~manila, you're not that ugly

I finally started a site for learning Spanish, or more precisely, relearning it: espanoldos.wetpaint.com.

An excerpt from the intro:

My love affair with Spanish began when I was 8 years old. I studied it in primary and secondary school in Poveda Learning Center (now St. Pedro Poveda College) in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Continued with a Minor in Hispanic Studies in Ateneo de Manila University, after which I attended a number of modules in Instituto Cervantes de Manila before flying off to Spain for a three-month course on Spanish Language and Culture at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

This was way back in 2004.

Four years of non-use has left me pining for a way to get it back– the ease of use of the language. I want to be able to joke around and say what I actually want to say in Spanish again, even dream in that melodic tone that brings back such fun memories! Es muy viva, llena de amor, pasión, y algo real que está perdido en otros idiomas…

Please visit when you have time. Comments most welcome!

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:

Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Mad-Mla 2: Pedestrian Life
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

One of the coolest things about living in Madrid was the openness of the people there, where weekly language intercambios were as normal as paella buffets and chocolate sandwiches. Meet ups with strangers of similar interests (language, travel, painting, food, etc.) was a regular social activity, with many invites posted online or in personal ads of free newspapers like segundamano (similar to the Philippine “Buy and Sell”).

Many times I considered hooking up with travel buddies through those ads, but guess in the end, I was still Pinay and Maria Clara about a few things, including sleeping in the same room with complete strangers. The most I got to do was meet up with painters in the park one sunny afternoon.

Back in Manila, I joined all the online groups on Philippine travel I could find. Members of these groups, mostly travel enthusiasts who meticulously documented their travels and willingly shared their research, set up regular travel dates that were open and “free for all”. On many occasions, was also tempted to join these trips, perhaps starting out with a day trip that didn’t entail too much “risk” on my part (like being stuck with a crowd I didn’t get along with, or one with a travel culture or style I found obtrusive). But well, shy me remained a lurker in these groups. Maybe the audacity “to brave new worlds” that pushed me to explore Spain didn’t apply here, where it didn’t make sense to travel with complete strangers when I had tons of friends and family to travel with…

Problem was, these friends and family always took forever to decide. Work, school, budget constraints or mismatched destination wishlists always got in the way.

January of this year, though, got an email about a fun climb to Mt. Pinatubo organized by Travel Factor, a newly set up travel agency run by true blue travel fanatics.

The overall vibe I got was different from normal travel agencies– it was friendly, young (active), and indie (budget!), plus it encouraged group travel, meaning an organized travel buddy system among strangers who wanted to visit the same place…

Felt that it was my chance to try it out once and for all. Three girlfriends took the email bait I sent out (so yes, it wasn’t a blind try out for me), and a week after, we found ourselves braving the two-hour trek up that infamous volcano, with about 20 other travel buffs we met for the first time –mostly photographers who turned out to be level-headed, generous and flexible..

Photo courtesy of Cedric

What made me decide it was okay (or safe) to do a 180 and join strangers in an overnight travel activity? Critical was Travel Factor, the neutral organizer that acted as our designated “mommy” for the weekend. The trip felt like the first day of class in school, only that class was already a field trip. There were a few familiar faces, but no worries because Teacher was there to make sure we all got to do what we were supposed to do and that we all got along in the process…

Many blogger-travelers share DIY tips these days, but there is still value in letting “experts” take care of that monster called logistics, so that all we’re left to focus on is traveling itself.

ABOUT TRAVEL FACTOR
Travel Factor is a registered travel agency made up of fun-loving, helpful girls (and boy) in their mid 20s, who are themselves budget travelers in love with the Philippines. The group was recently featured in businessworld.

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Old posts on Madrid-Manila:

Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Madrid-Manila 2: Pedestrian Life
Madrid-Manila 1: An Introduction

When I was in Madrid, I met a most amiable diplomat, Consul Jose Ma. Cariño, in church, of all places. His family was seated in front of me, and during the Peace offering, we exchanged smiles of acknowledgment, the type that’s given to every kababayan one meets in a foreign land. After the mass we shared a few stories and he gave me his card.

Later that week I made a cold visit to the Philippine embassy, just to check out what’s to see there (a friend also advised me to register my name, to let them have a record of me as a student in Madrid). I asked if I could see the Consul, half expecting to be turned down, but after stopping by the cultural affairs department, I was escorted to his office.

