There are a few qualities I have found here that seem to be inherent in most Filipinos I have met, qualities that I find endearing and very positive.
... Respect... You know, many of the people I know have respect for others, but sometimes it is difficult to see it. In the way we act and the words we say, we can easily be disrespectful, perhaps without even realizing it. My first impression from the children here was how respectful they are. Even before they really knew me, the moment they first met me, they all took my hand and raised it to their foreheads. It is a request for a blessing. From that moment to this one, anytime I have seen a child or scholar who belongs to Oikos, they have done this to me, and some of the neighborhood children too. And it is not something only children do, but adults also bow and request a blessing for anyone they feel they should be respectful to. The sisters do it to their benefactors, priests, the bishop and others. Sometimes both parties bow for a blessing... it seems that whoever gets lower is the winner, but you have to watch that you don't bump heads!! I respect many people back home and I try to show my respect for them in how I act towards them, but I never saw such an open and consistent display of respect, that is an act of humility as well, by the way.
...Self-esteem... There is no doubt in my mind that many of the Filipino people I have met are very shy. Na awod ak means I'm shy, and I hear it a lot!! But the scholars have a great sense of self-esteem in themselves. It is not prideful, though, it is more a humble display of the gifts God has given them and seen as an opportunity to give back to God what has been given. At every party, ordination, ceremony, etc we have gone too over the past 5+ months, there has been a program in which people display their talents in a program for all to see. It is like they have talent shows all the time. There is always a lot of dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. Now I have to say that I do not have very good self-esteem. It seems I am always putting myself down, and I never really realized how often I did it until I came here. Sister Clarissa is always trying to get me to sing and I am always trying to avoid doing just that... without much success! No matter how many times the kids tell me I have a good voice, I deny it and talk about my brothers who have amazing voices. For this mission, we have one night that the missioners come over to our home for mass and dinner, and a program of course. I have been put in with the women missioners who will be performing a dance. The kids faces light up when they see me dance, and despite my claims of clumsiness and awkwardness, they tell me I am a great dancer... but I have a hard time believing that. When I speak Wary wary, the people around me often laugh, and I see it as making fun of me, that I am saying the words all wrong, however, they tell me laugh because they are so happy that I am speaking their language. I am trying to be more Filipino in this respect. I am trying to get out of my own head and just enjoy the experiences that come my way. To sing and dance and have fun when the opportunity comes along. It's hard, but I'm trying!!
...Capturing Moments... It is a rare moment here when someone is not taking a picture, either of something that is going on or a selfie. And when others see a camera out, they shout wait! wait! and run to be able to be in the shot. For someone who sees herself as not very photogenic, this is a bit of an issue!! I always tend to be in the back of shots and usually try to skip out of them all together. It's not a problem in the States, where no one I really know is camera-happy. But here?? I have been photographed more here than I have ever in my entire life, possibly in the lives of all of my brothers and sisters put together!!! And at important occasions, power point presentations are made of all the pictures and videos of the celebrant. However, there is such joy among these Filipinos as they have their pictures taken, and almost always they say thank you after for taking the shot. It's not about conceitedness or anything like that, it is more about celebrating the moments of life, even the mundane ones. It's about capturing the joy of togetherness.
I think the people in the Philippines are generally joyful people. Despite poverty, typhoons, the intense heat and other calamities that tend to get people down, these people are able to rise above it and live in the joy of life. I'm not saying they don't have problems and don't have bad days... they do. But even amid those things, they are able to seek out joy. It is a lesson for me. To find happiness in the mundane and exciting moments of life, to express it and capture it, to share my happiness and see the domino effect of joy radiating in others as a result of my exuberance.
