Contact Zones

I have always dreamt of having friends from foreign lands. I have always thought that having some would be both exciting and challenging primarily because of several self-imposed requisites, one of which is learning their language. Extra effort must be exerted in acquiring sufficient knowledge on a language you were not born to learn. But if you are eager enough to establish a good rapport with them, regardless of their cultural origin, language will not really be a barrier. Not only can the mouth do the talking anyway.

When Maya compelled me to write my own story about the whole experience of being a student guide of Malaysian collegians from Monash University, I started remembering a lesson from an undergraduate writing class. The lecture was actually about intercultural communication and the art of interacting with people from different cultures. My head was beginning to ache when I finally remembered the term I was thinking about- contact zones. According to the author of the article (which I totally forgot) [Ed: I searched through the amazing internet and found the author to be Mary Louise Pratt], contact zones are specific spots where two or more cultures meet. They may refer to material places or edifices, or to immaterial aspects such as state of mind, emotion, point of view, etc.

While on my way home from Ayuyang bar where we bade our final goodbyes, everything that the group had gone through flashed clearly in my mind. From the moment we all met up to the time when we danced madly at the Oblation Plaza. I came to realize how fruitful the entire experience was. It all started with the "balut." Almost everybody tried it and enjoyed it. Then, there were the slow and shaky jeepney rides. We all indulged in Filipino food of all sorts. We traveled on bus along the rough roads of Mountain Province. We explored the exotic beauty of the Sumaging Cave (where Max lost his glasses). We walked through the narrow and muddy footpaths along the rice paddies (where Alia almost fell). We discovered the night adventures at "Gagamba" (which Aron and Maxine enjoyed the most). Maureen and I tried the Bollywood experience. And everybody did their craziest moves at the UP Baguio's Christmas Program. The very moment the Filipinos and the Malaysians met was also the meeting of two distinct cultures. The balut, the jeepney, the Filipino dishes, the rough roads, the scenic spots, the muddy paths, the adventures and the dance moves were only a few of the contact zones where each found an arena to express his/her unique way of living.

Soon after being a guide of our colleagues from Monash University in Malaysia, one of my biggest dreams in life came true. I now have pals from foreign lands. Yes, I found the experience very exciting and challenging at the same time although there were moments when I felt indolent to speak in their tongues since English is not my first language. But more than words, my smiles, laughter, gestures, nods and expressions of affection did the talking. We might have been segregated by geographical distance, language and modes of life, but we are unified and binded by one special thing- friendship.

Cheers to the start of good relations, which all began in the contact zones.

By Rommel