So I’ve been in the Philippines for five months now. Once again no pictures. I’ll try to deliver with a bunch for a Matt Hirschinger Blog Christmas special or something. Just need to get all the pictures from my coworkers and pick the best ones. I’ll aim for about twenty-thirty of the best. In my defense, I’d also like to point out that a buddy from mine from college also in the Peace Corps has no pictures on his blog, yet unlike me, doesn’t give false promises to put some up. Just saying…
Hot Stuff?
So, let’s start with the juicy part. I have come to accept that I’m apparently a catch here in the Philippines. Coworkers keep asking me if I have a girlfriend or not. Nagwapo (handsome in Ilokano) is often said. Yesterday I met some high school girls who literally screamed when I stepped outside like I was a five member boy band. However, as much as I’d like to think I’m the [insert attractive male Western celebrity here] of the Philippines, I’ve been self imposing a reality check. Being an American is a major, major part of it. The assumption is I’m rich, or at least going to be rich later on in life. I’m 24 years old now, and the screaming girls were like… sixteen? Yeah, just smile awkwardly and maintain professionalism. Also to note I’m in a rural community where I’m probably looking like an easy ticket to see the world. Plus there’s my rocking bod and glistening eyes. So, though I’d like to think I’m hot stuff… I’m inclined to take it with some salt.
Unfortunately though, this attention has been a distraction professionally. Since arriving in Dupax mid-September, I have fought hard for the focus to turn from ‘look it’s an American’ to ‘look at the WORK the American is doing’. I have no intention of getting married while in the Philippines, so as flattering as the attention is, it’s also chika chika waiting to happen (chika chika is the Filipino term for gossip, gossip being a staple in Filipino society). Also, I can’t help but think that when I return to America, it’ll be a letdown if I get too used to the attention here.
The Grand Kanyaw
At the end of November, we held the annual town fiesta that marked the anniversary of Dupax del Norte’s founding. It was a week of late nights, early mornings, and lots and lots of traditional dances. The first night was Barangay night. (Although I’m pretty sure I’ve covered it, a Barangay is the smallest form of government in the Philippines, usually with a few thousand people). There are fifteen Barangays in del Norte and each had their own time to take a picture and shake the Mayor’s hand, their own performance, their own intermission. It was great, but I left at 1PM with a lot still to go.
The next night was a spiritual night. A guest speaker who had studied leadership and religion in America gave a half hour sermon. It also included a little bit of the new age style of a rock band and a singer doing modern Christian songs.
The morning after was the parade with kids from most of the schools in marching bands, government officials, local organizations, the Jolly Bee mascot (Jolly Bee is the McDonald’s of the Philippines). There were more people in the parade than on the streets. That night was the Talent Contest. Unfortunately I had reached my limit at that point and slept in early.
Fourth morning was the official Grand Kanyaw. Now only did they sacrifice over ten pigs, but a caribou as well. A little note about sacrifice pigs though: as culturally interesting as it is, pigs are not quiet in their death throws. I don’t consider myself squeamish, but I was not 1000% comfortable. The other Peace Corps volunteer who has been in Dupax for a year and I were adopted as a son and daughter of the town. We were given a basket, a vest, and a spear. Yes, a legit spear. I don’t know what to do with it. Then we did a traditional dance in front of a couple hundred people, while taking sips of rice wine (rice wine is strong stuff). That night the Mayor gave her address to the people about what she had accomplished, and what her plans were for the next year. Without the awful and annoying clapping every half minute that our State of the Union address has, she covered a lot of ground in fairly short order.
Then came the fifth night. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great week, but I was tired, and the final night was the beauty contest. Part of my work is trying to emphasize things other than beauty contest with the youth. So, I was right depressed when the beauty contest (for girls ages 15-19) got a larger audience than any of the other events. I mean, only the parade came even close, and that’s just because we had so many people told they had to partake in the parade. I’ll touch on this at the end of this post.
Challenges at Site
Disclaimer: I am doing just fine. I am very happy here. However, I do want to share that my time here is not just some fun and whacky adventure, and that there are serious challenges to living abroad. That is why I’m including some of the challenges I’ve been facing.
