byaHINDOT # 1: Research/Gala During The Time of PP1017
byaHINDOT # 1: Research/Gala During The Time of PP1017
Dear Lindsay,
For someone who acts as if her return to school is just a mere extra-curricular activity, I have long considered the trip to Mindoro for data gathering as the highlight of the semester. I recall my best friend lecturing me that I'm a graduate student behaving like a high school dirtbag. She didn't mention the last word but, knowing her standards, I must have been behaving like one.
Mindoro may be known for its beautiful beaches and may be dubbed or foreseen as the next Boracay, but I am also eager to meet the Mangyans, the island's indigenous group (IP). My readings made me realize they are intelligent people. They have bamboo literacy also known as ambahan, interesting clothing and basket designs, unique (and actually fast!) courtship rituals, medicine as contraceptives and divorce. My, they are more advanced than we city-dwellers are! Being a closet anthropologist that I am (remember I directed my undergraduate video documentary on Badjaos who migrated in Batangas?), I do take our project seriously. My group decided to conduct a research on the Mangyans' usage of mobile phones. We aimed to describe their level of awareness, acquisition, usage and perceptions on the mentioned technology.
We were scheduled to conduct our research on February 25th-26th until our professor asked to move it to the following weekend. Being committee head as we are, Erman,
rock_muse and I went to the resort and the study site for pre-testing of survey questions and ocular visit prior to this. Pictures here. On the February 25th-26th weekend, the president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Proclamation 1017 (PP1017), placing the nation under 'state of emergency'. As a result, our professor called for an emergency meeting days before our trip. We had to decide if we were pushing through. On the same say, the Globe cell site situated on our actual study site, Baclayan, was burned down. She said there were rumors the upcoming weekend would be unsafe and, being UP students as we are, we might be regarded and treated as anti-administration. Most of my classmates were gripped with fear. The other group opted to change their topic and start from scratch. We insisted to go. Our contact assured us things are still secure. After all, they consider bombing of cell sites as natural occurence. As one officemate/Mindoro resident laughingly reacted, "Edi mas kakampihan kayo ng NPA pag nalaman nilang mga tibak kayo!" However, on the day before our scheduled trip, March 3rd, 2 soldiers and 1 Mangyan were shot to death. Most of our group members said it would be best to postpone. Erman and I said we would cross the bridge when we get there. Sounds insane? Yes. In fact, a part of me was fuelled to go to appease my suicidal urge. *blushes*
DATA GATHERING TURNED VACATION
Puerto Galera's Chief of Police reminded us of the recent incident and advised us to reschedule our research. We were saddened. Considering the Mangyans went down of the mountains, we imagined data gathering will be easier. We just made the most out of it and interviewed our guide, Kuya Iko. He even volunteered to distribute the questionnaires himself, much to our relief. by 15:00, we were officially on vacation.
On our first visit, I was intrigued about the Silent Pool.
rock_muse explained it was the place to go if you prefer to get away from every possible noise in the resort. Visitors are expected to remain silent. This poses a challenge for a blabbermouth like me. The moment the kids Mae Gene, Rhona and Kim arrived on our room, I dragged them and the resident bear Erman to the mentioned place. I needed to know if I can shut up for a long period of time.
There was a bunch of foreigners having cocktails and animated talk when we got there. As expected, my plan to keep mum did not last long. On my fifth minute being drenched on the pool, the normally widely-opened mouth was back in action. I blame it on the children. I missed them so much and we had a lot of catching up to do.
The evening witnessed Erman trek to the dreamland. I was out and with the kids, helping them prepare for their dance performance in front of the guests during the Saturday garden fiesta. Kim was especially energetic that night since his crushie was set to do cultural dances after them. Rhona, the tiny moi, was otherwise, complaining about her unbearable headache. It turns out it roots from her empty stomach and we treated her to a chicken meal. After their impressive dance of "My Humps", Rhona, armed with my cam, was pursuing Kim's crushie like a paparazzi.
The morning after, I had to nag Erman to rise from bed for an early breakfast. Besides, he's been sleeping longer than a mummy normally does. We had to catch the boat to a nearby island. As soon as I convinced the kids to join me beach-hopping, Erman had been smoking tobacco and felt comfortable seated in front of the beach. I suspected he has fallen back to snooze mode when we left for Haligi Beach.
