Excitement
This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.
Some of you may be wondering why I entitled this image 'Bubblegum'. Simple enough answer: When I look at it I see the pink color of the bubblegum that used to give me such joy. Maybe you remember it too? It came in a rectangle wrapped in a white wrapper and had a small cartoon layered between the gum and the outer wrapper.
Others may be wondering about the differences between living here and in Canada? Perhaps not as many as you would suppose.
Canada and the Philippines both need to export raw materials and import finished products. In Canada the raw materials are dug out of the earth. In the Philippines they often come from the womb. In Canada they import toys. In the Philippines they import rice.
In both countries people go about their lives trying to build a better future for themselves and their children. They worry about paying the rent, inflation, the latest fashion trends. The usual stuff. Globalization affects more than trade...it also destroys unique cultures.
The differences between mainstream Pinoy culture and the dominant Anglo European culture that I knew in Canada are simply the differences between the colonized and the colonizer.
If you think of the Philippines as the worlds biggest Indian Reserve you'll come pretty close to the truth. For hundreds of years the language of the courts and the elite was Spanish. Now it's English.
The acceptance of violence and corruption is different over here. Back in the day we had two young men that worked in our garden. They would often talk of wanting a better life for their children. A life where honesty and honor were the keystones. One day while riding to town on our Honda a pack of dogs ran across the road. I managed to miss all but the last one. M'Lady broke a finger and I got some serious road rash. I also realized that my reactions had slowed down way too much to continue riding.
I sold my slightly damaged motorcycle to one of our workers. They (the workers were a team) fixed it and attached a cargo car for carrying tools and stuff as they went to work.
Trouble was that neither had a drivers license. They did what any reasonable Pinoy would do. They went down to town and bought their licenses. So much for honesty and honor.
As for the acceptance of violence. That's perhaps best explained by a movie theater in M'Lady's hometown. Last time we were there there was a gun store beside the theater entrance. Anything from a small pistol to a fully automatic shotgun with a banana clip could be purchased.
Meanwhile over at the theater entrance they were collecting patrons hand guns and sharp pointy things before they entered. There was also a sign pointing out that it was not legal to take explosives or hand grenades in with you to watch a movie. Thankfully offenses rarely happened. (Her hometown was neutral turf. Both sides used it for medical care and relaxation)
So there you have it. Many similarities some dangerous differences.
Brian
PS, I realize the quote this letter has at the start bears no affinity to the letter. But it was meant to. And as I really like the quote...
B.
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