I came home from that visit with sincere joy in being Filipino. Here was a man who was a diplomat for the right reasons: he loved his country, and he loved promoting it to others, and I met him (or more precisely, he met with me) with no agenda–not because he was the friend of a friend who called in a favor, or because he was campaigning for office.

Belinda Olivares-Cunanan describes him as a writer, historian, and diplomat:

The son of retired Ambassador Rosario V. Cariño, Jomari began his love affair with Spain by taking primary education in Barcelona. Over the years, he has wandered around museums, flea markets, churches and private collections in search of various art works by Filipino and foreign artists on the Philippines as well as artifacts-a labor of love for him…And what a story he had about life in colonial Philippines and the colorful lives our “ilustrados” lived in Spain.

Love afair with Spain–certainly something that resonates in me…

Cunanan goes on to say that Cariño:

…catalogue[d] works by Philippine artists in Spain, with the assistance of Ricky Jose. Their research found its way into four books written by such writers as Santiago Pilar, Felice Sta. Maria and Brenda Fajardo that have won various book awards here.

These books are:

• “Jose Honorato Lozano, Filipinas 1847.” Contains the paintings of Lozano, the foremost Filipino painter of the 19th century and a disciple of Damian Domingo. The son of the keeper of the Manila Bay lighthouse, Lozano charmingly chronicled the day-to-day life in Intramuros and Binondo.
• “Discovering Philippine Art in Spain.” Sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs as part of our centennial celebration.
• “Album, Islas Filipinas 1663-1888.” A compilation of Filipino and foreign artists’ works on the Philippines, featuring the fabulous collection of Teyet Pascual on Damian Domingo and Justiniano Asuncion. It also shows the collection of drawings from the famed “Malaspina Expedition” of Museo Naval and Museo de America in Madrid. Admiral Malaspina, an Italian in the Spanish Crown’s employ, traveled to South America, Australia and Asia to gather information on animal life and flora in the 1780s. A number of drawings on RP life at that time are included in the book.
• “Piña, El Tejido del Paraiso.” Inspired by Lourdes Reyes-Montinola’s pioneering work on this wonderful fabric.

I remembered this little encounter with the Consul when I came across the lecture below, which focuses Lozano:

Stories About Preserving Cultural Heritage
October 14, Saturday
2-4pm
Lopez Library

Fee is Php50.00 for Museum Foundation members and Php100.00 for non-members.

This is the ninth in the series brought to us by The Lopez Memorial Museum, in cooperation with Museum Foundation of the Philippines. The focus is on Jose Honorato Lozano (1821-1885), the foremost visual chronicler of 19th century Philippines and his albums. Albums are sheets of paper with drawings in graphite or pen-and-ink sketches or watercolors bound together and serving as souvenirs or catalogs or illustrations to reports. Among the albums are the Ayala Album, the Nyssens-Flebus album and the Broken album. There is also the Gervasio Gironella Album in the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid. Some distinctive features of the albums include architectural and landscape details and images of the natural riches of the Philippines.

The association of Lozano with letras y figuras as well as the distinctions and nuances which earlier studies have failed to see have resulted in the misattribution of the albums. To discuss this and other issues that cropped up the course of the albums’ discovery attribution or authentication, repatriation, dividing the albums, etc. is Ms. Sonia Ner, former academician, art manager, director of Ayala Museum and executive director of Asia Society Philippines who has conceptualized and edited Jose Honorato Lozano, Filipinas 1847 and co-authored Album de las Islas Filipinas which featured two of Lozano’s albums.

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays-Saturdays, 8am-5pm, except holidays.

The Lopez Memorial Museum and Library is a subsidiary of the Lopez Foundation, Inc. Please visit our website at www.lopezmuseum.org.ph

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:

Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Mad-Mla 2: Pedestrian Life
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

While I was in Madrid, people mistook me for American because of my English, which didn’t sit well with me. I wanted recognition for my Pinoy accent.

In a city where English as a Second Language (ESL) was a major (or, at the very least, popular) industry, I learned to be more sensitive to the differences of usage of the English language. For one, UK English was preferred by students and Academy Centers in Europe. I remember I corrected someone for saying “Have you got a pencil?” (I told him that he should say “Do you have a pencil?” instead), and was later shamed when I read all about the “have you got” verbal phrase in a UK textbook. Also had a tense discussion with an American flatmate who asserted that he, as American, spoke the best English, and that only true “native speakers” (i.e. Americans, British, Australians) could teach English properly.

