One that makes me want to write or paint, or do just about anything that is seen as stereotypically 'creative', like you see in the movies :) The windows are huge, and they surround the entire space. It is much different than Manila, quieter, slower and more peaceful. I forgot to mention how hot it is here! Well there it is, I mentioned it. It is hotter than I could have imagined. I am constantly sweating.
The culture here is vastly different than what we see in Canada. It is intuitive, communal, boundless and space-less. They do not divide, quantify and, inevitably, conquer. It is not one of materiality and financial success. They truly, genuinely value relationships in a way that I have never seen before. It embodies everything they do, it is who they are, and to me, it is refreshing.
It really makes you think about what is important to you as a person, and how the things that come to be important to us are so strongly dictated by the societies within which we live.
Last night Joelle and I walked down to the local cafe and had a few beers, we talked a great deal about what it means to value certain things in our lives. It was odd, we kept saying "wow, this is the life". Yet, of course to many Filipinos, it is not. Mind you, that is a whole other bag of worms that I will not open quite yet. Anyways, corporatisation and materialism is quickly encroaching on their society. Their landscape is filling up with malls and mid-density American suburban cookie cutter 'neighbourhoods'. All I want to do is scream and say NO!!!! That life-the American life that is idolized within pop culture, movies and media, and than spoon fed to societies across the globe-is nothing like what it intended to be. For many reasons, not everyone would agree with this statement. Regardless, there is truth to be told in the perverseness of it all. We could argue ad nauseam as to the positives and negatives of the globalization of the western world. But either way, it is useful to seriously question whether it is an appropriate route for all societies to take, and whether there was any true alternative available with such a dogma. Anyways, it has been really interesting to see how globalization has manifested itself within Filipino culture to say the least.
I forgot to mention that a very heavy wooden drawer fell on my foot last night and ripped my toenail off. yuck. It bled. A lot.
Also, we met some amazing people at the mall today, they work for the culteral heritage center and we will be working with them in the future. We also tried some authentic Illongo food. I also ate seafood the other day, right from the sea. Yes, as you know, I am vegetarian. But, the way that they catch and eat meat here is so different from North America. Moreover, it is VERY difficult to be vegetarian here. They eat meat in everything. That being said, I have found some awesome dishes which are meat free. And the mangoes are AMAZING.
Tomorrow is my first day of work. I am so excited. I feel like I haven't had much time to rest though. Ugh, so much to say! But I must go now. I will post again soon!
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