Thursday, August 28, 2008

Takin' it back, waaay back

One of the things I love is hearing a dope sample on a song, then finding that original song. This is something that I find unique to Hip Hop. A lot of times people will look at Hip Hop and say that it's not creative and that it's stealing from old music. I think that it's this ability though, to draw and build off of other forms of music, particularly soul and jazz, that makes Hip Hop beautiful. For me, Hip Hop, jazz, soul, blues, and reggae is music that YOU CAN FEEL IN YOUR SOUL, while other forms of music just don't do this for me (: / nothin against them).

I heard this song a week ago(@ Sushi House in Durant Food Court. Suprisingly, they play dope music, soul and funk). You probably recognize this song from the sample on Kanye and Twista's Overnight Celebrity.

TELL ME YOU CAN'T FEEL THIS SHIT IN YOUR SOUL!!!!

Hearing good soul music (whether in a sample or original form) for me is a reminder that you always carry your past experiences and memories with you and that you grow off of them. This is something that I try to remember as I enter my first week of senior year. I haven't really been thinking about how this is going to be my last year here at Berkeley. I'm just looking to enjoy it, and to be open to everything as I was Freshman year. You could say I'm a seasoned vet, but I'm just looking to take in as much as possible this year.

I got on the MUNI a few weeks ago. For the first time, I wasn't able to pass for youth fare (17 & Under). I'm getting older, and I guess I'm looking older too now. Oh well, I've never been one to be scared of getting older. I've always believed that youth is something that you carry with you. At least working with FEC helps take me back to when I was a kid.

I hope to keep this youthful openness and ability to just enjoy everything this year. Anyway, here is a video I can't stop watching. It makes you wonder why people fight over these things, but in the end you just can't help but laugh it off.

%^&$@ ALWAYS TRYIN TO EAT SOMEBODY'S BURGERS!

This year is definitely going to be a journey. I hope ya'll are with me, cause this year we're gonna take it back. Waaaaay back. I hope all the folks I've met and become family with here @ Berkeley through the years are able to enjoy this year together with me. Maybe its idealistic, but I know ya'll are ready to enjoy this year like I am, so for us folks, let's do it and make this a year to never forget : ) Peace!

Sidenote: The Milk Bar is the ish. Classic soul on the one's and two's. Chill atmosphere. Good times with friends. Couldn't ask for more. And shout out to ading-thru-forceful-adoption Kaegy for his 20th Bday, and Albert and Brendan on their 22nd Bday. It's good to be alive.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Don't Worry, Be Happy




It's been almost two weeks since I've arrived back home from the PI. I miss it, but I'm also glad to be home. I've just been chillin with friends and fam, going back from Foster City to Berkeley. I've been hanging out, watching movies, and shark week : ) I've got to say that I've met some of the coolest and most welcoming people over there, but at times I couldn't help but feel like an outsider no matter how hard I tried. I didn't have a hard time adjusting to things like a lack of the luxuries and privileges that are present here in the states, but rather the feeling that I didn't belong at times. However, over the course of my trip I was able to feel at home and connect with all the cool friends and family I met, whom I will continue to be close with. If there is one thing that I've taken back here that I've learned, is that the people over there know how to enjoy things. Over here in the states, we're definitely always rushed and stressing about something. They may not have the same things that folks over here do, but they truly know how to enjoy and appreciate what's really important.

So with that, I've come up with some immediate goals for the upcoming school year.

1. Come home more often
2. Learn to cook Filipino food.
3. Get a Public Health internship
4. Prepare for grad school/work
5. ENJOY THE TIME AND THE FRIENDS I HAVE AT CAL.

I'm looking forward to this year, even though I'm scared and excited about all the things ahead of me. I look to take things as they come though and continue to work hard.

As I was leaving Bacolod, Kuya Bhuboy and I were listening to "Don't worry, be happy." I think that pretty much sums up what I've gotten from the PI that I hope to take through this year. I hope ya'll are there to enjoy this year with me too, so don't worry, be happy, and let's make this a great year ya'll : ) In the meantime, stay cool like this shark.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Homecoming



AFter 6 weeks in the Philippines, I'm back home the bay. It's been quite a journey, but I'll save time for reflection in the next post. Let's recap how the past week has been.

