The words of a friend

J'ai passé les derniers jours chez ma copine Zaida in Quezon Metro Manila. She lives in a 4 storeys house with a garden on the roof overlooking the city. Her husband Romeo is the perfect complement of Zaida, they live in a smooth harmony that is a pleasure to witness. He cooks Zaida prefered fish dishes even if he himself is allergic to it! Wow, that is true love in action... They have 2 children, one adolescent (not quite yet appreciating true pinoy food- but he was willing to try some) and the oldest son is finishing his nursing course. They had lost one child many years ago, to tetanos reaction. This hurtful experience has made them grow. Now Zaida is more beautiful than ever and she gained a luminous glow - a genuine gentleness.

She is the principal of a public high school in Quezon. I will have to write about this school as it is a microcosme of the socio-economic situation of the country (overcrowded, no ressources but with the willingness of the people they make miracles every single day, with a smile).

On the 26th of June I had spoken to Zaida about the Ayala exposition - Gold of the past. I wanted to share my adventure, my experience. I would had wish that all her students could visit this exposition and learn and cherish this heritage. I even went to the extent to write to the Ayala Fondation to make the request. Zaida does not know about my initiatve. I will let her know only if it is successful.

Just the night before I left, she told me she had made a speach to her teachers (chez has around 100 teachers or more - it is a 5 000 student school). She told me she spoke about me and my stay in the Philippines in her motivational speach. She mentionned I had given her a wake-up call! When she read in my blog about the 1000 pesos bill that pictures the Palawan funeral bowl... and realised she didn,t even knew about it... and many other things I was discovering...

"That a foreigner knew more about her country than her, when it is her job to transfer to the younger generations pride of their nation and knowledge of it!"

She took a 1000 pesos bill out of her purse and asked her staff if they knew what was depicted on it and why. No one responded, no one knew. She realised that they knew a lot about the latest gossip of international stars, their latest frivoilities... but not much about their own heritage and history. She told them to take exemple on my experience and be willing to learn about the beautiful Philipino heritage. She tryied to transmit my love to learn about it to them.

When she told me that... just as I was preparing my departure, I cried.
If my mother would had been alive, she would had been very proud.