Language Shifts

For my senior paper (thesis as we refer to it here in the Philippines) in college I decided to focus on how the alterations of our language as Filipinos affects our decision making abilities. My paper was focused on the Filipino students who have been given the opportunity to study in BYUH. I talked about how the alterations in language as influenced by our long history of colonizations shapes the decisions we make towards the end of this study abroad opportunity.  I have put in a lot of time and effort for this paper and the things that I have gathered where very surprising.  Well I won't be discussing this paper in this post but what I have to say is somewhat relevant to it.

The reason why I mentioned my senior paper has something to do with the current trend (phenomena) that I have observed ever since I got back here in the Philippines.  I was only gone for almost 3 years but I have to say that though some things are still the same there are a lot that have changed as well.  Ever since I got back I noticed that most parents who has kids ages 4 years old and below communicates with their children using the English language. I know this is not a new scenario especially here in the Philippines but what disturbs interests me is how this phenomena is shaping who the future Filipinos will be and also how rampant this is happening.

One key figure that I used to help support my claim on my senior paper and I think will help me clearly express what I am trying to convey in writing this blog entry is Ngugi wa Thiong’o.  One of his main arguments (referring to the African experience of the colonization of language) is that by removing the native language in the children's education you are separating alienating them to their culture and history.  This has been a long issue here in the Philippines and if my sources are right the government is trying to do something about it through the launching of the new K-12 program.  One of the goals of this program is to build language proficiency through the use of the student mother tongue (native language).  I think if this will be done effectively this could be a great start in the process of decolonization of the mind here in the Philippines.  I also believe that it could be a key in producing a new generation of bright minds here in the Philippines.  We hardly recognize it but it has been studied that our intellectual developments is greatly influenced by the language which we are taught with.  Using a foreign language in the early years of formal education causes delay in the learning process.  I will talk about this study in a later post.

Language is what ties us to our history and to our culture.  Some countries lost their native languages because they were forced to speak their colonizers language.  On the other hand us Filipinos are the ones who are throwing our native language off the garbage bin.  Do we really think that what we are doing with our language is for the better of us as people and as a nation?  Do we really have to communicate with out kids (especially those who are from mono-cultural family) using the English language or are we just using it to fit in?

What triggered this phenomena is still not that clear to me. Well, of course I have some things in my mind but I just cannot speak for everybody. I know for sure they have their own reasons for doing such. I have nothing against parents like the ones I am talking about, it's their own children they are dealing with and I am not in the position to interfere with them. The purpose of this entry is not too offend or to tell these parents what they should.  I wrote this just to serve as a reminder for us to step back and contemplate on our actions.  I know for some this is not an issue but I just have to remind you that I am a Communications Studies major so these things are of great interest to me.

I personally do not have any issues with the use of the English language, I use it everyday, I use it to speak to my husband, it was the language from which I earned my bachelor's degree, it is the language that my son needs to embrace and it is the language in which we are able to connect with the world.  But like everything else too much of it is not good too.  I hope all of us will be able to see what we will be losing if we lose our native language.  Can you imagine if these 4 years old kids grow with just the English language, the Philippines in 15 years or so will mostly be populated by Filipinos who does not even know how to speak their own language.  Language says a lot about us and our identity despite the fact that we do not fully recognize the impact it is making in our life.

The new Quezon City Memorial Circle

I have fun childhood memories of Quezon City Memorial Circle. We used to go biking over there during the weekends then we would eat at Tropical Hut which is also located inside the park. 2 weeks ago after 5 (maybe 6 years) I had the opportunity to visit this place again. I was really surprised with how it has changed from the last time I was there. There are more fun things to do now and I must say it is place one must visit while you are in the Philippines. We went there for the Circle of Fun attraction but due to the rain that morning it was closed. We then ended up spending time on the other attraction just across it I am not quite sure what they call it but you will not miss seeing it for sure once you're there. That attraction has rides for the kids. They have trains and a mini path for rental wheels. They also have boat paddling for the families and also fish spa. They also have different kinds of birds in cages. The fee to get in that area is 10 pesos per adult and then the rides cost around 30-140 pesos. The price wasn't really bad considering the place is well maintained. I wasn't able to take some photos during that visit but I will surely take some on our next which I think will be sometime real soon.

Marikina Emergency Rescue Unit

I had the greatest scare of my life 2 days ago. My husband had an attack and we needed to rush him to the nearest hospital. He said he couldn't move and he needs medical attention ASAP, this is the first time that I have ever experienced this and we are so blessed that we have our good friends living 2 doors away from us. They asked help from the security guards of our condominium and they responded immediately. We already called for an ambulance but we have to wait for 30 minutes. Good thing our guards called another ambulance which responded immediately. It is the Marikina Rescue Unit. I am so grateful for this program of Marikina City. So for those of you who lives in Marikina City you can reach them by dialing 161 and the best thing about this is its FREE. I hope every city here in the Philippines will have this program.

