It is the morning of Friday June 27th. It's early but somehow we are all still not quite on the right time from traveling. We have done so much in the last couple of days that it is going to be hard to process and make coherent sense of....but here goes.
On Wednesday we began the day with an incredible breakfast in the hotel that includes food from all over Asia and Europe...well, the world really. Quite obscene really but tasty. Then we met with Norberto and. Alex, our in-country consultants who are also teachers and they began to talk to to us about the geography and history of the Philippines. What stood out to me during this talk was the amount of recent history and events that are completely significant in bringing the country to its current position.....and it made me sit back and question if there is a 'timeframe' for significant events before a country gets in to a 'lull'....for example is the USA in a lull right now, or is it really more like the human body, where ailments and growth patterns happen at different stages in the life of an individual?
The most current news is the impeachment of senators due to misuse of government spending and this is perhaps just the beginning of more things coming to light. In addition, they are working on a peaceful resolve with the peace process in. Mindanao where there is a Muslim minority seeking greater autonomy, and then maritime disputes with China over the South China Sea. While we don't have the same exact issues in New Mexico and the USA, it's interesting to see patterns and correlations across nations. ....corruption, access to resources and delineation of who owns what and who has power and access to rights.
In the afternoon we were able to visit the US Embassy. We met with several people including Ambassador Goldberg. As each person spoke about the issues and programs that exist between the Philippines and USA, I began to smile at how insulated I am from the art of foreign policy and diplomacy and how hard it is to do do and how quickly it can change based on sometimes the smallest of events. What I had not considered before very much, although it started in our February meetings in DC, was the role education plays in building relations with different countries. The are many programs that have been developed between the Philippines and the USA, Palme beginning in 1948. Again, as as we all know and are in the midst of, there is nothing more significant than being in a country to learn about it...the stereotypical images are erased and a more internal and genuine understanding arises. So how do we do this more so that our children, no matter what country they are from, have a greater and better understanding of the situation and reality of others. Would the world be a better place if we could accomplish this? How do you balance national pride with global understanding and empathy?