Tales from NTU

I'm baaack!

Hindi muna ako magsusulat in English. Nami-miss ko ng mag-Tagalog e. Nong binigyan nga ako ng saging ng roomate ko, nasabihan ko ba naman ng, "Sige!" with matching pa-tweetums facial expression. Nakalimutan ko, nasa SG pala ako. Two days na ako dito sa Singapore pero sawa na ako mag English.

Ang dami ko ngang nami-miss e: 'yong astig kong kumot, unan, kwarto sa Antipolo na laging nililinis ng mga maid namin; yong TV sa sala; ang manood ng CNN, The View, at The Buzz kung kelan ko gusto; ang kumain ng masarap at libre na luto ng maid namin; ang maid namin; ang ingay ng mga kapitbahay namin; yong mga taga-Summit at ang mga walang pinapatunguhan naming mga kwentuhan; yong mga damit na binili ko pa naman sa pagpunta dito pero hindi ko naman napagkasya sa bag. Dami.

Registration kanina, and for the first time, na-appreciate ko kulay ng passport ng Pinas. Well, yong dati. Green. Kasi siya lang yong green passport amidst the sea of red (China) and dark blue (India) passport na nagkalat sa auditorium. Wala akong nakitang ibang green. Sa akin lang. Kaya naman bago pa magpilipit ang dila ng Student Buddy sa pagtawag ng name ko, tumayo na ako and told her in my flawless American accent, "I'm Rachel." Chos!

May napansin lang ako don sa mga Indians. Di ba ang Pinoy, usually tuwang tuwa yan pag may nakitang kapwa Pinoy abroad? Yong matapobre hindi daw. Ako natutuwa ako, lalo na pag within campus (konti lang ata Pinoy dito). Pero yong mga Pana hindi sila nagpapansinan. E ang dami dami nila dito. Wala lang, I just find it strange.

Karamihan ng students dito either Chinese or Indian. Narealize ko, ang dami na ding mayaman sa kanila no? E ang Pinoy nakakarating lang dito pag libre.

Kanina nagchi-chichikahan kami ng roommate ko na Indian about the place we're from. And she told me that Mumbai is the best place to stay in because it's cosmopolitan. And she said that people there aren't very conservative. She asked me, "How is it living in the Philippines?" I said, "It's not as clean as Singapore. We're not as disciplined as the Singaporeans [read: pasaway kami, day!] But it's fun to live there." Later on, I said, "We're pretty conservative. If you were something like this [pointing to my signature cleavage top] you'll get a lot of cat calls."

And she said: "I thought it was fun to live there?"

Ah. What a complex topic, my country. It has its double standards, its corrupt politicians, its polluted streets, and its people who whine about their lives and blame the government for it but refuse to lift a finger to do anything about it. But it is the only place I know where I can be most comfortable, where I can speak a language that expresses my real soul and emotions, where laughter is a national sport, sex videos are for general consumption, where I can lead a life of comfort, and be around the people I love. And for most of us, that's what it is: Manila is love.

An idiot once asked, "What is there to love about Manila? About the Philippines?" Well, we do not love for any specific reason. Because that's what love is. You cannot rationalize it. It's just there.

Kaya pag may country-basher akong nakaka-usap (and most Pinoys are) I want to tell them: "You're just wasting your time. E, di umalis ka dito! Away with the nega vibes!" But I just do what a friend told me: Shut up and drive na lang ako!