And finally...

Here is the final result of my trip to the Philippines, as well as the culmination of my professional photography certificate studies at CDIA Boston University, Washington DC Campus. I did all of the photography, videography, audio recording and production for this clip. Enjoy! - Gaston

Accentuate the Positive

I'm a positive person, right? People who know me would say I am a real ray of sunshine, correct? Well, my positivism was put to the test today.

This morning, I left my very comfortable hotel in Manila to go explore the capital of the Philippines. What can I say... huh... it's an immense city. There, that's not judgmental, is it? Ok, what else... The air is, huh, breathable? Yeah, I can breathe it, and when it triggers a coughing fit, that is a good thing - it rids my lungs of phlegm. And the smog helps to filter the sun too, so, less need for sunblock. See, positive me! I've had to deal with much worse air, like that time when I lived in Moscow and a huge truck discharged the black soot of its exhaust pipe right into the open window of my car. That was worse...

Ok, what else. Huh, 1970's cement architecture is good. The buildings do stay up, mostly. And I'm sure there is a logic to traffic here, I'm just not smart enough to understand it.

Oh, and the people here make me feel pretty too. Especially the good dozen lady-boys who followed me around today, not all at once of course, but there always seemed to be one around. They were saying nice thing to me, while adjusting their breasts - how nice I look, how they want me to marry them, to bring them back to America. From a distance they were giving me come-hither looks with eyes that had been colored with a spatula and cake frosting (or maybe it was thick make-up, I dunno).

But, as always, the people were very friendly, I never felt threatened, and the Filipino were eager to have their picture taken. I had read, or seen on TV, many horror stories about tourists getting in trouble in Manila, but today, I never encountered any danger, just smiling people saluting me with great enthusiasm.

To be fair, I am certain that Manila has some nice corners and pleasant locations, I just did not come across them today. In only one day, there is only so much I can see in one of the world's largest cities. One thing is certain though... I much much prefered Dumaguete City...

Here are a few scenes from Manila:

Going back to DC tomorrow, see you there - Gaston

Leaving

I'm about to leave Dumaguete City. Here, I have met people who are, without a doubt, the kindest, friendliest, most accommodating and trustworthy people in the world. It's no wonder the Philippines is often called the "Happiest Nation on Earth", because it true. People here have such a positive attitude to life, and it contagious. I hope to come back here some day, to visit with the friends I've made over the last two weeks. It truly has been wonderful. I will be in Manila over the week-end, and back to real life in Washington DC on Monday. - Gaston

A picture's worth

For my Practicum, my main job was to document the work done by Hands Across the Sea at the Cadawinonan Elementary School in Dumaguete City, Philippines. I spent the last two weeks visiting the school, taking pictures in the classrooms, during activities, and during a program where undernourished children are fed. I also took individual portraits of the Grade 6 pupils.

Before I left I wanted to thank the school for their welcome and their patience, so I got all of my best pictures printed, about 200 of them, as well as two 8X10 portraits of the Grade 6 children for their parents. The price of all these prints seemed very low to me, but not something the locals can afford. Yesterday at lunch time I brought these pictures to school, and showed them to the teachers. They reacted with such joy, and such enthusiasm. They went through every picture, laughing, discussing, looking at me and smiling. One teacher held a picture in her hands, and stared at it for a good five minutes, and then she said: "This picture has great meaning." I don't even know which picture had grabbed her attention, but her reaction, as well as the reaction of all the teachers, moved me greatly. As a photographer, I was reassured that pictures still have tremendous power, and I was touched that my images were able to speak to others.

Gaston

Here piggy piggy...

Yesterday we went to the weekly market in Malatapay, about 25km south of Dumaguete City. It's mostly a cattle market, but everything else is sold too. The stars of the show though are the cows, bulls, pigs, horses, goats, and chicken that are up for sale. Everywhere I walked I had to watch out for kicking back legs, bitting teeth, swinging heads, or lifting tails (and you know what happens when that tails goes up!!). In my sandals, I felt my feet were not nearly as well protected as they should have been from whatever muck I was sloshing in. Farmers were yelling their offers and prices at the top of their lungs, competing with the goats and pigs that were not going to go until they created a deafening racket. I couldn't help but feel bad for the animals and the way they were treated (as a walking box of meat, nothing else), but I was not there to judge these people's culture, I was there to document it. Here are a few of my pics:

The snug ride on the jeepnie on the way over. Notice the smiling man in the doorway, holding a chicken upside down by the legs in his hand.







There was a bustling fish market too, but there are only so many pics I can put here after all...

