日本とフィリピン: みんなちがって、みんないい

I first came to Japan summer of 2001 for 3-months JICA Farm Management Training at the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) in Tsukuba Science City. At that time, I was privileged to stay at the JICA Training Center where there were other Filipino trainees, and most of the residents are foreign trainees from developing nations. Even with the occasional events and study tours, and the lectures on Japanese culture, what I　observed was more of the Japanese academic community culture. I was interested to learn the Nihongo language then, but in three months and with a paper I needed to produce, all I managed to remember were the classic Konnichiwa, Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Konbangwa, Sayonara, Itadakimasu, and Gochisu sama, not to mention the dame word kuso that a Japanese colleague kindly taught me with a stern warning never to use it because I’m a lady. Apart from the methods and the research discipline I learned from my research adviser and colleagues at the laboratory then, my best memories of those three-months were my times together with nine wonderful women, some old enough to be my okaasan, mostly my oneesan. They were administrative assistants from the varied laboratories at NARC, and we always ate our obento together. We had proper seats then so we always knew who was not around. Not a day passed without a good laugh. I can still picture that room and each of their faces, and that one beautiful lunchtime when I blew candles for my birthday.

Five years after, I’m back, and this time in this brave new world of Kochi, a sister province of Benguet province, my hometown. It’s been more than three months now, and it’s altogether another wonderful experience. My first few weeks were not easy as I practically doomed myself to thinking that I’m a forlorn figure in this part of the world, despite having the kindest adviser anybody can have. As weeks drew into months though, my phone calls gradually waned from daily to weekly, and I gradually saw the beauty of this humble, quiet, and safe community. Just as the shinkansen has not started running in its rails yet, life in Kochi is not yet as fast-paced as in Tokyo or other bigger cities in Japan. I see people from neighboring houses shouting Ohayou behind fences, and taking time to chat, sharing a word or two. They still probably know who lives in the house next door, and it warms my heart just watching them. I also like the times when a simple question gets me talking with old women or men in the train or in the bus, which becomes a springboard for a longer talk. I am always willing to try my newly learned Nihongo words, and they are always more than willing to tolerate my struggling Nihongo or practice their Eigo, and we always end up having a fun conversation. There was even a time I had so much fun that I completely forgot to drop my fare, so I had to pay to the next street car that came by. Though I have yet to make a buddy, my acquaintances in Kochi so far are kindhearted, helpful, and have a zest for life and learning. And true to their being Japanese, they are health buffs, and given to challenges, which probably explain their long average lifespan. This passion and goal for long life among the Japanese is contagious, and it’s probably one of the first things I am psyched up thus far.

In these two periods, I’m always asked to compare my country and Japan. It’s easy to do that when one thinks logically. It’s almost always like a stereotyped comparison of a developed country and a developing country from the perspective of economics. Japan is rich; the Philippines is poor. Japan’s population is decreasing; the Philippine population is increasing. Transportation is convenient in Japan; it is inconvenient in the Philippines. Japan’s culture is traditionally rich; the Philippine culture is a mix of traditional and an agglomeration of varied cultures from foreign colonizers. It can go on and on and on. But the following line from the poem written by Kaneko Misuzu perfectly captures and describes what I personally think about Japan and the Philippines, or about the Filipinos and Japanese, or between any nations or peoples for that matter:

“鈴と小鳥, それから私, みんなちがって、みんないい”.
(Suzu to kotori, sorekara, watashi, minna chigatte, minna ii)

In parallel, nations and peoples are diverse, and when one recognizes and appreciates this diversity, one can say with great confidence in the creator God that indeed, minna chigatte minna ii. What is even more amazing with this perspective is even within nations and peoples, individuals are diverse and have varied capacities. And however, great are the temptations to generalize and say that living in Japan is safer or living in the Philippines is impossible; Filipinos are warm and sweet, and Japanese are distant and withdrawn; or that Americans are peace-loving and Muslims are trouble-makers, there are just too many cases and situations when one is proved grossly wrong or proved otherwise.

And so with this perspective, I try to live my life, and enjoy each day here in Kochi. With this perspective, I look forward to three years more of living with the Japanese brethren. And as I learn from them, enjoy their hospitality, and share my life with them, I know that just as there is life sublime in the Philippines despite all its tribulations, there is too here in Japan despite its vast economic resources.

(This is an article published in the Akebono No. 25 :March, 2007 - a publication produced by the Kochi University Volunteer Association for Foreign Students circulated within the association members.)

