China does it again

new year goals

Make my own money

Not lose interest in scuba

Go to these places:

Thailand

Mongolia

Philippines

Phase out flannel and bangs

Speak Chinese

spanish empire residuals

Spanish colonizers' cultural imperialism and its effect on the Filipino middle class

Part 1

Three generations ago, my great grandmother/her family was part of the provincial aristocracy where etiquette and formalities were king, also where Spanish and Latin were still widespread. Her daughter (my grandmother) was in love with a man who was not of their social class. As familiarized by many dramas and tragedies, my great grandmother did not approve of him because he was "poor", prompting (again, a familiar scene) the two lovers to elope. This did not meet the time's etiquette protocol; it was pure blasphemy. Fast forward to the next generation where my grandmother, the rebel, was raising my mom and her siblings. My mom told us a story -which is my inspiration for this post- of when my mom brought her friends to their home. Once they were gone, my grandmother, states that she does not like her friends because "they don't know how to sit". If my grandmother met my friends, she would probably disown me.

Then there is my own mother who continues this legacy through the manicuring and training of my nieces, ages 1.5 and 6. They learn to "sit like a lady", to always have a bag, hair clips and other accessories that match their outfits, to stay out of the sun and to enroll in some type of fine art. There have been multiple attempts to "civilize" me but my mom, another family rebel, was too busy earning a living to bestow upon me the Geronga pedigree. I'm also pigeon toed and could probably never sit like a lady. There are still times (many times) that I am harassed for not fixing my hair or wearing high heels.

Part 2

The Filipino Channel is probably the best example of the residual power of the Spanish aristocracy. Prerequisites to being on TV includes having light skin with straight hair, the high "pointy" nose. Women, of course, must be able to "sit like a lady", be tall, wear high heels and dress tastefully. Men must be tall, clean shaven and preppy. It is not uncommon for a movie star to run for office and win. Although not necessarily an elected politician, Imelda Marcos couldn't have had her way if it weren't for her beauty queen sashes.

I also remember, growing up, we watched soap operas that were actually Spanish soap operas but dubbed in tagalog. Example: Maria Mercedes. I can still remember the lyrics to the opening song! Frances trivia part 2: When I lived in Bicol (the place where the volcano is/has erupting/erupted), I owned a pet chicken named Thalia (named after a Spanish soap star). This chicken pecked my foot one time.

Part 3

The entire middle class has a maid to take care of their children, do their laundry, cook food and run errands, leaving them to be melodramatic, acting as if their lives are a soap opera plot (and it is sometimes!). Everyone (women) believes that their lives are the hardest and everyone around them should be sympathetic.

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Everything is a conspiracy with me

The power of the The Filipino Channel

It's been recently apparent to me how central Filipino TV entertainment is to the international Filipino community. The commercials between programs are constantly peddling efficient ways to either communicate with your relatives back home or agencies and organizations that provide cheap alternatives to remitting money. It also seems that Filipino movie stars are just as effective (if not more) than the Philippine consulate when providing assistance and comfort in foreign places. These people are living legends- if you are Filipino, then you know who these people are! The standardized programming covers regions like Australia, South and East Asia and even to areas in the Middle East. I suppose this makes sense since the Filipino people are the country's largest export, representing over 14% of the national GDP. And the programs they will watch! Variety shows, song and dance (everyone is an actor/singer) and Filipino versions of American standards galore!

A lot of news is coming out of the Philippines these days. Massacres, martial law, and then this volcano erupting (or about to)! Here is a piece of Frances trivia- I used to go to school in the area by Mayon Volcano in Legazpi City and could see the volcano every day!

think of the children

I don't think its a stretch to say that the same few people and families have been running the Government of Guam for the last, I don't know, forever. When a new face finally made it into the Legislature, an investigation into his past shows that he had been arrested for breaking into a mall when he was in his teens. His negligence to report the "crime" when applying for candidacy has stimulated one of the bigger people's movements that I can remember (remember, this is over breaking into a mall). If people were as passionate about things that were actually important like teenage pregnancy rates or the lack of funding for the Department of Education, then I wouldn't be so bitter.

It is frustrating to see how nothing has changed on Guam. Road construction is an anomaly because they seem to be working on the same stretch of road every year. I am also surprised that the Department of Education seems to be functioning despite the number of headlines (at least a small percentage dedicated to it every year) saying how there is not enough funding to pay their teachers. How are so many of my peers already parents? Let's not even get started on energy and the active discouragement of renewable resources(how does my mom pay over $500 a month on their power bill?!). My opinion may be discredited because I had spent time living in the States but I believe I'm provided with a perspective that gives me the ability to see through the ignorance and obliviousness of the people of Guam.

And then there's the Congresswoman...

available credit

Every day there is a stand in the subway manned by several young-ish attendants getting people to sign up for a credit card, offering a free gift (tupperware, alarm clocks, stuffed animals) in exchange for their information. The table is always crowded and it doesn't take much for people to get them to sign up for one. Seeing that I've passed this table at least twice a day, in one of the busiest parts of town, I'm positive that thousands of applications are turned in every day, if not tens of thousands considering Shanghai is a city of at least 14 million people.

Having my own experience with credit cards and the chaos that ensued, I get nervous thinking about the number of people who are "awarded" a line of credit every day in China, especially in the big cities that are enamored with the sparkles, glitter and sequins (tasteful ones, of course) of Western consumerism. Credit seems to have a good impression on Chinese consumers considering the number of labyrinthian shopping malls that exist in all directions from here. Of course credit doesn't end at the shopping mall, the ubiquitous Union Pay can be used to finance your extravagant wedding photos taken at the Great Wall, your sleek new luxury car or fine imported wines (did you know that they like to use mixers with wine here?). It's just like the states except in China where there are at least a billion more people, not to mention the severe income gap between urban and rural populations.

I don't want to give the impression that I think credit is a bad thing, I'm just worried about the increasingly available consumer credit in China, and everywhere else, has the potential to be a terrible thing!