First Impressions

Kangkong and tilapia. Masaraap!
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A day in the life:

Sleep until mid-morning. Walk outside. Realize it is only 9am. Fall back asleep. Wake up at noonish. Coffee. Breakfast. Shower. Maybe homework, maybe walk around and talk to the neighbors. Maybe feed the animals, or play with Patrick (a little boy that lives in this household). Help with chores. Lunch. Nap. Another Shower. More homework, some reading. Another nap. Dinner. Evening walk, visit friends, have a beer. Back to bed.

Some thoughts:

[HOMESICKNESS] I got so homesick my second day here. I laid in bed and cried for a good hour or so. Talking to my mom, my dad, and Mike made me feel so much better though. I’ve never felt this way before; given that I’ve traveled all over the world all of my life, I don’t understand what my problem is! I love being in the PP – it’s paradise! However, I miss Portland!! L I am trying to keep in touch with everyone, but it is so hard with limited phone and internet access. Can you believe I went for a whole week without checking facebook, myspace and email? Unimaginable!

A baby duckie! So cute!
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[COMMUNICATION ISSUES] Everyone stares at me and the only thing they say is “magandaka” (you are pretty). Little kids stare, and once they are introduced they hide, turn away or run to their parents. Their parents say that they are afraid because they never see Westerners in their village. Oh, apparently I look like Britney Spears too. ….ya, I don’t understand that one. I can already speak some Tagalog, but everyone assumes I don’t and try to talk through the people I am with. Hopefully that will change with time. Atleast now I can basic conversations about food. Eating is practically a national past-time here, so that should be all I really need to get by!

Beer at the mall! Woo!
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[FOOD] I have only been here for one week, but I am already one belt-notch larger. I am eating VERY well! Sinay gang (sour soup), kang kong (vegetable dish), asado (meat dish), fried fish, paksiew (fish dish), curry curry (meat and vegetable stew), halo-halo (ice kachang-like desert), and an assortment of calamai (yam and rice desert dishes). Not to mention the fruit: mango, calamansi, pomello, durian, papaya, bananas, watermelons and cantelope. I wish I could find these things in the States year-round. That would be a dream come true.

[CHRISTMAS: MALIGAYANG PASKO!] I am staying in San Fernando, Pampanga; nearly everyone here is Catholic (a testament to the Spanish legacy here). Because of this Christmas is an extremely religious holiday, unlike in the United States. For nine days before Christmas, every evening everyone must attend mass. Then, on Christmas eve, many come into San Fernando from the outskirts of the city to attend mass given at one of the cathedrals, by a bishop. I attended one that was given in the courtyard of the cathedral closest to the city center. Though there was a light breeze, there were THOUSANDS of people there….it was incredibly interesting, but so hot and smelly L. Not only was there no room to move in the courtyard itself, but the streets around the cathedral were packed with people just listening to the mass over loudspeakers. I have never seen anything like it. San Fernando is also world-famous for its giant lantern competition (usually held before Christmas). These lanterns were lined up on the street bordering the courtyard, and all lit up once the mass was over. It’s funny, they are lit up and synced to techno Christmas music with heavy beats and lots of bass. Then on Christmas day all the children in the family came over to bless the elders in the family (by touching their foreheads to the hands of the elders), and to receive small gifts (I saw many getting 20-50 pesos, which is less than US$1). It was amazing to see Christmas celebrated like this, with such an emphasis on caring for others, making the children happy, and time spent with family and friends. I think this sometimes gets lost in the jumble.

[CULTURE] Tagalog, and Pampango the regional dialect, have strong English and Spanish influences. I can understand much of what I hear, and am quickly picking up the rest. Because of hundreds of years of Spanish and American influence here in the Philippines, the culture is a strange hybrid of these Malayan, island, Spanish (they say “mestizo”) and American cultures. Spam is popular. Kids listen to American music (current pop that we listen to on the radio in the US), though they don’t understand most of it. The word “fuck” is graffiti-ed on walls, though again, many don’t understand what it means. Counting in Pampango is EXACTLY the same as in Spanish, and uses words like “siempre,” “seguro,” and “gusto.” Grammar is definitely Malayan, for it is nothing like what we use in English or Spanish. I am still trying to figure it all out, but suffice it to say that I’ve never seen anything like this before.

[FAMILY] Kids my age and younger are expected to get married and have children, unless they have a career (which is rare). Even many of the overseas workers maintain families while being abroad. The standard family here consists of 5-10 kids. No joke - I have even met a few that have had 11-13 children. Think about this: my nanny’s dad had two siblings, and her mom had ten. They all had children, and my nanny actually has nine siblings. They all have children, and one of her sisters actually had 11 kids; my nanny is the only one who didn’t have any children or get married. This generation has already married off and have their own families. Essentially, more than half of the entire “barrio” (sub-development/neighborhood) is somehow related to the Santos family. Anywhere we go, there are children blessing my nanny, calling her “lola” or people offering us rides. I am almost 21, though people seem shocked to hear that I don’t want to marry until I am older. Here I feel like an old maid.

[POVERTY] Everyone here lives in conditions that I have always considered to be “extreme poverty.” The house I am living in is VERY nice compared to other houses in the barrio. We have tiled floors, AC, lights, electricity, phone service, and bathroom-like facilities connected to the house. I share a bed, which is normal. There are two girls that sleep on the floor here, which is also considered normal. Many houses I have walked by have outdoor kitchens, outhouses, no walls (many live in wood and straw “nippa huts”), no running water, and no divide between their animals’ space and living space. Often, people live in (what I consider to be) unsanitary environments. This just baffles me. On one hand, there is rampant unemployment, a lack of material wealth, and living conditions that in other circumstances would be considered straight-up EXTREME POVERTY. However, everyone I have met is also happy and they do seem content. They live in a sustainable fashion - relying on their environment and their animals, and likewise providing for them. What they do not eat is food for the pig or duck. But if they need food, they’ll have a chicken with dinner. I can’t decided whether this is poverty or not, and if it is, if it is even bad. Maybe it is because of strong family ties. Regardless, I think that there are more unhappy people in the United States, actually.

Shout out:

Lauren: “Bebot” means “young, sexy girl,” and the chorus of The Apl Song is actually a tagalog folk song. I asked just for you!!! MISS YOU TONS!!