This write-up is based on personal experiences and casual observations. I will forever be dependent on a thesaurus and an online version of Talatinigan- because there is still so much to learn about Filipino and English.
ON LEARNING ENGLISH. Grade 5. Two words challenged me during a spelling exercise- bourgeois and rendezvous. Why are there “silent” letters – like “g” in sign or “k” in knife? Why add them if they are not going to be pronounced anyway? Why do they have to make things difficult (or in my opinion then, maarte)? I never bothered to ask my teachers because I felt that my questions were beyond the scope of our lessons. If they are to answer me with a tweet now, I’m imagining that it will come with a hashtag #imbiyerna. Nonetheless, the combined challenge and fascination made me appreciate all English subjects – Grammar, Language, Reading and Literature. I liked the lessons on subject-verb agreement, on finding the direct object in a sentence, on proper ordering of adjectives, on remembering the present, past and past participle tenses of common verbs. I developed a love for reading, though I hated making book reports. As soon as we got our stack of books for the new school year, I activated my geek mode and read the stories in my books during the last few weeks of summer. I put in that amount of effort not just for the grade or not just to be spared of the catchy, red English campaign tag on campus; but because my young mind thought that mastering the English subjects will answer the questions I had earlier. Of course, it was later on that I learned that those two words which enticed me to master English, were French in origin and were borrowed directly into English. If I had asked my teachers then, I probably would have known the answer early on. The good news was, I have learned the basics of English and there was no turning back. Let me give a side note on the tag- yes, we were required to speak English at some point. Whenever the student or teacher marshals heard you spoke in Filipino, you should be ready to receive the tag with the long yarn, which you can conveniently but embarrassingly wear for about an hour on campus. Did that work? I don’t know. I decided to take the vow of minimal talk instead. The less talk, the less error there is. I don’t know if they still do that. All I know is it needs to be changed so students don’t end up expressing themselves less often for fear of humiliation.
ON LOVING FILIPINO. Filipino on the other hand was much easier to learn for me because most words are pronounced as written. I had the same passion for Filipino as I had with English. Aside from the fact that it’s the major language I used to communicate with almost everyone around me then, I fell in love with Philippine literature. That affair probably started with reading both youth- and adult-oriented Filipino comics during my grade school days. There was a game then we called, teks. Simply put, teks are small cards with comic strips on one side that you throw up on air and wait if they land with the print facing up or down. Being a small card, a whole story won’t fit in it and so you have to collect several cards (which you can win out from a game) to complete the story. So partly, I played teks so I could collect the cards which would build the story. When we entered high school, it was the books in Filipino that excited me during the summer. If I don’t do well in Filipino, how will I understand the wonderful prose and poetry that Philippine literature can offer? While it is true that there are severely complicated words, some of them can be easily understood if you extract their root words. That technique worked well for me when I was exposed to more advanced reading material. Three writers who wrote in Filipino whose works I really enjoyed were Amado V. Hernandez (Isang Dipang Langit and Ibong Mandaragit), Efren Abueg (And Kamatayan ni Tiyo Samuel) and Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo (Regla). There were also writers who wrote in English but had Philippine themes within their works like Nick Joaquin (Summer Solstice/Tatarin) , Alejandro Roces (A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino), Carlos Bulosan (The Laughter of my Father). Of course, there are other talented and noteworthy writers, but those were the names which stuck on my head. When we revisited some of these authors in our Humanities class in college, I’ve appreciated them even more. A lot of them didn’t really graduate from high-ranking universities. We are inclined to think these days that personalities worthy of recognition must have come from prestigious universities in the country or abroad. Their natural intelligence, intensified by their personal experiences in the Philippines (think Spanish and American colonization, Martial Law, countryside life, etc.) was the main ingredient to their timeless and relevant works.
If there is one thing confusing about conversational Filipino, it is the abundance of simple words that can be used interchangeably, but only some are actually used in daily and usual conversations. For example: ngunit, pero and subalit which all translate to but or however. Usual conversation though goes like this: “Maginoo ka sana eh, PERO medyo bastos”. We don’t normally say, “Maginoo ka sana eh, NGUNIT medyo bastos”. Your friends will surely laugh at you – and that is precisely one of the reasons why non-Filipino speakers are discouraged from using Filipino.
BEING LAUGHED AT. There are a lot of non-Filipino speakers in the Philippines. Filipino, which in my opinion is at its core, Tagalog is considered the national and official language of the Philippines. There are dialects unique to various regions in the Philippines and I believe Tagalog is not even representative of these dialects. That was one of the issues raised for making Filipino – Tagalog, the national language. It appeared to be the language of the privileged ones as most people in Manila, the political and economic capital of the Philippines, speak Tagalog. Some Filipinos in Manila have this notion that those who don’t speak Tagalog come from the province. Others would even comment, “Ay promding promdi naman siya.” Promdi = from the province But what is a province anyway? Those what some would refer to as provinces are technically cities too- urbanized areas.