He gave me you; He gave you me

Intro: D-D2-G/D2 (2x)

D Asus Bm
It’s amazing how He worked
A G
to make us see
D Asus G
That He was bringing our hearts together
Bm F#m
Though a glimpse of His intention
C G
was all we could sense
A Asus A
By His goodness He made us see
D D7
His plan for us
G Asus
I thank Him for you
F#m Bm
And for making me see
Em D
That He gave me you
Asus D
and He gave you me


G Asus D G Asus D
He gave me you; He gave you me
Em F#m G
This is what He instilled in our hearts
Asus A
from the start
Bm F#m G D
So there you are and here I am
Em D Asus D
We are ready and willing to be made one


E B E A B E
He gave me you; He gave you me
F#m G#m A
This is what He instilled in our hearts
Bsus B
from the start
C#m G#m A E
So there you are and here I am
F#m E Bsus E
We are ready and willing to be made one


F C F Bb C F
So let’s now make our vows in Him
Gm Am Bb
For this is what He made us long for
Csus C
from the start
Dm Am Bb F
So here I am ready to be your man
Gm F
Cause He gave me you
Csus F
and He gave you me


“Cheryll,”

Dm Am Bb F
Here I am ready to be your man
Gm F
Cause He gave me you
Csus F
and He gave you me


Dm-Am-Bb-F-Gm-F-Csus-F


* The Lord gave me the above song while i was praying for Cheryll few weeks before our wedding. I sang it for her during the bridal march. It reflects the theological framework from which we both understand and see our relationship.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

In the grace of Christ...


Together with our parents...


We, Marlon and Cheryll...

thank you all for worshipping God with us when He made us one flesh on Saturday, the seventeenth day of March Two Thousand and Seven at nine-thirty in the morning at the Benguet State University Gymnasium, La Trinidad, Benguet.
... charged from the Scriptures
Ephesians 5:21-33Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ...
...Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
...Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her......For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

...signed

...solemnized

...witnessed by our second parents





...witnessed by family and friends

...celebrated

Japanese Class Closing Ceremony Speech

Following was what I nervously delivered infront of my seven able Japanese teachers, and other Kochi University staff:

こんにちは。先ず、わたくしは文部科学省と高知大学に日本で勉強のチャンスをあたえてもらったので、かんしゃいたします。私のしどうきょうかんにも、にほんにきてから、たいへんおせわになっていますので、かんしゃいたします。日本語の先生たちにもねっしんに教えていただいて、心からかんしゃいたします。もちろん、留学生センターの人にもいろいろなことを手伝ってもらったので、高知だいがくの生活に早くなれることができて、どうもありがとうございました。わたしはめぐまれているということを、かみさまにかんしゃいたします。

予備教育の授業でたくさんのことをならいました。はじめは日本語の勉強はハイペースで難しいと思いましたが、だんだん楽しく、おもしろくなりました。日本語を勉強するために、先生たちにいろいろなほうほうをつかっていただいて、いろいろなイベントにもさそっていただきました。

今わたくしの日本語の文法は時々まちがって、まだじょうずではありませんが、ひらがなとカタカナがほとんど読めるし、日本語で少し話せるようになったので、とてもうれしいです。また、いちど、じぶんでほけんセンターとせいけいびょういんにいって、レントゲンをとることができました。そのとき「これからのさんねんかんの高知のせいかつはだいじょうぶそうですね」とうれしくなりました。せんせいたちがおしえてくれた日本語はとてもやくにたちます。

漢字もすこしおぼえられました。漢字のいみがわかるのは大切だと思います。でも勉強した漢字はすぐわすれてしまうので、たくさんおぼえられるようにがんばっています。今日本ごを楽しいくよむ本をよんでいます。とてもおもしろいです。

四月から、くろしおの大学院で勉強します。新しい農業けいざいの研究のほうほうを勉強したいので、これからの三ねんかんがとても楽しみです。日本語も続けて勉強したいから、もし農学部で日本語のクラスがあって、じかんがあったら、うけたいです。

最後に日本語の先生たちにたいへんおせわになりましたから、もういちどおれいをいいます。どうもありがとうございました。よていがかわってしまい、すみませんでした。

わたしの話をがまんしてって、ありがとうございました。

これからもよろしくおねがいします。

Five hours after that, I was on my way home to the Philippines to get wed.

New Year Celebration . . . Again, Why?

THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR

The Julian year was 11 min and 14 sec longer than the solar year. This discrepancy accumulated until y 1582 the vernal equinox occurred 10 days early and Church holidays did not occur in the appropriate
seasons. To make the vernal equinox occur on or about March 21, as it had in ad 325, the year of the First Council of Nicaea, Pope Gregory XIII issued a decree dropping 10 days from the calendar. To prevent further displacement he instituted a calendar, known as the Gregorian calendar, that provided that century years divisible evenly by 400 should be leap years and that all other century years should be common years. Thus, 1600 was a leap year, but 1700 and 1800 were common years.

