Today started out with a minor frustration.  While I was dinning for breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I was furiously typing away my previous day’s entry as explained before.  Merrilyn, a program affiliate with one of the NGO’s here (she also will be taking over next year as the Philippines director of the PYLP), also joined me for breakfast.  We chatted a bit about our interests and our families.  She is a very sweet woman who is ready and willing to help anyone she can.  After speaking to her, I realized we had to get going to the community center for the day’s program, so I decided to publish my entry but was disappointed to find my Internet connection lost.  Apparently, the hotel changes the network keys in the morning so they can charge daily for providing internet access.  The lost connection wiped out my entry and I had not saved it on my computer.  Disaster!  While I was meddling with the computer, our driver had arrived. I wasn’t too disappointed since I knew I would have time during the day to compose a new entry.  That’s exactly what I did!

We arrived a bit late to the community center—again!  I guess I am definitely living up to my billing as a South Asian.  Don’t worry, the program’s start is not contingent upon our arrival.  Although, It just would be nice to go on time.  In any case, the first item on the agenda was a debate on the current conflict in Mindanao.  The students were divided into 3 groups: questioning group, for group, and against group.  The quesioning group proposed the questions of interest while the other two debated.  After the question was thoroughly presented and debated, the student groups rotated roles to tackle a new issue or topic.  It was fascinating to see them become so emotional and passionate about their positions.  Well, naturally in their excitement, some of them forgot their words and others spoke too fast among many other consequences of competitive debating atmosphere.  Overall, they did a terrific job in handling the issues, as some of them were extremely sensitive.  Afterwards, they received feedback from the directors of the program and other distinguished community leaders on how to better improve their debating skills.  After the debate, the students had snacks.  As I mentioned before, they eat like 5x a day with 2 snack breaks (called Marienda) thrown in with the 3 regular meals.  Following some delicious snacks, they listened to a panel of speakers including a Muslim Professor, a Christian Priest, an inter-faith representative, and the student representative of PYLP Alumni, and awoman who had been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaab (a rebel group).  The panel’s underlying theme was how to best resolve the conflict in the Mindanao.  All of the speakers provided interesting interpretations and unique approaches to mediate the conflict but the common point was that they all need to work together and help others understand the realities on the ground instead of engaging in hatred.

Speaker Panel

The panel discussion gave way to another organic and delicious lunch.  I get really hungry all the time (as some of you know all too well), so the food was more than adequate in satiating my expanding appetite.  After lunch, the students had an organization fair where different student-based community orginzations presented for the students to attract support for their initiaitives and give the PYLP students access to new resources.  I think this was a great idea!  The PYLP kids had a blast, at least that’s what it seemed like form my end.

Today, I had been walking around the community center more so than before and this was largely due to my ailing stomach. I definitely feel like I am slowly falling victim to international gastric stresses.  I hope my poor tummy can hang on for a few more days so I can enjoy this delicious food before I leave.  Forgive me but I feel awfully disgusted right now.  As I am typing this in the hotel lobby, I saw a pimp and a foreigner walk in with a woman.  This is definitely a prostitute exchange.  The pimp is enjoying some drinks at the bar while the man has taken the woman upstairs.  Unbelievable!  I need to take my mind off it, so I’ll try to finish writing about my day.

While walking around, I ran into my basketball friends from the other day.  I learned that they all live and work at the community center compound.  It was fun talking to them and learning a little bit about their lives.  Believe it or not, I got a lot out of them with their broken English and my complete ineptitude with the local languages.  They instructed me to meet them later in the day to play with them again.  Basketball and me equals happiness.  :)  So, at 5, I walked on over with my new friend Kenny to the basket ball courts.  A little bit about  Kenny….