I understand and can speak some Ilonggo (Hiligaynon) as I grew up in a home where some members converse with it. The intonation is definitely very much different from that of Tagalog. Unless needed, I dare not speak Ilonggo because it might appear that I am trying too hard to speak it and I am afraid to be laughed at. Besides, my vocabulary is very much limited. One time at a McDonald’s store in Iloilo, I ordered something by saying, “Ma-order ko sang… “. She understood me. After I paid, she said to me, “May ara ka sang salapi, ga?” I froze. The gears in my brain whirred. Salapi. I know salapi translates to money in Tagalog. Why was she asking me for money, when I already gave her money? Confused. I don’t remember what happened, but I learned that salapi was something like 25 or 50 cents. Being in a situation like that is embarrassing. So whenever I encounter someone who doesn’t speak Tagalog and is having a hard time expressing herself/himself, I recall my experience on thought processes concerning language translation. No matter what language it is, there is always a fear of being mocked when trying out a new one for your tongue. Just like when you try out a new clothing style and people will tell you upfront, “Ay hindi bagay sa iyo.”
NOW. A lot of school subjects are taught in English. Inevitable? Yes, as there are materials that are more effectively understood in English. Unfortunately, infusion of the English language had side effects. If it used to be, “Uy, kursunada ko siya. Maginoo ngunit medyo bastos.” Now it is, “Uy, crush ko siya. Maginoo pero medyo bastos.” Our brains now try to process two languages within a single sentence. Does it even sound good? Well, it sounds short, automatic, and convenient. What’s not good about that in fast-paced world? Some would ask. And unfortunately too, language has become a measure of one’s social status. Ironically, a system like language, that was developed to improve communication between individuals seem to widen the gap even more. As the writer, Mr. James Soriano had pointed out, “English is the language of the man in the mansion, while Filipino is the language of the man on the street.” Mr. Soriano, who published an article on Manila Bulletin entitled "Language, learning, identity, privilege", caught the ire of some Filipinos for his elitist views. Was there some truth to what he said? Maybe. Case in point, we still can’t get away with laughing at people who are not well adept with a certain language. If we laugh at those who can’t speak straight Tagalog before, now we are amused by those who can’t speak straight English. Manny Pacquiao after bringing forth prestige to the Philippines through his victory, then becomes a laughingstock in his post-game interview. We find it hard not to make fun of beauty pageant contestants who can’t go beyond “First of all, good evening and thank you for that question.” in response to a judge’s query.
Language is a dynamic system that can embody one’s culture. Words evolve. New words are continuously added to the dictionary, while some are removed. The question is how do we want our language, our culture to change? Is it really practical to master English alone as it can bring you to places with “greener pastures” or will it be more beneficial to become multilingual in the future? Is it necessary to choose between English and Filipino? If we know how to speak Filipino, does that alone make us wholly and sincerely Filipino? Should we, especially the younger generation, eventually learn to embrace the other dialects to preserve the culture that we have? I find it futile to castigate Filipinos who think that English is superior to his/her own native language, especially if they were made to believe that English is their native language. I think it would make more sense to find out what can be done to cure that mentality. The challenge lies in all of us Filipinos but most especially in our educators, both at home and at school to encourage the younger generations TO REMAIN INTERESTED in learning the language native to their place. I think it is a SIGN OF RESPECT to acquire the language of the majority, in one’s place of residence or work.
When it comes to learning a language, Filipinos are smart. We struggle for a while with pronunciations but when we hear a lot of examples as to how the words are pronounced, we can easily follow. Interestingly, we are more inclined to learn the words when they are part of a song- being the music lovers that we are. When I first heard this boy sing and how he enunciated the words of the song, albeit with a melody, I was impressed. If it's possible to learn English through a song, surely the technique will be applicable to Filipino too. Of course you can argue that a singing voice is still different from a speaking voice. My point is, if language is dynamic, then the way language is taught should be made dynamic as well.
With all the write-ups as to what the language of the learned is, I think it is now possible to make a compilation of the snippets. My take is: the language of the learned is not just one language. It is the combination of various syntaxes that make an individual a SENSIBLE and SENSITIVE communicator.
* English may be the necessary language for my current occupation, but it will always be Filipino that will make me feel at home, away from home. Now, that I encounter a lot of Hispanic and Latino Americans, I am now interested in learning Spanish. It's a "world of colonization" once again, but now, we know better.
Photo from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2646151707_bba388689a_z.jpg
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A IS IN EPOL
This write-up is based on personal experiences and casual observations. I will forever be dependent on a thesaurus and an online version of Talatinigan- because there is still so much to learn about Filipino and English.
ON LEARNING ENGLISH. Grade 5. Two words challenged me during a spelling exercise- bourgeois and rendezvous. Why are there “silent” letters – like “g” in sign or “k” in knife? Why add them if they are not going to be pronounced anyway? Why do they have to make things difficult (or in my opinion then, maarte)? I never bothered to ask my teachers because I felt that my questions were beyond the scope of our lessons. If they are to answer me with a tweet now, I’m imagining that it will come with a hashtag #imbiyerna. Nonetheless, the combined challenge and fascination made me appreciate all English subjects – Grammar, Language, Reading and Literature. I liked the lessons on subject-verb agreement, on finding the direct object in a sentence, on proper ordering of adjectives, on remembering the present, past and past participle tenses of common verbs. I developed a love for reading, though I hated making book reports. As soon as we got our stack of books for the new school year, I activated my geek mode and read the stories in my books during the last few weeks of summer. I put in that amount of effort not just for the grade or not just to be spared of the catchy, red English campaign tag on campus; but because my young mind thought that mastering the English subjects will answer the questions I had earlier. Of course, it was later on that I learned that those two words which enticed me to master English, were French in origin and were borrowed directly into English. If I had asked my teachers then, I probably would have known the answer early on. The good news was, I have learned the basics of English and there was no turning back. Let me give a side note on the tag- yes, we were required to speak English at some point. Whenever the student or teacher marshals heard you spoke in Filipino, you should be ready to receive the tag with the long yarn, which you can conveniently but embarrassingly wear for about an hour on campus. Did that work? I don’t know. I decided to take the vow of minimal talk instead. The less talk, the less error there is. I don’t know if they still do that. All I know is it needs to be changed so students don’t end up expressing themselves less often for fear of humiliation.
