While I wait for the pictures/videos to download I think I'll just talk a bit. Make sense since I'm pretty bored and the alternative is sleeping and who sleeps these days right? That's so last year.
So yeah the past week has been pretty good. Turned 21 (which doesn't really matter in the Philippines), went to Cotabato (and wasn't kidnapped), went to some schools (3 schools!), played on a playground (seesaws, swings and slides!),visited and lived in a Muslim community for a night (and heard about the Jews controlling America), ate Cassava (and I got to peel it too), and heard some explosions (somewhere off in the distance). Thinking about it, it's interesting to listen to how some people called the explosions bombs and others called it shelling. Government and Moro supporter split it seems.
I guess I'll cover things as they went chronologically.
Let's see... birthday... yeah I don't think I post any pictures from that night... maybe I'll eventually get around to putting up a picture of the Magical Placenta soap which was purchased that day by one of the other guys but that's likely to be the only picture from that day appearing on the internet... if I had my way. It's likely that something is going to pop up eventually but let's avoid it k? It isn't that I did something too stupid... other than wearing someone's sunglasses... in a dark club. It's just weird.
Anyway... as part of the Formal and Informal Approaches to Peace Education class we went to Cotabato City on the island of Mindanao, which is about a 5 hour drive from were MPI is held (Davao City). Incidentally, the countryside is amazing (seriously these pictures are taking forever to upload). With trees, farmland (surprisingly there's a lot of corn) (Oh my god 5 pictures left!), hills and mountains, etc. (time to put the pictures onto Picasa).
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| MPI, Cotabato City and Pagalungan |
While in Cotabato City, we visited from schools that integrated peace concepts into their curriculum. The J. Marquez School of Peace, the Notre Dame Learning Center, and a Peer Respect Program among five partner schools. Some of the practices could be applied in PMP (subtle hint here) but those can be outlined later. At lunch some of us played in a playground... I played on a seesaw with a Timorese guy who never had before so HA! For some reason that isn't as satifying as I would have hoped. Incidentally, last weekend some of us taught an Afghani guy how to swim.
Anyway.... We did a homestay for a night with families in Pagalungan. Most of us were living with Muslim families and unfortunately my experience was a bit awkward. His first question was if I was an American Muslim (Answer: no), and what I was (Answer: Atheist).... Great way to start a stay in a conservative Muslim community no? Didn't help he wasn't a huge fan of the US (didn't mention the two retired military parents) and supported the conspiracy about Jews controlling the American government (didn't mention the Jewish family members). That was... awkward. But his 4 year old son was nice... though not much of a talker. We played a game where the shadow of mine cast by a lamp was where he was supposed to stand... and I would move around and he would try to stand inside the shadow. That kid has no limit to his energy.
Oh well....
On the way back to Davao we went to a spa near (or maybe on?) the volcanic Mt. Apo. Hot spring and a waterfall is fun. I tried meditating under the waterfall for a little while then gave up... I couldn't focus enough to make it work. Oh well....
I'm tired... good night.
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