Bohol Island Tour

I just spent two days in Bohol (about 2 hrs boat ride from Cebu City). It's just a small island but there is sooo much to see! The first day I rested on this beach... 

The second day Richard and I took a round trip to the island sights. Our first stop: the world famous Chocolate Hills. These are 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size and they are covered in green gras which turns brown in dry season (that's where the name comes from).

A hanging bridge made out of bamboo.

We had lunch on a floating boat which looks quite wild and natural at first. But actually there were a lot of these boats each with their own live music and certain stops along the river for Filipino dances.

We also visited a butterfly farm, the oldest coral stone church in the region, a men made forest, a cave and last but not least: the smallest primates on earth! These Tarsiers are actually night active. So although they have huge eyes they can't really see much with day light. 

Palawan

Ang princesa ng baybay - a monument at the pier walk in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

This is the entrance of the world's longest "Underground River" which is about 9 km long and inhabits different kinds of bats.

Snake island - one of the 8 islands in Honda Bay (close to Puerto Princesa).  

My friends Max & Bente joined us going island hopping in Honda Bay... nice place for snorkeling!

Reif für die Insel

Um mir zwischen dem 2-monatigen Sprachkurs und dem 3-monatigen Praktikum eine Verschnaufpause zu gönnen, habe ich mir 10 Tage Urlaub genommen. Geplant waren 6 Tage Palawan mit Onkel Charles und zwei deutschen Freunden, danach 4 Tage Cebu (+Bohol) mit Richard. Aber es lief nicht alles wie geplant, schon der Hinflug nach Palawan wurde gecancelt und um einen Tag verzögert. Mit viel Elan und Reiselust sind wir schließlich in Puerto Princesa (Palawan) angekommen; ehe ich mich versah hatten wir uns gleich nach der Ankunft ein Motorrad ausgeliehen. Um trotz der kurzen Zeit möglichst viel zu sehen, hatten wir einen sehr engen Zeitplan, viele Sehenswürdigkeiten sowie lange Strecken vor uns. Die Idee mit dem Motorrad ging allerdings nach hinten los, so dass wir uns auf halbem Weg zum weltlängsten "underground river" mal schön abgelegt haben... Die Schlürfwunden haben uns auch den Wind aus den Segeln genommen und das Gehen verlangsamt, aber mit aller Ruhe ging die Reise trotzdem weiter!

Nun ist der Urlaub vorbei, mein Bein heilt langsam, das Gehen wird besser, die Arbeit beginnt, aber ich habe trotzdem das Gefühl schon wieder reif für die Inseln zu sein...

Sweet Spaghetti - Filipino Style!

The one and only magic ingredient: banana ketchup!


Usually spaghetti is served on birthdays - kids love it!
It has a very different taste compared to the Italian style spaghetti! Moreover, Filipino style spaghetti is not only sweet but also served cold. And other noodle salads may look European but taste sweet too! 

This is a wonderful example for how such an adopted feature 1) has been assimilated to the local taste and 2) looks at first like the original but is in fact very different. 

Graduasyon sa eskwelahan

Two months have already past since I arrived in Davao! Last friday we were 11 students finishing a Cebuano course and we had a big celebration. After the mass everybody held a speech in Cebuano and introduced all his guests (we had around 30 visitors). Before lunch Joan and Bill, the head of the school, handed out the certificates. The teachers were very thoughtful in giving everyone a certain characteristic. My "sertipiko" says "maikagon" which means "interested". 

After lunch the program went on with traditional dances of the Peruvians 

as well as Filipino dances and songs from our teachers. Of course our celebration lasted until the end of the night. 

But when I opened the fridge the next day I found a big surprise cake (Ube Macapuno) from Richard! 

Although I was a little bit frustrated sometimes because the classes were going way too slow, at the end, I've learned a lot during these 8 weeks and the school helped me to get some important basics of Cebuano. From there I keep on practicing and expanding my language skills...  

Brown and White

While Germans use every ray of sun to get some tan Filipinos are avoiding the sun if possible. In Germany brown skin resembles "holidays" or having the time and the money for a nice vacation. Also the idea of being healthy goes hand in hand with a nice tan, maybe because you have to spend time outside with "fresh air" (if you want to get tan the natural way). You can find many lotions that help you to get darker skin. This advertisement from bebe for example includes a nice beach with tropical flowers, coconut trees and sunglasses in the background. And the product is called "holiday skin" :) And in a holiday place where you can find nice beaches, coconut trees and tropical flowers locals don't want to be tanned.This filipino ad says "Actually I'm not white... BUT thanks to SILKA I BECAME WHITE".

If you go to such a "bebe"- beach here in the Philippines it's the other way around - the people are admiring white skin. White in Cebuano and Tagalog means "puti". In the Philippines many products (not only lotion, also soap and even pills) are sold to "whiten" your skin. Puti is considered better. Marrying a white man is like stepping up the social and economical ladder, mixed children are seen more valuable, precious and better prepared for society. The ambition is to be like an American, like in the movies and TV: rich, handsome and superior. Sometimes Americans are presented like the saviors of the country that brought democracy. Furthermore, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary looked like Americans with their white skin and their long noses.

One of the cultural traits of the Philippines, possibly fostered by some centuries of colonial rule, is that of valuing things from abroad higher than their home produced counterparts. This is called the "colonial mentality" or the "stateside mentality". It doesn't refer only to skin color but to so many imported products (and apparently German products have a very good reputation).

Resilient like bamboo

The Philippine islands were already strongly influenced by Chinese business men and Muslim traders from Malaysia and Indonesia long time before the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan discovered the islands in 1521. Until today the Chinese population is small but influential, moreover Chinese beliefs and customs are still practiced. In example, dressing white for a funeral (or black which comes from the Spaniards) and also placing coins near the entrance door which goes with the belief that money will flow in the house. 

The Spanish rule lasted for over 300 years (1565 - 1898) in the archipelago. They gave the name "Las Islas Filipinas" (after Philip II of Spain), introduced elements of western civilization such as the code of law, the calender, new crops and livestock and last but not least: Christianity. 

The American colonial period followed right after (1898 - 1946) and also left its traces. Of course, in the political system and administration, they introduced democracy, some western values and food like McDonalds (the filipino equivalent: Jollibee). 

But most remarkable hint for tourists: the majority is fluent in English, many people assume that all "white people" come from America and they greet foreigners with "Hey Joe!" (which comes from the nickname of the US soldiers: G.I. Joe).

Even though so many western values and ideas were already imposed to the Republika ng Pilipinas, essentially it is still an Asian nation with its own cultural distinctions. 

Therefore it is resilient like a bamboo that bends with the wind but doesn't brake. So does the filipino flag proudly present the independence and the uniqueness of the Philippine islands. 

The white triangle stands for equality and fraternity; the blue field for piece, truth and justice; the red field for patriotism and valor. The rays of the sun represent the first 8 provinces that sought independence from Spain and the 3 stars stand for the 3 major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.