Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

I am still rather exhausted but at the same time energized by the trip to GenSan. Strange, but I think it is just being physically tired because of my physical weakness (but I think I was able to gain some 3 pounds in the last 3 months, thank goodness), and mentally and emotionally energized because of the experience in GenSan.

My first day in GenSan (arrived in the morning of November 14), it was Alma who met me at the airport. I still get the feeling of excitement of finally meeting someone I’ve been emailing for several weeks. I suppose the Internet and internet-mediated communication make up a great deal of my most valuable friends and contacts in the “real physical world.” Some of very good friends also come from electronic communications, the BBSs of the early 90’s, and our relationships are still here after the BBSs have disappeared. I never really liked anonymity on the Internet or the BBSs, so I do value real honest people I meet on-line (as I do in person).

Arriving at GenSan airport, there was one child begging at the airport parking. He wasn’t really just begging but was trying to help with the luggage and ask for money afterwards. I saw one other child at the eatery later that day and I wondered about the urban poor in GenSan. Perhaps they are not (yet) organized groups like in Manila. I truly hope GenSan never touches the levels of poverty and crime as here in Manila. Many years ago I saw how an elderly couple transformed in less than 2 weeks from being clean and just had to beg in the streets to be able to eat for the day to being really dirty, beaten down, skin darkened burned under the sun and the old man’s eyes taken out to conform to the organized syndicate’s business of begging.

Some 20 minutes drive from the airport in GenSan town center. I checked in at Lea’s Pension House (a rate of only 400 pesos a night, for a single room with aircon (which I hardly used) and toilet/shower). Lea’s have pretty good accommodation although I wasn’t really expecting anything too fancy since being outside hotels/accommodation is more important than being in it!!

It was around 9AM when I checked in and set a dinner date with Alma. I was able to rest till around 12:30noon which was very good since I still tire rather easily. I thought of having lunch at Lea’s Cafe but decided to go out since I needed to find a drugstore anyway (I forgot to bring my medicines).

I took the tricycle to Mercury Drug, but my med wasn’t in stock. They told me to go to the larger Mercury branch. I took another tricycle there- it was just nearby, facing Layon Beach. I was so happy to see how close the town centre was to the water.

After getting my medicine, I proceeded to the bank to get some cash where I also asked where I could get some lunch. The security guard pointed me to a pastry shop just next door but lunch wasn’t available anymore. I guess this was lucky because I was then pointed to the eatery just across the street - a place called Punla Eatery, specializing in beef dishes. I got the beef bopis which was really very good. Later I learned from Al Nezzar Ali that it was a very popular place especially for Muslims since they serve halal food there.

After lunch I took the tricycle back to the pension house and rested. It was around 1:30PM when I got back so there was plenty of time to rest and prepare a bit for my presentation tomorrow. Around 6PM, Alma arrived with Ali for our dinner date. It was so good to meet Ali, a very articulate Moro artist and educator. We proceded to the restaurant nearby and had seaweeds, fried hito, grilled tuna belly, clam soup, rice, kinilaw na tuna - a very good dinner. Cecile from FDC arrived. Some students who were attending the KURO tomorrow were also there. Meeting Alma’s team from Kalimudan, I felt that their work was very closely held together by a strong foundation of friendship. Later I learned that this was what was unique with Kalimudan - how they were able to integrate their friendships and work/advocacies together in a way that truly makes working together an enjoyable experience.

I suppose in GenSan, it is more visible how the culture of the place bears significance in the work-life of the people compared to those here in Manila where work, relationships, family and such things are more compartmentalized and segregated. I have to admit that right on my very first day in GenSan, I already felt more in touch with who I truly am.

To be continued.

EMail This Post This entry was posted by Fats on Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 at 4:19 pm and is filed under Mga Pulong atbp > Takaw at Sursur!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.