ON LOVING FILIPINO. Filipino on the other hand was much easier to learn for me because most words are pronounced as written. I had the same passion for Filipino as I had with English. Aside from the fact that it’s the major language I used to communicate with almost everyone around me then, I fell in love with Philippine literature. That affair probably started with reading both youth- and adult-oriented Filipino comics during my grade school days. There was a game then we called, teks. Simply put, teks are small cards with comic strips on one side that you throw up on air and wait if they land with the print facing up or down. Being a small card, a whole story won’t fit in it and so you have to collect several cards (which you can win out from a game) to complete the story. So partly, I played teks so I could collect the cards which would build the story. When we entered high school, it was the books in Filipino that excited me during the summer. If I don’t do well in Filipino, how will I understand the wonderful prose and poetry that Philippine literature can offer? While it is true that there are severely complicated words, some of them can be easily understood if you extract their root words. That technique worked well for me when I was exposed to more advanced reading material. Three writers who wrote in Filipino whose works I really enjoyed were Amado V. Hernandez (Isang Dipang Langit and Ibong Mandaragit), Efren Abueg (And Kamatayan ni Tiyo Samuel) and Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo (Regla). There were also writers who wrote in English but had Philippine themes within their works like Nick Joaquin (Summer Solstice/Tatarin) , Alejandro Roces (A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino), Carlos Bulosan (The Laughter of my Father). Of course, there are other talented and noteworthy writers, but those were the names which stuck on my head. When we revisited some of these authors in our Humanities class in college, I’ve appreciated them even more. A lot of them didn’t really graduate from high-ranking universities. We are inclined to think these days that personalities worthy of recognition must have come from prestigious universities in the country or abroad. Their natural intelligence, intensified by their personal experiences in the Philippines (think Spanish and American colonization, Martial Law, countryside life, etc.) was the main ingredient to their timeless and relevant works.
If there is one thing confusing about conversational Filipino, it is the abundance of simple words that can be used interchangeably, but only some are actually used in daily and usual conversations. For example: ngunit, pero and subalit which all translate to but or however. Usual conversation though goes like this: “Maginoo ka sana eh, PERO medyo bastos”. We don’t normally say, “Maginoo ka sana eh, NGUNIT medyo bastos”. Your friends will surely laugh at you – and that is precisely one of the reasons why non-Filipino speakers are discouraged from using Filipino.
BEING LAUGHED AT. There are a lot of non-Filipino speakers in the Philippines. Filipino, which in my opinion is at its core, Tagalog is considered the national and official language of the Philippines. There are dialects unique to various regions in the Philippines and I believe Tagalog is not even representative of these dialects. That was one of the issues raised for making Filipino – Tagalog, the national language. It appeared to be the language of the privileged ones as most people in Manila, the political and economic capital of the Philippines, speak Tagalog. Some Filipinos in Manila have this notion that those who don’t speak Tagalog come from the province. Others would even comment, “Ay promding promdi naman siya.” Promdi = from the province But what is a province anyway? Those what some would refer to as provinces are technically cities too- urbanized areas.
I understand and can speak some Ilonggo (Hiligaynon) as I grew up in a home where some members converse with it. The intonation is definitely very much different from that of Tagalog. Unless needed, I dare not speak Ilonggo because it might appear that I am trying too hard to speak it and I am afraid to be laughed at. Besides, my vocabulary is very much limited. One time at a McDonald’s store in Iloilo, I ordered something by saying, “Ma-order ko sang… “. She understood me. After I paid, she said to me, “May ara ka sang salapi, ga?” I froze. The gears in my brain whirred. Salapi. I know salapi translates to money in Tagalog. Why was she asking me for money, when I already gave her money? Confused. I don’t remember what happened, but I learned that salapi was something like 25 or 50 cents. Being in a situation like that is embarrassing. So whenever I encounter someone who doesn’t speak Tagalog and is having a hard time expressing herself/himself, I recall my experience on thought processes concerning language translation. No matter what language it is, there is always a fear of being mocked when trying out a new one for your tongue. Just like when you try out a new clothing style and people will tell you upfront, “Ay hindi bagay sa iyo.”
