It Begins: Lost in Translation

The moment I stepped off the plane at the Manila airport, Tagalog was swarming around me and I found myself - yet again - lost in translation. It was expected, and shouldn't have been such a shock after growing up with my parents speaking the native tongue and attending the MAFA and FACT conferences in the past years. It was the mass of people, speaking so quickly and so loudly, moving around with no sense of organization or personal space - that's what got me. Welcome to the Philippines!

It's actually really refreshing. Although there was hardly any observable organization to the chaos at the arrival gate, I was overwhelmed by the lack of disdain. Without exaggeration, everyone was in all smiles! It may be the holidays that kept the spirit high, with fa,ily members of all ages finally arriving/returning home for Christmas and New Years. I was squished in a pod amongst at least five different families on the curbside with all our luggage, two families taking endless photos and the others laughing and joking around at a remarkably similar volume to that of my parents... loud. Yes, it could be the Christmas spirit and the pure joy of being reunited with loved ones that made the people cluster more light-hearted... But I think it's just the Filipino culture. Happy people. We'll see if that's right over the next few days.

Light Christmas Reading: Follow This Blog!

I'll be spending 18 days (including travel time) in the Philippines for the holidays! Follow this blog for photos and hopefully some multimedia peaks into life in Luzon. What's it like for my parents to 'come home' after immigrating to the U.S.? What are the local customs? Why are the Philippine Islands so often overlooked? What makes the country so humble? I'll try to tackle these and much more!