The first order of the day was to meet the program’s other participants downstairs. But before I could do that, I had to take care of my morning ablutions. A shower was out of the question because the water was too cold. I later found out that I had to turn the switch all the way to the right and wait a bit for the hot water to come out. I guess I was just too anxious.
When I finally managed to haul myself downstairs, I was glad to learn that two other participants had a similar problem with their heater and their shower, which, by the way, were quickly taken care of by the end of the day.
I looked at their faces and realized that I was probably the oldest person in the room. It turned out that I wasn’t. The participant from Nepal was months older. That made me the second oldest person in the room.
A journalism graduate student led us to a restaurant where they served a traditional Chinese breakfast buffet, where we ate in the mornings during our stay on campus. The food was, well, very healthy, and I mean that in a very good way.
Then it was off to a small library by the School of Journalism building, which was a few minutes’ walk from the restaurant, for our first lecture on “Navigating Changes: The Evolving Media Industry Landscape” with Professor Hang Min of Tsinghua University.
We had lunch in another venue. Again, very healthy and very scrumptious. I didn’t think I’d be eating much, but there were oh so many choices and all were very good. I ended up gaining weight during the trip.
By the way, forgive me if I don’t have the names of the places I have mentioned. It’s not that I never bothered to learn them; it’s just that it wasn’t a priority. There was too much information to absorb; I decided to focus on what was important.
For the first five days, our schedule was lectures in the morning, and then, after lunch, we would go on trips. Our first trip was to the office of the People’s Daily before we headed off to the China Media Group.
Again, I don’t want to sound like a stereotypical country bumpkin, but let’s face it, the area where I work in Cebu City is not exactly known for its sophisticated modernity. So my jaw literally dropped when we entered People’s Daily. It was like being on a movie set. I looked around at my colleagues, and most of them had a similar reaction. So I guess I know where the rest of Asia stands in comparison to China.
At the China Media Group, we were met by Chinese translators who spoke the language of each of the 15 participating countries. There was one who spoke Bahasa for Indonesia, Thai for Thailand, Lao for Laos, and so on.
I stood there, craning my neck and trying to listen for my own language. But there was nothing. Then I thought I heard something familiar. It took me a while to register that there were two Chinese nationals in front of me speaking Tagalog. I don’t know how long they had been standing there, but suddenly I felt really silly.
Fortunately, they had someone from the Philippines working in their office, a Tagalog speaker. When I explained to them that I was from Cebu and spoke Cebuano, he immediately understood and asked if I wanted the interview to be conducted in English.
Oh, how colonial of me. I felt ashamed. I mustered up the courage to tell them that we could do the interview in Taglish. It was the best I could do. I only studied Pilipino until fifth grade; then we left the country. I understand it better than I speak it, having watched all those Tagalog movies in the ‘80s like Scorpio Nights, The Boatman, Sabik, and whatnot. Also, I studied in Brent for a year and a half, so I speak a decent Coño.
It was uncomfortable at first — answering questions in a language I hardly speak and barely use — but I think the interview went well. They had nothing to worry about. I have been reading about China’s economic progress over the years. I have watched countless videos on YouTube regarding China’s recent advances. I wasn’t ignorant going into the country. I was also well aware of the delicate relationship the Philippines has with China.
I admit I was, or I am, biased. But how could I not admire a government that has lifted nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty? Does that make me a Sinophile? Perhaps. I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t learn more about the emerging hegemon, especially one that is so close to our shores.
Of course, I had to remind them that I was expressing my opinion, which is not very popular here in the country right now. But that’s politics. And I’ve always said to leave politics to the politicians. I was in Beijing to meet Chinese people, to learn about their media practices. And if I learned something else outside that subject, then I would consider it a bonus.
The trip back to campus was long. Dinner was waiting for us in the same restaurant where we had lunch when we arrived. It more than made up for the arduous travel time spent in Beijing’s rush-hour traffic. We were in a private room where two large, round tables were set up. We didn’t have assigned seats, but we may as well have had them, because we sat in the same chairs during our whole stay there.
I was flanked by Thailand to my left and Cambodia to my right. Myanmar was seated next to Cambodia, and Timor-Leste sat next to Myanmar. Nepal sat next to Thailand, while Bangladesh sat next to Nepal. We initially called each other by our country’s name because it was hard remembering names at first. Obviously, that changed after a day or two.
We all started to get to know each other. There were questions, some of them quite personal. But we were all journalists, so it was to be expected. When I told them I was single and didn’t have any children, I swear you could hear a pin drop. But I’ve gotten used to the reaction, so it didn’t bother me a bit. Then they got over it and we went on to talk about other things.
When I finally got back to my suite, I took a long, hot shower. After that, I changed and ventured outside. I was told there was a 7-Eleven down the street. When I found it, I went straight to the liquor section and got myself a nice bottle of vodka. Finally, I would get a good night’s sleep.
-- To be continued