12 years at home in Xiamen
By Enid Chen & Nicole Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan

Celso Jalac系厦门岷厦国际学校(Manila Xiamen International School, 简称MXIS)教务主任兼菲律宾人在厦协会会长. 最近他与另外四名外国专家被授予2006年厦门市"白鹭友谊奖". 来厦任教12年的他, 将大部分精力都投入在教育事业上, 即使在假期或周末, 他也住在学校, 给一些留校的学生加班辅导. 同时, 作为菲律宾人在厦协会会长, 他让更多在厦生活的菲律宾人有了家的感觉.

It is a surprise

Celso Jalac works as a registrar and math teacher at Manila Xiamen International School (MXIS). In addition, he is president of the Filipino Association in Xiamen. Alongside four other foreign experts, he recently received the Egret Friendship Award, recognizing his contribution to Xiamen's culture and education.

"I did not expect this award, although I had submitted my application forms to the Xiamen Foreign Experts Bureau. It was a great surprise. I was extremely happy when I got the award three weeks ago. It is really something for me." Celso was bubbling with pleasure as the interview started.

MXIS old hand

Before Celso came to Xiamen in 1994, he had been a math teacher in Manila, capital of the Philippines. In 1994, one year after MXIS was established, the headmaster was hiring teachers there. "I saw the advertisement and I applied for it. And so, here I am."

Since then, Celso has dedicated himself to his teaching work here. "I have only been back to the Philippines a few times in the past twelve years. Even during the holidays and on weekends, I am tutoring my students."

Celso has been teaching at MXIS for 12 years, making him the longest serving teacher there. When asked about his greatest achievement as a teacher there, he replies proudly: "My achievement is that we have been able to graduate hundreds of students already, some of whom have become lawyers, government officials and professors. They have been able to establish enterprises in other countries, such as Singapore, England, and the United States. I am happy about that. As the first international school in Xiamen, MXIS has been able to offer quality education to the children of foreign experts, investors and some other expats.

Furthermore, as a registrar of MXIS, I am responsible for advertising and promoting the school to more and more of the foreigners who come to Xiamen. The number of students at our school is increasing all the time and the number of different countries that the students come from now adds up to 22."



Community leader

Celso has been vice-president of the Filipino Association since it was established in 1997. In that time it has grown until it now has over 200 members. Now that he is the president of the association, he always asks the Filipinos here to help the Chinese. "I have lived here for 12 years. People here are very friendly. I love Xiamen as much as Manila, where I was born. Xiamen is my second hometown. We do whip-rounds from time to time for the needy here, and it makes us happy to help. Once we made a call for funds for a mother and daughter who both had a congenital heart disease. In the end we raised over RMB 30,000 for them to have an operation."

A bridge between Chinese and Filipino students

As Xiamen becomes more and more modern, many Filipinos are already settling down here. What is more, an increasing number of Filipino students come to Xiamen during the vacations. Every summer since 1995, hundreds of Filipino students have come to Xiamen to learn about and experience the culture here. The program was started by MXIS and Celso contributed a lot to the organization. "We organize a summer camp every year, and many Filipino students come. We give them a rich and colorful time, going on a visit to Beijing and nearby towns such as Shishi. It helps them to get familiar with the Chinese language and the culture. With this program Filipino students are able to explore Xiamen and meet some Chinese students, while the students here can also visit the Philippines. I believe this kind of learning is very important for young people, so I pushed the school to make it happen. I'm committed to making this program a success."

A Xiamen life for him

"Although I don't speak very good Chinese, it doesn't seem to be a barrier for me. I enjoy living in Xiamen, and it has become my second hometown."

In the past 12 years, Celso has hardly been back to his hometown. "I do not have parents any more, but I have my brothers and sisters and their children in the Philippines. I am single and I will carry on working here. The longer I stay, the more I love Xiamen. Maybe I will leave her when I get married and have a child."

about Egret Friendship Awards

The Egret Friendship Awards were established in 2004 and are awarded every two years. They are given to foreign experts who make outstanding contributions to economic development and social progress of Xiamen. This year's winners were: Robert B. Clark (USA), Larry Jay Keller (USA), Won-Ho Moon (South Korea), Celso Jalac (Philippines) and Hiroaki Uchikawa (Japan).

Vocabulary
registrar 注册主任
whip-round 慈善募捐
congenital 先天的
bubble 滔滔不绝