I.n R.ice, R.est I.

Coming from the museum and the stark realization of the static state of life (a.k.a. death), we got a little carried away with the title of this next blog...but allow us to share the 'why's' behind the title.

(c) Gabbie Fonacier

The next stop was I.R.R.I., the popular acronym for the International Rice Research Institute. Are you wondering why some 12/13 year olds would even think of visiting a research institute? A rice research institute, at that? Well to us, the answer is quite simple – we wanted to learn more about the single most popular staple food of Filipinos. And what better place to learn about it than from the largest non-profit independent agricultural research area in the Asia.

On the road to IRRI, we all expected to see and learn about the different types of rice and tools used to grow it. Of course, it is almost a pattern that what we expect is nowhere near what we actually experience.

Rice is life

When we reached the place, once again, we were amazed at what we saw. The placed looked very formal, spic and span, and right away we knew we needed to keep our blabbering mouths shut. We were then led to this gigantic audotorium. As formal as the place was, so was the designated speaker – Ate Bea. She was kind and interesting as she gave a brief introduction on I.R.R.I. Afterwards, we viewed a video. We learned that the institute was founded in the 1960. It uses the best of science to improve wheat technology. We all know that with better technology, people live better and improved lives. According to the video, “rice is life” (which is the next reason for the title). Some of us may not agree since we have a wide menu of various food types for us and our families. But, a huge part of the population actually subsist on rice alone. And if this is so, then we should all be concerned about how best to grow it, preserve it, and give it its due importance so we are able to feed 90 million Filipinos with quality grains. Indeed, rice is life. 

The PINOY Staple Food--Rice

So now, as the SDJS`s reflect, we should all be thankful for all the blessing we receive. We may not have a fancy way of living full of worldy things, but if we stop and think, we will open our eyes to the tons of blessings we have - enough food, comfortable homes, families, friends, and most importantly, a God who will forever love us unconditionally.

So let us all count our blessings and be thankful for them – whether big or small.