I’ve chosen a secondary project for my Peace Corps service. I intend to bring more organized videoke catalogs -- properly alphabetized by artist, and cross referenced by song -- to the good, melodious people of The Philippines. (joke, joke, joke!) Seriously, The Philippines is the first place I’ve encountered where informing your peers that you’ve just been funny is part and parcel of the art of joke-telling. (Unlike those irritating Americans who have no sense of humor but add “just kidding” every time they think they’ve said something funny. Agreed?) Saturday night was videoke night here in Bohol. It was my first visit to “Chicken A.” Picture a greasy cafeteria with dim lighting, and a Ms. Pac-man machine in the corner, but instead there are sing-along words on the screen, backed by semi-risqué footage. Videoke does indeed mean exactly the same thing as karaoke, it’s just the local term. My trilogy comprised of:
*Right Here Right Now by Jesus Jones (a classic time has forgotten…it was not received very well, and I do a perfect true-to-the-original rendition)
*??? by Bryan Adams (the soft rock hit of 1991, the one from Robin Hood…I was dragged into this one by Myles, one of the language instructors.)
*Oh Bla Di Oh Bla Da by The Beatles (a duet with fellow Peace Corps Thomas Schultz, who had earlier in the day found himself locked out by his host family who went on a week-long vacation…since it was the end of the night, we tried to convince the three staff members to join in, but they must have been frightened when I ran behind the counter with the mic, because they abandoned their post and hid in the back.)
The next morning, papa told me over breakfast “I want to hear your voice.” He hooked up the huge old speaker to the TV, plugged in the staticy mic, and before I was done with my mango, I was belting out “Bridge over Troubled Water.” Later on, it began to pour. My host sister informed me it was raining because I sang. (joke, joke, joke!)
Last week my group stayed in Tubigon for three nights. If you’ve been following, you know that’s where I will spend the next two years. The verdict is: it’s awesome, I can’t wait to move in. The people are extremely hospitable and kind. The air is a bit cleaner there and the landscape is striking, from the sea to the rice fields to the green hills.
The women (and men) of the loom-weaving co-op are busting their backs to sustain their wonderful project. Their creations are fabulous and vibrant. Believe it or not, they have an outstanding order from Pottery Barn for custom-made raffia table runners. Personally, I’d like to see their stuff sold through Global Exchange. (As my internet access is severely limited and slower than the slowest internet connection I’ve ever had (since 1992) if anyone cares to do a little research to find out how to interest Global Exchange in one’s handicrafts, I’d appreciate it. Just email me the info.)
As I see it, the biggest challenge will be explaining to them the hazards of the chemical dyes they’re currently using. There are no laws here (or maybe just unenforced) requiring disclosure of chemical makeup of dyes. And the manufacturer refuses to divulge said info. So, maybe the water sanitation crew will run an analysis, but odds are it’s nasty stuff. The current setup has the excess dye seeping into the soil, mere feet from a shallow bathing and drinking well. (Digging deep wells is too costly.) The banana trees in the immediate vicinity look unhealthy.
Importation of vegetable dyes is currently prohibitively expensive as too is a proper waste disposal system for the bad dyes.
Dynamite fishing in the name of short-term financial gain has devastated the aquatic life in the area. (The struggle of fishermen was a major impetus for the formation of the co-op.) Seems to be a good analogy to the situation facing us now. There’s only so much destruction our earth can handle.
I wonder if the formation of a livelihood project charged with making vegetable dyes might be a feasible solution. So here’s another call for research, this time regarding vegetable dye production. Anybody?
I’d like to send a special shout out to my Gannie. At 92, she’s online for the first time, keeping up with my life. She even opened a hotmail account to email me, but I hope she still sends me Airmail letters.
I am posting 29 photos today. Check them out. See if you can tell what they’re all about. Picture yourself here. And plan to visit. I’ll show you around.
Posted by dbs at March 2, 2004 07:44 PM