Monday- I left with Mary Ann for our trip to Bohol. We left Victorias with Ate Glenn and Kuya Buboy, who dropped us off at the Silay Airport. I'll definitely miss Mary Ann's family, especially Ate Glen and Kuya Buboy for making me feel at home. Ate Glen definitely always brought laughs. I scared her by telling her I saw ghosts, so after that she kept joking that she would slaughter me like a chicken (they take ghosts pretty seriously in the Phils. I told other ppl I saw ghosts and they believed me too). Kuya Buboy was definitely one of the chillest ppl I've met there also, always smiling and making sure u were having a good time. Anyways, we got to got to Bohol after a plane ride to Cebu, then a ferry ride to Bohol. One the Ferry we watched The Forbidden Kingdom and it was pretty good.

We got picked up by our tour guide Albert, and headed to our pension house where we were going to stay for that night (A pension house is kinda like a really cheap motel). After, we explored around the area. We picked up some pasulubong and some bootleg dvds (We got pacquiao's fights, a dvd with 25 movies, some other asian dramas/shows, and animes). After we watched the dark knight at the mall nearby, and it was pretty good in my opinion. I might be biased tho cuz Batman's my favorite superhero. After that headed back to the pension house.

Tuesday- This is when we started our tour. We first started off by seeing the Tarsiers, which were pretty cute (pictures to come). After that we drove through the man made forest. The next sight we saw was the chocolate hills, which were pretty beautiful. Seeing the hills, I thought how dope it would be to live on one of those. After that was a restaurant cruise on the Laboc river. They had a guy who played the guitar and sang some popular songs while we ate the buffet on the boat. (my highlight was the pancit).

During the ride we came to a tourist stop along the river, where some members of the Ati tribe were dancing and performing. This was a negrito tribe (indigenous people's of the Philippines, usually darker, shorter, and have curlier hair. They were named negritos by the Spanish colonizers). They were dressed up in grass skirts, and had spears and bows and arrows. As most of u folks who know me and Mary Ann, we didn't really like that these people had to be put on display as savages, for tourist entertainment. So we just watched while most of the tourists on the boat took pictures with the Ati people while they posed with spears and bows. However, we talked with one of the little girls there, and that was nice.

After this we headed back on the tour, to Baclayon church, the memorial for the compact between the Spanish and the Filipinos, and the shops where we bought some more pasulubong. After this we headed back to the Bohol Beach Resort where we stayed for the night. It was pretty beautiful, had dinner where a band sang to each table. And we sat along the beach. Sitting there in the dark, with just the moon to light up the ocean was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. There was no sound besides the ocean waves. So for probably an hour or so we just sat staring into the vastness of the ocean. Probably one of the most peaceful moments I've had in the philippines. After this we headed back to the room.

Wednesday- We said goodbye to Bohol and to Albert and headed back again by ferry and by plane to Manila. We got picked up by Ate Che, and headed back to stay at Kuya Rhodel's apartment in Makati City. We were pretty tired, so we just knocked out, since I was going to standby for the 7:45AM Flight to Tokyo, then Tokyo to SF.

Thursday- We left early in the morning so I could standby. After getting through the line and waiting however, they told me that the flight was full and that they couldn't get me on the plane since there were no seats. (Since my mom works for the airport, we fly standby, meaning we fly for free, but we get the seats left over). I went back with Mary Ann and Ate Che to the apartment. We slept, then after got some food then came back to the apartment. Watched some of our bootleg movies, hahaha. Kung Fu panda was pretty good, The Happening was ok, and Leatherheads was ok. Was going to watch Urduja, a Filipino animated movie based on the folktale about the princess, but it was entirely in Tagalog, and I still have a lot to learn : /. After, I talked to my parents, and we decided to just buy a Philippine Airline Flight to SF, since all the flights to Tokyo, and Tokyo to SF were full. After that we just knocked out.