My B-Ball friends

Kenny is a PYLP alumni from 6 years ago and he is currently working in banking even though he concentrated in Radio, Television, and Film for his Bachelor’s degree.  He told me that the wants to pursue his journalistic aspirations by going for a Master’s in Journalism after he is done with his banking term.  He said that he might apply to Medill at Northwestern University—which made me really happy.  Kenny is a very humble, kind, and interesting guy.  He asks probing questions and is very respectful in his approach.  I am always attracted to individuals who are outgoing and are comfortable in their own skins.  We became friends right away.  He even gave Dr. Russell and me a tour around the community center.  He took pictures of us so that we would have beautiful ones to show off to our friends once we get back to the US.  Also, he arranged for us to meet the Director for the Turkish-Philippino School nearby.  The school concentrates on math and science education with an emphasis on universal values of human understanding.  The Director was extremely amicable and forthcoming in talking about his school’s mission, Turkey’s role, and his own reasons for coming to the Philippines to lead a school to serve the Philippino children.  It was a useful and informative site visit. Anyways, Kenny and I chatted on and off all day about everything from politics and religion to our ambitions and career goals.  Yeah, it does quite seem like I have a man-crush on Kenny.  That may be true because he is a heck of a guy.  He reminds me a lot of Noman Tahir, a representative from a Scottish Muslim organization who came to visit CAIR-Chicago late last year.  Kenny and I will be going running in the morning and he has volunteered to show me around town to make sure I soak in everything here.  He lives and works in Manila but is back for the PYLP Follow On in Zamboanga City.  He also gets to see his parents since he is originally from here, so he was definitely elated about that.  I am really happy that he will be sticking around the rest of the week since I have another friend with whom to just chat away and go exploring.

Kenny in action

The rest of the day was filled with me going and playing basketball and engaging in or more like hearing Dr. Madale’s experiences and stories.  He is another interesting person.  By the way, Dr. Russell uses the word “interesting” as a compliment for those who she likes a lot.  I am proud to say that she had dubbed me “interesting” from the start.  At dinner, I enjoyed another local fruit called losantos ( I may be misremembering the name).  In any case, it was delicious of course.  During dinner, I also discussed with Dr. Madale about a possible Fulbright Fewllowship in the Philippines and he seemed excited about the idea and would be willing to support me in my application.  Awesome, another good option to have.  It is amazing how the most rewarding opportunities come about in the places you least expect.  This invitation to do a workshop for a youth program has turned out to be much more: a vacation, an educational experience, and a cultural exchange.  Following dinner, we sat in the audience to watch the kids perform dances for everyone.  I was very impressed with their talents and their creativity.  I have lots of pictures highlighting this.  Then, we returned on home to the hotel.  I must head to bed now and I still need to make up my day’s worth of prayers.  Until tomorrow, palum magan kaibigun ko (good bye my friends!)!

Dr. Madale getting a hard-earned shoulder massage

Salaam,

Mokaram

Firstly let me apologize for submitting this post a bit later than I would’ve liked.  You can thank my unbearable fatigue and certain Internet mishaps for that.  I am actually rewriting this post after having lost it…

Finally, I can tell you all about the Philippine Youth Leadership Program since today was the first official day of the PYLP Follow On Program.  The PYLP is a United States State Department sponsored initiative designed to encourage and promote inter-ethnic dialogue and conflict resolution amongst the various religious (mostly Christian and Muslim) and indigenous groups in the war embattled region of Mindanao.  As I alluded to before, the Philippines government has been involved in a large-scale armed conflict with the Muslim separatist groups for a while now.  The rebels are asking for complete severance from Manila and want complete independence as opposed to the loose semi-autonomy that exists in the region.  The main group, MILF (Morros Islamic Liberation Front), is carrying out bombings, kidnappings, and guerilla warfare against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).  Expectedly, such conflict terrorizes and impacts civilians in a very destructive way.  Most people in the volatile regions live with the fear of mortars landing in front of their houses and constant evacuations—not a pleasant way to live.  Interestingly enough, the manner in which the conflict is conducted is quite a contrast to the patterns and moulds we’re used to hearing about.  Apparently, the rebels are not afraid to hide here and are as visible as the never-ending Sulu Sea enveloping the Island.  It seems that this particular dynamic arises from the fact that these rebels consider this region their rightful homeland and their efforts as a way to protect their homes.  Historically, the Muslim-dominated regions have enjoyed relative autonomy both under Spanish rule (largely because they were difficult to conquer) and US colonization.  Thus, as one can imagine, being forced into a geographical and political union with the other islands was seen as a huge encroachment on their sovereignty.  Nonetheless, armed conflicts rarely help and advance the true objectives of the people for whom they claim to be fighting.  The conflict also has some peculiar twists that I find fascinating as an observer.  The Philippine army is rendered inept in the unfamiliar terrain of the region, which serves as an inviting opportunity for the smaller but powerful rebel forces to capitalize on such vulnerability.  This sounds awfully similar to the American military failures in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  Interestingly enough, the newspapers reported that two days ago that the Philippine army’s ammunition stocks have been depleted so severely that Manila has entered into a cease-fire agreement with the rebels. Yupp, they’ve run out of guns.  Who knew?!?  Don’t you worry, people will be suffering soon enough because we have plenty of marauding and selfish governments ready to assure that gun supply isn’t the reason for peace.  On the flip side of things, both warring parties have openly and explicitly asked for US assistance in mediating the conflict.  In fact, the rebels have agreed to renounce links with other terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda in exchange for support.  I didn’t realize to the scale to which the US is expected to police the world.  I always figured that we forcibly intervene for our own selfish pursuits but that is a gross simplification of global dynamics and regional influences.  I guess, I’ll leave the intricacies of the matter to the political scientists here. 

