14 - Cultural Fatigue

Well, I’ve made it well into the 3rd month without getting sick or injured at all (touch wood!). I have to admit, however, that I have been experiencing a bit of what they call cultural fatigue which is common 3 months in. This is when the initial excitement of the new adventure is starting to wear off and the reality is setting in. Those cultural differences can provoke frustration rather than interest or amusement. And I guess this is compounded by the fact that it is my favourite time of year in Australia right now. Just coming into summer and I can imagine the jacarandas about to spread forth their purple haze heralding the start of the Festive Season. (by the way, the Festive Season in the Philippines is already in full swing having started 2 months ago!). And what I would do for a soy cap from Goldbergs on Darby St!

I’ve been doing some reading and I found the following quote particularly relevant. It’s taken from: Culture Shock – A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette in the Philippines by A & G Roces:

“The typical volunteer cherished directness, sincerity, efficiency and quality. Yet all these values were challenged by the foreign culture in which he worked, to the point where pursuit of them could be counter-productive. Realising this, the volunteer was likely to pose for himself some searching questions, such as “If all I do is play a part, adjusting my behaviour to my hosts, then what will I be contributing to the community?” And, “Should I be, and can I be, actor enough to be false to what I value as right and good?” And, ultimately, dormant identity problems were likely to reappear in the form of the question, “Can I not be myself?” – which inexorably led to the unnerving, “Who am I?”

For me, a ‘recipe’ person who’s fond of planning ahead I have had to learn how to surrender control somewhat and go with the flow. It has been a challenge to find the balance between going with the flow and initiating some forward planning such that I feel I’m making the most of my limited time here. The attitude to time is a much more fluid and flexible one in the Philippines compared to the western concept of time. Meetings rarely start on time and will generally proceed with half an hour or so of small talk before the meeting proper gets underway. But this is the Filipino way. It’s partly a legacy of the Spanish concept of “manana” and partly a focus on building personal relationships to make it easier to call on that person at a later date when an important decision needs to be made.

Communication in Filipino culture is all about creating harmony. It is not usual to contradict someone, and certainly not in a public forum. Being a naturally blunt person, I have had to temper my desire to blurt things out. I do miss a good debate though! In the same vain, ‘yes’ does not necessarily always mean ‘yes’. A positive response will be given in order to please the person, so it is important to develop the knack of reading the body language to determine whether the yes is actually a maybe or a no!

If something isn’t finished on time or not done it is more likely to be laughed off rather than an apology given as loosing face (or Amor Propio) is a big deal in the Philippines. This can be frustrating if I’m expecting something to be done but at the same time, if I fail to complete something myself, I know I’m not going to cop flack for it. If one needs to deliver negative feedback to others it is often disguised within a joke.

A lot of communication is non verbal. There is a lot of eyebrow raising, pointing with the lips and slight movements of the head. Often a whole conversation can be carried out without the use of words at all. This is the case now when I go to hail a trysicad each morning, a discrete nod is all it takes!

Another challenge I have faced is the expectation that I’m an instant expert. Far from it, I’m still learning and have a lot to learn from this culture. I have needed to explain that I first have to spend time observing and reflecting on the way buildings are constructed here, the way people live and utilise space and the history of Filipino architecture before I can have a considered opinion and make any meaningful suggestion for improvements to the GK designs.

Learning the language has been more of a challenge than first anticipated. Not because it’s difficult but because everyone speaks English and it’s so easy to be lazy. I can’t help but reflect on my experience in Poland 10 years ago. Three months in and I had had my first dream in Polish, which was such a memorable moment. I’m nowhere near that happening here in the Philippines. However, I have to remember that in Poland I had no work or study commitments so I could concentrate my time on learning the language. Secondly, by comparison, the cultural challenges were not as acute, Poland being a developed European country . And thirdly, with my blonde hair and blue eyes I could have been Polish, so everyone spoke to me in Polish and I got the practice. In the Philippines, firstly, everyone speaks to me in English as I’m obviously a foreigner and secondly after a day of work in a challengingly different cultural context, the last thing I feel like doing is coming home and studying my Ilonggo notes. It sounds like I’m making excuses. I will have to make more of an effort.

Standing out as a foreigner brings with it further challenges on a daily basis. Street beggars see the blonde hair and the white skin and think $$$. And you can’t blame them. Aruna, my housemate, being Indian/Australian doesn’t experience this as much as I do. Beggars in the Philippines don’t sit on the pavement with an outstretched tin can waiting for passers by to approach them, they approach passers by and walk with you tugging on your arm. Such is the desperation. I don’t give money as they are often linked to larger syndicates, but I do give food when I have some. I remind myself that I don’t have a lot of money to give, but I can give my time and my talent for the poor which is why I’m here.

