Monday, April 15, 2019

Update to the Ábout the Blog' Section


  Hello everyone, I’d like to paste the old ‘’About the Blog” her and the new Frequently Asked Questions. I’d like to hear what is on all of your minds. Let me know what questions you’d like me to answer and I will try my best to answer them! For now, I want everyone to at least read both of these because I took the time to put them together.

Old:

A lot of you who come across this page are here because you know me personally. I created this blog so that I could communicate with the mass of people that I've become friends with. Whether you're a friend, someone who is curious to see what I'm up to, or a complete stranger, here are ten facts that'll help you understand why I'm in the Philippines and what I'll be doing.

1) Why Danieljames Domar?

You'd be surprised how many men on the internet don't know how to function when playing video games with a female. This is one of the many reasons why I didn't use my actual name on the internet. Besides the obvious fact that almost everyone can see everything on the internet, I started to write stories online at a young age so I used this name as my author name as well.

2) Why the Philippines?

The plan is to get to the Philippines early and learn the language (or at least get a head start). Then, I'll be going to school for however long it takes.

3) What are you majoring in?

I'll be going for a teaching degree. Whether it's up to junior high education or a couple levels above that- I won't know until I get there and see how their degrees differ from the US.

4) Is there an idea of how long you'll be in the Philippines?

Two years, maybe longer.

5) Aren't you in a relationship?

Literally almost everyone has asked this so I'll add this in here. This trip isn't about him. It's about me. I want to do this in order to better myself. It doesn't matter what he thinks. But, if you all must know, he wants me to do what I think is best for me. Don't get me wrong, I love him. As I said before, this trip isn't about him, if you ask me about him I may or may not answer your comments.

6) Do you know how to speak the language(s)?

Nope. It is sad but true. There are many languages my family on my mother's and father's side know but I know how to speak English. I actually know more Spanish than I know any language in the Philippines. (The lack in this skill is looked down upon).

7) What are you going to do when you come back?

Hopefully, I can be a tutor when I come back. I know for a fact that it is impossible to teach 25-30 kids the exact same way in an hour and expect them to understand everything that you teach them. There are also adults that do not know how to read and I feel that I want to be able to help them as well.

8) How often are you going to be posting on this blog?

I'm shooting for once a week. If there is a way for me to update y'all more than once a week I will but the connection there is different depending on my location so I'll probably be writing on my laptop and only posting when I have enough connection to do so.

9) Is college the same as it is in America?

No. This is why I said I'll be updating once a week at least. I'll never know when the next time I have connection is. Honestly, I don't know how college works there. 

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New: About The Blog

Frequently asked questions:

1.       Why did you chose to study in the Philippines?
It is cheaper and more efficient to go to school in the Philippines. Granted, I’ve found out that the only major that is considered workable in the United States is through the college of medicine… but! I wouldn’t trade this past year for anything else. I’ve learned a lot since I’ve come to the Philippines in April 2018

2.       Don’t you have to speak like a different language there?

Yes, I’m exposed to four actually. In Vigan people speak Ilocano. However, the Ilocano spoken here is different from the Ilocano spoken in my mother’s hometown. My family that lives in Paltoc, San Emilio speaks Itneg and an older version of Ilocano. My family that lives in Pangasinan speak English and Ilocano but the locals speak Pangalatot and I can’t understand that language at all. The national language is Filipino but there’s a dialect called Tagalog and the words are sometimes interchanged.

3.       You’ve been here since April, how do you not know how to speak the languages?
It is very frustrating for me to not be able to speak the four languages that I’m exposed to. Trust me. But I have improved since I’ve stepped foot in the Philippines. I can read Tagalog (or Filipino), I can sing the language, and I can write it. However, speaking it and understand it is difficult for me.
The easiest language for me to pick up on is Itneg. My family in Paltoc speak that and I have an easy access to people who can translate the language for me. It’s also the language I’ve been exposed to the longest.

It’s odd but I have the best chance in speaking Ilocano and understanding the locals. However, since there is no standardized way to spell in Ilocano I don’t know how to spell in Ilocano nor write in it.
Don’t ask me about Pangalatot because I don’t even have the memory capacity to recognize it. The only reason why I know it’s the language that the locals are speaking is because it’s the only language that makes my brain go “?!”

This will make you laugh but my English gets worse the more I learn in these languages.
An interesting thing I should mention is that some Spanish words are the same in Tagalog or Filipino. However, they may not mean the same thing so that makes it that much more confusing. But, sometimes, I remember how to say something in Spanish. The only issue is that the people don’t understand Spanish here so I can’t use it.

Ex: Siempre (Texas-Spanish) – Always

Siempre (Tagalog) – Of course

4.       What are you majoring in?

I’m currently going for Elementary Education.

5.       Don’t you miss your parents?

Not really. They’re family and they will always be there for me and I’ll always be there for them. We’re adults after all. In the Filipino culture family is closer than the family that I have in the United States. I can safely say that the culture I grew up with allows me to be on the other side of the world without worrying about my parents. After all, as I said, they’re adults and so am I.

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 I'd like to know any questions that come to mind. Don't be afraid to message me on Facebook or send a questions through Ask Questions Here. I'll also do my best to answer you through Instagram if you message me through Instagram! You're also welcome to email me: Lusterdragon72@gmail.com


It's sort of an update,
Thanks for tuning in!
DJ/Cho/Nar


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