Friday- Slept in, and watched some more movies. We watched Kiki's Delivery Service, which was pretty good. After that got some food. Mary Ann's Kuya Bati and his son Bullet (yes, Bullet) met us up. Bullet was super cute. Kuya Bati's other son is named Bloodymere, true story. Anyways, we took the taxi to the airport, since my PAL flight was at 10, and I wanted to be there by 8. The taxi driver ripped us off, charging us 300 pesos for a ride to the terminal. The first ride we took to the airport, it only cost us 100. As we got dropped off, I stopped to give the driver a piece of my mind, something I've been meaning to do for a while since I've been here. I'll leave out the expletives (as I was pretty pissed off at this guy), but I basically told this guy off for thinking that just because I was balikbayan (a Filipino from outside the Philippines), that he could rip me off to alienate me from other people here, when I love this country and its people just as much as anyone else. I also called him an asshole.

I felt good, because this is something I've been wanting to say for a while but never found the right words to say. I want to say though that though it upsets me, I do my best to understand where people are coming from. It's just been frustrating at times when I see the disconnect between Filipinos in the Philippines and me as a Filipino-Chinese-American, and no matter what I do, I can't overcome this disconnect. I can say though that most of the people I've met here have been incredibly welcoming and loving, especially my family, Mary Ann's family, the staff at Charity First, and the people here that I've met and worked with in general.

We waited at the airport for Ate Che, who was coming all the way from Cavite to say bye to me (She's super dope like that). While we waited, I checked in my bags and took care of my terminal fee. After Ate Che arrived, I said my farewells to Ate Che, Kuya Bati, and Bullet, and Mary Ann. I boarded the plane feeling both excited and sad for leaving this place that I've come to love.

I'm home now, after my 12 hour flight. The Flight wasn't long and I watched 21 and Vantage Point. I came home to the smiles and hugs of my parents and had dinner. I'm glad to be home but I'll miss the Phils, and most importantly the people I've met there. However, I know I'll be coming back, and that I now have family and friends that have helped make a home for me over there.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Coming to a Close

So this past week and a half I've been traveling with Mary Ann, visiting
my family in Pampanga and her family in Cavite, Bacolod,and Victorias.
It's been quite a week. Altogether Mary Ann's family has been generous
and welcoming.

Monday we went around with Mary Ann and her Ate Glen, Ate Che, Kuya
Bembol, Ate Crystal, Kuya Arnel, and their kids AJ and Kyle. We were
supposed to go to Star City with Ate Crystal, AJ, Kuya Arnel, and Ate Glen
but it was raining : / So instead we just ended up going to the
aquarium,which was fun. We got to see sharks : ) We met up with Kuya
Bimbol and his son Kyle at the Mall of Asia and ate. After that we headed
over to Ate Gayselle's house in Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Tuesday we went to Tagaytay. Unfortunately it was still raining : (
However we were still able to go to Taal Lake. Mary Ann, Kuya Bimbol, Ate
Glenn, Kyle, Ate Che and I went. Mary Ann, Ate Che, and I then rode
horses to Crater Lake. Fun, but rainy, and I caught a cold : / I think
today I got fed up with people asking if I was Korean or Japanese, and
combined with my cold I was pretty cranky. The horseride and chilling
with Mary Ann's fam was still worth it though. After that we stayed in
Alfonso with Ate Glenn's family. They made some bomb ass sinigang that
helped clear up my cold.

Wednesday we stayed in during the morning. Unfortunately we had to say
bye to Kuya Bimbol and Kyle. Kuya Bimbol has probably been one of the
funniest people I've met here,and and also a good dad. Later we went to
Baclaran to do some pasulubong shopping. I was able to get some good
stuff at cheap prices. After that Mary Ann, Ate Glen, Ate Gayselle, and I
met up with Ate Che, and stayed in Makati with Kuya Rhodel, who was very
smiley and nice.

Thursday we flew to Visayas, and we met up with Ate Cle and Ate Cathy, and
Ate Paige (Kuya Rhodel's wife, who WAS pregnant). We got to visit some
museums and toured around Negros. We visited Tita Lita (who has my
birthday) and Mama Wong, both super nice. We ate some chicken at Tita
Lita, also where her Ate Glenn and Kuya Buboy stays. Kuya Buboy was
really nice. Though I was intimidated by him at first because he had
hella tats, he was super nice and a great cook. He made some more bomb
ass sinigang. After that we stayed at Mama Wongs. I was about to go to
sleep but...