NOW. A lot of school subjects are taught in English. Inevitable? Yes, as there are materials that are more effectively understood in English. Unfortunately, infusion of the English language had side effects. If it used to be, “Uy, kursunada ko siya. Maginoo ngunit medyo bastos.” Now it is, “Uy, crush ko siya. Maginoo pero medyo bastos.” Our brains now try to process two languages within a single sentence. Does it even sound good? Well, it sounds short, automatic, and convenient. What’s not good about that in fast-paced world? Some would ask. And unfortunately too, language has become a measure of one’s social status. Ironically, a system like language, that was developed to improve communication between individuals seem to widen the gap even more. As the writer, Mr. James Soriano had pointed out, “English is the language of the man in the mansion, while Filipino is the language of the man on the street.” Mr. Soriano, who published an article on Manila Bulletin entitled "Language, learning, identity, privilege", caught the ire of some Filipinos for his elitist views. Was there some truth to what he said? Maybe. Case in point, we still can’t get away with laughing at people who are not well adept with a certain language. If we laugh at those who can’t speak straight Tagalog before, now we are amused by those who can’t speak straight English. Manny Pacquiao after bringing forth prestige to the Philippines through his victory, then becomes a laughingstock in his post-game interview. We find it hard not to make fun of beauty pageant contestants who can’t go beyond “First of all, good evening and thank you for that question.” in response to a judge’s query.
Language is a dynamic system that can embody one’s culture. Words evolve. New words are continuously added to the dictionary, while some are removed. The question is how do we want our language, our culture to change? Is it really practical to master English alone as it can bring you to places with “greener pastures” or will it be more beneficial to become multilingual in the future? Is it necessary to choose between English and Filipino? If we know how to speak Filipino, does that alone make us wholly and sincerely Filipino? Should we, especially the younger generation, eventually learn to embrace the other dialects to preserve the culture that we have? I find it futile to castigate Filipinos who think that English is superior to his/her own native language, especially if they were made to believe that English is their native language. I think it would make more sense to find out what can be done to cure that mentality. The challenge lies in all of us Filipinos but most especially in our educators, both at home and at school to encourage the younger generations TO REMAIN INTERESTED in learning the language native to their place. I think it is a SIGN OF RESPECT to acquire the language of the majority, in one’s place of residence or work.
When it comes to learning a language, Filipinos are smart. We struggle for a while with pronunciations but when we hear a lot of examples as to how the words are pronounced, we can easily follow. Interestingly, we are more inclined to learn the words when they are part of a song- being the music lovers that we are. When I first heard this boy sing and how he enunciated the words of the song, albeit with a melody, I was impressed. If it's possible to learn English through a song, surely the technique will be applicable to Filipino too. Of course you can argue that a singing voice is still different from a speaking voice. My point is, if language is dynamic, then the way language is taught should be made dynamic as well.
With all the write-ups as to what the language of the learned is, I think it is now possible to make a compilation of the snippets. My take is: the language of the learned is not just one language. It is the combination of various syntaxes that make an individual a SENSIBLE and SENSITIVE communicator.
* English may be the necessary language for my current occupation, but it will always be Filipino that will make me feel at home, away from home. Now, that I encounter a lot of Hispanic and Latino Americans, I am now interested in learning Spanish. It's a "world of colonization" once again, but now, we know better.
Photo from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2646151707_bba388689a_z.jpg
Thursday, August 4, 2011
HAPPINESS SERIES - HAPPINESS IS...
WALKING ALONG A SPIC-AND-SPAN CORRIDOR.
As a new semester starts, the floors have been waxed and the bulletin boards have been cleared of old postings. The three levels of our building are maintained by Ms. Josie, the custodial worker. Because I looked Hispanic in some ways, the custodial workers who are mostly Hispanic, feel comfortable talking to me - in Spanish, at first. Until I tell them that I am Filipino and I don't speak Spanish, though I understand some words.
If there is one thing useful I've learned as a researcher, it is to sincerely befriend custodial workers and security guards. So when you have to work on evenings, they'll let you in the building without questions, and you'll have instant company too especially if you are scared of the very scientific "mumu". They'll help you too when you need to clean up or carry something. Here in the US, custodial workers go home at 2 PM and there are no security guards. Nonetheless, it is still very important to treat them well.
Ms. Josie surprised me when a tragic incident happened in the lab. She asked questions, I answered. Then all of a sudden, she hugged me and told me that if problems come my way, I should dismiss the idea of taking my own life. I was touched. It was as if she was murmuring a silent prayer for everyone as I said thank you.
Every time I see these clean corridors, I smile and I am reminded of people, who although not academically, make school life easier to deal with.
TRUE COLORS
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
ROOKIE STILL
This morning, I failed my second attempt to secure a driver's license by passing the actual driving test. I am happy though, since ABL passed the test and we won't have to bother our dear friends to accompany us back and forth the Department of Public Safety office. Plus, I didn't get much of a headache than I did during the first test, since the night before that first test, I wasn't able to sleep well. It was like a scene from my grade school days where I can't sleep when there's a field trip the next day. Hahaha.
ABL of course, was happier. He is proud because he never handled a car before and totally learned from scratch here in the US, and yet he passed. I on the other hand, took driving lessons back in the Philippines - manual transmission mode. I recalled my previous blog entry, Rookie about it.
So after all the road initiations involving a car that I've been through, you ask - "Why did you fail?" I've gotten most of the mistakes I've had during my first take corrected as seen from the grade sheet. But then maybe, some other mistakes resurfaced that didn't pass my examiner's standards. I have no excuses. As JC the instructor have mentioned, if you really are a good driver, the examiner, the type of car, the weather conditions, etc. should not be considered as factors for passing or failing the exam. So I guess, I really am not ready for the road. Haha. So let me make fun of it instead.
The first song which came to my mind after the examiner described my performance was Just Once by James Ingram. If only I could apply the title of the song to the number of times I have to take the actual driving test, I will be happier than how I am now. I have one more attempt. If I fail that still, I have to retake the written portion and undergo the same procedure. So maybe- Just Once -- for the written. Okay, so let's dissect the song a bit in relation to my performance.
