UP Baguio is a noticeably fun university. Despite being not as financially and technologically endowed as Monash University, it is bursting with life. Maybe there are those amongst us Malaysian students who are considering doing their Masters in UP Baguio.
Based on my observations at UP Baguio and through the comments of our gracious and perceptive student guides, I have prepared a guide for anyone who wants to fit in at UP Baguio. This guide is simple to use. Just select your preferred group and follow the steps to ensure full integration into its bevy.
There are the groups known as the Legally Blondes. These are the beautiful girls of the university who hang out together. There are also the sportsmen who can be spotted being surgically attached to their UP Baguio jackets. (Ed: this group sounds like the jocks and cheerleaders we see on American TV shows.) If you are not blessed with beauty or sporting talent you may want to join a political group.
Joining a political group will make you part of the activist clique. One of the benefits of selecting this group is that it is kind on your pocket. If you are male, you can save money on haircuts and shaving cream as members of the activists tend to have long, messy hair and beards. Keeping dread locks may also ensure quicker initiation. The preferred form of foot wear is slippers so be sure to stock up on these. Your hang-out area is known as the Kiosk Plaza. There are 3 main political groups that you can choose from: Cadua, ACS and United UP.
For the women who are not too keen on shaving, the women’s advocate groups are probably a good option. Some of the feminist groups are: Men in Purple and Gabriella.
If you are up for it, you may want to think of joining a fraternity or a sorority. The frat brothers and sorority sisters tell me that there is absolutely no discrimination practiced while recruiting members. As long as you are willing to go through the secret initiation rites, you may become a member. There are three stages you must go through: the presentation stage, the baptismal stage and the final stage.
You may also choose to be part of an academic organization. There are 6 of these to choose from. These groups hold activities to promote their respective disciplines. These disciplines include History, Literature, Languages and etc.
There are also the dance groups that you may become a member of. Try to wear bright, sporty looking clothing. Owning a portable CD player may also make you a very popular member of the group as dance practices on campus grounds are very necessary. Having the ability to dance could also be an added benefit. If dance is not your thing, there are singing groups such as the Tinig and the Amianan.
If all fails and you find yourself desperately left out and lost, there is always room at the bottom of the social ladder – the Anime HQ. By being part of the anime group, you can watch anime films and talk about anime till Naruto comes home. In order to fit in you should ideally equip yourself with some Japanese style clothing.
By Grace
Bwahahahah! I don't believe there are such hierachies in Monash are they? I know there are the "doctors", med students really who wanna show off, and uhm, strangely, some Monash lecturers tend to get mistaken as students to very hilarious effect. Oh, and the engineering students tend to look a little geekier. Arts school students are definately more rebelious when it comes to attending lectures and tutorials and no one can divert them from talking about sex during tutorials, for some strange, and sickening reason. Hahahaha! Agreed? Or not?
ReplyDeleteHi , I’m Tas a Filipina and a student in the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu City. Truly I am proud and glad to be a student of the premier university in the country and one of the best universities around the world. Its true that UP is not as financially and technologically endowed as Monash University but I believe education in UP has excellent standards and quality and UP graduates have well-rounded knowledge and are globally competitive.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, the UP system has many branches in the Philippines. Based on your account of UP Baguio, it’s quite different from that of UP Cebu because students in the former seems to be very conscious in terms of organizations and groups and I agree with your notion that “this group sounds like the jocks and cheerleaders we see on American TV shows”. I think there’s an easy explanation to it which is UP was established by Americans here in the country during their colonial occupation and they left a lot of American ideas—like liberty and the American dream—and influences on Filipinos until the present. And in addition we live in the age of globalization which is characterized by Westernization and Philippines is a stronghold of the West in the East. Moreover, If I was there in UP BAguio I would surely be irritated by that kind of Filipinos who seem very trying hard copycats of American life and I would call them ‘mga gaya-gaya’ (imitators) grrrr. Students here in UP Cebu aren’t like that, the feel or ambiance is very Bisaya (local culture in Visayas), and are anti-US. But I’m happy to know that slippers or flip-flops are also the preferred footwears by UP Baguio studs which is very much the same here in UP Cebu. Oh my gosh, it’s very comfortable to go to school without much required uniforms, dress codes, and school shoes.