Ate Paige went into labor. Sooooo... Friday morning we went to the
hospital and slept there, While Ate Paige went into the delivery room. In
the morning Mary Ann and I left to get ready while Mama Wong, Ate Cle, and
Ate Cathy stayed with Ate Paige. It also happened to be Mary Ann's
birthday, so it was quite a pleasant gift for her. Back in the states, it
was my sister's birthday since they are a day behind. While we got ready
at the house, we helped with some things. I think I was stressing because
I just wanted Mary Ann to enjoy her day and have the day to herself. And
like always she was too busy worrying about everyone else... (oh well,its
just her hahaha) I ended up playing basketball with her cousins Jun and
Nardo. I thought I played well, but I think the folks there were laughing
at the way I played (American?) Oh well, I let my jumpshot speak for
itself.

Saturday we went to a the Maambukal resort with Mary Ann's family. Got to
row a boat, eat, and visited a butterfly garden. When we got back later
that night we stayed at another resort with some of the family, Palmas(
sp?) resort. Swam some more and chilled with her family. We also
visited Ate Paige and Kuya Rhodel and their baby.

Today (Sunday). We went to the mall where I wrote most of this blog in an
internet cafe. Afterwards, we came back to Mama Wong's house with Ate
Paige, Kuya Rhodel, and their baby. We chilled at the house, then tried
to go to their family's farm in Uma. On the way there, the road was
flooded so we had to turn back. We ended up visiting the graves of some
of Mary Ann's tito's and her lolo. Afterwards, we hit up the city hall
area and market of Victorias. Got some food, then headed back to Mama
Wongs. We had one last big feast, and it was definitely a good send off
for Mart Ann and I on our trip to Bohol and we got to see all of the
family again.

It definitely was a good time with Mary Ann's family. I've got to say
they've been some of the most welcoming folks that I've met here, and
they've already made me feel a part of their family. Were in Bohol as I
write this, but I'll save the blog about Bohol for later. Hope you are
all well. Take care and peace!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

World Tour



So I just finished up my internship with Charity First. I spent the past week relaxing in Manila with my friends, including Jude. The past two days I've spent in Pampanga with my family and Mary Ann, with whom I'll be traveling around the Philippines for the next two weeks until I fly back on the 24th.

On Wednesday I conducted my final presentation for Charity First, evaluating its programs and my experience. Altogether it went well, even though I wish there were more of the members there. All in all it was a good experience. I enjoyed the people I worked with, particularly the people that the organization is serving. The members of the organization were mostly well-off Filipino Chinese businessmen. For the most part their intentions are good, in helping keep this organization running to serve the impoverished sectors of society in the Philippines. However, throughout my internship I've sensed some of them to be pretty patronizing and self-righteous in the way they think and do their work. I think I really felt the most comfortable and connected to my hosts Chris and Aya, their friends, Charity First's actual staff, and the people and communities charity first was serving for their passion, genuineness, and generosity.

Wednesday, I went out with my friends Chris, Aya, Grace, Al, and Simye to Fort Bonifacio to a restaurant with a live band. They were pretty cool with the band, so Al went up on stage while I played the cajon : )

Thursday I went to the Mall of Asia, picked up some Basil Valdez cds for my mom, and later hung out with Jude, Darlene, Joey, Jasmine, and Mark, who I worked with at Charity First. We went around UP, ate, and hung out at Tomas Morato.

Friday was my last day with my host family and their friends. During the day I stayed in and watched Warlords with Jet Li. It was good, but pretty sad. After that Jude, Chris, Aya, Al, Sumiye, Grace, Tin and I did karaoke and ate at Greenbelt after. Jude slept over. It was a good end to my stay with my Chris and Aya and the World Tour with Jude pt. 1.

Saturday, Mary Ann came over and then we headed to Minalin, Pampanga after my Tito Pang and Tita Mye picked me up. We arrived at my Lola Saryang's house where they also stayed, and after choppin it up with her, took a nap. After that we went to the Fontana Leisure resort where we stayed for the night with most of my fam from minalin and my cousins, sorta like a mini-family reunion.