Haligi Beach was a pleasant discovery! The absence of cottages and houses gave it a pristine feel. There were natives selling sarong, necklaces and anything but food which we subsequently found frustrating after a long dip in the sea. Greeting the strong waves when it reached the shore gave me a high. It doubled whenever it meets the rock formation on the right, making me imagine how skilled and patient seawater is in carving the rock. Along with the kids, we climbed up and posed for countless Kodak moments.
After witnessing a couple being taken away by a boat, our troop decided to go snorkeling, too. My incurable sickness of yoga-breathing-under-the-sea did not last long, allowing me to see more and fully enjoy the view. There were corals as far as I can see to the extent I had trouble deciding which one to look first. I yearned to touch them. But my attempts to use my hands and, eventually, my feet were futile. There were too far from me! I wanted to share this frustration to Rhona but she was too busy enjoying the experience, too. Kim and Mae Gene were on the other side of the boat, there is no way I can let them know. When I saw something worthy of attention, I just pointed my wrinkled finger and Rhona gazed to where I was pointing. She smiled and nodded in agreement. Or so I imagined. There was a moment that a school of fish, all in silver, made a formation and gyrated before us. I was immediately mesmerized how it appeared to be an endless fireworks display under the sea. It was very beautiful. I pointed my finger again and she expresed approval. At least, we have found our own SIlent Pool!
My fingers were wrinkled and selected parts of my body had rashes already but I remained hypnotized by the attractive view. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged back to the shore. Time's up.The boat was about to bring us back to the resort. I nearly cried. I wanted to stay.
When we arrived, Erman was nowehere to be found. I remember he said he wouldn't leave until we have come back. Turned out he was in the room, fresh from shower, bag packed, ready to leave paradise. I wasn't. Far from it. My toiletries were scattered all over the bathroom, my clothes, dry and wet, were distributed on each corner of the room. Hand outs cried out to be stapled together. Worse, my heart wished to remain there! As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Time to check out. No time for rants. A miracle occured: I bathed for roughly 6 minutes!
But our return to the Coco Beach was the greatest miracle. It was the breather we both deserved and it provided me with a week-long hangover. Best of all, I got to come home and blog about it. Oh yes, I shall return! I am yet to experience clambake, dolphin watching, fishing, dining at Doña Lina Restaurant, another Coco Jump, scuba diving...
You may view our Kodak moments here.
Cheers,
sisigmonster
Dear Lindsay,
For someone who acts as if her return to school is just a mere extra-curricular activity, I have long considered the trip to Mindoro for data gathering as the highlight of the semester. I recall my best friend lecturing me that I'm a graduate student behaving like a high school dirtbag. She didn't mention the last word but, knowing her standards, I must have been behaving like one.
Mindoro may be known for its beautiful beaches and may be dubbed or foreseen as the next Boracay, but I am also eager to meet the Mangyans, the island's indigenous group (IP). My readings made me realize they are intelligent people. They have bamboo literacy also known as ambahan, interesting clothing and basket designs, unique (and actually fast!) courtship rituals, medicine as contraceptives and divorce. My, they are more advanced than we city-dwellers are! Being a closet anthropologist that I am (remember I directed my undergraduate video documentary on Badjaos who migrated in Batangas?), I do take our project seriously. My group decided to conduct a research on the Mangyans' usage of mobile phones. We aimed to describe their level of awareness, acquisition, usage and perceptions on the mentioned technology.
We were scheduled to conduct our research on February 25th-26th until our professor asked to move it to the following weekend. Being committee head as we are, Erman,
rock_muse and I went to the resort and the study site for pre-testing of survey questions and ocular visit prior to this. Pictures here. On the February 25th-26th weekend, the president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Proclamation 1017 (PP1017), placing the nation under 'state of emergency'. As a result, our professor called for an emergency meeting days before our trip. We had to decide if we were pushing through. On the same say, the Globe cell site situated on our actual study site, Baclayan, was burned down. She said there were rumors the upcoming weekend would be unsafe and, being UP students as we are, we might be regarded and treated as anti-administration. Most of my classmates were gripped with fear. The other group opted to change their topic and start from scratch. We insisted to go. Our contact assured us things are still secure. After all, they consider bombing of cell sites as natural occurence. As one officemate/Mindoro resident laughingly reacted, "Edi mas kakampihan kayo ng NPA pag nalaman nilang mga tibak kayo!" However, on the day before our scheduled trip, March 3rd, 2 soldiers and 1 Mangyan were shot to death. Most of our group members said it would be best to postpone. Erman and I said we would cross the bridge when we get there. Sounds insane? Yes. In fact, a part of me was fuelled to go to appease my suicidal urge. *blushes*
DATA GATHERING TURNED VACATION
Puerto Galera's Chief of Police reminded us of the recent incident and advised us to reschedule our research. We were saddened. Considering the Mangyans went down of the mountains, we imagined data gathering will be easier. We just made the most out of it and interviewed our guide, Kuya Iko. He even volunteered to distribute the questionnaires himself, much to our relief. by 15:00, we were officially on vacation.