Gaston

Cadawinonan, Take II

My first post on the Cadawinonan neighborhood generated a lot of e-mails and comments (on Facebook), more than any other post I've put up. It also attracted one of my largest readership in the history of this blog. So, by popular request, here are more pics from the Cadawinonan neighborhood, in Dumaguete City, the Philippines. Thank you all for your messages and comments, they mean a great deal to me!

Once more, the children you see here attend, or will attend, the Cadawinonan Elementary School, which is supported by Hands Across the Sea, www.handsacross.org . Many of them don't have the financial means to pay for school supplies, or to even feed themselves, but Brendan Slocumb and the good people at Hands Across the Sea work to support them. If you would like to help, please contact HAS through their webpage. You will also soon see a new webpage for HAS created by a web team from my university (CDIA at Boston University, Washington DC Campus), using my pictures.

Yummies

What's the food like in the Philippines? I had no idea before getting here, since there aren't that many Philippino restaurants out there - none that I have found anyway. Well, as I told a friend recently, it seems like an unusual blend between Chinese, Vietnamese and... Mexican! For example, the other day for breakfast I had a steamed bun, stuffed with what looked and tasted just like pork carnitas, the kind you fill a burrito with. The Spanish colonists have left a great impression on the cuisine, but it still remains truly anchored in Asia. Rice dominates, it is present at every meal, and has many variations.

The main meat is chichen - "manok" in the local Visayan language - and "lechon manok", a chicken roasted on the spit with a soy/lime/lemon grass/whatever else glaze is just delectable. My very favorite though is fish "kinilaw", which, similar to the Latin American "ceviche", marinates raw fish in the juice of limes, vinegar and other flavorings. Just the acid from the marinade is enough to cook the outside of the fish, and the flavor is fresh and very aromatic. Add some pork rind for some crunch, and enjoy!

The only thing I have a bit of trouble with in the Philippines is with meat other than chicken. Here when they say pork or beef, it might be any meat from that animal. It could be fillet mignon or ham, but it could also just as well be tripe, liver, heart, cartilage, fat, etc. And from my experience, it is almost always all of the "other" meats, not "meat" as I understand it. So, when I end up ordering pork or beef and I receive a mystery meat surprise, I usually just eat the vegetable around the carcass bits. The sauces are great, the vegetable are delectable, but often the animal parts stay on the plate. As my friend Fred Bruemmer would probably say (he used to live with the Inuit in Northern Canada for up to 6 months of the year for about 30 years): "Well, you probably were not hungry enough then." True... I can't complain about being hungry here. I am extremely well fed, and I enjoy discovering new Philippino dishes at every meal. Huh... I think I have even gained weight...

Rice steamed in a coconut leaf pocket.

Fish Kinilaw, with hot peppers. The Philippino also have many clear broth soups (as seen in this picture) with large pieces of fish or meat, and vegetable.

A rice desert... The rice is boiled with sugar and some spices, wrapped in a banana leaf to cool and preserve, then served with a chocolate sauce and brown sugar... oops, I bit off the end before taking a picture.

We eat a lot of our meals in restaurants like this, with no walls, and a lot of pots boiling on top of a clay stand, under which burns a wood fire. It's always very convivial, interactive, and you can choose what you want by looking into the pots.

Gaston

Cadawinonan

Why am I here in the Philippines right now? It's not for vacation, but for work. I am here to document the work done by "Hands Across the Sea" a charitable organization that helps the children in one area of Dumaguete City - Cadawinonan. I have been hanging around the local elementary school taking pictures of the activities, taking portraits of the children, and documenting the good deeds of this organization. I also spend quite a lot of time in the neighborhood of Cadawinonan, where the children live. Here are some pics I took while walking around the area this afternoon... the Philippino have no fear of the camera, they love posing for pictures, they even beg for it. It makes my job very pleasant...

(P.S. - Jenn, that doggy picture is just for you!) - Gaston

Drip drip...

Dear readers - just a little something to hold you up, while I am busy doing some work here. I hiked to this waterfall on Saturday, and it was as idyllic as it looks. Nature is truly beautiful in the Philippines - Gaston

Three Musketeers

Here I am (in the middle) with my two wonderful guides and also photographer's assistants, Jeff and Khenn, here in Dumaguete City, Philippines. We took portraits of something like 85 school children today, and I would have collapsed and died without their help. They are reason number one why this trip to the Philippines has been so enjoyable and successful. Thank you my friends! - Gaston

Traffic Tips

I’ve been in Dumaguete City for about a week now, so I feel I need to share some advise on adapting to local modes of transportation with those of you who might be coming here someday. If you come from North America or Europe, this will be a shock. Just take a few deep breaths and jump in anyway, it’s not so bad.