"I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough..."
The first part of the test was to show the examiner that you can do a decent parallel parking. My examiner said her spiel, "Over that side you have to parallel park...you have to be 10-18 inches away...", as I was driving close to the dumpster (the make-believe car that will be in front of you once you've parked). Hell, I believe that I did the most confident and perfect parallel parking that I have ever done in my life; and under pressure at that. Once I was done, she opened her door and looked at my distance from the curb and pronounced that it was okay to proceed. In less than 5 minutes, I was out of the DPS office and that lessened the anxiety, only to find out that there was still something wrong. She said that once I was inside, I didn't have to make several adjustments. [I was trying to straighten out the positioning of the car and it didn't take me long at all]. So as she was explaining that, my face contorted a bit into a confused look, mouth slightly open. Seeing my face, she sort of retracted and said, "They don't really expect you to do a perfect parallel parking, once you're inside, you're good." Wow. So there, it wasn't the best after all. Deductions. Deductions.
"I gave my all, but I guess my all may have been to much..."
Then she said, "You were OBSERVING A LOT. That may cause you to impede traffic in th e future." [Observation...is that bad? I was still moving, maintaining my speed 5mph less than the limit to be safe. Occasionally, my speed reduced (especially in the neighborhood, trying to be careful) and I picked it up again. She disliked it.] Oh well. Deductions. Deductions.
Deductions for a total of -31, out of the allowable -30. I saw that in her grading sheet (the one they keep for their records) as she was explaining my mistakes to me. It was on her lap so I was able to see it. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Should I make an appeal?" But I guess they knew better for they didn't put my actual score in the sheet that they give back. I didn't bother to ask further as I might irritate her.
Hahaha. So there. She was a very nitpicky examiner, but I won't call her a bitch like what the other failed examinee told her companion of her examiner. Her comments may be for the better anyway. At least I got what I was really praying for- that I won't get into any accident or commit any dangerous act. For now, I shall enjoy my chauffeur service (according to our lab post-doc)!
JUST ONCE (James Ingram)
Photo from: http://articles.onlineautoinsurance.com/articles/purchase-insurance-without-a-drivers-license/
Thursday, October 21, 2010
HOME
With a heavy heart for having just a very short hometown visit, I flew back to the US just in time for registration and meetings before the 2010 Spring Semester begins. Fortunately, my return flight was not as hellish as my flight when I got back to the Philippines. With the length of my stay in those three airports where we stopped over, I could have made an in-depth analysis of how each airport fared when it comes to customer service. I’ll save those stories for another entry.
This was the route for my return flight: Manila > Guam > Honolulu > Houston. For the flight from Guam to Honolulu, I was seated beside an African-American male who would most likely be comfortable occupying two seats instead of just one. He had the seat near the window and I was bothered by the fact that he might frequently get up and use the restroom and I had to make way for him every time. I know I am small and I can just squeeze in my seat to let him pass, but I don’t think that will do. Somehow, I know a part of his body would bump into me if I don’t make way for him. So there goes problem #1. When all the passengers got settled in their respective seats, he started talking to me. Uh-oh. There goes problem #2. I don’t know if you are the type who enjoys casual conversations when traveling, well I’m not one. The truth is, I seldom enjoy conversations with strangers. Then he started telling me his unfortunate story.
The man, maybe in his late forties has a friendly face and soft voice (despite his built). To initiate the conversation he told me that the flight from Guam to Honolulu was the third leg of his seven flights. Of course, I was surprised so I asked him why he had several stopovers. He said that was way cheaper than booking a direct flight. Oh yes, I understood the reasoning, but seven?! He said he came all the way from Cebu and had a flight to Manila. I told him I came from Manila too. I asked what he did there. (Haha. That just defied my claim that I don't enjoy conversations with strangers. But his case seemed interesting.) He replied, “Unfortunately, I got married there.” I gave a half-smile, uncertain whether he was joking or not (with the "unfortunately" part). He went on – “It was wonderful at first. I met this Filipina from a dating website.” Uh-oh again. At this point, I got anxious. I’m not sure if he gathered that I am a Filipino even if I’ve just said I came from Manila. I got anxious because if he had issues with Filipinos before, he might get back at me maybe not physically but verbally maybe. I’d thought of giving him a hint to stop talking to me, like pretending to be sleepy (which I did later anyway). But he went on with no sign of repressed anger or feelings of vengeance. He said that the Filipina was really very nice during their period of long-distance communication. He told her everything about himself (like he was a divorced man and he had a son; he had no job but relied on his pension and investments for financial survival) and trusted that the woman also told him the truth. He was aiming for someone who had a good education background, but said that in the end what matters to him is how the girl would relate to him. At the point when he wanted to go the Philippines to finally meet the girl, his 9-year old son warned him not to, but still he went to see the woman. Ironic for a younger one to advice the older one of the perils of meeting someone in a foreign land. He said he was just there to get to know the woman better and enjoy sight-seeing in the Philippines. And so he went. He said he had fun during the first few weeks. The woman brought him to different places in the Philippines and he liked the place. He just hated the traffic, so he bought a motorcycle. I was relieved that he didn’t inject in some personal stuff they did, because truth be told if one looks for a lover, he or she would be at some point asking for sexual pleasure. I thought at least that the guy is decent. It appeared to me that he was just one lonely guy who wanted a partner as he aged. But their happy moments didn’t last long. After a while, he said that the woman demanded for them to get married. He tried to reason out but the woman countered that since he was there in the Philippines, they might as well get married. And so they did. It was not a blissful one, however. They had fun times, but the woman started to ask him for some sort of funding- for her, for her family, for whoever. He supported her. He bought the woman a small place where they can stay and some furniture for comfortable living. After some months, the woman told her she was pregnant and began asking money again for check-ups. But after a month, the woman told her that she had miscarriage. This was the point when the man didn’t want anything from her anymore. The man didn’t know what to do being in a foreign country. He didn’t know the rules. If only divorce was legal, he would have filed one. But he was scared of the fact that the woman might make up stories that he was the one at fault. She might make up stories like he was physically hurting her or that he was not supporting her as his wife, etc. Oh, and he showed me their picture by the way and the picture of his son. He is really one sad individual. In the end, he said that he considered himself a fugitive for leaving his wife behind and getting a ticket for over-speeding (motorcycle issues), which, truth be told we don't really care about. He just wanted to get out of the Philippines and seek help in the US on how to legally end their marriage and get back the items and money he left behind.