Well it seems that there are lots of requirements to fit in UP Baguio. In UP Cebu you can be yourself and being enrolled is simply the requirement for one to be integrated in the UP family.
*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.
ReplyDeleteThis 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
Hi! I'm Janice, my friends call me J, and sometimes they call me Maya too. Hehe. I am from Baguio and I'm also a student of UP Baguio. I had fun while reading your entry--the kind of fun one gets when reading what an outsider/ foreigner has to say about one's school. There are indeed groups in school that may be aptly labeled as "legally blondes" (they even have male counterparts) and "jocks" (they have female counterparts, but I never thought of them that way. Teeheehee.
ReplyDeleteI understand that your statement that one has to belong to at leat one of the many organizations in UPB in order to "ensure full integration into its bevy" is some sort of a rhetorical/ stylisitc technique :>, but I have to assert, of course, that one really doen't have to belong to any org in UPB to belong. There are, in fact, a number of UPB students who do not belong to any achool organization, but they are UPians through and through (whatevah that means hehe). Another fact: their number is just enough to form an organization, which could be called "The Unorganization of the Org-less." Final fact: I'd be one of the members. =]
Lastly, I think some corrections and more comments are in order.
1. There are more than 6 academic orgs in UPB, but there is none for either language, literature, or both. I hope our adings (younger brothers and sisters, sort of)in the Language and Literature program would come up with one. Their ates and kuyas are willing and ready to back them up in any way. ;>
2. There is just one singing group in UPB, and they're really good. And their org name is... Tinig Amianan. Tinig means 'voice' or 'sound' amd Amianan means 'north."
Again, I enjoyed reading your blog, and see you again somewhere.=]
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ReplyDeletewell i don't think that all of what you had written are true enough about the social hierarchies.. may be there are some who have some similarities with americans whatsoever but even though they share some similar traits they are a LOT different. I think you're 'over-generalizing' the students with what you had wrote..
ReplyDeleteand to those other UP regional students, we, in general were not truly like as what had been stated in the blog.. and if there are some who (like the writer had pointed out) 'stands out', please accept the reality that we are studying at the 'University of the Philippines'.. a school where everyone could be from different place/classes and also a diversity in personalities/behaviors/habits could be seen and expected at UP, of course, it is inevitable that some would be noticed and be judged. please don't compare us wrongly with your campus..
and one last thing.. i think what you had written:
"If all fails and you find yourself desperately left out and lost, there is always room at the bottom of the social ladder – the Anime HQ."
Did you think twice before writing this blog?.. how could you say those statements if you haven't even know the org "anime hq" inside and out?. Maybe you had heard some stories from other students but don't you think you're demeaning the org?? 'If all fails..desperately..BOTTOM OF SOCIAL LADDER'?? oh come on.. do you think you chose the right words.. what do you think of the org?? pathethic??
just saying what I feel about what you wrote.. don't take it another way.. next time you wrote things about something.. be sure that whatever you will type in your keyboard, would be a valid and justifiable argument/s..
peace to all!!!
Love!
P.S.I suggest you rephrase the title and also the following statements..
"I have prepared a GUIDE for anyone who wants to fit in at UP Baguio. This guide is simple to use. Just select your preferred group and follow the steps to ensure full integration into its bevy."
I think the word 'guide' and its context is inappropriate.. you committed the fallacy of Argumentum ad Verecundiam (wrong appeal to authority).. if someone, who doesn't know anything about UPB, read your article he/she may have wrong interpretation and he/she may believe it because--remember 'its a guide'.. those who had actually stayed, been involved in upb for years would be more credible, don't they?
..Should have place another word rather than 'guide'..
peace again~!!