Okay, so it's day 3 already, how time flies! When I look back on what has happened since day 1, being mistaken to be a local was a funny and scary experience at the same time, hehe.
On day 2, the first question that the local guides asked me was, whether I had Filipino roots. ;). Really, I guess it felt like a compliment at first because I could blend in anytime. But yesterday, we had about an hour break so the student guides took us to the biggest park in the city and I noticed a lot of Muslims there. As usual, being the ‘jakun’ tourist, I took pictures of the place. Then out of nowhere a stranger comes up to me and showed me a picture of the back of my head. He said “nice, nice”. I was so scared then and decided that blending in wasn’t such a good idea.
Today being day 3, most of us went to the black market after the talk at Nordis. Feeza and I got separated from the rest of the gang at the market. We had to buy hand phone credit in order to make calls to contact the rest of them. I checked out the nearest shop to buy credit, I asked them in English (of course) if they sold reload cards. Guess what language they replied us in…hahha. I had to repeat myself a couple of times before they finally answered in English.
After that, as usual, Feeza and I went food hunting. Our forced favourite food spot was McDonalds. Both of us stood at the counter ordering our food and we had to wait at the side for a few minutes for the order to get through. It was amusing that the cashier talked to me since Feeza was the one who ordered. The funny part was, the cashier spoke to me in Tagalog which appeared to be quite lengthy to me and I had no idea what she meant. I figured that she told me to wait at the side to get our orders. Haha. So I just nodded my head. Feeza had to go back to the inn immediately due to an emergency so I had to wait till the food was packed.
So I thought to myself only three experiences so far, should be enough to last this entire trip. Little did I know that there was another one coming. No one gave a second look when I walked back to the inn. I told that to Feeza, but she said the opposite. That people gave way and looked as she rushed back to the inn.
By Alia
For more photos on Day 2, head over here.
4 comments:
At the very least, you know that someone, somewhere in the world world...has a picture of the back of your head :>
Hi, I’m Tas a Filipina and a student in the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu City. Hey, I had fun reading your article since I could relate to it. I’m a local but ever since Koreans flocked here in the Philippines—mostly in Manila, Cebu, and Baguio—I had experienced many times being mistaken as a Korean because of my features. It’s sure is a funny thing. But on your side, you’re a foreigner but you’re mistaken as a local which is the opposite of mine. Moreover, when you said, “Me, a Filipino?” I hope you do not mean to be condescending because let’s not forget that Filipinos and Malaysians have a common Malay roots and heritage.
*If you want to reply about my comment just send it to my email at tca2007baps@yahoo.com. : )
Assalamualaikom! I am Ms. Nesreen C. AbdulRauf and a Filipino-Muslim. I proudly study Mass Communication in the University of the Philippines (U.P.—up/above J), Cebu City. I, my twin Tasneem and my elder sister Nihal know your Professor Daniel Yeoh. We met in Baguio last Dec 2005.
This would be my first time to comment on a blog ‘coz I really don’t read blogs. For me, blogs are personal experience and subjective write-ups for public reading.
So here goes my violent reaction. Hehe, kidding…
Let me first point out something on the history of my motherland. There was a clash on the roots of the Filipino race but the Filipino anthropologist from UP, F. Landa Jocano, disputes Prof. H. Otley Beyer’s assumption that the Malays migrated to the Phil. and now constitute the largest portion of the population and a have a Malayan culture. She maintains that Filipinos, Indonesians and Malays of Malaysia are the “end results of both the process of evolutions and the later…movements of people. They stand co-equal as groups, without anyone being the dominant group, racially or culturally…” But of course, I know that Philippines is now lagged behind the economic race. I guess I would no longer be living when my country will be in the Second World. Elusive it is.
I have a notion that tourists wrongfully take traveling to another country as if going to Heaven. By this I mean, I sort of feel that when you’re a foreigner, you have high expectations as you are excited about the trip. Hence, you are allergic of observing behaviors or practices you’re not used to see at home and judged as improper or impolite. For me, wherever you go, you always carry with you your ethnocentrisms. It’s certainly inevitable. I have never been overseas and I’d surely love to. But I would primarily want to pilgrim in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Next is to roam Southeast Asia then Europe and least is America which is loca over the oil of Middle East. I wish Bush would be ambushed. Sorry for the language!
As communication student, I know about issues on the national coverage. Philippines is very heterogeneous or diverse culturally and religiously but the newsrooms are not well constituted accordingly. Majority rules indeed. The advocacy of NORDIS is true and worthy.
Moreover, Baguio is the Summer Capital of the Phil. and thus flocked by locals and foreigners. People in Manila take refuge from pollution to Baguio’s cool climate and they carry with them the pollution. Kidding again… Seriously, yes, air pollution is a dilemma the Baguio government is dealing with.
I haven’t been to Sagada but I saw it in Piolo Pascual and Juday’s movie few years ago.
Speaking of movies, I really love to watch nonwestern films now! I can relate to Bollywood cinema industry esp. on its religious content. I wanna watch Asian movies too. Sir Yeoh lent us a Malaysian teenage, feel-good CD in Baguio. It was about the sport futsal. Liked it!
Do you know that the market in Baguio is the cleanest I’ve been to? The floor is dry. In other cities, mmm, I’d rather let you see it for yourselves.