Throughout our conversation, I was glad he didn’t ask me anything personal. He just asked why I was flying to the US when our plane was about to land. And he was surprised when explicitly I’ve said that I am Filipino. He just laughed.
It was interesting to see him look out of the window like a child, marveling at how wonderful Hawaii is from the top. It was indeed breathtaking. Maybe he was relieved too that he was nearing his destination.
It’s just disheartening to know that these things really happen. His story appeared to me like a scene from a movie. If you search the Internet for people’s impression on Filipinas, there will be this recurring statement saying that, since the Philippines is a third-world country and most people are impoverished, Filipinas tend to cling to foreigners and suck their wealth dry. It’s hard to counter this statement for it has some truth to it, but we should always educate people who make hasty generalizations.
Every nation has its distinct fragrance and stench. What I've described could be part of the unpleasant smell that the Philippines gives off. It is something that we hope to eradicate. In fact, there are a lot of things that we wanted to get rid of not just to gain global respect and recognition, but more importantly to gain self-worth as Filipinos living in our own land.
I've told a lot, when all I wanted to say is I miss my country, its people and its culture.
HOME (Michael Buble)
* Maria Clara was the chief female character of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere who remains a symbol of the virtues and nobility of the Filipina woman.
Reference: http://home.netcom.com/~ntamayo/mariaclara.html
Photo from: http://www.pictureninja.com/pages/philippines/image-manila-skyline.htm
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
ART NOT JUST FOR ART'S SAKE
Sana nailunsad ang Magna Kultura Foundation bago pa man ako nakaalis ng Pilipinas, dahil masaya makiisa sa kanilang mga proyektong may pagkalahatang mithiin na itaguyod ang sining at kultura ng ating bayan. Hindi ko alam kung sino ang nag-imbita sa akin sa kanilang grupo dito sa Multiply, ngunit maraming salamat sa pagpaparating sa akin ng mga adhikain ng Magna Kultura. Ito na ata ang matagal ko ng hinahanap.
Ang ating sining at kultura ay ilan sa mga nalalabi nating kayamanan. Sa panahon ngayon na halos lahat ng Pilipino ay nawawalan na ng pag-asa sa pag-unlad sa iba't ibang aspekto ng buhay- ang ating natatanging sining at kultura ay nariyan lamang- mayroon pa tayong kayamanan! At kung ang kayamanang ito ay magagamit nang maigi at hindi aabusuhin, hindi malayong umunlad tayo, kahit paunti-unti lamang. Marahil sasabihin ng ilan, "Paano ka makakagawa ng malikhaing obra, kung walang laman ang iyong tiyan?" O di kaya naman ay, "Mas gugustuhin ba ng masang Pilipino manood ng isang dula kaysa sa Wowowee?" Ito ang mga katanungang nais tugunan ng Magna Kultura- ayon sa aking pagkakaintindi.
Nais ko sanang maging bahagi nito at ang pagpaparating sa inyo ng kanilang mga proyekto ay ang aking paraan upang makiisa.
Para sa mga naniniwalang may pag-asa pa tayong mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng ating sining at kultura, bisitahin niyo ito:
http://asiancenter.multiply.com/journal/item/103/TAKING_ARTS_AT_THE_GRASSROOTS_OF_SOCIETY_._._._THE_ART_OF_THE_START.
Ang ating sining at kultura ay ilan sa mga nalalabi nating kayamanan. Sa panahon ngayon na halos lahat ng Pilipino ay nawawalan na ng pag-asa sa pag-unlad sa iba't ibang aspekto ng buhay- ang ating natatanging sining at kultura ay nariyan lamang- mayroon pa tayong kayamanan! At kung ang kayamanang ito ay magagamit nang maigi at hindi aabusuhin, hindi malayong umunlad tayo, kahit paunti-unti lamang. Marahil sasabihin ng ilan, "Paano ka makakagawa ng malikhaing obra, kung walang laman ang iyong tiyan?" O di kaya naman ay, "Mas gugustuhin ba ng masang Pilipino manood ng isang dula kaysa sa Wowowee?" Ito ang mga katanungang nais tugunan ng Magna Kultura- ayon sa aking pagkakaintindi.
