Aspirations

[Jake]

Hello Demeter,Judy and I sincerely hope that you and your family are doing well. Impressive background you have -- teacher of languages and dialects. I can't even imagine how to learn and teach an another alien language to someone else that is also alien. Hell, I can't even pronounce my own name "Joaquin" sometimes. For example: an language from Australia has got to be your most difficult! (joke lang Boss Man).Anyway, a thought came to mind in offering you a challenge. Maybe it's my wicked way ofkeeping your mind active during one of those low energy days. We all have our bad daysbut yours is even deeper. Maybe it's my wicked way to try to put a smile on your face.With all those different clients seeking your professional teaching, I would assume you have many insights of their individual cultures and behaviors. For example, how are the otherexpats like Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese coping with the Philippines. Do they have similar concerns like the members of this forum? I'm also curious what the local editorials in radioand newspaper are saying about the expat population in Cebu area. And more importantly,what can we do to make things better (besides financially). Which leads to my challenge.If Demeter was elected to be the next mayor of Cebu, what would be her aspirations inimproving the quality of life for both locals and foreigners. You will get my vote anyway no matter what your response might be. Please forgive mywicked ways......Respectfully -- Jake

[Demeter]

Hello Demeter,Judy and I sincerely hope that you and your family are doing well. Impressive background you have -- teacher of languages and dialects. I can't even imagine how to learn and teach an another alien language to someone else that is also alien. Hell, I can't even pronounce my own name "Joaquin" sometimes. For example: an language from Australia has got to be your most difficult! (joke lang Boss Man).Anyway, a thought came to mind in offering you a challenge. Maybe it's my wicked way ofkeeping your mind active during one of those low energy days. We all have our bad daysbut yours is even deeper. Maybe it's my wicked way to try to put a smile on your face.With all those different clients seeking your professional teaching, I would assume you have many insights of their individual cultures and behaviors. For example, how are the otherexpats like Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese coping with the Philippines. Do they have similar concerns like the members of this forum? I'm also curious what the local editorials in radioand newspaper are saying about the expat population in Cebu area. And more importantly,what can we do to make things better (besides financially). Which leads to my challenge.If Demeter was elected to be the next mayor of Cebu, what would be her aspirations inimproving the quality of life for both locals and foreigners. You will get my vote anyway no matter what your response might be. Please forgive mywicked ways......Respectfully -- Jake

Hi Jake! No, it's not wicked of you to do this, it's amusing as certainly there is an assumption rooted from the idea of me being a language teacher.When I was still working at a language school, I was teaching the English language to Koreans, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese and few Arab students. I don't speak any of the languages spoken by these students and it's really an uphill task to make students learn something which is completely Greek to them.However, luckily, most of these students have studied English in their respective countries. The only downside was that they were taught English using their native language. Unlike here, teachers don't teach the English language using Cebuano or Tagalog as basically we are using English as the medium of instruction. The way students speak in their native tongue greatly affects the way they speak English. Teaching these students involves the UNLEARNING PROCESS which means, you have to make them get rid of the wrong learning they've acquired when studying the language in their native tongue.In Nihonggo (Japanese) and Hangul (Korean) the basic sentence pattern is presented this way; Subject - Object - Verb which is different from the English sentence pattern which is; Subject - Verb - Object.For example: In English we say, "I love you." In Japanese and Korean, they say, "I you love."So the challenge there is making the students think in English and concretize their thoughts by speaking in the conventional English pattern, and No, it's NOT EASY as their language has been with them since birth. We also encounter the same problem with their pronunciation. Koreans and Japanese are confused with the letters L and R. As a teacher, you have to give practical drills that will give them the opportunity to practice the proper pronunciation of words. Oftentimes, misunderstandings between students and teachers happen because of the students' erroneous pronunciation. And again, it's NOT EASY as their tongues have been with them since birth.Now regarding your question about expats from these countries, I think we need to define the word "expat" first. The word "expat" is the short form of the word "expatriate" which is defined as : 1. to banish (a person) from his or her native country. 2. to withdraw (oneself) from residence in one's native country. 3. to withdraw (oneself) from allegiance to one's country.Obviously, the expats that we are talking about are those that belong to definition 2. Well, most Korean students are university students. They come here to study English and not to stay here for good. Most of them go to English speaking countries when they think they have learned passable English skill that will enable them to interact with people in an environment where their only means of communicating is by speaking English, this is what we call Immersion. Taiwanese, Chinese and younger Japanese students do the same. I have had a few students who are Japanese retirees. They study English because they want to be able to travel anywhere. However, some of them are living here for good because, like some Western expats, they are married to young Filipinas.I don't want to answer your question regarding the hypothetical situation of me becoming the next mayor of Cebu as I hate Politics. That's far from reality and if I want to make a difference I have to start it with me and getting better from my illness is the first step to doing that.