1) Tuck in your knees: I’ve referred to this in a previous post. As you dart down all types of roads balancing on the back of a motorcycle, with no care for which lane goes which way, and there are no stop signs or traffic lights, just always be aware of where your knees are. You never know when they might scrape against a wall or get caught into on-coming traffic. And you will be wearing shorts too, it’s warm here! On top of that, when you aren’t dangling from a motorcycle seat, you might be packed tight into a Jeepnie (a kind of glorified pick-up truck used for public transportation). There also, tuck those knees in, people need to come in and out from the back of the truck, you know, and you wouldn’t want them to fall splat across your lap, now would you?

2) Let go of your hang-ups: What? You don’t want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet on? Well, there are no helmets anywhere and the motorcycle is your only way to get around... deal with it. And what’s that? Oh, you think that three people on a moped is too many? Well, what are you going to do, walk for the next 10 miles? Hop on! And you think this motorcycle holding together with duct-tape does not look safe enough to climb that mountain? Ok, then, walk up. Bring a tent, a lot of water, a stick might be good too (for balance, you know), and see you up there tomorrow or the day after. I'll be back at the hotel for dinner.

3) Forget about personal space or comfort: At some point you will have to be the meat in a moped sandwich. You are wedged tightly in between two other bodies, you have no control of your own movements anymore, and you are getting to know your pilot and caboose more intimately than your own spouse. It’s ok, it’s all platonic. Then, in one of those Jeepnies, especially for those of us who are taller than the average Philippino, be ready to twist your body in all imaginable positions so that more people can squeeze in. If the Jeepnie usually carries 20 people, they will stuff 20 people in there, no matter if you use up the space of two, or three... And by the way, yesterday I counted, and we were 31 in a Jeepnie, in something no bigger, I repeat, than an American pick-up truck.

4) Be underwear aware: Delicate eyes might want to refrain from reading this paragraph. How shall I put this politely... uh... well, the roads are not always even here, there are a lot of holes, and bumps, and sand traps. And, well, the motorcycles’ engines can create quite a bit of vibration, sometimes enough to make your teeth clatter against your will. So, if your underwear can’t tightly keep all of your big and little parts in, it’s gonna hurt. I climbed up a mountain a few days ago, on a dirt road, perched as the third passenger on the back of the motorcycle, and all I could think of on the way up was: “Oh my balls! Oh my balls! OH MY balls!”

5) Just walk already!: And lastly, on occasions when you wander around town as a pedestrian, do not ever wait for traffic to stop to cross the road. Remember there are no stop signs, or traffic lights. Just go... no matter how crazy it might seem, just step out into the traffic, and magically, you will make it to the other side unharmed, I promise. Imagine that you and all the vehicles on the road are positively charged magnets - you can come close, but you don't make contact. Somehow, everything on the road dances around you, never entering your magnetic field. And don’t hesitate. If you start doubting your ability to reach the other side, you will cause a traffic jam and get laughed and pointed at. Just find your zen, trust the force, and step out into traffic.

I hope all of this will be helpful for when you come to Dumaguete City... because, you really should come visit one day, it’s worth it. - Gaston

Superheros on Parade!

On Thursday, my guides here in Dumaguete City invited me to go watch the Negros Oriental State University Founder's Day Parade. I love parades, they make we all weepy, because there is so much happiness in every one of them. I knew this one would be special, because I had seen the students practicing around town for the last week. And, oh boy, was I not disappointed.

Every faculty puts on a show, competing one against another. It is compulsory that all students participate, it counts towards credit. So each team includes, I'd say, about 200-250 students. This year the theme of the competition was "Superheros", and the students let their imaginations fly with some of the campiest and most hilarious Superhero scenarios I've ever encountered. All of their over-the-top costumes were hand made, as well as the gigantic props some of them brought along. Their elaborate make-up did not even run as they executed terribly complicated and energetic choreographies all the way down the road. All the music was live, provided by impressive drum ensembles created from discarded barrels, banging their way down the road in the back of pick-up trucks.

After the parade, there was a "Showdown" at the university's stadium, with many ten's of thousands in assistance. Technically I should not have been allowed in, it was for students, families and staff only, but I weaseled my way in by showing my own student ID from CDIA at Boston University, Washington DC Campus. It worked, and I got front-row seats!

The show went on for hours and hours, and it was impossible to come in or out because of the terrific crowds, or because of the action on the floor. The crowd squealed or booed in support of their dancers, every one laughed along every single silly superhero flying across the ceiling (really, with pullies and strings, or with tall bamboo stilts). I had a marvelous time, more fun than I've had in many, many years.

The few pics down here are just a small selection of the more than 2000 pictures I took. I hope they can provide you with at least a small glimpse into this terrific Philippino festival, in this ever-suprising city. - Gaston