G06 Language Arts: A Walk (July 2, 2025)

 

 A Walk 

I walk around the placid city, 

As the birds sing a song. 

The people stroll in a serene city. 

I see a chapel and speak with the chaplain, 

He tells me to get to the house. 

I put on my tunic, ride the horse, 

Galloping through the never-ending road. 

I walk to the chaplain’s house. 

G06 Language Arts: The Magnificent Vatican (July 1, 2025)

 The Magnificent Vatican

 

            The Vatican City is a city-state on the Italian peninsula. It is the smallest country in the world, yet it is beautiful. The Vatican has magnificent chapels and basilicas full of amazing art and architecture. 

 

            To appreciate the Vatican, one must understand the history behind it. St. Peter, the first Pope, is believed to have lived and died in Rome. With the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. liberating Christians and the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 A.D. making Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, Rome became a major center for Christianity. With the Donation of Pippin in 754, the Frankish kingdom gave the Pope control over central Italy. This entity was known as the Papal States, centered around Vatican Hill.

 

The Papal States fell during the Italian unification in 1870. However, in 1922, the Pope regained control over Vatican Hill, and the Vatican City exists as a country until today. 

 

            The first architectural marvel one will see is St. Peter’s Square, which was completed in 1667. In the center of the square lies an obelisk with a cross at the top. At the Square, one will see 140 statues of saints. 

 

Another architectural marvel is St. Peter’s Basilica. Its construction lasted from 1506 to 1615. Its architecture implements Renaissance and Baroque elements. Inside the basilica, there are magnificent paintings, and there is a beautiful dome. The pillars have carvings of text and sculptures of angels. Every single part of the basilica is artistically wonderful. 

 

            Even more artistically wonderful is the Sistine Chapel. It was constructed from 1473 to 1481, but its profound artistic beauty comes from the 16^th-century ceiling paintings of Michelangelo. The paintings include scenes from the Bible, such as The Creation of Adam  and The Last Judgement. Raphael also designed tapestries with scenes from the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. While not as architecturally grand as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel is even more beautiful in its art. 

 

All these marvels make the Vatican truly beautiful. From classical grandeur to architectural marvels and artistic masterpieces, the Vatican is indeed magnificent. 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Zander, Pietro. “The Square.” Basilica di San Pietro. https://www.basilicasanpietro.va/en/san-pietro/the-square. Accessed 24 June 2025. 

 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Vatican City". Encyclopædia Britannica, 23 Jun. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Vatican-City. Accessed 24 June 2025.

 

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Sistine Chapel". Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Jun. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sistine-Chapel. Accessed 24 June 2025.

 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "St. Peter’s Basilica". Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 Jun. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Peters-Basilica. Accessed 24 June 2025.

 

“Christianity in the Roman Empire (Article) | Khan Academy.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/christianity/a/roman-culture.

 

Mancebo, Ivanka Garcia. St. Peter’s Square - Vatican City. www.rome.net/st-peters-square.

G06 Language Arts and Social Studies: Emilio Aguinaldo’s House - Review (July 1, 2025)

  

                  June is the month of Philippine independence, so we celebrated by visiting Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy’s house on June 20, 2025. His house is located in Kawit, Cavite. Cavite was one of the eight provinces that rebelled against Spain. This revolution spread, leading to Aguinaldo declaring independence from his balcony on June 12, 1898. He became the President of the First Republic. 

 

This was me reenacting the declaration of independence by Aguinaldo. 

 

                  After a long ride through Cavite, we made it to Aguinaldo’s house. I was greeted by many Philippine flags. I saw the same balcony where Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain. On the first floor, there was a museum about Aguinaldo with artifacts and facts. I loved the dioramas of major events in the revolution. Additionally, I saw real weapons from the revolution. There were maps of the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo ran for president in 1935, so we found a campaign ad. Aguinaldo also had a personal cigarette box and handkerchief. 

 

This is my favorite diorama. 

 

                  Outside, there were stairs that led to the second floor, which was the actual house. We saw bedrooms and even Aguinaldo’s bathroom. We saw his dining room, his piano, and the door to his balcony. (I could not go to the balcony because it was restricted.) I felt bad that the second floor was very restricted, but it is probably to prevent disrespectful people from destroying it. 

 

This was me giving a pretend speech from what I thought was the balcony.

 This was Aguinaldo’s piano. I do not know if he played it.

 

This is one of the bedrooms.

 

                  I think it is good that we can celebrate our heroes by reliving their experiences. I appreciate seeing our heroes’ daily lives. I am also pleased that, unlike most other historical tourist attractions (such as Fort Santiago, which I have visited before), there was no garbage on the grass or in other areas. (In Fort Santiago, there were chip bags in the cannons.)

 

                  I have learned that Aguinaldo was around long after the revolution, living until 1964. After the Philippine-American War, he experienced the entire American colonization, witnessed the transition to the Commonwealth, and ran for president in 1935. He collaborated with Japan in World War II due to his extreme hatred for the American regime. He experienced the transition from calesas to jeepneys. During the Third Republic, he experienced the Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, and Macapagal eras. He lived for around a year after John F. Kennedy died. He truly was a remarkable and long-living man. 

 

                  This visit took around an hour, but it was an hour worth spending. I recommend visiting Emilio Aguinaldo’s house in Kawit, Cavite. 100/100

 

 

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Works Cited

Ara, Satoshi (2015) “Emilio Aguinaldo under American and Japanese Rule: Submission for Independence?" Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 2018. Vol. 63: No. 2, Article 2.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/2244-1638.4071

Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/phstudies/vol63/iss2/2