In any case, I’m sure it’s no big news to everyone that the Philippines has also become a major ESL destination, catering mostly to Korean students. The DOT has acknowledged this with its own ESL Program.

We are supposedly the “third largest English-speaking country” in the world, boasting of well-educated English-speakers (consider our appeal to call centers, which on another note is on a decline, if recent news reports are to be believed).

My question: what kind of English exactly are we teaching these students? What is Pinoy english?

Because of our American educational system and our constant exposure to American pop culture, the likeness to American English is a given. But we are not speaking American English at all. Looking more closely at the regional differences of the English language supports this even more. Sharing interesting differences between UK and American English below, from worldwidefreelance.com:

For example, while American films are in color, British audiences watch them in colour. On Broadway you go to the theater, but in London’s West End to the theatre. Americans measure in meters, the British in metres. American center is British centre. And so on.

A sick American may be hospitalized but he is never hospitalised, which is the more common British form.

Similarly, civilized behaviour is more likely to be civilised in Britain.

An American writer eagerly awaits a check, while his fellow-scribe across the Pond longs for a cheque.

In America you take offense, in Britain offence. As you would expect, American defense is British defence.

One of our major waterloos: prepositions. Maybe the confusion stems from this:

An American looks out the window, a Briton out of the window.

An American businessman plays golf on weekends, while his British counterpart plays at weekends.

In the US students go to the university; in Britain they simply go to university. Likewise, in the US a patient is in the hospital; in Britain he’s in hospital.

American “I just arrived” translates as “I have just arrived” and “I just ate” as “I have just eaten”. Most completed actions carry similar differences of expression. This also applies when an anticipated action remains uncompleted: for example, I didn’t speak to him yet becomes I haven’t spoken to him yet.

In the US the trees turn red and gold in the fall; in Britain this happens in autumn.

In the US you invite friends to “come lunch with us” but not in Britain, where the invitation will be “come and have lunch with us”, or simply “come to lunch”.

After detecting a gatecrasher at his party, an American will report later:

“I asked that he leave.” In Britain, the expression is “I asked him to leave.”

Where an American mails a letter, a Briton is more likely to post his.

Americans takes their chances, while the British take their chance.

In the US you go see; in Britain you go and see.

Ask the time of an American and he might tell you that it is twenty of four or perhaps a quarter after eight. The British versions are twenty past four and quarter past eight.

In the US you might start April lst; in the UK you would start on April 1st.

A half hour in the US becomes half an hour in Britain.

An American automobile becomes a car in Britain.

In the US you go get the car; in Britain you go and get it.

American gas is British petrol.

In the US you drive under the overpass; in Britain it’s the flyover.

I suddenly remember a poem we recited for Oral Expression class in grade school. Fun stuff.

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:
Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Mad-Mla 2: Pedestrian Life
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

Being a pedestrian is no fun without help—and I got big servings of it in Madrid. Part of my daily adventure was to ride the underground rail transit, or the Metro, with its 13 octopus lines, literally making every nook and cranny of the city accessible to the everyday pedestrian.

Metro stops per line were also everywhere, so I was confident enough to roam the streets in the first few days without a map—all I needed to remember was the stop nearest my flat, and I’d always find my way home.

One of my most treasured tangibles was the abono transportes which allowed me to exploit the Metro and buses with unlimited rides for one month. This gave me a freehand in my daily route—when pressed for time, I’d take the shortest stops and hop on a bus from the Metro right up to my building (usually just a five-minute walk); sometimes I’d feel like a detour and get off at a random stop, explore the bus route from there or when there’s none, walk the rest of the way; once I even sat on a bus for a whole cycle (of course I didn’t mind my watch and ended up missing class).

My daily commute depended on my mood—underground for peace and quiet, bus for scenic and interactive (also more traffic). I remember one aha moment one morning—I was cramming an essay for lit class, and I caught myself translating onto the page what I was seeing outside my bus window. Exactly how Eminem did it in 8-mile—raw, spontaneous “footage” of everyday life. Beautiful.

