Mention the date September 11 and images of crumbling towers, clouds of smoke, and shattered lives come to mind. Most of us remember where we were that day. I was at the State Department’s training institute in Arlington, Virginia listening to a lecture by a visiting University professor. I heard a huge crash, which I thought must be some sort of industrial or construction accident. I remember thinking it was odd because there wasn’t any major construction nearby. Minutes later our session was suspended by one of the training center staff. As I walked out of the lecture room, I paused next to a television set mounted in the hallway and saw footage of a plane hitting the World Trade Towers in New York. A friend came up beside me to say that the crash we had just heard was an airplane slamming into the Pentagon. And just that like, our world changed.

We were all sent home, but that posed an additional problem for me. My house is not too far from the Pentagon, and police officials had closed off all the roads, including one bridge that I had to cross to get to my house. Luckily, I was able to show two forms of identification with my home address and the police agreed after consultations with supervisors to let me through. While I waited for their authorization to proceed to my home, I stared in horror at the clouds of smoke billowing out of the Pentagon. Once at home, I joined neighbors as we watched TV and heard steadily worsening news. They were in tears, but I wasn’t yet sad – the sadness would come later. I was angry and horrified that anyone, anywhere would so willingly destroy so many innocent lives. My husband soon joined us. He had been at his office at the State Department. Finding the streets totally blocked and public transportation overloaded, he put on his gym clothes and jogged the five miles to our house.

In the years since that day, we have all paused every September 11 to remember those from so many nations whose lives were lost and to honor the many selfless, heroic acts that took place that day. This year, President Obama has asked that we all honor September 11 by giving back, engaging in community service or contributing to the improvement of the lives of those around us. It is a very tangible way to honor lives lost and dreams destroyed. I hope many will join and give back in whatever way best suits their situation. As a part of this effort, I joined visiting American NBA basketball “legends” painting homes for a less fortunate community. Embassy staff and families will meet to see what more we can do to assist to the various charities we support. Give honor by giving back.

The holy month of Ramadan is now underway for millions of Muslims across the world. This is the month when Muslims fast and pray. They break the fast after sunset each evening with an Iftar dinner. Although I have known Muslims most of my life (America has many millions of Muslims), I had never participated in an Iftar dinner until I came to the Philippines. And it is a special time to break bread with friends and share a laugh or smile about the day’s activities. My Philippine Muslim friends are very welcoming of non-Muslims to their Iftar dinners and very generous in sharing the beliefs of their faiths with those who practice different religions.

The openness of the many Muslims here in the Philippines makes it rewarding to host an Iftar dinner to honor their religion and its traditions. This year I invited a very diverse group representing many religions and many nations to my home for an Iftar dinner. And as I listened to the many lively conversations taking place over the food, I reflected on how easily my guests from different backgrounds and holding different religious beliefs talked as they shared the meal. And how lucky we are to live in such a diverse world where we have the opportunity to learn and to honor the traditions of different religions.

I hope this blog doesn’t sound too much like a commercial for U.S. development projects. I don’t want to be taking undue credit for the United States or come across as merely a cheering section. But I am encouraged at the positive changes taking place in Tawi-Tawi and at the results of the combined efforts of many people and many groups.

Tawi-Tawi is literally at the far end of the Philippines. It is a beautiful island, surrounded by turquoise waters. The island roads hug the shoreline and any drive there features stunning vistas of palm-lined beaches and small houses. Tawi-Tawi is home to a branch of Mindanao State University and features a superb program in Mari-culture. But Tawi-Tawi is also far from the Philippine centers of commerce and close to routes used by terrorists and smugglers.

I have been to Tawi-Tawi many times, and each time I see progress. This last trip – a week ago – I saw some significant steps forward. We inaugurated a new airport – a runway capable of landing commercial aircraft. The airport was a joint project with grant assistance from USAID and significant input from both the national and local governments of the Philippines. At the airport inaugural event were the members of Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce who eagerly told of their work to convince commercial airlines to start service there and were energized at the new markets they would have in the rest of the Philippines. They weren’t looking for anyone to make efforts on their behalf. They were eager, ready and organized to sell themselves as a destination and to promote their products.

Later in the day, I met with former MNLF combatants who live on Tawi-Tawi. These former combatants received assistance from USAID a few years ago in becoming seaweed farmers under the “Arms to Farms” program. Now, they proudly told me, they have graduated to even higher value products – growing abalone in hatcheries and cultivating good markets for this product. They were forming cooperatives and engaging with the business community to market products.