 With that “brief” sketch of the conflict out of the way, one can only imagine the destructive impact that this can have on the youth.  The US stepped in to empower the communities here by developing youth leaders through several programs including the PYLP.  The PYLP is a very comprehensive and selective program that is run through cooperation amongst many NGOs and institutions in the Philippines and Northern-Illinois University (NIU) on the State side.  High school students are recruited from all over the Mindenao region and are invited to a rigorous application process.  Everything from academic achievement, community service, extracurricular commitments, vision for the future, to language ability are thoroughly scrutinized and analyzed for compatibility.  The program is so well received to the point parents and families engage in chicanery by producing spurious birth certificates and documents to by pass qualifying criteria.  Naga told me that there are many instances of such drama.  After being selected for interviews, the applicants are subjected to an involved interview process with the admissions committee akin to the Fulbright Fellowship.  Following interviews, the selected applicants are brought to the US at NIU to engage in a month long training program.  During the month, they learn leadership skills and gain confidence through targeted workshops, community service, site visits, foster families, and lectures etc… Actually, that is how I got involved because I was invited to do one of the workshops during the month and absolutely enjoyed working with these bright and highly engaged students.  The students then bring back their newfound skills and experiences to their respective communities to engage in service projects to empower their communities.  They are heavily supported by the PYLP network of organizations and institutions.  Isn’t that awesome?!  I feel extremely proud as an American to be funding something like this with my tax dollars.  Apparently, we fund similar programs in other countries including Afghanistan and Iraq.  Wow!  I just wish that initiatives like this got more press and support than our bomb-dropping campaigns.  The PYLP has been in action for 6-years now and Dr. Russell told me that she got a 3-year renewal on the grant.  Awesome!  We do some good after all! Yay!  So, this week’s program is a reunion of sorts for the kids sent to the US. They are all invited to come back and share their experiences and obtain the support they need for moving ahead.  I will be keeping you all updated on the activities as the days proceed. 

 Today, we were a tad bit late getting to the Silsala community center largely because of me forgetting that we were in the Philippines not the US.  I needed to print out documents for my workshop and that involved finding a place that has a USB reader with a capable printer and then finding a Xerox machine to run copies.  A process that would’ve taken 10 minutes tops in the US took 30 minutes!  Sometimes, we take our conveniences and progress for granted.  I am sure if some of us spent more time abroad, we would rejoice and quit complaining.  After reaching the community center, we began the introductory session, which featured opening remarks by Dr. Nagasure Madale (Naga) and Dr. Russell (She is a tenured professor of Anthropology with a specific expertise in the Philippines at NIU so naturally she was dubbed as the director of the program), testimonials from previous PYLP alumni, and solidarity prayers.  Hearing the testimonials was particularly heart warming since these were participants from 6 years ago sharing the role that PYLP played in their lives in terms of their development and maturation.  I could literally write pages about these testimonials themselves but don’t worry I won’t.  :)  After the opening program, it was my turn up at bat.  Light, Cameras, and Action….

Dr. Madale ready to begin!

