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Wednesday, September 22, 2004
So: Around the world in one sitting
By Jocy So
Unraveling
'I know when we open the newspaper or listen to the nightly news, the negatives outnumber the positives.'
EACH one of us has secret ambitions--jobs and careers, lives and personalities we wish we had. My secret ambitions run the gamut, from a polished flight attendant to an assertive political activist to a proprietor of a quaint bookstore/caf‚ where artists and intellectuals can discuss Camus and Kierkegaard over coffee and chai.
Lately, my dream job/life is that of an intrepid traveler whose supply of money, adventure, and interesting experiences never seem to run out. With the reality TV show "Amazing Race" back on, I am drooling more than ever. There's something about traveling, about immersing myself in another culture, about getting away from my familiar and secure surroundings that is terribly, terribly appealing to me. When I visit another country, I feel reborn. As with a child, everything is new, interesting, worth staring at, discussing, and contemplating over.
Once during a solo sojourn, I chanced upon the following lines by poet T.S. Eliot, "At the end of all our exploring/ Will be to arrive where we started/ And
to know the place for the first time." And it's true; most of my travels opened my eyes not only to the beauty and uniqueness of foreign places but also to the beauty and uniqueness of my own hometown Davao City and home country the Philippines. How else would I know that Filipinos are some of the noisiest and liveliest people had I not visited Vienna, Austria where 1,000 people can crowd inside a train and you will hear...the sound of silence?
However, since our blah-economy and fiscal crisis is flushing down the peso's value and since I don't earn enough money in my real job to make my dream job a reality, I don't get to travel as much as my restless soul wants. Thankfully, there are other ways to get the world to come to you.
And my favorite way is by watching the Amazing Race on television.
For those who don't know the Amazing Race, it's a reality TV show that has 11 pairs of Americans race around various nations of the world. This is their fifth year (I think) and the show has been pretty much everywhere--India, Australia, Zimbabwe, France, Portugal, Thailand, Vietnam, and China--and the contestants have done everything from bungee jumping to eating raw octopus to walking barefoot through a temple filled with rats.
Still, as much as I loved those episodes when I could marvel at the sights, sounds, and silliness of foreign countries, nothing could compare with my excitement when the contestants ripped their instructions envelopes open and read "Manila, Philippines." Yes, finally, last week, the show ended up on our shores.
Blissfully, since the contestants sped immediately to Cavite to assemble some jeepney accessories, the cameras did not linger at NAIA I and we as a nation were spared from the collective shame of seeing our outdated, badly lit, seedy, urine-inspired international airport on TV. I was actually a tad anxious that the Philippines would come off badly. I winced when one of the contestants killed a mosquito inside a taxi and said, "Well, welcome to the Philippines." It was not a surprise to hear another say, "I don't know anything about the Philippines" and to have her boyfriend respond, "Me either... I know it's an island." (Wrong! It's an archipelago!) I was relieved though that no one mentioned Imelda or Abu Sayyaf.
Overall, the whole episode was a proud moment. They showed not only tourist spots like the Coconut Palace but also far-flung areas that few Filipinos would visit as tourists like Victoria (Duck Capital of the Philippines). They also made ordinary activities like tilling the land with a carabao seem exciting and challenging. The best part is when Filipinos had their airtime, like when after being urged to speed up by the contestant, a taxi driver said, "Over 100 is prohibited here, so we have no choice but to break the law." Ok, that may perpetuate some stereotypes about Third World lawlessness, but that line was just downright perfect.
This Wednesday, the Amazing Race will go to Palawan, and if Manila came off looking good (even with presidential daughter Luli appearing like a midget beside Phil the host as she welcomed the contestants), then Palawan will sure look like paradise itself.
Sigh, I know there are more serious things to talk about. I know there are many problems in this country. I know many times, all seems bleak and we all want to jump ship and swim to Western shores. I know when we open the newspaper or listen to the nightly news, the negatives outnumber the positives. But, as much as it is important to mull over the serious things and ponder upon our nation's problems, I believe it is equally important that we don't lose sight of the great things about this archipelago.
At the end of last week's Amazing Race episode, a co-worker of mine texted me saying she cried after watching the show because finally, the world can see how interesting, exciting, complex, and beautiful this country is. But I think, she also cried because she, like me (and hopefully many Filipinos as well) saw the Philippines in a new light, found it interesting, worth staring at, discussing, and contemplating over. Hey, we too are amazing.
(Jocy L. So teaches at Davao Christian High School)
(September 22, 2004 issue)
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