It was uplifting to see the progress, and the excitement about the future was palpable. I can’t promise that the road ahead for Tawi-Tawi will be totally smooth. But I can see that there is a road ahead and that the future has been seized by the local citizens. Positive change is possible and is worth our investment.

Chalk it up to being a school teacher’s daughter, but I seem to keep returning to the theme of education. We all know that education is critical to not just the present but also the future of any country. But because education systems are run by Governments, we often wonder how to best contribute.

These past few days, I have seen great examples of how individuals, charity groups, and businesses can pitch in to help provide good education for Filipino youth.

One day I visited two schools in the Manila neighborhood of Tondo. U.S. Navy sailors off the visiting aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, were doing community work at the schools and I wanted to stop by to meet them and thank them for volunteering to spend their liberty hours helping others.

But the U.S. Sailors weren’t alone in volunteering. One of the schools is supported by the Ayala Foundation (the charity arm of a major Philippine Corporation) as well as by a volunteer group called the “Children’s Hour.” I watched as wonderful people read to the children, taught mathematics, and held art classes.

The other school is supported by the Philippine Christian Foundation and receives donations from around the world. Recently flooded by heavy rains, the U.S. Navy sailors cleaned up flood damage and did repair work. Other dedicated volunteers assisted the teachers with classes and in preparing and serving nutritious food for the children.

At the far end of the Philippines, on the island of Jolo, I visited a bookfair. The bookfair is sponsored by the USAID with assistance from “Save the Children” and “Synergia,” two global non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Over 250,000 books were given to 500 local teachers and school administrators who got to pick the books most suitable for their classes and students. The books were donated by another American NGO, the “Brother’s Brother Foundation.” This public-private partnership has already placed a million and a half books in schools in the southern Philippines.

My late father enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He didn’t make a career of the military, but his fascination with US Navy ships lasted a lifetime. Once while he and my mother were visiting me in my first diplomatic posting in Jamaica, we drove past a U.S. ship paying a port visit. “Pull over, Kristie!” my Dad shouted with enthusiasm. “Let’s see if they will let us tour the ship.” Much to my surprise, the slightly bemused ship’s Captain graciously invited the Kenney family aboard for a tour.

Dad passed that fascination on to me and the Philippines is a great diplomatic posting for me to see U.S. Navy ships. Nearly 100 Navy ships pay goodwill calls in Filipino ports each year. They take on fuel and food and do community service projects in the ports they visit.

This week, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier arrives for a port visit in Manila. The crew will spend their time here doing community service projects from painting schools, to reading to children, to planting trees. They will even join the Filipino Navy in a coastal cleanup.

Senior Filipino military officers, some Embassy staff and I got to fly out to the aircraft carrier while it was still far out at sea to watch flight operations from the carrier deck. Talk about exciting! We felt like we were in the movie “Top Gun.” We watched the crew perform perfectly correographed maneuvers to let jets take off and land within minutes. The young crew (average age is 20 and more than 22 percent of the crew is Filipino-American) executed their roles to perfection with great attention to safety at every step. We ended the day covered in sweat and jet exhaust but thrilled to have shared such a great naval adventure.

When I arrived as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, I paid a courtesy call on former President Corazon Aquino. I had seen her speeches on TV, and watched from afar as she restored democracy and became president of the Philippines. I was intimidated and nervous to meet a person of such stature. Imagine my surprise to meet a gentle woman in a yellow dress who brushed aside my use of her formal title with a “please, call me Cory”. What started as courtesy call became a relaxed conversation as she described her family, her painting, and she reminisced with soft humor about moments in her Presidency. Like so many others, I was totally charmed.

Several months later, President Cory (I could never call her just “Cory” – it didn’t seem respectful) gave me a tour of the Aquino Center. As my personal tour guide, she told of Ninoy’s solitary confinement during martial law and their years of exile in Boston. She talked of his death and her subsequent involvement in politics. She brought history to life without a trace of ego, describing herself as an unlikely hero. We had lunch afterwards with her daughter at a nearby fast food restaurant. As we shared French fries, she glowed with pride about the achievements of her children and her grandchildren. Her warmth and charisma were irresistible.