Passing along instructions before my workshop

 As I mentioned previously, I was responsible for leading a workshop.  The topic and framework was left entirely up to me.  The workshop entitled Spiritually-based Activism: Fueling Inspiration and Overcoming Challenges was designed with the intention to precipitate the excitement and inspiration that lays dormant in us due to the self-imposed and socially-imposed barriers that exist as one is growing through the challenges of youth.  I wanted to make my talk very interactive so I had the students do a self-identity exercise, which helped illustrate to them that they are influenced by many things and are much more than the labels that people ascribe to them.  Following that, we discussed a few religious narratives to see how others have employed their spirituality and belief system to empower the global community.  From what I gather, the students really enjoyed the activities.  I also threw in my words of encouragement.  Of course, I spoke more than I should have. Lol  I know some of you are chuckling at reading this.  Yes, I did shower them with my rosy and “cheesy” views. Honestly, I feel extremely proud of the kids since they are so highly engaged and active.  They treated me respectfully and appreciatively for which I am definitely grateful.  I just hope I did some good today. 

Following my workshop, we had lunch.  I enjoyed some rice, fried chicken, organic salad (veggies farmed at the Sisila community center), mangoes (yummy) and a fruit called Santos.  Oh man, Santos tastes sour and sweet like sour patch kids.  Sooo good!  After lunch, the students split into four groups to go to various private schools in the area to help campaign for the week’s service project (a brainchild of one of the past PYLP alumni).  The service project was called “operation shoe-box” in which High School students were expected to donate school supplies and a letter of peace and encouragement for the indigent peoples in the public schools of the region.  This gave me an opportunity to see the kids in action speaking passionately and cogently for a venerable cause.  Also, I got to check out the other High Schools in the area.  It was pretty amazing I must say.  And I have to mention my Hollywood (or as Gerald would say my Bollywood) stardom with the girls at these schools.  Apparently, me being different and having the Philippino desired features makes me a hot shot with the girls here.  Embarrassed in even communicating this via a public blog, the girls were swooning over me and were utterly fascinated with me.  Literally, all you needed were the paparazzi to complete my celebrity.  Dr. Russell and I just laughed it off.  Quite cute, if I must admit.  Anyways, enough with my vanity.  As we were returning to the community center, I treated my group of students to a local ice cream creation called Knickerbocker or Halo Halo.  It was fruits and ice cream in a cup and was absolutely delicious.  Thoroughly spent, we were all pretty fatigued once returning to the community center. 

 At the community center, I met Martha Buckley (the US embassy representative) and we chatted a bit.  We had a few hours before dinner.  So, while the kids were debriefing, I decided to get some exercise in.  I went out for a jog and was extremely exhausted a half-mile in.  The humid air and the hilly path are elements that I am not quite used to.  Once realizing that the path was extremely muddy, I tried an alternative route and came upon a basketball court.  I joined in a game with a few locals and we had plenty of fun.  I got to exercise and made some new friends.  Also, a Philippino who is 6 inches shorter and wore sandals did school me.  Well, as my buddies at NU know, I gamble way too much on defense and that’s what burned me.  However, I did hold my own on offense.  :) I can’t wait to play with them again.  Being thoroughly exhausted and panting vigorously, I returned to the community center for a quick shower and dinner.  Dinner was delicious!  I had calamari, fried fish, rice, organic salad, a potato dish, and some mangoes.  Yummy!  At dinner, I got a chance to talk to Martha more about her experience as a diplomat.  She was quite impressed with my ambitions and particular career route.  She also suggested that I look into employment through the Foreign Service as a Physician if I really like traveling and different cultures.  Good to know that this option exists.  Later, I joined a few of the girls out in the courtyard.  They were all already feeling sad that they had to leave their friends once again.  They also told me about their lives in their respective communities.  Some of them told me about the constant fear, flying mortars, and evacuations that they have to live with on an everyday basis.  Hearing young people talk about such pervasive violence produces strong and vivid feelings for me: anger and extreme sadness to name a few.  Anger at the perpetrators and sadness for those suffering.  I would expand on this but I really can’t bring myself to do it because, honestly, it will just be too heart wrenching. 

Walk pathway at Silsala

After joking and bantering with the kids, I got a ride to our hotel.  I was soo exhausted and had a headache brewing that I could only bring myself to check my e-mail and do nothing else.  I fell asleep right away and woke up naturally after a 7-hour slumber.  I headed down to the coffee shop for breakfast and to type away my blog post.  Unfortunately, my hour-long typing escapade was all for naught as I lost it completely due to the mishaps I mentioned at the outset.  :( I hope my efforts are much appreciated.  Let’s see what Tuesday has in sore for me.

Palum, 

Mokaram