Things to smile about (A walk in Metro Manila) (full-length)
April 23rd, 2009 by pao-628Smell stench of the male urinary cubicles. See stray animals’ manure and watch the perpetual collision of bodies in the busy sidewalks. What you observe may leave you blue. There is pollution- already disseminated in the land where you walk by, in the water you bathe in, and in the air you breathe in and out. You are a witness to all these, hence the miniature bits of gloom climb upon you. Still you have to deal with it, for it is the norm. You look up in the sky to redeem your exuberance, but he, that used to beam with the sun, suddenly seems pale. Maybe he too, sympathizes with the world. This chaos doesn’t reach subtlety even as you rode the jeepney. The streets you are leaving carries on, being the rowdy vacuum that it is.
You travel for a while. You call out “Manong para po”, and the vehicle stops moving. You step down from the pedestal and went on to your destination. People are walking briskly. Bound left, geared right- all directions of different plights. Every fleeting moment of travel brings about diverse experiences for all. Some of those might be good while others are possibly bad nevertheless; all are bound up in the bow of pink and sky blue footbridges.
You see various faces: the pretty, the unsightly, the confident, the timid, the typical and the exotic. Your eyes have so much to busy themselves with while your mind tries to process as much as it could. It is a plethora of visage. Your senses shut down for a while. After a few blinks, you regain your composure. Walk on again there’s no time to spare. Your class is going to start in twenty minutes. You ride another jeepney; it is your last ride (thank God). You get on the vehicle hastily then view the flux of images: buildings, roads and billboards. Now, lower your head and support it with your clenched fists. It is going to be a long day.
Getting used to these things may take a while, but you must find a way. If you get pass the place’s worn out coat, you might just find beauty. It is something that you might have overlooked because you paid attention to the petty details. The stench, the sights and the chaos may reveal the purest souls. Consider that a place is not worthwhile because it seems like it; it is because it feels like it. Indeed the place is not as pleasant as the other cities. The parks are numbered; the architecture is not as outstanding; squatters are sited on the undeveloped areas. If that is case, how do you make this place feel like home?
Get Help. Six months of staying in Manila will teach you the appreciation of the unconventional. It doesn’t matter that you get burned by the scorching heat while walking. It doesn’t matter that you would have to work for your own. What truly mattered was: this guard who was kind enough to share his umbrella while you were picking up your things. It might also be that lady who was a stranger to you, but voluntarily gave you ten pesos because the driver can’t break your bill. You could also add to your list, the jeepney driver who spared you a peso despite his great needs. These people attest to the fact that Metro Manila is a place where every stranger may be your neighbor who’s willing to help. It is a dwelling where no one lives for themselves alone. Yes, one spends their every second in fulfillment of personal goals, but all is ready to take on the small bits of work for others. Here, helping is not a means of survival. It is a choice people willingly take. It is a custom. It is home.
Crack. As soon as you feel the warmth of the people, you begin to crack open the eggshell encaging you. You are now slowly putting forth your arms to establish your territory. It is your own way of proclaiming, I am no long a Martian. “I am a part of this cluster. I am a new neighbor!” With this assurance you now make others now of your presence. You are no longer an observant. You are a partaker. Start showing your gifts, you can still improve those. This place can provide you with the superior learning for your crafts. Knowing this, you try to be more. Once you’re getting better, your drive goes up the roof. More challenges excite you. The urge makes you want to stay here longer. At this point, the address has stick to you.
Emerge. Give yourself a few months and the peak of the development will be reached. Only, it doesn’t end there-you would still want more. Not from the same field, you’d want to experiment with another.Luckily you’re in the center of the country. You could study the indigenous cultures here; although these may not be as dense as it can be in provinces. What the capital has to offer is fusion; a mix of traditions of the locals with some traces of foreign ethnicity. With several contributors to thank for, the metro booms with new concepts, new perspectives and new ideals. It introduces you to an entirely new world. This fast-paced world flexes as the people do. It acquaints you to issues that you are aware of but you haven’t experienced firsthand. These experiences link you to other Filipinos. The awareness it hands over widens your view of the horizon. It showcases the clash between poverty and prosperity. It features the most honed minds and those that were not given the opportunity to grow (as much) yet. It gives you a three-dimensional view of the entire country through its residents. This outlook helps you seek your passion which may it be political, environmental, or social; something bigger than what you expect. It will bring about a drastic change- you will redefine your persona. You will have strengthened your stature as a Filipino and become a Manilenyo. This is now your home.
In this home of yours you see suffering, and a great deal of flaws. On contrary, you see people still smiling. Little kids who work on the streets giggling. Ate’s and Kuya’s endearing their patrons with
their jokes and their little business talks. If they, whom you think suffer greatly, are smiling shouldn’t you be smiling as well? Life can be pretty hard at times, but you always seem to bear with it. That gloomy look of yours won’t do you any good. Your game face should only be put up in games. Those won’t work for each day, hence, for what it’s worth -put on that smirk of yours. Who knows, you might just have a great day.