On our first visit, I was intrigued about the Silent Pool.
rock_muse explained it was the place to go if you prefer to get away from every possible noise in the resort. Visitors are expected to remain silent. This poses a challenge for a blabbermouth like me. The moment the kids Mae Gene, Rhona and Kim arrived on our room, I dragged them and the resident bear Erman to the mentioned place. I needed to know if I can shut up for a long period of time.
There was a bunch of foreigners having cocktails and animated talk when we got there. As expected, my plan to keep mum did not last long. On my fifth minute being drenched on the pool, the normally widely-opened mouth was back in action. I blame it on the children. I missed them so much and we had a lot of catching up to do.
The evening witnessed Erman trek to the dreamland. I was out and with the kids, helping them prepare for their dance performance in front of the guests during the Saturday garden fiesta. Kim was especially energetic that night since his crushie was set to do cultural dances after them. Rhona, the tiny moi, was otherwise, complaining about her unbearable headache. It turns out it roots from her empty stomach and we treated her to a chicken meal. After their impressive dance of "My Humps", Rhona, armed with my cam, was pursuing Kim's crushie like a paparazzi.
The morning after, I had to nag Erman to rise from bed for an early breakfast. Besides, he's been sleeping longer than a mummy normally does. We had to catch the boat to a nearby island. As soon as I convinced the kids to join me beach-hopping, Erman had been smoking tobacco and felt comfortable seated in front of the beach. I suspected he has fallen back to snooze mode when we left for Haligi Beach.
Haligi Beach was a pleasant discovery! The absence of cottages and houses gave it a pristine feel. There were natives selling sarong, necklaces and anything but food which we subsequently found frustrating after a long dip in the sea. Greeting the strong waves when it reached the shore gave me a high. It doubled whenever it meets the rock formation on the right, making me imagine how skilled and patient seawater is in carving the rock. Along with the kids, we climbed up and posed for countless Kodak moments.
After witnessing a couple being taken away by a boat, our troop decided to go snorkeling, too. My incurable sickness of yoga-breathing-under-the-sea did not last long, allowing me to see more and fully enjoy the view. There were corals as far as I can see to the extent I had trouble deciding which one to look first. I yearned to touch them. But my attempts to use my hands and, eventually, my feet were futile. There were too far from me! I wanted to share this frustration to Rhona but she was too busy enjoying the experience, too. Kim and Mae Gene were on the other side of the boat, there is no way I can let them know. When I saw something worthy of attention, I just pointed my wrinkled finger and Rhona gazed to where I was pointing. She smiled and nodded in agreement. Or so I imagined. There was a moment that a school of fish, all in silver, made a formation and gyrated before us. I was immediately mesmerized how it appeared to be an endless fireworks display under the sea. It was very beautiful. I pointed my finger again and she expresed approval. At least, we have found our own SIlent Pool!
My fingers were wrinkled and selected parts of my body had rashes already but I remained hypnotized by the attractive view. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged back to the shore. Time's up.The boat was about to bring us back to the resort. I nearly cried. I wanted to stay.
When we arrived, Erman was nowehere to be found. I remember he said he wouldn't leave until we have come back. Turned out he was in the room, fresh from shower, bag packed, ready to leave paradise. I wasn't. Far from it. My toiletries were scattered all over the bathroom, my clothes, dry and wet, were distributed on each corner of the room. Hand outs cried out to be stapled together. Worse, my heart wished to remain there! As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Time to check out. No time for rants. A miracle occured: I bathed for roughly 6 minutes!
But our return to the Coco Beach was the greatest miracle. It was the breather we both deserved and it provided me with a week-long hangover. Best of all, I got to come home and blog about it. Oh yes, I shall return! I am yet to experience clambake, dolphin watching, fishing, dining at Doña Lina Restaurant, another Coco Jump, scuba diving...
You may view our Kodak moments here.
Cheers,
sisigmonster