Today (Sunday), I woke up to find my cousins Kyle and Ian at the house. We played basketball then swam at the waterpark. After we came back to Minalin, we went to mass. After that just dinner, and chillin at the house. Tomorrow we head back to Manila to stay with Mary Ann's fam and go to Star City (Manila's version of Great America?).

These past two days have been good. It's been good to see my family again. Over here we get fed 5 times a day. Breakfast, Merienda, Lunch, Merienda, Dinner. Jude told me I've gained weight since I've gotten here. I think my cousins in particular have started to warm up to me more. Though my family has made me feel very welcome, some of them also do a good job of making me feel as if I'm not kapampangan enough. It seems as if they think I made a conscious decision to not learn kapampangan and that the problem is that our families (my aunts, uncles, cousins, Lola) don't see each other enough both in the states and in the PI. I just hope they understand that I want to be here and that even though I'm from the states, that hasn't made me any less Kapampangan. It's something that I've always been recognized with the help of my family, and have always been proud to be. It's frustrating but I understand that it comes out of love and that they just want me to be at home here. I've become more adjusted, and I'm slowly but surely learning more Tagalog and Kapampangan, which I hope to continue to learn in the states.

Anyways, I'm going to miss my family here in Pampanga, but I'm excited to meet Mary Ann's fam. Apparently they already know about me : / I'm looking forward to these next two week, traveling around the PI, visiting Tagaytay, Cavite, Bacolod, Victorias, Visayas, Bohol, and Cebu. I still miss u all, especially the fambam and the squirrelly, so keep in touch. I've been starting to think of all the things I'm going to do when I get back to the states. But I'll save that for next blog. Peace!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Moving On

Tomorrow is the last day of my internship, for which I have to do a final presentation on the work I've done. The past two weeks have been a good experience, difficult at times though. Its not so much the work that's been difficult, but rather the lack of familiar things and people, particularly my family. In the past week, I've -white water rafter in Cagayan De Oro, and did sightseeing
-visited public schools and universities (where classes are held 60-80 students to a room, or basketball court)
-visited more people living in a garbage dump
-visited a street child who lives in a home the size of a closet
-assisted in a dental mission where i held kid's jaws while the dentist extracted their teeth with dental pliers

ive truly enjoyed the work that i've been doing and the people ive met. most people here have been extremeley welcoming, nice, and generous. however there are still people and situations here that have made me feel as i don't belong, whether its staring at me because i look different, or pointing out every bit of my "american-ness." i've never had my identity questioned so much, and i feel like i've constantly had to defend my "filipino-ness" and pride for my culture. anyways, im enjoyed my work, and the people i've worked with that have made me feel welcome, and those i've been able to exchange ideas with. particularly, i will remember my conversation with Brother Efren, one of Charity First's staff who lives in the impoverished villages it serves. its particularly been these people living in the impoverished communities i've worked in that have been the most welcoming and generous. Brother Efren and I were basically talking about why were doing the work that we're doing and the importance of filipinos all over the world to be able to work together and understand each other (cheesy, di ba?) at the end of the conversation he told me,

"you truly are filipino."
Brother Efren and I on the way back from Payatas

that was the first time anyone said something like that to me since i've been here, and genuinely meant it. i think that conversation will be one of my highlights for this internship and this whole trip. anyways, im excited to finish my internship tomorrow. i'll be relaxing and hanging out with folks in manila til i go back to pampanga with family this saturday. i'm looking foward to kicking it with jude. after that, sightseeing with mary ann. i miss seeing familiar faces. i still miss my friends, my squirrelly, and my family. i hope u all are well back in the states. please keep in touch and let me know what's going on. i'll post up more pics and i'll see you guys soon.

peace and love,
case

Monday, June 30, 2008

Week 1 in Review

Its now Monday over here and its 6:07pm. I just got back from visiting Cagayan De Oro with my host family and their friends. Its been a while though since I last blogged so I'll recap what's gone on in the past week.