The Gregorian calendar, or New Style calendar, was slowly adopted throughout Europe. It is used today throughout most of the Western world and in parts of Asia. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Great Britain in 1752, a correction of 11 days was necessary; the day after September 2, 1752, became September 14. Britain also adopted January 1 as the day when a new year begins. The Soviet Union adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, and Greece adopted it in 1923 for civil purposes, but many countries affiliated with the Greek Church retain the Julian, or Old Style, calendar for the celebration of Church feasts.

The Gregorian calendar is also called the Christian calendar because it uses the birth of Jesus Christ as a starting date. Dates of the Christian era (see Chronology) are often designated ad (Latin anno domini, “in the year of our Lord”) and bc (before Christ). Although the birth of Christ was originally given as December 25, 1 bc, modern scholars now place it about 4 bc. Because the Gregorian calendar still entails months of unequal length, so that dates and days of the week vary through time, numerous proposals have been made for a more practical, reformed calendar. Such proposals include a fixed calendar of 13 equal months and a universal calendar of four identical quarterly periods. Thus far, none has been adopted.

Source: Microsoft ® Encarta ® Premium Suite 2005.
© 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation

CELEBRATION?

Christians and non-Christians alike around the world celebrate the New Year every year. The New Year’s Day for every country depends on what calendar it has adopted. For us Filipinos, as we know, we follow the Gregorian calendar. But whatever calendar a country follows, the most important issue for us Christians, I believe, is what motivates each of us to take part in this yearly celebration. The following list indicates some possible motivations of Christians:

A. Idolatrous
1. Tradition . . . handed down practice that must be kept.
2. Craze . . . what everyone does and is up to at present.
3. Holiday . . . the New Year’s Day itself.
4. Escapism . . . forgetting of unpleasant daily life realities.
5. Diversion . . . shift in normal interest.
6. Exploration . . . discovery of something.
7. Duty and Obligation . . . subscription and compliance to church’s imposition.
8. Disinterest . . . indifference on reason for celebration.
9. Filler . . . something to get self busy with.
10. Religious shame . . . unworthy feeling for being less pious.
11. Biblical Holiday . . . holiday instituted by Scripture.
12. Unforgettable experience . . . something that has occurred that we treasure.
13. Superstition . . . false supernatural perspectives.

B. God-glorifying
14. Gladness in the Lord . . . sense of gratitude to God for who He is and what He has done . . . worship and thanksgiving.

(Posted at the Youth Corner, Hope Presbyterian Church, Baguio City)

The “Santa Claus” Syndrome

Santa Claus (folklore), the legendary Christmas gift-bringer, a fat jolly white-bearded man dressed in a red suit trimmed with white, and driving a sleigh full of toys drawn through the air by eight reindeer. Santa Claus (also called St Nicholas, St Nick, or Father Christmas), so the story goes, visits every home on Christmas Eve, descending down the chimney to leave presents under the tree and in the stockings of all good children. Although this familiar image of Santa Claus was introduced into the United States from Holland in the 17th century, and into England from Germany in the mid-19th century, it has roots in ancient European folklore and has influenced celebrations of Christmas worldwide.

St Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop of Asia Minor noted in early Christian legend for saving storm-tossed sailors, defending young children, and especially for giving generous gifts to the poor. Although many of the stories about Nicholas are of doubtful authenticity (such as his delivering a bag of gold by dropping it down a chimney), his legend spread widely throughout Europe, emphasizing his role as a traditional bringer of gifts. The Christian St Nicholas replaced or ncorporated various pagan gift-giving figures such as the Roman Befana and the Germanic Berchta and Knecht Ruprecht. The saint was called Sankt Nikolaus in Germany and Sanct Herr Nicholaas or Sinterklaas in Holland. In these countries Nicholas was sometimes said to ride through the sky on a horse delivering gifts. He wore a bishop's robes, and was at times accompanied by Black Peter, an elf whose job was to whip naughty children. St Nicholas's Day, when presents were received, was originally celebrated on December 6 but, after the Reformation, German Protestants encouraged emphasis on the Christkindl (Christ child) as gift-giver on His own feast day, December 25. When the Nicholas tradition prevailed, it became attached to Christmas itself. (In 1969, because the saint's life was so thinly documented, Pope Paul VI ordered the feast of St Nicholas to be dropped from the official Roman Catholic calendar.) Ironically, the term Christkindl had evolved into Kriss Kringle, another nickname for Santa Claus.

