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From Gardens to Grammar: My Eventful Summer as a Tagalog Teacher

Join Albine’s summer recap—teaching Tagalog, gardening, unique travels, and upcoming Aralin World projects. Plus, early access to her new workbook!

From Gardens to Grammar: My Eventful Summer as a Tagalog Teacher

Discover what Albine has been up to this summer: new glasses, gardening adventures, Amish town visits, and Tagalog teaching updates. Learn how Aralin World blends personal stories with language tips, plus get early access to the upcoming Tagalog workbook.

This summer has been full of teaching Tagalog, small-town adventures, gardening experiments, and even unexpected sights in the sky.

Between welcoming new students, refining my lessons, and working on my workbook with working title "14 Days Into Tagalog", I’ve been balancing life’s joys with the craft of teaching.

In this update, you’ll find personal stories, classroom highlights, and a peek at what’s coming next for Aralin World.

Finally… Glasses That Work for Me!

Since April, I’d been seeing distorted shapes on phone screens and browsers. The culprit? Polycarbonate lenses. My doctor switched me to non-polycarbonate lenses, and the difference is amazing.

Now I have:

  • Lined bifocal glasses for everyday use
  • Mid-range focal glasses for computer work

My eyes (and patience) are finally happy again.

A Wedding and an Amish Town Side Trip

In May, we traveled to northeast Ohio for a wedding. On our way home, we visited Berlin, Ohio, known for its Amish community.

  • Ate at Downtown Diner: grilled cheese for me, fish sandwich for Bruce, and a meat dish for Ryan.
  • Main stop: Berlin Seeds, where I picked up amaranth and lavender seeds, while Bruce chose beans and corn seeds, plus seedlings of tomato, parsley, and celery.

Gardening Joys

This year, I transformed my old kitchen herb patch into a pollinator garden. Now it’s alive with bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. It's magical to see even in the night with addition of fireflies.

Here's a few Tagalog vocabulary:

  1. hardín (garden)
  2. bulaklák (flower)
  3. punlâ (seedlings)
  4. mga butó (seeds)
  5. bubuyog (bee)
  6. parú-paró (butterfly)
  7. alitaptáp (firefly)

Unusual Sights in the Sky

On two separate days, I spotted:

  • A blimp carrying people and advertising a major company
  • A drone cleaning the windows of a tall building

Simple moments, but both were fascinating.

One Tagalog phrase today: "lipád na!" (fly already).

Tagalog Teaching Highlights

  • Ezra joined my Saturday free tutorials. He's a quick learner, self-starter, committed, and open to feedback. I'm already excited for his progress!
  • Luis, a self-paced learner, gave me feedback that led me to replace horizontal-scrolling tables with numbered bullet lists. That way, it's much easier for everyone to read.

Thank you to all who read my emails and send private replies. 🥰

Coming Soon to Aralin World

  • Video tutorials has been long overdue but worth the wait
  • 14 Days Into Tagalog eBook: currently on lesson 13 of 14 plus the guide section, and loving every step of creating it

Early Access Invitation

Do you want to see my eBook draft before it’s public?

Sign up for a paid Aralin World subscription and you’ll get to read, test, and send feedback before the final release.

Salamat po for being part of my teaching journey, both inside and outside the classroom.

Reply to this email and tell me: How was your summer? 🌞

Hanggáng sa susunod,

Albine Bodo 🇵🇭 and Aralin World
Your Tagalog Teacher & Language Learning Partner

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