Certainly very different from what I was used to in Manila: driving through traffic day in, day out. Sometimes, on the way home, a pity-me yawn at Mom would land me the passenger seat, and I’d get to sleep off another hour in the car, but that was as varied as my daily adventures here could get. Sanitized daily travel, no inspiring interaction with the world outside.

Recently, though, I’ve gone up the pedestrian ladder, and have graduated to MRT-LRT user status. Despite the violation of personal space and occasional sweaty neighbor, I’ve found it actually enjoyable to fast-climb steep stairs and run after the train’s warning bell to get to work on time. My Madrid habit of looking at other passengers’ shoes to pass the time hasn’t caught on here, but only because there’s more to see outside—lucky us, our trains are above ground. Twice I’ve wanted to step out of the moving car (that’s what they’re called, right?) in Taft just to take a shot of an old Manila sunset.

A friend shared with me the secret of the Stored Value card (worth P100, with the remainder peso value, even at one peso, equivalent to one last ride) to avoid long lines at the ticket booths, but I think not a lot know about the Flash Pass or Weekly Unlimited card, at P250, valid in all three lines: MRT, LRT1 & 2. Can be bought only at MRT stations.

It’s still not as comprehensive as the Madrid abono, but it’s a start. Maybe it can even spur transportation tourism—exploration of the city using the different MRT/LRT stops as landmarks or reference points. A friend has done actual research on this; will write about it in a future post.

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MRT

MRT passenger info
5:30 AM 10:30 PM (Monday to Sunday)

LRT1&2

LRT passenger info

LRT Line 1 System
Monday to Sunday:
5:00AM First train leaves the Baclaran Station bound for Monumento.
9:00PM Last northbound commercial train leaves Baclaran Station for Monumento.
9:30PM Last southbound commercial train leaves Monumento Station for Baclaran.

MRT Line 2 System
Monday to Friday:
5:00AM Start of operation.
10:00PM End of operation.

Weekend:
6:00AM Start of operation.
8:00PM End of operation.

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More about the MRT plans for expansion as taken from this commentary on Mass Transit in Manila.
More about the Madrid Transport Information System.

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:
Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Mad-Mla 2: Pedestrian Life
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

Alone in Madrid, I made it a habit to look at ads in the paper and online, to look for interesting activities to try–and once I actually felt like I won the lottery when I saw a call for artists who wanted to paint or do anything creative together. Felt like I was being led to another new “home” to explore!

Don’t have the original ad anymore, but here’s the first round up email from Heather, the lady who set the whole thing up:

Sorry for the ridiculously long wait…hopefully you´re still in Spain!! Well, i´ve finally got the info of the first meeting for you:

WHEN: This sunday, june 20th (12 noon – 3pm)

WHERE: Parque Retiro (metro retiro) at the pond in front of the Palacio de Cristál (crystal palace)…not the pond with the boats! There is a little waterfall/tunnel on the right side of the pond. We´ll meet there.

WHAT TO BRING: Your drawing/painting materials, a picnic lunch… and don´t forget the sunblock! Anyone is welcome, so tell a creative friend to come along if you like

I’ve always had a fascination with first encounters–new eyes to look into, new laughs to hear and secret smiles to notice, just new worlds to get to know! That day, I was introduced to six different worlds, and what a joy it was. Even just the environment of being with like-minded people, or those like-minded enough to agree to meet with strangers in the park (mind the schedule–mid-afternoon, just ripe for siesta) to paint and swap stories was beautiful.

Surprisingly, I got the same vibe tonight when I opened my inbox and saw the email below:

2nd On-the-Spot Painting Contest: Paint a Nook of Intramuros
October 15, 2005
Saturday 7 a.m. onwards

212 participants joined the event last year. This overwhelming response only deserves a repeat affair. Artists and wannabe- artists, come and join a day of art in Intramuros if only to get a free serving in the evening of the sumptious paella coming out of the biggest paellera in Asia! (priority for participants)
Main prize: 35,000Php.

(Rules in the Official programme of Fiesta or call 526 14 82 to 85)

WOW!! I’m happy to learn about (and hopefully join) an intercambio of sorts in Manila. Contest ends with an exhibition/sale from 4-7 p.m., simultaneous with a Verbena or Spanish Street Party at 5 p.m. onwards, complete with music from Pinikpikan and Arriba band, and the biggest paella in Asia, courtesy of Alba´s Restaurant.

