A little chitchat with a foreigner

Me with my other group members, Nestle Brizal and Fritzie Joy Capioso, went on a trip downtown to interview some foreigners. Its so hard to find them and after 30 minutes of waiting, we finally found three koreans going back to Riverside Hotel where they reside. At first we were so shy to have an interview with them but finally we had the courage to speak to them.

Meet our sunbae's.

 

                                  Rain and Jeon Myeong Gwan                   Lee Dong Ki

KOREANS

Rain, Myeong Gwan and Dong Ki came from South Korea. 

Describe your culture?

Our culture in South Korea is somewhat like yours here in the Philippines. We also celebrate christmas there but we celebrate it in a different way. Some of us thinks it is just another passing phase of life but some, it is a time to enjoy moments with each other. But to few people, Christmas means to do sacrifices and charity works. We were also influenced by the K-Pop invasion. 

Why did you choose to stay here in the Philippines?

To study English. 

What is the difference between your culture and our culture?

We just came here in the Philippines yesterday. 

What culture or Filipino traits do you like most?

I think being hospitable. 

Have you already adopted our culture?

Not yet because as what we said earlier we just came here in the Philippines yesterday.

Even though we had a hard time interviewing them, we did our best to understand on the way they speak English because we know it's hard for them to speak the language fluently. They are studying English now at Jin-Soo Foreign Language located near the Riverside Hotel.  

Take around the Seafoods Capital of Iloilo: Dumangas

Dumangas, Iloilo is located northeast of Iloilo city on the island of Panay. It is an hour drive from the port city of Iloilo. You can go there by jeepney or by van. Agriculture and livestock is predominant in the rural town. Not only that, the town is also known as the Seafoods Capital of Iloilo.

Major agricultural products are palay, salt, fruits and crops. Among the fisheries are bangus, crabs, shrimps and prawns. These are the main occupations of the townspeople.

Another structure that caught my eyes is one of the most popular church here in Dumangas. The Parish of St. Augustine were it was bulit on 1569-1572 under the leadership of Fr. Juan de Alva. Their chuch gained a wide popularity as a vital center of religious activities in Iloilo. The predominant design is gothic with flame-like arches of the main entrance and windows. The rectangular opening of the prediment distracts from the main motif. The windows are flanked by slender Corinthian columns. 

Pahaw-as festival is the annual town fiesta celebrated every last week of October. It is a local term that means  the harvest of the agricultural products from the fishponds or other water forms. 

Isn't it wonderful to know the culture of another town here in Iloilo?. The place is so refreshing and very historical and if I were given a chance to go to a place here in Iloilo I'd rather choose and go back here in Dumangas.  

A Little Talk with a Professional

Meet our professional colleague:

Rica Simora
Manager Trainee at McDonald's Philippines
Mary Mart Branch, Iloilo City

What do you do on a typical day?
I sleep, roam around the city. Sometimes I go back at McDo to finish some of my work.
As a manager trainee, what do you do?
I'm working as a counter manager and a manager-in-charge. When I'm assigned as a counter manager, you manage the counter, the crew staff and of course count the money. As a manager-in-charge, I am in charge in everything. The kitchen, inventory and lobby.
What time do you start to work?
For being a counter manager, I go to work at 5:30 in the morning to open the store. But if you were assigned to close the store I go to work 1:00 in the afternoon but you usually starts your work at 2:30.
What time do you go home?
I go home at around 12:30-1:00 in the morning if you were assigned at closing time but sometimes I hang out with my friends and goes home at around 5:00 in the morning.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of being a counter manager?
You don't have to mind if there's a short on your money. The disadvantage is it's really tiring to change   the cashier case.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of being a manager-in-charge?
The advantage is you roam around the store and find what is the problem. The disadvantage, meanwhile is your pressured if the restaurant manager is there.                                                                                                  

DCS held Eco-Camp 2012 in Alimodian Iloilo

The Development Communicator's Society held our annual acitivity, Eco-camp2012 last Feb. 10-12 in Alimodian, Iloilo where we learned how to make a campaign. The center of the said activity is on how to save and preserve our forests and the wild. The first activity we had is a seminar lectured by Ma'am Cora Buala in which she tackled the problems of the forest and the wild and on how to solve them. Most of us are nature lovers. The second activity we had is the Laro ng Lahi in which all members of the group joined the said game. The games in the said activity are sack race, chinese garter, limbo rack and pok-pok palayok.

After all the activities, dinner was served that night. We were surprised by the dinner that they served to us. They called it BOODLE FIGHT. I've always wanted to try this kind of dinner because they said it was fun. It is the style of militaries in which long tables are prepared and food are put on top of the banana leaves. Viands and rice ready to eat using your bear hands, jugs of water are put to the side to wash hands before the "eating combat". Everyone aims for their position at the signal to start the boodle fight. It is also the symbol of camaraderie in military practice. I ate a lot here. It's really fun. 

