Yes, that's where I feel it -- right down the middle of my back. It starts at the shoulders and ends just above my waist. I feel it every morning shortly after waking up. A friend of mine told me to get used to it -- that in time I would appreciate it. I don't know, Sam . . . are you sure? It's that bucket of cold water that I dip my tabo in each morning and then poor over my head. It feels good on the legs and arms and even my chest, but that cold shock down my back is still something I don't yet "appreciate". "It's soothing and enjoyable," she said. She had read my blog about culture shock and my complaints about taking a cold "bucket shower", and sent a few comments to me on Facebook about it. I suppose when you've lived with something all of your life, you just accept it -- you don't even think about it. I'll try Sam . . . I'll try.
 |
| A bicycle for hire - very handy for short trips around town. |
Sam has also given me some ideas about a struggle that I have been facing lately: the disparity between life in the U.S. and life in the Philippines. The differences between the haves and the have-nots. As I noted yesterday, the Filipinos are very good at taking a little and making the best of it . . . there's something to be said for that. But the frustration I feel is when I think about how wasteful we are in America -- we should be ashamed of ourselves, but we're not. We just go on wasting and then complain because we don't have something else that we want (but don't really need). I see people every day here who are struggling just to make ends meet. I can't do much, but I do what I can. I hire a bicycle to take me some where for 10 pesos (25 cents) even though I know I could walk there easily enough. I have started to buy my breakfast and lunch at one of those little stands along the side of the road. I'm not saying that the larger establishments don't need my business, but I just feel better giving my business to the "little guy" -- and it's cheaper anyway, so sort of a win-win situation.
 |
A nice place to eat breakfast or lunch. They were very happy to know
that I'd be coming back again. |
But why the huge difference between the two cultures. I guess I'm less bothered by the fact that the Filipinos are in general so much poorer then we Americans are, and more bothered by the fact that Americans are either clueless about how most of the world lives or are too insensitive to care. I relayed this frustration to Sam and she offered a thought -- the story of Jesus healing a man blind from birth - John 9: 2-3. From the NIV it says: "His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." And then Jesus proceeded to heal the man's sight.
Now I'm not a great Bible scholar, but I get what she means. The disparity exists so that Christians have the opportunity to show others the love of Christ. It's a hard saying. For those of us who have compassion for the disadvantaged, this kind of situation really pulls hard on the heart. Here is the chance for Christians to make a difference, not only in the lives of people who are living in poverty or who are in some state of distress, but also for those who are living in excess who have yet to discover what they might be able to use their excess resources to accomplish. I get the gist of the idea but still need to "flesh it out". More to come.
 |
Sam, a Filipino friend and fellow freelance writer who has offered great
insight regarding life in the Philippines. |
So . . . thank you, Sam. Your insight has been helpful. And as a word of explanation ... Sam, or Samaritana, is a fellow freelance writer I met while working on a project online before even coming to the Philippines. I've never met her in person, but she has been a wonderful "guide" for questions I might have about Filipino culture as well as simple things like how to transfer "load" from my cell phone to my broadband internet drive so that I can continue working online while here in the Philippines. Additionally, her Christian ethic and perspective have been very helpful several times now as I struggle with the challenges I face here in the Philippines. So, salamat, anak! (thank you, daughter!) I appreciate your youthful wisdom and advice -- but the cold bucket of water is still a shock first thing in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment