Nod and smile
Hi to all from Manila!
We arrived here Wednesday afternoon, a little sad to see our fantastic visit to Hong Kong end, but excited for the new adventures that awaited us. At the airport we were met by our enthusiastic host, Jheanette, a Filipina who is back in Manila taking care of family business and property after living for many years in the US. She is also hosting a parade of family members visiting from the US, so there is always someone friendly to talk to around the house! Our rooms are comfortable and have lots of natural light, but they are also (in true Manila style) very noisy. So far we have managed to sleep anyway--it's a good thing we were so worn out from Hong Kong!
Many Filipinos that I have met are so friendly and chatty that it's hard to make an exit once they start talking! This morning we were slightly mortified to be called out of our rooms (in our pajamas!) by Jheanette and marched over to the home of a neighbor and close family friend who was apparently interested in my academic work for breakfast (!). Fortunately, we had plenty of time to get over any embarrassment as we fussed over a book that our new host had written, met various family members and answered a wide variety of personal questions. (Not so much about the academic stuff on this visit, but we were each promised a copy of the book for our respective universities' libraries! :)) It's amazing how LONG it all takes, but I can feel my speech patterns and mannerisms adjusting already. Thankfully, most people we've met are so talkative that comments like "I see" and "Oh wow!" and "This is beautiful/delicious!" are what's most necessary...I can handle that!
In other news, those of you following my ethics review saga for this trip will be glad to know that the end appears to be near! I met with my local advisor today (with a short interruption while he did a TV interview!), and he reported that the committee members had read my study and found no major problems. He predicted that everything might be in order as soon as Monday...I will believe this when it happens, but regardless it's a relief to know that at least it is moving forward. In the meantime, he and I will meet again tomorrow to strategize about potential interviewees, and Joel and I will meet some cool folks at a local church's international welcome dinner tomorrow night. A fun AND productive first Saturday in Manila...I can't argue with that!
Have a great weekend!
We arrived here Wednesday afternoon, a little sad to see our fantastic visit to Hong Kong end, but excited for the new adventures that awaited us. At the airport we were met by our enthusiastic host, Jheanette, a Filipina who is back in Manila taking care of family business and property after living for many years in the US. She is also hosting a parade of family members visiting from the US, so there is always someone friendly to talk to around the house! Our rooms are comfortable and have lots of natural light, but they are also (in true Manila style) very noisy. So far we have managed to sleep anyway--it's a good thing we were so worn out from Hong Kong!
Many Filipinos that I have met are so friendly and chatty that it's hard to make an exit once they start talking! This morning we were slightly mortified to be called out of our rooms (in our pajamas!) by Jheanette and marched over to the home of a neighbor and close family friend who was apparently interested in my academic work for breakfast (!). Fortunately, we had plenty of time to get over any embarrassment as we fussed over a book that our new host had written, met various family members and answered a wide variety of personal questions. (Not so much about the academic stuff on this visit, but we were each promised a copy of the book for our respective universities' libraries! :)) It's amazing how LONG it all takes, but I can feel my speech patterns and mannerisms adjusting already. Thankfully, most people we've met are so talkative that comments like "I see" and "Oh wow!" and "This is beautiful/delicious!" are what's most necessary...I can handle that!
In other news, those of you following my ethics review saga for this trip will be glad to know that the end appears to be near! I met with my local advisor today (with a short interruption while he did a TV interview!), and he reported that the committee members had read my study and found no major problems. He predicted that everything might be in order as soon as Monday...I will believe this when it happens, but regardless it's a relief to know that at least it is moving forward. In the meantime, he and I will meet again tomorrow to strategize about potential interviewees, and Joel and I will meet some cool folks at a local church's international welcome dinner tomorrow night. A fun AND productive first Saturday in Manila...I can't argue with that!
Have a great weekend!
posted by Leah at
10:43 AM
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