xeromorph

In 10th grade, my English teacher Mr. Jerry Urick had us to create a list of adjectives to describe us.  The trick was, we were only allowed to use twenty-six adjectives, one for each letter in the alphabet.  For example, you take “A.”  Your adjective could be “advanced,” then you write a sentence or two defending why you find yourself advanced.  Then you take “B.”  Your adjective could be “buff,” then you defend your argument with a sentence or two.  You do the same for each letter.  Silly but interesting exercise—it was a part of a big portfolio about ourselves.

By the time people reached “X,” Mr. Urick said many people choose “X-Ray” and say they’re transparent or something on the lines.  He understood that there aren’t many “X” adjectives in the english language—especially no a posteriori “x” adjectives—so it was okay if we weren’t creative for this letter.  However, I was determined to be against the grain and find something that worked.

I came across the word “xeromorphic.”  I’m sure all of you have heard of this word and use it in everday language, but for those who don’t, our lovely dictionary states:  “of or pertaining to structural adaptations of xerophytes that help them store water and withstand drought.”  To go deeper, xerophyte is a plant that adapts under hot conditions.

So there it was.  My answer.  Adaptable.  At times I wish I was more adaptable, and at times I wish I was less.  Right now is the time I wish I was less; less changing to my environment.  I landed back in America from my trip to the Philippines last Friday, and I feel like I’m already going back into the regular system.

But I don’t want it.

I don’t want to go back to the normal ways without retaining what I saw and felt over in the Philippines.  While I was only in the Philippines for nine days, I can definitely say I’ve gained a new appreciation for Filipinos.  I’ve been the Philippines twice before and I’ve heard many stories about my Dad and Mom’s experiences in the Islands, but it’s different walking where they walked and seeing the Philippines through more mautre eyes.

My days over in the Philippines were amazing.  Beautiful scenery, great family, lovely roaches… wait.  Scratch the last part.  Other than that one roach, the whole trip was amazing. 
Before leaving, I wasn’t all that stoked to leave America.  I knew it would be an experience, but I was a bit depressed that I wasn’t able to take summer school (yeah, I’m normal) and get ahead of my classes.

I’m glad my initial disappointed mindset didn’t stay with me throughout the trip.  I’m glad I went.   First of all, for family.  I don’t get to see my Lolo and Lola a lot.  Although I didn’t interact with them as much as I should have, it was great to see them in their own environment.  Also my cousins.  I usually just hang with them for a quarter of a day for some special event then head back to San Diego.  But after living with them for nine days, my love for them defintely grew.  Especially with Hayley, the youngest.  Usually, she’s either clung to her sister or watching TV.  However, since she was out of her regular environment, I was able to interact with her more.

Second, for culture—or rather, awareness.  There is a lot of history in the Philippines that I don’t think many of the Americanized Filipinos know about—but I’ll leave the details for another blog.  There is also a Filipino culture, but it’s buried underneath Spanish and American influence.  Where did my cousins want to go to?  Malls.  Ehh… that’s western and material.  Sure.  Philippines is known for having the biggest mall in Asia—second in the world.  But that isn’t culture.  So this trip definitely brought awareness to what’s in the Philippines and whats lacking in awareness.

Third, for lifestyle.  I think I may have the “xeromorphic” trait from the Filipinos.  These people are very adaptable—maybe a reason to the buried culture.  Through a western eye, people might see many of them as poor and pity them.  But from the Filipino standpoint, despite their economic state, they are still happy.  Their happiness isn’t particularly in things like many Westerners.  There’s a song by Freddie Aguilar, a famous Filipino musician, called “Buhay Nga Naman Ng Tao.”  I don’t know exactly what the song’s about, sadly, since I do not read or speak tagalog.  But from what I’ve been told, it’s the idea that life is hard, but life is good.  Adaptable, and I enjoy that.

Pictures are already up:
Day Two [Walkabout]
Day Three [Open Doors -- Mall of Asia]
Day Four [UP Manila]
Day Five [The Anniversary]
Day Seven [The Plantation]
Day Eight [Cebu]
Day Nine [Bohol]
Day Ten [Recede]
Epilogue [Return]
As of right now, these are just my pictures.  My Dad’s and my Brother’s pics will be up soon.

I will also have blog entries for an indepth summary of my trip in the Philippines.