and beautifully done. The material is jusi, and the embroidery echoes the traditional barong design. I'm sure Sanija will love this since she's been looking for a Filipino fan since the start of this week.

For the gentlemen, I bought shot glasses with Manila and Philippine motifs. To make it more local, I bought banig boxes as container.

After giving the gifts, I was surprised to receive some local items from my International classmates as well. They're uber thoughtful.

Sadeesh gave me Green Tea from Sri Lanka. He mentioned that this is their premium brand back home. I'm sure it's great since Ceylon used to be the tea capital of the world. Bela then gave me a hanging ornament which is for good luck.

 Bela also gave me a ready to eat dish from India. She found out from our other classmates that I'm a huge fan of Indian food, so she gave me this authentic meal from her hometown. I hope I find Naan bread to go with this. And finally, the keychain came from Pabu, and she mentioned that it's one of their national symbols in Nepal.

Through this simple act of giving and receiving, we now have more things to remember each other by, aside from all the fun photos and wonderful experiences that were shared the past 2 weeks.