On August 1, President Cory died after a battle with colon cancer. Filipinos and friends across the world grieved her loss. Manila is decked in a sea of yellow, her signature color. Our Embassy flag stands at half mast and our staff wear yellow ribbons in her memory. Across political and national lines, people of all races and faiths unite in remembering a woman whose life changed the face of the Philippines.

Thousands of Americans and Filipinos travel back and forth in visits between our two countries. But some visits stand out more than others.

Last week, Kobe Bryant visited the Philippines to promote his new Nike shoe, and also to offer clinics and share his basketball experience with Filipino children. His enthusiasm for the game and for the very youngest of his fans was obvious.

The next series of visits brings Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra to the Philippines. He brings with him an Assistant Miami Heat Coach and Sue Wicks, a WNBA star. They will share their coaching tips and concepts with their Philippine counterparts.

Photo by Kieth Allison

Heading across the Pacific to Washington D.C., Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama. She will also visit New York, Chicago, and Guam to meet with Filipino-American communities.

Next to visit the Philippines is a U.S. aircraft carrier. The ship will pay a port call in the Philippines. The ship’s crew will participate in community projects with the Philippine Navy to include school refurbishing and coastal clean-up.

People often ask me why I travel so often around the Philippines and what sorts of activities I do on my visits. It is true that I do make a serious effort to visit different parts of the Philippines. This is a very diverse country and it is hard to get a good sense of the challenges and opportunities the country faces from behind a desk in Manila. The Unites States Government also has projects throughout the Philippines, so it is important for me to see the work we are doing in different areas. I confess that I also enjoy meeting different people, seeing the diverse cultures and even hearing the various languages spoken in each region. I learn best by seeing, although I do need to balance travel with my work load in Manila.

I just returned from a visit to Davao and here’s what I did in my 22 hour trip. I left Manila late Friday afternoon headed straight for Davao. From Davao airport, I went to the head offices of the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) team. This team implements most of our development projects, through USAID, in Mindanao. Usually when I visit their offices, we are discussing projects or mapping out next steps. But this time, we dedicated our Friday evening to celebrating the completion of one phase of our work and the beginning of a new phase. Naturally we celebrated Filipino-style, with songs, dances, food, and speeches. And lots of photographs (thanks Sarah and Sonny for wielding the cameras)!

After that, a few of us went for a very tasty dinner at a Davao restaurant. After dinner, we headed to the offices of the Sutherland Corporation. Sutherland is a company based in New York that runs Business Process Outsourcing facilities around the world. Among their many branches in the Philippines is one in Davao that employs more than 1,000 people. While it might seem odd to visit a company at 9 p.m. in the evening, this is the time of day when their work really picks up since they support American clients and with the 12-hour time difference, it was Friday morning in the United States. I got to tour their facilities, meet their workers and have a very lively roundtable with their managers. By 10:30 p.m., we said goodnight and headed to the hotel to get some sleep.

Breakfast at the hotel the next morning and then an 8 a.m. session at a reunion meeting of young Mindanao leaders who had all been interns in the Philippine House of Representatives. Over the past five years nearly 200 young Mindanao students have participated in this internship in the Philippine House of Representatives. The United States, through USAID, was a partner in the program, providing financing. I had met many of them during their respective internships, so it was like a mini-reunion for me too. We did speeches and then a fun series of wacky photos. On the way out, the early rising Davao press corps got in on the action with some wacky photos themselves. Of course they also asked me good questions, which I tried to answer.

After a call-in to a radio show, I went to Ateneo de Davao University. The U.S. Embassy has an “American Corner” at the university that we stock with periodicals, computers and up-to-date information on the United States. While it is located in the university, it is open to everyone, free of charge. They very nicely let me use their space to meet with Mindanao bloggers. Such a great group, and so diverse! After about two minutes, we were all talking as if we’d been friends forever. Food, exercise, computers, music, basketball – we bounced from topic to topic. Other people using the American Corner kept looking over wondering what we were all laughing about. Time flew by and all too soon, it was time to leave. So I walked out through the Ateneo campus enjoying the relaxed scene of students talking in groups. Some were even nice enough to call out or wave to me.

By noon I was at the Philippine Military Headquarters of EASTMINCOM to pay my respects to the local military leadership. I have known the Commanding General in his previous posts, so it was nice to see him in another important role and to hear his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities he faces. My visit coincided with a conference EASTMINCOM was hosting so I got to greet other area police and military commanders when they took a break from their conference.

