⌛ Tourist Arrival Holding Steady

Earl, Gwapa little girls, you should be proud, and rightly concerned about their education.
Rhoody, why not start another thread about this, As a former teacher, I have lots of observatios and wonderful opinions on the subject.

I have once volunteered at a school in one of the habitats, a two day guest speaker thing. There are some dedicated hard working teachers trying to make a little difference. for example trying to establish an equivalency course for drop outs. But it is a little like rolling water up hill I think.

 

Nicely said. Time for changes... Lots of improvements are brought over in the Phils , they should not be ashamed of accepting our help. Rolling up hill. Well our own Rhoody can tell you some stories himself about his effort in teaching people HOW TO RESPECT the wonderfull underwaterworld . I alway refer to that as LIVING JEWELS..

As said ,and sad aswell.. lots of work do be done...

 

the always working BIG Mouth to mouth promotion

 

G'day all. Earl when you mentioned the p word as in paedophile it switched the "anger" button in my head. I have a seething hatred for animals like that. I wish you'd post his picture so we can all see what this turd looks like, and that I myself am there so I can give this guy and his friends my "special treatment". It doesn't matter where the person is from, could be from Inner bloody Mongolia but when they come to my place and show no respect to people I feel the urge to do something. I'm sure no one would bat an eyelid if these "things" would magically disappear permenently from my city.

 

Well Progmeister , as you see I even spell the P word wrong..:o I am not very familiar with those kind of people , nor would like to become one of their "trustees. "
The guy is always dress fresh as a " youngster " short pants and way over his alcohol promilage... It looks like an English person but could well be an Cano for all I know.. He speaks though no American English and thus..
.
Back to Yabs ,
Yep I have noticed that too . But likely it is the only way left for the Iranians to show their masculinity here as there is no place interesting enough to take for hostage or just drop the bomb.. Oeps , I just drop the bomb on myself with the subject !:D
I should be more carefull , one great politician some 3 years ago was shot to death, just a few days before he would have won the elections to become the new Priminister of the Netherlands. I have known him well in person, that is..
Picture is of the diseased Prof . Dr .Pim Fortuyn. We shared the same taylor , and taste for antiques. BUT NOT THE SAME HAIRDRESSER !!

A well tied tie , is the first serious step into a gentlemeans life....
The tie as on the picture shown is in my collection..

 

It's a topic worthy of disscussion I think, if everyone keeps things in perspective. I guess I will relate a parable of sorts, my tale of discovering Dmgte.
As mentioned in my intro post, I came here to Dmgte by chance, liked it and stayed.
Alone with no knowledge of the town and fairly new to the Philippines I gravitated to the Blvd. for obvious reason, the hotels for visitors are there, the restaurants that are apealing to the new comer are there. It is the hub for visitors whatever there motives or reasons for being here. I stayed 10 days in the honeycomb before transfering to a more remote resort, then eventually a house rental in Balugo. At first, I went to the why not almost everynite. I love to dance, and I can get conversation from a lampost sometimes . So I made fast friends with he waitresses, all sweet girls many with stories to tell. I also got to know some of the working girls, many are decent people with bad jobs.

The eonomics are so unbalanced. The waiteses make 50 pesos per day, (or did then.). plus any tips, or if they get lucky a foreigner can ask them to sit with them buy them ladies drinks at inflated prices and take home 500 pesos. The "working girls" can command up to 1000 pesos an episode. Some working two or three guys a night. Not common I would like to believe. Often the gays are the pimps, they approackh you with out shame outside or inside the disco if you are alone. The money is very tempting, I can't blame the girls. On the other hand not to paint a completely black picture of the why not. (I still go there infrequently to dance), there are many students, adult couples and decent folk. The Why not is not bad, but what is there can be.

What got me away from that scene were the obnoxious foreign visitors, racist, exploitive, and rude to the waitresses on the patio. I would in the beginning go for breakfast there, but then the beer swilling guys at 7 am got to be too much. I became ashamed to be lumped together with some of these, no, most all of these types.

Getting to know real Filipinos is difficult for a visitor, and it took me a while to break the ice with the Philipino community. They hold foreigners at arms length, and for good reason, until you have proved yourself. I would suggest to any visitor wanting to experience the real Pilippines, be patient, go into the small places, be polite, considerate, very, very patient, and doors and friendships will open up to you. Understand you will always be the outsider, and a visitor, even if you live here. It is becoming increasingly difficult, as now locals are learning how to treat foreign tourists.
If you are here for only a two week visit. You will get to enjoy a small sample only.

I have had many disscussions with my girl, her daughter's friends and others about the Filipina/Foreigner dynamic. It is a two way street. It is very difficult to find a good Filipina girl, or conversely, a well intentioned foreigner. Each tends to have unrealistic expectations, or worse, bad motives.

OK, I have spoken with broad strokes and sweeping generality. I have no answers, my life is set, I have been lucky, I can't change the attitudes of the visitors, and the complicity of the community to an extent, makes it a hard call to pass judgement.

 

RHB .
May I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I do believ of many many other here that will read your and my post later.. Hopfuly not to lat.
I am deeply impressed by the choice of your carefull words ,though I know exactly what you havw felt while writing them
Yes indeed we , but not we alone love what we found here and PROTECT it or rather conserve it for those that we wish too come after us , if not only our children. What I learn , is that Dumaguete was before a City of the gentle people , much of that I cannot find there anymore and all for the reasons we have mentioned.
The racist are amongst Asians to be found from across the South China Sea but also from the north and once a occupant of this country . The way they behave towards the working girls as so rightly put , is shameless and showing their true nature ,indeed. War here in the Second World War years must have been just as terrible as in Europe .
Let us alone and those that care try to show our true faces and respect to all here as I do believe they for all deserve it ..

 

Earl,

Your daughters are adorable. I am happy to know that you and Rhoody and others are going to the teachers and standing up for the kids. My one friend is a retired American teacher and for years has been involved in the PHL school system helping fight kid's battles. It is deplorable what is allowed and how the teachers seem to REIGN there without any supervision. I have had students tell me stories about what they go thru then BEG me not to go to their teacher because it will make it worse for them. What a catch 22! Many of the parents are not happy with what goes on but are TOO AFRAID to say or do anything. My concern is that if people don't STAND UP for what is right then what chance do these kids have that things will change or get better.

Yes.....many of the PROJECTS are stupid......but even worse.....the expensive of them have caused many poverty students to drop out. It is just UNACCEPTABLE! All children have a right to education! They are after all our future generation.

 

dear Cyndi , Amlan where we live is so poor ! My wife helps wherever she cann lending money to all , that is we tell them to return only when they have it.. In other words , never. But we don,t care. With christmas coming we will have nice decorating with moving figures ( like Charles Dickens )life size , it will be a true fairy tale for all and gifts ,though small for every child..So how on earth can the school tell us WEEKLY to have a project prepared. Also we have to travel to DUMA to get things , though we have a car ,what about the others ?
My own wife is also "affraid " of the teacher . As you will know teacher have here a certain status... anyway here some other pic of the two kids.. C J ( Christ Joy ) is 8 , and June Emerald 6 , June was born in .. uhh July..