Argh. Yes I know. Ages since the last post. *&@^%$# ang init kasi eh. The last few weeks have been spent trying to keep cool without using up too much electricity during the daytime (solution: hang out mostly in my grandmother's recently redecorated room, which is the coolest spot in the house any time of the day).
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I might as well talk about our Bangkok trip last April. It was godawful hot, just as hot as Manila, but somehow you don't mind that much because there's so many things you can do. Our visit coincided with their New Year celebration, Songkhran, which is when people wait on the streets and splash each other with water. Yes, that does include complete strangers and foreigners. After we'd arrived in the afternoon, my brother and I decided to take a walk around our hotel block just to see what was around. Two or three kids were standing on the sidewalk, armed with water basins and pistols, and as we approached them their faces cracked into identical evil grins that did not bode well for us. We begged off by frantically pointing to ourselves and repeating, 'NO NO NO! FIRIPIN! FIRIPIN! NOT THAI!' The kids and the grownup they were with laughed hysterically and let us go, much to our relief - but only to meet another group of enthusiastic youngsters a block away. We only let ourselves get wet during our excursion at Patpong, the touristy red-light district and night market, which actually felt good as it was so warm.
Most of our time there was spent shopping (even Kuya, who is not an enthusiastic shopper)- at malls, roadside stalls, markets. We bought clothes, jewelry, gemstones, footwear, wrapping paper, placemats, silk pillowcases, dried fruit. They say even die-hard anti-consumerist types weaken in Bangkok. My mom and I don't even try to resist. One thing I noticed is that Thai people are immensely proud of their country and culture, and justifiably so. They are blessed with great natural resources, which they promote aggressively through tourism and locally made products. A great example is Harnn, which sells natural beauty products made from indigenous Thai herbs and plants. It's sort of like the Thai version of The Body Shop. I wound up buying their rice cream soap, sea salt body scrub (I swear my skin never felt as smooth as it did after I used it), and lavender and citrus room sprays. They've got stores in Europe, the US and lots of countries in Asia already (they sell Harnn stuff at PCX in Rockwell, in case anyone's interested). Now when's that going to happen to us??
I miss Bangkok. I miss Thai food (sweet-spicy-salty-healthy-heavenly!!!), Thai massages that make you forget your own name, the super-clean, quiet and efficient Skytrain, pon de rings at Mr. Donut, durian chips, Suan Lum night market and of course the mecca of bargains, smelly chaotic Chatuchak! (where I bought those hemp slippers I've been selling...sorry folks, sold out!) I do not miss Patpong, where my digicam was stolen on our very first night, however. I loved that camera - I've had it since my stay in Japan, and I took great care of it; never once dropped it or anything. I hope the culprit's toenails turn all crusty and black.
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Nevertheless, the loss of my digicam can't put a damper on the fact that I'LL BE LEAVING FOR JAPAN AGAIN NEXT MONTH! :) I actually found out before I left for Bangkok, but was too lazy to sit down and write it The Japan Foundation is the most generous dispenser of scholarships and aid to people who are keen to learn about Japan (next to the Japanese government, of course), so you can imagine how coveted a grant from them is.
My program's just for two months (I didn't get the four month course, but that's okay; I'm satisfied), starting in June and ending in August, and it's an intensive language program for postgraduate students and researchers. Which means it's not just the usual grammar, kanji and conversation they teach; I'm also going to learn how to make surveys, conduct interviews and make presentations in Japanese. It's really practical and quite different from my old classes - and I'm excited to start :)
Aside from the round-trip airfare, we'll be staying at the institute in Osaka, with free meals, a small allowance every day, field trips to schools, museums, homestays...and even someone to clean up our rooms at the dorm! I had to reread that sentence before it dawned on me that there is actually a housekeeping service. I suppose they assume we'll be so busy with our research activities that we won't have time to clean up after ourselves, but honestly, if you can't change your own sheets or scrub your own bathroom, then you have no business being a graduate student!
I'll also get the chance to visit my Japanese and Filipino friends across Japan, some of whom I haven't seen for at least two years. Hopefully they will let me lodge with them, haha!