After that, we grabbed some lunch to eat in the car while we headed to the airport for our flight to return to Manila. This was my fourth trip to Davao and every time I learn something new, see something different and meet new faces. And I always enjoy every moment.

Me with Jay R, Nikki Gil, and Secretary Romulo at the Embassy party on July 2nd.

Many have asked me how the U.S. Embassy in Manila celebrated July Fourth – America’s Independence Day. So I thought I would write a quick wrap up of our 10 days of activities to celebrate American Independence, a day that is also celebrated in the Philippines as “U.S.-Philippine Friendship Day”. Having two reasons to celebrate made us want to extend our celebration beyond just one day and also to celebrate with other friends in the Philippines, beyond just Manila.

We started our July Fourth celebrations a few days earlier in Cebu where we joined with the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel to launch a “Great American Food Festival”. The event featured the ceremonial cutting of a huge hamburger (U.S. beef, naturally) followed by an All-American lunch. Guests from Cebu included local dignitaries and American residents in the city – all wearing red, white, and blue. I also had coffee with some of the American Chamber of Commerce members in Cebu and heard of the fabulous fete they planned for July 4 itself.

In Manila, we hosted an elegant Americana reception at our historic Embassy to mark the day. We had fireworks, Outback Steak, TGI Fridays, Starbucks, Haagan Daaz ice cream, California wines, and friends from across Philippine society to help us celebrate a special day for both of our nations. Talented Filipina singer Nikki Gil sang the Philippine National Anthem in the Embassy ballroom while Filipino-American star Jay R sang the “Star Spangled Banner”. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo delivered a lovely speech about the history of our friendship and we both offered toasts to the enduring friendship between two great nations.

The American Association of the Philippines also held a relaxed family picnic to celebrate July 4 – complete with burgers, hotdogs, fireworks and lots of families and friends. And at the Embassy, our families shared a potluck picnic before heading to a nearby shopping mall to watch fireworks and enjoy their July 4 decorations and entertainment.

We finished our July Fourth celebrations on July 9 in Baguio City. The Baguio City Mayor joined us in opening a lovely photo exhibit, “Picturing America” at the SM Baguio Mall to highlight American history. That evening we all gathered at the historic American residence in Baguio City – where the World War II Japanese surrender in the Philippines was signed. Our evening event theme was “Red, White and Blue Jeans”. Despite a chilly rain, we had a very fun evening of American barbeque with a crowd all dressed in denim with red/white/blue shirts.

Blue jeans in Baguio.

So many days, so many events, and in three cities. We didn’t get to see all our friends throughout the Philippines but we saw many of them. And all agreed that friendship and independence are worth celebrating.

As Ambassador, I sometimes have wonderful experiences given to me because of my position. Over the past few weeks, I had the honor of participating in the opening sessions of the two major Philippine University-level athletic conferences – the NCAA and the UAAP. At both of the events, I was invited to sit with the Presidents of the participating Universities and I also got to do the ceremonial toss for the opening basketball games that followed the ceremonies.

The NCAA opening came first. And what a show. The host University (the schools rotate host duties each year), San Beda, put together an opening song and dance show that included participants from all the Universities. The fast paced show was dazzling. The teams all paraded out and then took the oath of sportsmanship. The NCAA gave me the honor of addressing the crowd so I got to ask the players to please applaud their dedicated fans and then the fans to stand and applaud the athletes who will spend the next months showing their athletic skills and good sportsmanship in the name of their Universities. I confess it was intimidating to address a packed coliseum. Even more so since I had a cold and was losing my voice!

Last Saturday was the UAAP opener. Host FEU (Far Eastern University) pulled out all the stops with a non-stop song and dance performance that emphasized the “many colors” of the participating Universities. The participating athletes took an oath of sportsmanship and the University Presidents all joined the host University on the floor in a show of unity to launch the season.

Through these two events, I got to speak with many of the University Presidents and to hear of their dedication to excellence in education. The University Presidents were a diverse group but very much united by their common goal to provide a quality and well rounded education for their students. I enjoyed watching the obvious friendship among them as they swapped ideas and concepts.

And I got to share the amazing school spirit as the thousands of fans chanted, waved banners and screamed for their teams and their schools. I so loved that feeling of excitement and energy. I felt really lucky to get to participate.