I noticed that no one mentioned about the Ukay-Ukay in Baguio which is also called UK by Filipinos. Those are imported and most are branded used clothing sold at a minimum price. It’s one of the reasons Baguio is well-visited. Many believe though that those are actually charity to Third World countries but are commercially released.
Shameful it is but all those time I was in Baguio, I haven’t visited UP branch there. How I regret it. I’ve passed by it many times. UP system have many organizations in it. I’m surprised about the clusters in UP Baguio esp. the Legally Blondes. In UP Cebu, everybody knows each other. Everybody’s familiar. I’m not affiliated with any org ‘coz I believe it will only eat a slice of my time pie and anyway, I get along well with anybody. But yes, a UPian and a non UPian can tell if someone is a UPian with the way he/she appears physically: the slippers and a pambahay (home get-up). Of course, since most UPians are middle class or lower middle class and few elites. The grading spectrum in UP is 1.00 being the highest followed by 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.00, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3.00 (passed), 4.00 (conditional failure or incomplete), and 5.00 failed. There are teachers branded as smiling 5 since they are thought to have no mercy and free willingly give a student a 5.00.
I also want to clarify that the manager in McDonalds you mentioned is not accurate with what he said that they don’t serve pork. In fact, I am surprised with many Christians who don’t know that hotdog is pork. Unless, chicken hotdog. There is even a Beef hotdog in the market but when you see the label it enumerates: beef, pork. Astagfirullah! Muslims here in the Philippines, since a minority, are troubled with finding halal. McDonalds and Jollibee serve their spaghetti topped with hotdog slices. There is also a speculation on the gravy. It leaked that it is made of pig’s liver. Funny how others utilize every single part of a pig. Skin is made into a chicharon (crispy snack), blood is cooked into dinuguan, its oil into a lard or cooking oil. Its organs grilled in street eateries. Name it!
Admittedly, I wish I was born in a Muslim country where I am able to practice my religion unconstrained and eat freely but not greedily. J So yes, you are right that you’re lucky for living in a multi-religious country.
There are good values practiced in a jeepney such as the driver relying on the passenger’s honesty to pay in the absence of a konduktor (person in the rear entrance who collects payment and call out waiting commuters in the street). Having a konduktor is not allowed in some cities since it is dangerous for the person to fall from the jeepney. Also, passengers politely ask those near to the driver to pass the fare fee.
I hope you could also witness the Panagbenga (Flower Festival) of Baguio, Sinulog of Cebu and other famous parades of the Philippines. If Malaysia is truly Asia, Mindanao (southern island of the Phil.) is truly Philippines, for me. It was less colonized by the Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese because of the Moro Resistance. Yeah…! J
It was kinda funny about one of you mistaken to be a Filipino, a proof indeed that we have the same roots, to a certain degree.
I understand the feeling of confusion whether it is a complement or not. I and my twin and our youngest Princess Helwa Wafah are mistaken many times in Baguio, Manila and here in Cebu either to be Koreans most of the time and Chinese sometimes. We always answer that we might have a Chinese ancestry in our genealogy.
I’ll never forget that experience in Western Union Money Transfer in the upper Session Road where another old woman client asked how many years we were in the city. I answered in Tagalog, that we’ve been there in less than a year. She then made a loud shocked, amazed reaction. At first, I thought that that woman was insulting us. I thought she thought of us to be dumb and yet to know the language. Finally, she further remarked, “Wow, as short as that and you’re already fluent in Tagalog! You really studied it huh?” Then it became clear to me that she has taken me and my sisters to be Koreans (since Koreans are mushrooming in Manila, Baguio, and Cebu). I clarified that we are Filipino-Muslims and she shrinked and could really not believe it. The staff in the agency was also laughing ‘coz we are their suki (frequent customer or client).
I wish I could visit Malaysia and see Monash University and truly be in Asia!
Wassalam.
nesreen_a07@yahoo.com
Assalammualikum.
hye tas,
thank you for your thoughtful comment.
im happy to have read your comment and i hope likewise when u would to see this reply.
here's my reply to you,
im so sure that the writer did not mean to be condescending for being mistakenly as a filipino. because personally i know that somewhere deep down in the witers heart she is happy for being able to blend in even without trying to do so.
im quite shocked to see how you are wondering that if the writer would be condesending or not.. from her posts clearly u need not have to wonder as such..
mind u,
if at all the writer trying to be or being condesending you could have seen it through out her post for beong anti-filipinos instead her post shows how shocked she was that people thought she was one of them but in the same way feeling funny and happy to be regarded as being one of them.. and the writer did not even mentioned a word of regret or disagreement to those warm and welcoming filipinos..
i see you mentioned that u had fun reading her post but why the wonder of the writer might be condesending?
jokes a side, 1 piece of word could bring a thousand meanings.
fun is fun.
but the word of condesending can make the word "fun" invisable..
FYI
the writers including myself would love to visit philippines again even we might have problem getting halal food or not.
because we fell in love with that country in particular baguio and sagada.
thank you..
keep reading and keep the comments coming.
we love readers dropping by our blog judging our views and what we've learned. =)
take care..
wasalam,
from,
F.B.I
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