On Sunday, I arrived at my host family's house, Chris and Aya Chua, in Magallanes Village. They're in their mid-30's, and are pretty well off. I was introduced to more folks the org when we met up, including Roy, the friend of my GSI Funie who helped introduce me to Charity First. The next day, I visited the office in Quezon City and was introduced to the org members and the work I would be doing. After that I toured around the major landmarks and tourist sights in Manila with Chris, Roy, and Al, another person in the organization.

Tuesday I visited Payatas, Quezon City, one of the impoverished neighborhoods consisting of slums and squatter settlements on a garbage dump. I went with Roy, Al, Joey (one of the staff for Charity First), and Brother Efren, another staff member and Payatas Community members. Though I had seen some similar conditions in the previous week I had stayed in Pampanga, I had never seen poverty on this level. Many houses were shacks that were the size of a bathroom. The citizens came together to build a sewer system that the government failed to provide, which is an accomplishment in itself. However, there was trash everywhere, in the sewer and in the street. However, we were able to see what Charity First was doing with the families in this neighborhood. We visited a scholar of Charity First and other women who was given dump materials to reuse and sew into cloths and bags, to give them a source of income. I was not able to go further into the dump site because of time constraints. However, I would see people gathering garbage to reuse, sell, or take back to their homes. Even on the outside, it smelled pretty terrible. Though the people I saw lived in poverty like I had never seen it, they were happy, proud, and had a close knit community. I was glad I got to see them, and I look foward to see them again when I take another visit to the community.

After that I visited a cleft lip and cleft palate clinic in a Chinese General Hospital, a private hospital in Quezon City. Even though it was a private hospital, the lines were still incredibly long. I meet some of the families and and children with cleft lip and palate, which I had never seen before. The families and mothers were especially nice, especially the auntie of one boy named Jomar. The children were also cute, including one boy named Jon Paul.

Wednesday was a very long day. I did home visitations with Joey and one of the other Charity First members to the homes of scholarship applicants in Tondo Manila, one of the other impoverished areas of Manila. These visitations were probably the most depressing aspect of my week. It wasn't just that these students lived in incredible poverty. What really made it sad was the obstacles that these students have that keep them from an education. The first two students lived in the Parolla neighborhood, which consisted of squatter settlements. Houses are shacks stacked on top of each other. As we pulled up a boy was using the bathroom in the middle of the street. As we went through the day, I heard stories of children who's parents abandoned them, of families who live in the railroad squatter settlements who are being displaced by the government, children who are supporting their own families, and other similar stories. I could only make out a little of what they were saying in their interviews, but I could tell how much they all wanted the scholarship. It made me realize how much each of these children deserved the scholarship, and it breaks my heart to realize that they can't all have the scholarships due to the limited financial resources of the organization. But the end of the day, I was just silent and depressed.

Thursday, I stayed in the office, which was a good break, and Friday, I went back to another hospital, where some of the patients, including Jomar, were accepted to get a free cleft lip or cleft palate operation from Charity First and Operation Smile's partnership. In order to be eligible though you have to pass a physical exam that proves you're healthy enough to undergo the operation, which obviously many of the children aren't able to pass because of other ailments and malnourishment. However, it was good and eye-opening experience to meet some more patients, see the conditions of this hospital (a public hospital), and to see and meet more patients, including Jomar and his Tita.

This weekend, I just went with my host family and our friends to Cagayan De Oro to do white water rafting and sightseeing. It was a good break from the week and I look foward to tomorrow, where I'll be interviewed by a bunch of students at a public college that has a partnership with Charity First. I'll also be helping with the organization's dental mission, scholar interviews, and more selling of the Payatas women's materials. I hope you are all well. I miss my family and friends in the states very much, but I am enjoying this trip and the work I'm doing. I miss my squirelly too. Take care and keep in touch.

Peace and love,
Case

Some photos of my trip so far.


view from my lola's house in pampanga


lolo ben, lola, and mom


lola sarying and mom


cousins kyle and ian on the right, and our homie carla on the left


first time meeting charity first


at the Payatas home of melle, one of the scholars, who reuses dump materials provided by Charity First to sow materials and sell with her family


another one of the women in payatas in Charity First's sewing program


people in Payatas who gather together to protect their land from being seized by the government


one of the sowing centers in Payatas


angeles city

Saturday, June 21, 2008

The Motherland

After making the flight on standby on Monday and arriving Tuesday night, I arrived in Pampanga with my mom. Minalin, Pampanga is the town where my mom and her side of the family, my filipino side, are from. Pampanga one of the rural provinces about an hour or so north of Manila. The biggest businesses around here are chicken farming, fish farming, and pottery making. Minalin is a small town, where pretty much everyone knows each other. Much of the houses are simple, made up of cinder blocks, sheets of metal, and wood, but they have houses like in the states too. My lola's house where I stayed is one of them.