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More details from manila.cervantes.es:

With the objective of promoting culture throughout the city of Manila, Instituto Cervantes organizes this competition open to all professional painters and aficionados, inviting all of them to participate in the activity that let them see Intramuros with new eyes.

RULES:
1. Open to all residents in the Philippines, 17 years old and above. Each participant is entitled to only one entry.

2. The entry must feature a spot in Intramuros.

3. Any painting mediums can be used.

4. Every participant must register before painting. Registration schedule and place: October 15, 7 to 9:30 a.m. at the Puerta Real Gardens.

5. The canvas, paper, etc. to be used must be presented in blank for inspection and validation by a member of Instituto Cervantes upon registration.

6. Size of the work: minimum: 35 cm x 38 cm. Maximum: 60 cm x 60 cm.

7. Submission of paintings: From 2 to 3 p.m. at the Puerta Real Gardens.

8. Aftewhich, the paintings will be exhibited for sale from 4 to 7 p.m. (All sale transactions must be directly dealt with the artists.)

9. The competition offers a 1st prize of Php 35,000 as well as a certificate of participation.

10. There will also be a People”s Choice Award (prize to be decided).

11. The winning entries will be considered property of Instituto Cervantes.

12. Instituto Cervantes reserves the right to disqualify works which do not comply with the rules and regulations of the competition.

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:
Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 2: Pedestrian Life
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

What made Madrid become my Madrid? Never mind the obvious charms–that it’s clean (or cleaner than my usual), historical, preserved and its oldest of old buildings are still integrated into modern life; bars don’t close; draft beer is sweet and sometimes free; Zara* shops stand side by side with their discount outlets, Lefties; men in general are pleasant to look at and far from torpe. Never mind all that–for now. What made that city so tangible to me?

I was a pedestrian there. I walked and walked and walked, which let me, literally, feel the city with my skin– I noticed the everyday little things: freshly baked bread, new flavors of gelato in the morning, the welcome warmth of a sunny day after weeks of clouds and drizzles. I knew when fresh fruits would be delivered, when the line at the laundromat would be long, when my street’s sweepers would come to the rescue of poop-stained cobblestones. I was part of the city’s quiet life, the smug ordinary movements that happened day in day out, regardless of the personal issues of the people behind them or of national movements in the greater government.

The streets of Madrid were hospitable and the climate was good to pedestrians. Walking was the norm, and even distance was measured in terms of minutes it took to walk from one place to another. A typical ad in the paper would read “Flat for Rent! 2 minutes from Sol (the city center),” and I was actually fortunate enough to live in such a flat—in the dead center of Madrid, where people naturally congregated, and the pedestrian tide was not just a healthy option but an inviting rhythm.

Realistically, can the same be said of Manila? Where does one begin to walk here? General rule, for safety and spectator reasons: go where there are a lot of people, or to qualify further: go where there are a lot of busy people who mind their own business. My own biases lead me to pin down Makati and Ortigas as accessible centers, Manila (city) as a wishlist, and Cubao as a maybe.

Work has taken me around the Makati CBD on foot, from Buendia all the way to the Ayala MRT, with all the quaint sidesteps. Some of my favorite stretches for peace and quiet: Paseo de Roxas cor. Makati Ave. just by the Ayala Triangle and the old Nielsen Tower, Tordesillas St. near Salcedo/Velasquez Park, and surprisingly, H.V. de la Costa St., from New Bombay Canteen past Chef Ed’s and all the way to RCBC, which always gives me a good mix of sun and gloom. I wouldn’t have “discovered” Amici di Don Bosco, of which I’ve written many times, if I hadn’t been on foot in the city.

Ortigas is a different story. My first recollection of braving the streets there was out of necessity: during one weekend camp out in school, we snuck out early Sunday morning to scurry over to St. Francis Square for that McDonald’s breakfast craving. A more recent occasion to get intimate with Julia Vargas and ADB Ave. has been the yearly music festival, Fete de la Musique, usually held in El Pueblo.

