First things first, and today is the 1st, so here you go:
And me being me, I posted this on my Facebook page this morning:
To hell with it. I’m going to the airport and getting on a plane. Don’t even care where it is going, first jet out to anywhere. When I get to wherever I wind up, I’ll max out my credit cards, drain my savings account, and then decide what to do next. I won’t be back. Goodbye, Philippines!
Most people figured out pretty quickly that I was just fooling around.
Anyway, about that Hash we did yesterday. As I suspected, the trail was a Corona-style monster. How bad was it? Even some of the strongest runners were bitching about some of the treacherous portions they encountered along the way. I’ll have to take their word for it because our sane group received an advance copy of the trail map, and we successfully navigated our way around the worst portions of the path. I still managed to get in over 6K and had a pleasant enough journey, most of which was on the familiar My Bitch trail.
This was the first time we’d used Kim’s for a gathering. I’d suggested we give it a try, and I was a little worried whether they’d be able to accommodate over fifty Hashers. But it all seemed to go well. Here’s a short (less than three minutes) video to give you a taste of what Kim’s Place is like:
Not a bad way to spend the day!
It’s been interesting (to me) as I scroll through the LTG archives in search of stories worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life. I’ve made to March 2006 so far, and what strikes me is that even back in my early days as a blogger, my posts were inane drivel about my daily activities. Once a diary, always a diary, I suppose. Anyway, I began playing darts competitively the month before, and I discovered that I had some talent for the game. In this post, I recount the tale of winning money for the first time in a tournament. Yeah, as exciting as it sounds!
Fifteen years ago, I posted some photos of my father on Facebook. He’d just opened an account there and needed a profile picture. I posted some that I had and asked folks to weigh in on the ones they liked best. There were my favorites:
Sadly, my father passed away just over a year later.
I found today’s YouTube video amusing. I’m in no position to argue with a Filipina about what Filipinas don’t like, but advising men not to speak Tagalog seems over the top. She goes about explaining why in a humorous way (and in less than five minutes). I must have found the exception to the rule with Swan, as she is always encouraging me to learn new words in her language.
And then there are these:
And so it goes, on and on. Thanks for letting me share the joy.
I am sure you will hear from @Kevin on learning a language if you are resident in the country, and I tend to agree with him.
However, at the speed of which technology is advancing, “learning” a new language will get even easier.
I have a pair of translation earbuds that I have they are not too bad. On a recent trip to Taiwan, I found them to be about 75-80% accurate. BIt of a lag in the translation, but certainly better than nothing. Regardless, there is still no substitute for taking the time and making the effort to learn the language of where you live.
Let me ask you – are you okay with people who move to the US who never learn to speak english? Or should they be accommodated by having forms, menus, etc in their native tongue? 😛
That’s always an encouraging sign. Some of my fellow Hashers contend that I walk faster when I see this.
Is that “beer near” or “bear near”?
Kim’s place looks to have a relaxed vibe. I hope it does well.
Brian has a point. But I know the reply is that you can get away with English in much of the Philippines. You shouldn’t be incurious, though: learning a language is learning a culture, and Swan would definitely appreciate that from her man. Try for five new words or phrases per week, and use them often to learn them. If the phrases are too long to deal with at first, break them into shorter units (Swan can help you judge what the units are), then string them together. Get curious.
Kevin, The fact is I chose the Philippines in part because English is an official language here. So, technically, I’m in the mainstream. That said, I have picked up some vocabulary in Tagalog and learn new words and phrases through Swan occasionally. I’m acclimated to the culture but refuse to participate in certain aspects, such as littering.
It’s “beer near” but a bear would get me moving faster, too.
Brian, these days, nothing comes easy for me, especially learning. My biggest struggle is remembering things, like my name. Those earbuds seem like a cool way to go. I had a conversation once with a Thai bargirl using Google translate, and it was better than the usual surface interactions.
I don’t have any issues with people who move to the USA and never learn to speak English. That’s on them. Just don’t demand any of the accommodations you mention. I don’t expect dual-language signage when traveling, although I appreciate seeing it. In Seoul, they announced the subway stations in both Hangeul and English.
In Seoul, they announced the subway stations in both Hangeul and English.
The “geul” in “Hangeul” means “writing”; “hangeul” is the written form of the language. Generically, the language as a whole can be called “hangungmal” (often romanized as “hangukmal” at the expense of accurate pronunciation) or “hangugeo.”
If “hanguk” means “Korea(n),” then “mal” means “speech” while “eo” (pronounced “aw”) means “language.”
Ah, yeah. I should have known better. I was remembering that the station names were written in both languages, but I referenced the announcements. My bad!