While I was aware of most of these aspects of culture and life in the Philippines through our AYAD training and orientation sessions, it is always going to be a different thing living through it. However, through the challenges and frustrations, I have to step back and remember what an amazing opportunity it is to be here and to be having this experience. The challenges are most definitely counterbalanced with wonderful moments. I’ve been privileged to experience many interesting and wonderful aspects of local culture such as the warm and generous hospitality, the happy go lucky outlook on life, the strong sense of family and the resourcefulness of the Filipino. I’ll tell you about some of these experiences.

The warm hospitality

The invitation to lunch by Maria Theresa epitomises the warm and generous hospitality of the Filipino. Several weeks ago, my housemate Aruna was riding a Jeepney and smiled at a lady opposite who was looking at her. This lead to a 5 minute conversation in which they discovered that she had actually studied with an Indian cousin of Aruna’s! Small world. They exchanged numbers and she invited Aruna and friends to lunch the coming Sunday. Aruna invited Marj and I to go with her and we made the trip to EB Magalona, 3 towns north of Bacolod. She met us off the bus and took us to her humble home which in all honesty is not much more than an upmarket version of a GK house, but alive with the activity of her 5 children. Despite their humble means, she had prepared no less than 5 different dishes for lunch – local shrimp, fish and vegetable dishes with rice. It was a really lovely relaxing afternoon playing with her kids and then going for a walk to the pier.

The happy go lucky outlook

Through building alongside the St Johns Alumni batch of ’83 one Saturday at the Handumanan site, I struck up a friendship with Billy. He is the quintessential happy go lucky Filipino. He is part of a hiking group who regularly go on hikes up the nearby Kanlaon Volcano and its surrounding mountains. He invited me to go with them on their next hike and naturally I took Aruna also and her friend Dave who was visiting from Australia (thanks for the Tassie Pinot Noir Dave!). Half-way up we had to turn back as it had started to rain quite heavily and the steep jungle-like track had turned into a muddy cascade. It was quite an adventure. We were wading through shin deep water at some points and slipping and sliding down other parts getting thorns in our fingers and bruises on our bums but throughout it all Billy was still cracking jokes!

The strong sense of family

I was treated to an insight into the strong sense of family on the 1st of November (All Saints Day). Similar to Poland, also a strong Catholic country, the tradition is that the extended family visit the graves of their loved ones. The Filipinos make it quite an event. My gorgeous friend Marj invited Aruna and I to go with her family to Heaven’s Gate cemetery where her father is burried. Hundreds of families had set up tents and picnic tables next to the graves and spent time talking and eating. There was sticky rice, barbequed pork, chicken drum sticks, spring rolls and Aruna and I took along some noodles. Some families took games and most stayed all day and into the night. There was quite a festive atmosphere. As evening fell, the lit candles on all the grave stones created quite a pretty sight.

The atmosphere wasn’t quite as festive at the public cemetery adjacent to Heaven’s Gate, where graves are stacked on top of one another to save space. There was still plenty of activity going on though and it was fascinating to explore the maze of multi-story graves.

The resourcefulness

November 5th (Cinco de Noviembre) is Negros Day. It commemorates the uprising of the people of Negros against Spanish rule on this day in 1898. General Lacson (my supervisors Great Grandfather) lead the revolt from the north and General Araneta lead the revolt from the south converging on the Spanish who were trapped in the centre of Bacolod. The best part about the story is that only 2 people died. The revolutionaries used local materials to make it look as though they were armed – they painted palm fronds black to look like guns, they mounted painted bamboo on bull carts to look like cannons and they painted coconuts to look like cannon balls! And it worked! They tricked the Spanish into thinking there was a huge army coming for them. They surrendered and signed the constitution of Negros, declaring the island an autonomous state within the Philippines. This lasted 3 years until the Americans invaded.

My supervisor, Ricky Lacson, invited Aruna and I to be a present at the ceremony to recognise the legacy of the heroes of Negros Day. And later in the day we sat with him in the front row of the audience at the Provincial Capital Building for a dramatic re-enactment of that significant day in the history of the island.

So in summary, while there are challenges and I miss home from time to time, I am learning a lot, still having wonderful experiences, meeting inspiring people and hopefully making a positive difference in the work that I am doing, eventhough it often feels like I haven’t done much yet.