Applying for a NICA clearance

I have been searching for months on how to apply or obtain a NICA clearance but I had no luck in finding it. And that's the main reason why I have been looking forward in writing this entry. Some of you may ask what a NICA clearance is, this particular clearance is requested upon applying for a Philippine visa. NICA stands for National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, as what I have learned they are working hand in hand with the different intelligence agency in the world like the CIA. The clearance states that you are not in any international or local criminal list around the world. So what do you need to do to apply for one.

The requirements are the following

(A) 1 colored picture of applicant, 1x1 OR 2x2

(B) 2 photocopies of the data page of your passport

(C) duly accomplished application form

The office for applying is located in the third floor of the main office of the Bureau of Immigration in Intramuros, Manila. The NICA clearance can be obtained in the derogatory section of the bureau. It has a small window on the left side with a small label NICA clearance. Upon arrival in the window they will hand you an application form which is easy to fill. After filling up the form you need to return it to them with all the other requirement I mentioned above. It takes ten (10) days to process so plan on making two trips to the bureau just for obtaining the clearance.

I hope this helps you especially those who are doing their visa application on their own.

Home Service Spa in the Philippines

One thing that I have been enjoying since we got here in the Philippines is going to spas. It is WAY cheaper than the ones in Hawaii or in mainland USA. For 400-800 pesos ($10-15) you already got yourself one full hour of body massage. Body massages is really relaxing and rejuvenating. I have been wanting to have one for a long time so yesterday my husband got me a home service spa as my pre-birthday gift. He looked up the spa salon through sulit.com, he called and 30 minutes later voila the masseur has arrived in our home. She made me choose between three different kinds of oil, gave me a towel and then my 90 minutes of pure relaxation started. I really like the additional comfort of being in my own home, I do not have to stress about the traffic, there is completely no hassle after the massage. We had the service from Ernest&Cath and they have a spa salon in Marikina which is not very far from us. It cost us 400 pesos for a 90 minutes Swedish massage. It was really worth it and I think I will be doing more of this in the future. Thank you again to Arianna of Ernest&Cath for giving me this one of a kind experience.

Avilon Zoo, Rodriguez Rizal

My husband has been wanting to visit Avilon Zoo for a long time and finally we were able to find the resources to make this trip possible. We do not have our own car and that is why transportation was the main problem in making this trip possible. Not a single taxi want to make a trip there so we decided to rent a van. We paid 1800 pesos plus 400 for the gas, I guess that's not bad considering that we waited a long time for this.

We drove through Marikina and San Mateo to reach our destination. There wasn't much traffic until we reached Rogriguez, Rizal, the road was too narrow that whenever a jeepney makes a stop all the cars behind it will need to stop. From the welcome sign of Rodriguez you will just go straight until you see a Total Gas Station from there you will need to turn left and from there there will be signs going to the zoo.

(DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to give you a negative impression about the zoo. I am just writing based on my experience with it)

So we finally made it to Avilon Zoo! Wohoo! We paid 400 pesos ($9-$10) each for the entrance. There were some people asking us if we want a personal guide for another 400 pesos but we declined the offer and just went by ourselves. They do not have maps so you have to guess where to start (I do hope that they are working on having a map). We don't know if the animals are on summer break or what but seriously almost 50% of what's inside the zoo is just empty cages. Most of the main attraction animals weren't there like the lion and hippopotamus. It was really disappointing on our part considering (again) our long wait and what we have paid for. Another disappointment was the photo opportunity with the animals weren't available. The reason for this "oh the trainer is absent maam". I honesty do not know if it is like that all year round but I hope that the zoo can let the public know about these circumstances. They can warn the public if there's not much animals in the zoo due to the heat or whatever, when the trainers for the photo opportunity are not available. The zoo have really good advertisements so I cannot see any reason why they cannot put a line or two in their website for this.

Despite what we have experienced we still had a good time. We really enjoyed our time as a family. I have read other blogs whose writers enjoyed Avilon Zoo. What I can say about this is that you'll really never know what a place is like unless you experience it for yourself.

Anything, Everything delivered

Personally, one of the best things that the Philippines can offer is its delivery service. Almost everything here can be delivered at a very low price and sometimes even for free. We have our drinking water delivered for free, our laundry is picked up and delivered to us for free also and food deliveries are charged around 40-50 pesos (that's like $1). The highest delivery fee that we have paid so far is 10% of the total bill and that is with a fancy restaurant already.

We never have problems with our deliveries it always come on time or if there is a delay or whatsoever the company will surely contact you. The delivery personnel are really polite and they do take care of your purchases. Delivery service is really convenient especially for people with busy schedules.

Food delivery service is absolutely one of the things that I really enjoy and appreciate here in the Philippines. I really missed it while I was away especially during the times that I needed to walk in the dark just to grab some snack in the middle of the night or during my lazy days.

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy dining in restaurants or shopping for myself but it's just that sometimes you can't just do these things for some reasons. I personally enjoy the comfort of being just a few press of the buttons away from getting what I need and what I want.

Here are some food delivery contact numbers:

8-MCDO for McDonalds
8-7000 for Jollibee
(Both are open 24/7)
887-8888 for KFC
789-9999 for Yellow Cab Pizza
911-11-11 for Pizza Hut

(Will update on the numbers soon)

Your lover will love you even more if you get them a pinata