I pretty much stuck out from everyone here. I don't look Filipino in many aspects, but here it stands out even more. Almost everyone is darker than me, and there are few people who have distinct "Asian" features like me. I've been told my many of my relatives that I look Japanese or Korean. Either way, walking down the road people look at me like I'm first person they've seen that looks like me.

Still the people here and my family have shown me hospitality that I've never received traveling elsewhere. No matter what their situation is, they've shown me around everywhere and refused to let me pay for anything. I understand a little Kapampangan, the language spoken in Pampanga, but I can't speak. They also make fun of my broken Americanized Tagalog, but they bear with it. Overall, the message they keep telling me is that they wish I stayed here and that I belong here. My Lola Saryang, Tita Mye, Tito Ray and Tita Hazel, Tita Luz, and cousins Ian and Kyle and Carla in particular have really made me feel like I belong here and want me to stay in Pampanga. Unfortunately, I have my internship which starts today. I definitely came to terms with some of the many privileges and luxuries I have in the U.S. like hot water, cell phones, internet, and toilet paper. But I'll expand on this in the next post. However, if I learned anything in my stay in Pampanga, its that I have family here that wants me to be with them and that I wish I knew earlier because I definitely have mad love for them. I will definitely be back.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

On my way.

On My Way Ft. Talib Kweli (Prod. Hi-Tek) - Vinia Mojica

This is my first blog. I've never been one to keep a journal or a blog because I just prefer to tell people what's going on in my life and my thoughts in person. But since I'm going to be away for 6 weeks in the Philippines, I figure this will be a good way for you all to see what's happening in my trip and after, since I just might blogging to be pretty useful after all.

Philippines
My Mom and I tried to get on the flight to Hong Kong today but it didn't work out. Since she works for United at SFO, we get flight benefits. We pretty much fly for free, but we fly standby, meaning we get whatever seats are leftover on the plane. Since the flight was full today it was a no go. We'll try again tomorrow so hopefully we'll get on.

This is my first trip to the Philippines. From Tuesday (hopefully), through Saturday the 21st I'll be with my Mom visiting family in Pampanga. After that I'll be going on to Manila for a 3 week internship with Charity First. That will be from Sunday the 22nd to Saturday July 12. I'll be working with this organization in its initiatives to address poverty through education, social services, and employment. I don't know fully what to expect yet so I'll continue to update you all. I'll be visiting communities in the Payatas garbage dumps, Caloocan City, Manila, Cebu, Makati, and Quezon City. from the June 22- July 2nd, I'll be staying with a host family in Makati, and from July 3- July 12 I'll be staying with another host family in Quezon City. After that I'll be going around with Mary Ann to Pampanga, Bacolod, Cavite, Victorias, and Cebu. Then I'll try to get back on the flight on July 24th.

My whole live I've lived around Filipinos, I've just never actually been to the Philippines. I know bits of Kapampangan from my family and my mom, but not enough to speak or understand really. I know a bit of Tagalog from taking 1A and 1B with Ginang G, and from working at FEC. I can only guess the impending culture shock I'm going to go through. I'm scared, but I'm also excited. After 21 years, I'm going to the homeland for the first time and I'm probably going to feel like a tourist. I always try to keep an open mind with things and that's just what I'm going to do. I just want to learn as much as possible. Ultimately I know this is going to be an amazing experience and that I'm going to enjoy it.

I'll miss all you folks back in the the Bay and in the States. I'm bringing my laptop with me since I gotta do work for the organization though, so you can hit me up on facebook/aim/etc. when I have the time. I'll continue to update you all. If you have any traveling recommendations for me as well let me know. Hope you all are having a good summer, and I will see you in 6 weeks.

Peace.