Probably the biggest challenge at site has been the hospitality. Filipinos bend over backwards to treat their guests, and I am a guest of guests, an outsider of outsiders. So, wherever I go, they want to stuff me with food. Wherever I go, I’m doted upon. Wherever I go, even mentioning trying to help with clean up is stopped and thwarted immediately. The challenge with this is twofold. One, it’s in direct contradiction to me trying to integrate into the community. The second is that it’s making me way too comfortable and complacent.
Another challenge has been the pace. I’ve talked to people, including my Dad, who has worked with foreigners at length, and for the most part we Americans are just about the most hurried people in the world, for the most part. That includes me. So, when I wrote a questionnaire to give to the youth about the leadership summit I’ll be running, to better understand what they want to learn about, and their current capabilities in early October, I was surprised when I finally got them out, and got half back mid-November.
Also, there is the language barrier. Although my Ilokano is improving, there’s still so much I don’t know. Although I’m lucky to live in a country with exceptional English skills, I’m still dealing with a foreign language being the most commonly spoken. It’ll come eventually.
The last challenge I’ll mention right now has been trying to stay in the loop. Once in La Trinidad, and once here I’ve been asked to ride along for something I didn’t know what it was… until I saw the deceased lying in a casket. Although those two incidents have been rare (well, twice since I’ve been here), I’ve constantly been asked to just come along, not sure about the destination, the purpose, or what I would be doing. Luckily the adventurer in me has said, “Why not?” I know this is something I should work on, at least trying to be more prepared and in the know.
I’ll keep you all updated on how I solve (or don’t solve) these issues.
Product Review
Product Review! This is where I advertise for free, things that I think are helping me a lot in the Philippines. I suppose I could also bash a product, but I won’t be doing that today.
The first tip of my hat goes to quick-dry products. Towels, shirts, shorts. They are so much easier to wash, get dry very quick, and are generally made of higher quality material. After I get home, probably all my workout clothes and towels will eventually be quick-dry.
The second nod goes to FitDeck, which you can only get online at www.fitdeck .com. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the end all of workouts, but considering I’m in the rural Philippines without a gym, the fitdeck cards have been invaluable in staying in shape. I recommend them for anyone looking to add a convenient workout they can do at home, or just want more ideas for workouts. I plan on buying a few pieces of equipment like a resistance band, and a pull up bar, and hopefully starting in January I can get on a more consistent workout schedule then ‘how about this fitdeck today!’
The last shout out is for Prezi. Although I haven’t actually made one yet, I’ve gone over all the instructional video, and it looks amazing. I will definitely be using it in the future. It is free (though you need the internet). It is exponentially better than PowerPoint as a presentational tool, and it looks so simple to use. After having to endure so many PowerPoint presentations during training, and seeing this shining beacon of light that is Prezi, I don’t know if I can go back again. Check it out.
What’s to Come?
Well, the leadership summit is December 16-18. I’ll have a large piece on that once it’s finished. I have several things on the horizon for next year included working with a nearby university’s program for extracurricular clubs and activities, I’ll start working with the out of school youth, probably try to start up some weekly leadership courses for youth as I can’t get all of them to the summit (nor can I cover everything I want). Hopefully I will also start working with the local government unit I’m at with a few small, but hopefully impactful ways to improve the office (such as using Prezi!). Perhaps more, but we’ll see.
A Note on Society: Cheap Entertainment
So, back onto the beauty contest for girls getting more of a crowd than the Mayor’s speech, the official Grand Kanyaw, and the spiritual night combined. This isn’t something different from America. More people in America probably know about the Cardashian’s (sp?) weekly drama than about the Euro crisis. And you know what? That’s all right by me. We all have our guilty pleasures, forms of entertainment that serve little more than to entertain us. Not everything we listen to or watch should make us wiser, smarter, or more physically fit. However, what worries me is when all of our entertainment turns into that.
You don’t have to listen to classical music, read thought provoking novels, do yoga, and keep up with international economic news. However, I personally think it’s important to pick at least one or two of them, or something else more enlightening. Perhaps I am overreacting, but what I’m worried about is not that so many people saw the beauty contest, but that many of those people didn’t attend anything else but that. Don’t know what I’ll do with this yet at site. However, with the Mayor’s “Character First” program, I think I might put my two cents in about this, and see the reactions I get. See what we can do about not knocking down the beauty contest necessarily, but promoting the more culturally enriched events as well.
‘Til next time!
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