There’s also been a recent aggressive move to get to know the streets of Manila City itself, often on tour with loud and proud streetwalkers Carlos and Ivan. Itineraries include Intramuros, Chinatown (old district or culinary), the cemeteries, San Miguel, and CCP. Without a guide, I’d say a good starting point apart from the Walled City and Baywalk would be the literal starting point of all: Kilometer 0 or Zero, which is in Luneta Park.

Legend in Spain has it that whoever stepped on Km 0 would be back there someday, so I made sure to hop on the marker everyday. Actually it would make for a good tourism contest here—invent a legend for our own Km 0.

My best friends as an amateur pedestrian:

*Note: Zara was put up by a man, who’s now the richest in Spain. There’s one opening on October 15 in Powerplant Mall.

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:
Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Mad-Mla 1: Introduction

A friend asked me what I learned from living alone in Madrid last year. My one resounding answer: I learned that I love the Philippines. I am Filipino, through and through, and there’s no need to apologize for my sheltered upbringing. It’s a point of departure, but what is crucial is that I do depart from it.

I grew up without using public transportation, without going to the wet market to handle fish and bloody pork, without doing my own laundry. My concept of Philippine life was life in Manila, and life in Manila was school-mall-church-village. I lived in gated subdivisions* and exclusive Catholic schools, opened very few newspapers, and cheated Rizal by reading Noli Me Tangere in comics. And worse, I always felt (justifiably so, I thought) that I was more in touch with my country than most of my peers. At least I’d have yearly trips to Bicol and Baguio to “ground” me. At least I knew that the best pastillas were made from carabao’s milk, that matamis na bao also went well with kamoteng kahoy and that shing-a-ling wasn’t just a catchphrase.

Certainly not substantial things to be proud of, but fact of life. My world was small.

How, then, can I now so boldly claim that I am Filipino?

What happens when one’s world gets bigger? One finds more room to move in, more time and space in which to locate oneself. And as he learns more about himself, the blur of images, traditions, and people that influence him gains shape, leaving his most basic impulses to jump out.

What is the Filipino impulse? I don’t know. Love of country is a tricky cliché to use, perhaps because it’s one thing to love, it’s another to want to love (one of the two necessarily translates into action). A piece written by a Korean student about our failure in patriotic attitude may be simplistic, but it does hit the spot. A characteristic of a Filipino now would be one having a poor or nonexistent sense of history, tradition and culture.

Again, big words. Tradition. Culture. History.

Ambeth Ocampo recently wrote about Culture Education in the Philippines:

In the six years that children are in grade school, what 10 pieces of art should they know by sight? What 10 books should they read aside from Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”? What 10 tunes should they be able to sing aside from the National Anthem and “Ama Namin”? What dance movements should they learn aside from “ocho-ocho”? These seem to be basic inputs that will impart something common to all students throughout the archipelago and form a body of knowledge that will make them know and appreciate what it is to be Filipino.

Sept 16, 2005, Inquirer News Service

There’s so much drama in everyday Filipino life—too much for some, actually. It never ends, never stops piling up. The beautiful and ugly in one imperfect (hence, lovely) and changing stroke. Life in the Philippines is in the streets, “street culture” as I’ve heard it described once. It would be nice to have a subject in our schools that’s dedicated wholly to Practical Information—local geography, street names, industries, landmarks, local heroes then and now, local government (do you know your barangay captain? mayor? Do you know for what you can hold them accountable?), local market and products.

In line with dissecting this drama, I put up this blog, mostly inspired by that trip to Madrid. I simply fell in love with that city, and in the same light, wanted to find reasons to fall in love with Manila.

I tried to give my answer to what makes Manila home here, but to get to the tangibles, I thought of translating my Madrid experience into a Manila intimacy project—a collection of detailed peeps into how appreciating Manila can be done. With no specific order, deadline, or ending.

Sampling of what’s to come: pedestrian life, libraries and books for free, “open” city (social scene), the metro and public transport, futbol fever, sale season, picnics in the park, live shows, capital as gateway.

And so, the adventure begins. Or better yet, it continues. ;P

As always, any and all help welcome.

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Other posts on Madrid-Manila:
Mad-Mla9: Relearning Spanish
Mad-Mla7: Finding Travel Buddies
Mad-Mla 6: Of Diplomats and Art
Mad-Mla 5: The English Language
Mad-Mla 4: Metro and Unlimited Rides
Mad-Mla 3: Painting Club!
Madrid-Manila 2: Pedestrian Life