 

The second day of our eco-camp is full of surprises. We did the taebo. It was very fun. We stretched our whole body early in the morning. 

In the afternoon, we prepared for the rural challenge. First is the banner- making contest. After that is our cheers and yells. Every group's cheers and yells are very fascinating and full of fun. We only had little time to practice and some did their cheers and yells on the spot. We laughed our hearts out because of so much fun. 

After our cheers and yells, our most awaited activity is the rural challenge. This year's rural challenge is all about physical activities but you must still answer the questions in every station. It was very tiring because every group must hold a bamboo especially when your climbing up and down the mountain. Its very extreme for me and its my first time to do that.  But all your hardwork will be worth because of your teamwork and determination to win the challenge.Even though it's tiring but yet you learned many things from the challenge and its so full of fun and adventures. 

 

On the third and last day of our camp, we had our tree planting in Agony Hill. A place where people visits during the Holy week. It is a tradition in us Filipinos which will never be faded in our hearts and will always continue for other generations to come. It is very tiring to climb up the hill but your tiredness will be worth it because when you reach to the top of the hill you can see the 14 stations of the cross and you will be amazed and awed to the beautiful view of the whole Alimodian. 

 

 

Dinagyang Festival. It's more fun in Iloilo

The Dinagyang festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honor the Christianization of the natives and to respect the Holy child Jesus. Last January 20-22, 2012, Iloilo city celebrated Dinagyang Festival in honor of Senior Sto. Nino. On this day, the streets of Iloilo will once again come alive as the Ilonggo celebrates the annual festivity.

The thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by the Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. A tribute in honor of Senior Sto. Nino whom Ilonggos believe was very miraculous in time of famine and drought.

Iloilo is also known in very rich culture. You can also see their different productions in which every tribe shows the culture of the Ilonggos. 

Their costumes also shows how creative and resourceful they are. Here in the picture you can see that their costumes are usually made in chicken feathers. The colors of the chicken feathers that we usually see in their costumes are blue, red and yellow because it is attractive to the eyes and can be easily seen even if your far away. But now different colors are combined to make their costumes more attractive.

Aside from the tribes that are joining in the festival, another attraction is which is a friendly 6'9" tall aeta-kid mascot. He was once a black colored mascot but now it was changed to dark brown because it is the authentic color of the aetas. According to Jimena, "wherever Dagoy goes people will be reminded of the Dinagyang festival. Once Dagoy shakes your hand, it simply means that you are welcome to Iloilo".

The Ilonggos are very talented because of the the ethnic steps and dances that they showed during the festival. 

In the early times, Ilonggos believed that the animals are their gods which is called animism in ati culture. They imitate the ways of a particular animal in which they believed that it is the symbol and source of their strength and later at the end of their performance we can see that they are bowing to the Sto. Nino because they found out that someone is more greater and more powerful than the animal they are worshiping and that is God in the person of the Sto. Nino. An example of this is in this picture in which Tribu Pan-ay believed that the eagle is their god and imitated the ways of the said bird. 

All I can say is Dinagyang is the best festival ever in Panay and I'm proud to be an Ilonggo. 

Kinship and Family

♥ Kinship-a relationship between any entities that share genealogical origin, through 
either biological, cultural or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are 
related in their own subsections. 

TRADITIONAL FAMILY FORMS

♥ Family of orientation-family we are born into ( enculturation )


♥ Nuclear family-parents and their offspring
♥ consanguinal relatives ( consanguine )-blood related this can become problematic in certain cultures like the Trobriand Islanders
♥ family of procreation-the family in which you become or have the potential to become a parent
♥ Affinal relatives-relation by marriage. This whole complex system is called a kinship system
♥ Extended family-two or more nuclear families who are related by blood, living in the same household, village or territory


FAMILY FORMS IN INDUSTRIALIZED CULTURE
♥ Expanded family-includes a person who are not kin
♥ Blended family-divorce and remarriage
♥ Matrifocal-mother dominate with father present or absent
♥ Single-parent family




GOALS OF THE KINSHIP FAMILY
♥ Organize groups:

• family types
• residence groups
• descent groups

♥ Direct behavior:

Enculturation role-assigned behavior for a particular individual
ex. mother-in-law avoidance taboos
person status: 
                       ascribed-status you have acquired
                       achieved-the status you have achieved through your hardships




MARRIAGE RULES
♥ Exogamy-a social arrangement where marriage is allowed only outside of a social 
group. The social groups define the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and 
enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. In social studies, exogamy is 
viewed as a combination of two related aspects: biological and cultural. 
♥ Endogamy-the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class or social 
group rejecting others on such a basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close 
personal relationships. A Greek OrthodoxChristian  endogamist, for example, would 
require that marriage be only with another Greek Orthodox Christian. 
♥ Levirate-type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obligated to 
marry his brother's widow and the widow is obligated to marry her deceased 
husband's brother
♥ Sororate-a type of marriage in which the husband engages in marriage or sexual 
relations with the sister wife, usually after death or once his wife has proven infertile.