Namaste Readers,
It's weird how I measure distance in time (minutes/hours), but when I asked those I encountered whether Filipino or International, "distance" to them is measured in kilometers ( which still confuses me because I'm used to "miles" and oftentimes I'm too lazy to convert so I settle with "very far" ). What's even more odd is the distance that occurs to people with daily contact OR the closeness that happens to people from distant lands.
I've been living with my roomies for at least 1 month (30+ days), but in spite of my attempts to be social, they pretty much keep to themselves. When Roomie K sleeps usually by 11pm or 12am the lights and TV must be off, but when he feels like it, he'll surf the web. His computer screen or cubicle's florescent light, although faint, still glares sharper than an Edward Hopper cityscape painting.
The brothers are more reserved. Roomie J is just a freshman so shyness is just a given. Roomie L doesn't have a full schedule so he usually stays up until 4am, and naps in the daytime. The stereotypes about islanders being "insular" are proven accurate in these 3 people's situation. I'm just surprised that in a supposedly globally conscious world, some of the "educated" continue to have blinders.
On the other hand, I've had 3 meetings with a group of international students; I have a better understanding of their motivation and their cultural history ( plus its relation to World politics ). The situation is disheartening because in spite of sharing a Filipino language and culture [even if we came from different regions of the Philippines/World], my roomies and I are more strange to each other. On the contrary, using a foreign language [World English mixed with Globish] while recognizing a similar colonial history, I feel a closeness ( albeit its brevity ) with students from Sri Lanka and East Timor.
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