March 11th, 2019

March 7, 2019

  I’ve been typing up all these post and not posting them so I want to sorry for that everyone. This will be my most current post that shall post on March 11^th. Midterms should be in two weeks! I can’t believe this semester is already almost over. I do know that I’m having a bit of trouble this year in the subjects that I actually like due to me not being able to absorb the content. I’m going to have to do a lot of studying this coming week.

  For those of you who actually read these I do appreciate the attention you give. I’m sorry that I’ve been on and off on these. I do write to you guys. I lack in actually posting them. So, I’m hoping that I can schedule what all I have typed up for you that way you have something to read.

  Gaming: Not many Filipinos play games. If they do, it’s Mobile Legends or League of Legends. Card games are considered gambling. One of my friends asked me if I wanted to be the Dungeon Master when I returned home and I got excited. I told my friends here that I wanted to try to play this game with them. It’s proven to be more complicated than they expected and well… I’m probably not helping with my complicated way of thinking but I do hope that I can guide them through a game before I leave.

  If you’re not sure what game I’m referring to, I’m talking about Dungeons and Dragons. I had brought my book over from the U.S because I hoped there was a group here that I could play with and it turned out that the game didn’t exist. At least, not in my city.

  When I first arrived in the Philippines my communication skills lacked and they still do but I can communicate comfortably with these three so I’m hoping this goes well. I have them set up for the most part. The only thing now is to have them place their ability scores in what they think they should do. My girl best friend wants to look up more about the game before she chooses her scores and I understand that.

  Something interesting about this game is that most of the Filipinos I know aren’t aware of medieval times so I get to teach them history as well as English. I’m hoping that we can exchange Ilocano and English and help me build a vocabulary this way. I hope the story that I set for them isn’t too hard to follow.

  What I noticed in the generation of Filipinos from the ages 16-21 is that they don’t have concrete problem solving skills. My friends are smart and I’m sure they’ll figure it out but I wanted to present them with a situation to test that skill and to help them practice it. I originally made the campaign for my friends back home but since there are less of them and a none of them have played the game I made it smaller.

  Language Learning: When I go home to San Emilio, it’s easier for me to pick up on Itneg and I can actually practice it with one of my friends in Abra. However, his Itneg doesn’t always line up with mine. Usually, there is only an accent difference but occasionally there is a major difference. I’ve learned that his Itneg is closer to Filipino while my family’s Itneg is closer to Ilocano.

  I have two tutors again this year. I told my Ilocano tutor that my major difficulty is my lack in vocabulary and he informed me that even the Ilocano speakers of today have that issue. He enlightened me that even though Ilocano is what the teachers speak during 1^st grade to 3^rd grade, they don’t actually teach Ilocano. During 4^th to 6^th (maybe 7^th?) the teachers are told to use Filipino and for 8^th to 12^th they are pushed to use English. Technology is usually introduced in 11^th and 12^th grade and that blows my mind. Some may or may not be introduced due to the lack of funds.

  Out of all the languages I can attempt to speak, Ilocano is the most likely. If I spent more time with my family it would probably be Itneg instead of Ilocano but I spend more time in the city. (Not that I don’t like spending time with my family) It’s that traveling all the way there is not cost efficient). I can understand more Ilocano than Filipino.

  Now, this is going to be confusing but I have to clarify something. People will argue with me but this is what my teachers have told me. Filipino is not the same as Tagalog. Tagalog is a dialect of Filipino spoken in Manila. Filipino is the national language which is standardized. As I said, this is what my teachers have told me and I’m going to stand by it but I won’t argue what is what because well, if there’s a language I do know it’s English but I still have trouble with that language…

  That being said… I can sing, write, and read in Filipino but I cannot understand it. How is this possible? There are song in ‘Filipino’ and I can mimic the sounds that the singers make but that doesn’t mean I know what they’re talking about. Writing in Filipino is pretty easy due to the fact that I understand how to sound out the words and I understand the format in which Filipino follows.

  Ilocano is the most spoken language around me. This makes it easier for me to grasp the language. However, what people don’t understand is just because I can understand the words that are presented to me, it doesn’t meant that I can present the words from my own mental word bank and it’s frustrating.

Overall: People have asked me, “How can you not speak the languages of the Philippines? You’ve been here since April right? This past almost year has been useless if you can’t speak the languages.”

  Let me tell you. I know that I’ve improved and I wish that I could only focus on one language. I can’t exactly prevent the other feeds of languages from coming into my mental feed. Through the people I’ve interacted with I learn as much as I can but language learning has proven to be the most difficult challenge for me as of yet.

  I would also like to mention the ‘s’ that is tagged to the word ‘language’. When I first got to this country I could hear a difference between Itneg and Ilocano but I didn’t know why. Now, I understand what the difference is between the two languages. I still get Ilocano and Filipino mixed up. However, I do know that I recognize Ilocano words easier than Filipino ones when they are spoken. When Filipino is written I can see that it’s Filipino and to be honest, I think that’s enough proof to show that I’ve improved.

  So no. I am not fluent in ANY of the THREE languages that I’m having to learn. But, at least I can tell the difference between the three. I hope that within time, I can speak all three. I really do. There has been a lot that I’ve overcome this past year and I don’t feel that this past year has been a waste. I’m enjoying my time here and I want to continue to learn through my friends and family.

This turned into a rant, I’m sorry everyone.

Thanks for listen,

DJ/Cho/Nar

Keep up with me at the following:

Ask Questions Here

 This will send me an email with your questions you don’t have to leave a name. I will post the answer to the blog!

 Facebook

      This is mainly for communication so go ahead, add me. Message me every once in a while so that I remember who you are. Otherwise, I'll delete you at the end of the year when I clear through my facebook lol.

 Instagram

       I follow anyone who follows me! This is mainly pictures of where I go!

 Wattpad

 If I don’t write a post here there’s probably a chance that I have written something on my Wattpad because there I post poems! They are shorter reads with more meaning. I am currently working on two poetry books but the more important one that ties into this travel blog is called ‘A Barrier Meant To Be Broken’.