As I looked out upon the lights of Manila--relieved after 16 + hours of plane travel--it was a strange thing to think that I was born here. Indeed, this is my 'native' land. And despite being irreversibly tied to my adoptive country of America, I know that a part of me will be forever tied to this land as well.
With Anna peacefully sleeping on my lap, I braced myself for immigration, customs and baggage pickup.
Today I realize that I have lost 12 hours with the date being July 4th, two whole days after our departure date. I'm trying to ignore the countless hours of sleep i have lost along the way...in fact, I can barely keep my eyes open writing this.
Unlike in years past, i ahve opted to stay with my Mother's family while here in Manila. It will be a huge departure from staying with my Father's family who enjoy the pampered and exclusive life of gated communities. I knew I wanted to see and experience the Philippines from a completely different perspective. I'm finding that even my fair share of time with the intellectual elites of the country ought to be balanced with understanding the community's sense of social justice.
In true fashion, I got my taste of this on my run this morning with my cousin MP. We've been close since we were in diapers and it was wonderful to join her on her morning jog--it was the perfect way to spend my first morning here in the Philippines. Ahh, the joys of mixing research/business with pleasure.
We ran along the newly developed marikina River waterfront , an area previously inhabited by 'squatters' as well as an area plagued with litter and pollultion. The new water front trail and accompanying restaurants, stores and other businesses has brought this community outdoors. I saw joggers/runners, cyclists, walkers, couples and everyone and anyone else you could think of. MP expalined how the mayor in charge of the development proejct was reelected by a land slide and that the community now self-polices top keep the area clean. Furthermore, the 'squatters' in the area were relocated to a low-income houseing development and were thought of in the process.
Textbook community development project!
We didn't run too far and we ended up walking after a bit since MP is just starting to run but I didn't care. Besides, on such little sleep, I think my body couldn't take much more.
Experiences for Anna to check from today (and for my Dad to freak out about): Jeepney ride and Palenke (Market), complete with an 'it stinks' face that is priceless in and of itself.
Off to Taiwan tomorrow. Will post pics asap. :)
2 months ago
1 comment:
Sounds like you had a cool run. I love being able to run along a river when I'm in a new place-you can't get lost! Whenever I visit my sister in St. Paul, my early morning runs along the Mississippi are things that reside in my memory always. Enjoy Taiwan!
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