Our last few days in the Philippines...
Feb. 12th, 2008 11:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blue_lotus13I haven't wrapped up the last few days in the Philippines, even though I'm back in Canada.
The day after I threw up, I still felt very sick so I ended up spending most of the morning resting. The other people were in break out groups with Filipino cooperators. They spent 2 days discussing cooperatives in Canada and the Philippines. I wasn't really involved with this session, so I was able to watch and talk to people at my leisure. I spent some of that day talking to Jerry Pacturan, a Filipino visiting from Manila who is involved with the Philippines Development Assistance program.
That night, we went to a Filipino mall for some serious shopping. I just accompanied my friend Karen and we picked up frames for certificates, browsed the stores and bought some jewellery for her daughters. A Filipino mall is much like a Western mall, except that it's really, really loud because they play music at top volume.
The next day I did more of nothing, then the rest of the group went to a skeevy karaoke bar at night. I stayed home to do some stuff and ended up having an emotional heart to heart with Karen until late at night. The Filipinos came over for lunch and I had a good time chatting with all of them. An older gentleman named Gauden asked me how long I'd been in Canada, since I don't look like a native Canadian. I told him I was part Chinese and that my parents were both from Canada. He said, "So you were made and born in Canada then?"
Me- Yes.
(THat expression still cracks me up.)
The next day, the groups presented and then we had lunch and a tearful goodbye to some of the Filipino counterparts. After this, Rico drove us to his house so some of us could meet his wife and two daughters, who were delightful and looked a lot like Rico. We then went to a mall where I picked up a gorgeous jade bracelet. Jewellery was quite inexpensive so I ended up buying myself a string of classy pearls and a jade bracelet. We then went back to another mall where most of the group shopped, and I got a relaxing scalp massage similar to the creambaths I had in Indonesia.
We went back to the guesthouse to get ready for the gala event, which was held at a restaurant owned by Rico and 10 of his friends. It was a gorgeous outdoor palace with vines growing through the top of the roof. I seriously felt that I was coming to a ball. There was a whole roast pig set out, and servers to fan the food with palm fronds. The entertainment was provided by dancers from the high school and elementary schools in the area and they performed a number of traditional dances. They pulled the Canadians onstage to dance a traditional dance using banging sticks, and I turned out to be really good at it, much to the delight of both the Filipinos and Canadians, who laughed at me.
Many of the Canadian team tried durian, but I didn't have to because I've already tried it and know that I don't like it....
The evening program included many wonderful speeches, and a presentation of handmade paper plaques framed with bamboo to the Canadian contingent.
Marilyn gave the tribute to Rico. It was written partly in tagalog by Roland, one of Rico's coworkers. He told Marilyn that she would have to try to speak part of the tribute in Tagalog, or he would refuse to drive her home. He got so determined that he pulled over to the side of the road and refused to go until they'd written part of the speech. Marilyn did her best, even though she had no clue what she was saying and had had to write down the words phonetically. It was a huge hit at the event.
After all the speeches, many of us sang karaoke and danced, which was a blast. I was enchanted with Rico's 7-year-old, who was adorably cute and would surprise me by coming up to me at rare moments to ask a question in perfect english.
The day after I threw up, I still felt very sick so I ended up spending most of the morning resting. The other people were in break out groups with Filipino cooperators. They spent 2 days discussing cooperatives in Canada and the Philippines. I wasn't really involved with this session, so I was able to watch and talk to people at my leisure. I spent some of that day talking to Jerry Pacturan, a Filipino visiting from Manila who is involved with the Philippines Development Assistance program.
That night, we went to a Filipino mall for some serious shopping. I just accompanied my friend Karen and we picked up frames for certificates, browsed the stores and bought some jewellery for her daughters. A Filipino mall is much like a Western mall, except that it's really, really loud because they play music at top volume.
The next day I did more of nothing, then the rest of the group went to a skeevy karaoke bar at night. I stayed home to do some stuff and ended up having an emotional heart to heart with Karen until late at night. The Filipinos came over for lunch and I had a good time chatting with all of them. An older gentleman named Gauden asked me how long I'd been in Canada, since I don't look like a native Canadian. I told him I was part Chinese and that my parents were both from Canada. He said, "So you were made and born in Canada then?"
Me- Yes.
(THat expression still cracks me up.)
The next day, the groups presented and then we had lunch and a tearful goodbye to some of the Filipino counterparts. After this, Rico drove us to his house so some of us could meet his wife and two daughters, who were delightful and looked a lot like Rico. We then went to a mall where I picked up a gorgeous jade bracelet. Jewellery was quite inexpensive so I ended up buying myself a string of classy pearls and a jade bracelet. We then went back to another mall where most of the group shopped, and I got a relaxing scalp massage similar to the creambaths I had in Indonesia.
We went back to the guesthouse to get ready for the gala event, which was held at a restaurant owned by Rico and 10 of his friends. It was a gorgeous outdoor palace with vines growing through the top of the roof. I seriously felt that I was coming to a ball. There was a whole roast pig set out, and servers to fan the food with palm fronds. The entertainment was provided by dancers from the high school and elementary schools in the area and they performed a number of traditional dances. They pulled the Canadians onstage to dance a traditional dance using banging sticks, and I turned out to be really good at it, much to the delight of both the Filipinos and Canadians, who laughed at me.
Many of the Canadian team tried durian, but I didn't have to because I've already tried it and know that I don't like it....
The evening program included many wonderful speeches, and a presentation of handmade paper plaques framed with bamboo to the Canadian contingent.
Marilyn gave the tribute to Rico. It was written partly in tagalog by Roland, one of Rico's coworkers. He told Marilyn that she would have to try to speak part of the tribute in Tagalog, or he would refuse to drive her home. He got so determined that he pulled over to the side of the road and refused to go until they'd written part of the speech. Marilyn did her best, even though she had no clue what she was saying and had had to write down the words phonetically. It was a huge hit at the event.
After all the speeches, many of us sang karaoke and danced, which was a blast. I was enchanted with Rico's 7-year-old, who was adorably cute and would surprise me by coming up to me at rare moments to ask a question in perfect english.