Various other Christmas gift-givers in European folklore, such as Père Noël in France, Julenisse in Scandinavia, and Father Christmas in England, are loosely related to St Nicholas. But it was the Dutch figure, Sinter Klaas, which settlers brought with them to Nieuw Amsterdam (now New York), that inspired the American transformation of the figure and even gave him his name. The variation on his name, rendered as St A Claus, appeared as early as 1773 in the American press; however, it was the popular author Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of St Nicholas. In his History of New York (1809) published under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickbocker, Irving described the expected arrival of the saint on horseback (but without Black Peter) each St Nicholas Eve. This Dutch-American St Nick was fully Americanized in his now-familiar form in Clement Clarke Moore's well-known poem, first published in 1823, A Visit From Saint Nicholas, more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas. Moore included such details as the names of the reindeer, the laughs, winks, and nods of Santa's demeanour, and the method by which “the jolly old elf” gets back up the chimney. The rotund image of Santa Claus was further delineated by the artist Thomas Nast, who provided illustrations of Santa for Christmas issues of Harper's magazine from the 1860s to the 1880s. Nast added such details as Santa's workshop at the North Pole and Santa's keeping track of good and bad children in the world. Every year at Christmas time in many parts of the world, advertising, greeting cards, seasonal decorations, and the appearance of Santas in department stores uphold the modern legend of Santa Claus. Children write letters to Santa Claus and leave out food and drink for Santa's snack. In Britain, meanwhile, the image of Santa Claus as a rotund, friendly figure on a sleigh drawn by reindeer, began to appear on Christmas cards.

Source: Microsoft ® Encarta ® Premium Suite 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation

Giving on Christmas season, in itself, is not wrong because this is what true Christmas effects on us...God “gave” His only begotten Son. Receiving on Christmas season, in itself, is not also wrong because this is still what true Christmas benefits us with…God gave His only begotten Son to us and He enables His elect to receive Him. However, sometimes, we allow ourselves to be infected by the virus of the Santa Claus folklore and St. Nicholas tradition. Our “giving and receiving” becomes defined by the principles and practices that have descended from these folklore and tradition, and this is indicative of our acute spiritual decay. This acute spiritual decay we have is characterized by our IDOLATROUS GIVING AND RECEIVING on Christmas season, which comes in the following forms:

Philanthropic giving – one gives with the thought that he can improve
human welfare by his giving.
Legalistic giving – one gives with the thought that he can earn Christ’s favor by his giving.
Moralistic giving – one gives to fix people’s (especially children’s) bad morals.
Pharisaic giving – one gives with the thought that his righteousness rests on giving a lot.
Usurpative giving – one gives as if he owns what he gives and invites attention to himself.
Baalistic giving – one gives and Santa Claus is magnified side by side with, or in replacement to, Christ.
Craze giving – one gives with great enthusiasm in December, but not from January to November.
Mendicant receiving – one proactively receives out of confusing and/or equating receiving with begging.
Legalistic receiving – one receives with the thought that what he receives is a result of his own giving.
Moralistic receiving – one receives convincing himself having virtues deserving of gifts.
Opportunistic receiving – one proactively receives everything he can while many are giving.
Unaccountable receiving – one just receives on account of tradition without sense of gratitude.
Baalistic receiving – one receives and magnifies Santa Claus side by side with, or in replacement to, Christ.
Irresponsible receiving – one receives on account of tradition and just consumes what he receives without sense of faithfulness.

(Posted at the Youth Corner, Hope Presbyterian Church (HPC), Baguio City)

...Will Smith

' been busy with my Nihongo lessons, which runs from 8:50am to around 4:00pm everyday, so I haven't had time to post. Anyway, here's a word from Will Smith featured in the latest Reader's Digest. It's said so perfectly; it's a waste not to pass:

"There is no pain worse than not achieving a dream when it is your fault. If God did not want you to have it, that is one thing. But if you do not get what you desire because you are lazy, there is no pain worse than that."

Of course, we can always dismiss our failures by saying God probably didn't want us to have what we have dreamt of. Yet I think we know almost always if we did our best or if we had been lazy. Some say we tried our best, some say we didn't. Some say we could have done better, some say we did our best. But I think, in our hearts we know, and so, only we, know the pain.

I thank God for the small dreams, the small desires He afforded me in the past and are still granting me each day. I thank God, too, for those He didn't want me to have. I thank God still for the failures, and the things I could have achieved had I been more diligent, or should not have gone through had I been less stupid. Of course it would have been best if I didn't fail, and if I was able to achieve other things with more diligence, or if I didn't have to go through the painful consequences of my stupidity. God's grace and mercy in this, of which I'm a living witness, is that all things that happen in our life, even those which gave us pain and scars, and those we never imagined nor dreamt about that happened anyway, are used by our creator God to achieve His purpose. He does.

In Christ,
Che