Nais ko sanang maging bahagi nito at ang pagpaparating sa inyo ng kanilang mga proyekto ay ang aking paraan upang makiisa.
Para sa mga naniniwalang may pag-asa pa tayong mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng ating sining at kultura, bisitahin niyo ito:
http://asiancenter.multiply.com/journal/item/103/TAKING_ARTS_AT_THE_GRASSROOTS_OF_SOCIETY_._._._THE_ART_OF_THE_START.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
BA-BE-BI-BO-BU
Months before I left the Philippines, I had the honor of teaching Mother Goose’s kids. It was somehow difficult to wake up at 6 AM to teach the kids who come to the house for what I call the Sunday school. Yes, you read that right- classes at 6 AM and on a Sunday. A real bummer one might consider. But the fact that the kids came knocking at our gate at exactly 6 AM and sometimes even earlier, encouraged me to become the professional instructor I claimed to be. The eagerness that they had was more than enough to stir or should I say, shove someone out of bed. The kids’ Saturdays were booked for their Catechism classes, while Sundays were for the review of the lessons they had in school. Hah! Someday, if time and resources would permit, I think Mother Goose would build a Catholic school for financially disadvantaged children. I was not ready to teach them about the Catholic faith and I don’t think I will be eligible to do so. It’s good that Mother Goose found a dedicated catechist. I believe you need to have a good training for that, and so I volunteered to tutor them instead on what I think I can handle- grade school lessons.
Some sessions were smooth-sailing and some were rough. From our sessions, it seemed that the main roadblock they had in fully understanding the concepts was the level of reading skill they had. I dealt with Grade 6 students who were still having trouble comprehending simple statements and explaining what those statements meant. Okay, maybe 6 AM was just not the most conducive time for some reading comprehension, but if that situation persisted throughout the day, that was really bothersome. This thought might bore the hell out of you or make the nerd ones rejoice, but I think it’s important that children be taught to read early and to communicate to others what they had read.
My interest in reading developed because of the various comics I grew up with. In effect, I also became a visual learner. One may question, “What kind of proper education would you get from comics?”. Others even consider them rubbish. Or Mark Twain may argue, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” Well, I am not saying that comics are the best materials for developing reading skills, but they definitely can serve as catalysts towards that end.
During my elementary years, Mother Goose used to bring home about 20 Filipino comics once a month- Horoscope, Love Story, Kenkoy, Hiwaga, Aliwan, Wakasan… those were some household names I remember in the Filipino comics industry. I remember myself, looking forward to reading those comics. I remember myself trying to finish all of them in just one night. I remember my fingers filled with black smudges from turning the pages (they came in newsprint those days). Most of the time, I was out of the house because Papirus and I were nangangapit-bahay. Apart from the computer games and toy blocks that I enjoyed playing at our neighbors' house, I found another joy- Happy comics. For those of you who remember this, this comics is about couples who fight over a third party in their relationship but they get back together in the end. Of course there were sensual themes, and those were never censored from me…haha. Every first Friday of the month, I looked forward to another set of comics- Funny and Bata Batuta and …where you would find Tomas at Kulas (the Filipino version of Tom and Jerry), Combatron, Eklok, the Planet of the Eyps, Mr. and Mrs…so these were the kiddie version. My yaya and I would pass by a newspaper/comics stand on our way home. Now I wonder where have all those comics gone? My English learning was a part due to Archie/Jughead/Betty and Veronica comics- I believe I have a wide collection of those comics, and for some reason I don’t know where most of them are right now. I remember one summer, because I just had to much of them, Mother Goose thought of renting them out to her office mates, and yeah I made quite a sum of money from those comics. But those comics just got too expensive. So there, my education was made more interesting by comics, and yes I pay tribute to them, by reading, guess what- the comics section of the newspaper! Haha. Currently, my addiction is Calvin and Hobbes.
In my previous entry, The Journal Club, I've realized the importance of reading and comprehension. I thought of making something relevant out of my current profession (science background) and my addiction to comics. I remember Eenai, who was taking Psychology at that time as she was amused by the children’s books made by Filipinos. To make the books amusing, they appeared in full color and stories were really interesting. Well I thought of making science books for kids, but I wanted to make it comics style. I know it had been done so many times, but not that marketable. That’s one of the things on my list. Hopefully, I would have the right contacts, like illustrators and smart story-makers who are willing to cooperate with me in this endeavor and not expect a pay at least for a couple of years. Because the goal is to distribute these for free to kids in public schools, just like the kids Mother Goose have. I believe we still have hope.
Some sessions were smooth-sailing and some were rough. From our sessions, it seemed that the main roadblock they had in fully understanding the concepts was the level of reading skill they had. I dealt with Grade 6 students who were still having trouble comprehending simple statements and explaining what those statements meant. Okay, maybe 6 AM was just not the most conducive time for some reading comprehension, but if that situation persisted throughout the day, that was really bothersome. This thought might bore the hell out of you or make the nerd ones rejoice, but I think it’s important that children be taught to read early and to communicate to others what they had read.
My interest in reading developed because of the various comics I grew up with. In effect, I also became a visual learner. One may question, “What kind of proper education would you get from comics?”. Others even consider them rubbish. Or Mark Twain may argue, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” Well, I am not saying that comics are the best materials for developing reading skills, but they definitely can serve as catalysts towards that end.
During my elementary years, Mother Goose used to bring home about 20 Filipino comics once a month- Horoscope, Love Story, Kenkoy, Hiwaga, Aliwan, Wakasan… those were some household names I remember in the Filipino comics industry. I remember myself, looking forward to reading those comics. I remember myself trying to finish all of them in just one night. I remember my fingers filled with black smudges from turning the pages (they came in newsprint those days). Most of the time, I was out of the house because Papirus and I were nangangapit-bahay. Apart from the computer games and toy blocks that I enjoyed playing at our neighbors' house, I found another joy- Happy comics. For those of you who remember this, this comics is about couples who fight over a third party in their relationship but they get back together in the end. Of course there were sensual themes, and those were never censored from me…haha. Every first Friday of the month, I looked forward to another set of comics- Funny and Bata Batuta and …where you would find Tomas at Kulas (the Filipino version of Tom and Jerry), Combatron, Eklok, the Planet of the Eyps, Mr. and Mrs…so these were the kiddie version. My yaya and I would pass by a newspaper/comics stand on our way home. Now I wonder where have all those comics gone? My English learning was a part due to Archie/Jughead/Betty and Veronica comics- I believe I have a wide collection of those comics, and for some reason I don’t know where most of them are right now. I remember one summer, because I just had to much of them, Mother Goose thought of renting them out to her office mates, and yeah I made quite a sum of money from those comics. But those comics just got too expensive. So there, my education was made more interesting by comics, and yes I pay tribute to them, by reading, guess what- the comics section of the newspaper! Haha. Currently, my addiction is Calvin and Hobbes.
In my previous entry, The Journal Club, I've realized the importance of reading and comprehension. I thought of making something relevant out of my current profession (science background) and my addiction to comics. I remember Eenai, who was taking Psychology at that time as she was amused by the children’s books made by Filipinos. To make the books amusing, they appeared in full color and stories were really interesting. Well I thought of making science books for kids, but I wanted to make it comics style. I know it had been done so many times, but not that marketable. That’s one of the things on my list. Hopefully, I would have the right contacts, like illustrators and smart story-makers who are willing to cooperate with me in this endeavor and not expect a pay at least for a couple of years. Because the goal is to distribute these for free to kids in public schools, just like the kids Mother Goose have. I believe we still have hope.
THE JOURNAL CLUB
At the dinner table, the night before our exam, this was how my conversation with Rockstar went…
K: O, ano yung pinakamagandang article para sa iyo?
R: Ha? (Isip…)
K: Ako, favorite ko yung kay XX at kay YY. Astig kaya yung ginawa nila!
R: Sus, hindi kaya. Simple lang naman yung kanila e. Mas okay yung kanila ZZ at AA.
K&R: Blah, blah, blah…
Ending: Humahalakhak kami. Because we never thought that reading so many journal articles would lead us to the kind of conversation that we had. As if we were talking about our favorite scenes in a movie or the most cherished places we had been too. No worries though, for it was just the first time we had that talk- just to laugh the jitters off before the exam day. Our daily conversations are still perfectly normal and sane, if you will.
I ranted in Facebook some months ago, “Why can’t journal articles be like novels? So that you can say- “Damn, this journal article is so hard to put down?” I didn’t really hate reading them- otherwise I should not be in this academic program I am in right now. The terrible part is when you get swamped by those articles (every lecture meeting that we have requires 2-4 papers for background reading and we have two meetings a week) and you haven’t even finished reading the first paper (because of the technicalities of the author’s experiments; and so you needed to read other reference papers or books to backup your knowledge on the techniques they used). In addition, attention span in reading scientific articles seemed so short. That was why I was looking for some elements of novels or short stories in those papers. But as Piolo said, “By then Ph.D. would just be another book club.” Oh well. It’s a matter of getting used to them. Eventually, it would be easier to see the big picture coming out of the abstract, introduction, methodology, discussion and conclusion.
K: O, ano yung pinakamagandang article para sa iyo?
R: Ha? (Isip…)
K: Ako, favorite ko yung kay XX at kay YY. Astig kaya yung ginawa nila!
R: Sus, hindi kaya. Simple lang naman yung kanila e. Mas okay yung kanila ZZ at AA.
K&R: Blah, blah, blah…
Ending: Humahalakhak kami. Because we never thought that reading so many journal articles would lead us to the kind of conversation that we had. As if we were talking about our favorite scenes in a movie or the most cherished places we had been too. No worries though, for it was just the first time we had that talk- just to laugh the jitters off before the exam day. Our daily conversations are still perfectly normal and sane, if you will.
I ranted in Facebook some months ago, “Why can’t journal articles be like novels? So that you can say- “Damn, this journal article is so hard to put down?” I didn’t really hate reading them- otherwise I should not be in this academic program I am in right now. The terrible part is when you get swamped by those articles (every lecture meeting that we have requires 2-4 papers for background reading and we have two meetings a week) and you haven’t even finished reading the first paper (because of the technicalities of the author’s experiments; and so you needed to read other reference papers or books to backup your knowledge on the techniques they used). In addition, attention span in reading scientific articles seemed so short. That was why I was looking for some elements of novels or short stories in those papers. But as Piolo said, “By then Ph.D. would just be another book club.” Oh well. It’s a matter of getting used to them. Eventually, it would be easier to see the big picture coming out of the abstract, introduction, methodology, discussion and conclusion.
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