[Demeter]

With all those different clients seeking your professional teaching, I would assume you have many insights of their individual cultures and behaviors. For example, how are the otherexpats like Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese coping with the Philippines. Do they have similar concerns like the members of this forum?

Most of my students before were in their early twenties. Most of their complaints regarding Cebu were about taxi drivers not giving the right change, the slow service at supermarkets, the dirty pavements, flying cockroaches, people getting married unprepared and having many children when people don't have the means of giving them proper education. They don't experience these things in their respective countries so it's difficult for them to understand why people here are behaving the way they do. However, they are impressed by the Filipino people's outlook in life, the way Filipinos treat them and they believe we are a group of optimistic people. Despite this impression, some of them really look down upon Filipinos. I've had encounters with students who bluntly called Filipinos "cockroaches and stupid people." If you asked for my opinion of Korean people, you wouldn't hear a pleasant one.

[Jake]

With all those different clients seeking your professional teaching, I would assume you have many insights of their individual cultures and behaviors. For example, how are the otherexpats like Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese coping with the Philippines. Do they have similar concerns like the members of this forum?

Most of my students before were in their early twenties. Most of their complaints regarding Cebu were about taxi drivers not giving the right change, the slow service at supermarkets, the dirty pavements, flying cockroaches, people getting married unprepared and having many children when people don't have the means of giving them proper education. They don't experience these things in their respective countries so it's difficult for them to understand why people here are behaving the way they do. However, they are impressed by the Filipino people's outlook in life, the way Filipinos treat them and they believe we are a group of optimistic people. Despite this impression, some of them really look down upon Filipinos. I've had encounters with students who bluntly called Filipinos "cockroaches and stupid people." If you asked for my opinion of Korean people, you wouldn't hear a pleasant one.

Thank you for your great insight of other foreigners living in PI. Unfortunately, I must agree in their observation of Filipinos in general. I hate to say this but progress for quality of life in most Far Eastern countries is not moving forward. When will all the security walls, with broken pieces of glass embedded at the top be torn down between corrupted rich and the poor? Whenwill that symbol go away?Respectfully -- JakePS -- Yes ma'am, I hate politics as well, even here in USA

[Demeter]

Thank you for your great insight of other foreigners living in PI. Unfortunately, I must agree in their observation of Filipinos in general. I hate to say this but progress for quality of life in most Far Eastern countries is not moving forward. When will all the security walls, with broken pieces of glass embedded at the top be torn down between corrupted rich and the poor? When will that symbol go away? Respectfully -- Jake PS -- Yes ma'am, I hate politics as well, even here in USA

You're always welcome, Jake. Unless greed and crab mentality motivate people's actions, that symbol won't go away, Jake. Edited April 18, 2010 by Mr. Lee
repair post placement

[Demeter]

You're always welcome, Jake. Unless greed and crab mentality motivate people's actions, that symbol won't go away, Jake.

Please, allow me to correct myself here. I noticed I've used double negatives. This is just the effect of not using my brain sometimes, hehehehehe....Unless greed and crab mentality motivate people's actions, that symbol will go away. Edited April 18, 2010 by Mr. Lee
repair quote

[Jake]

You're always welcome, Jake. Unless greed and crab mentality motivate people's actions, that symbol won't go away, Jake.

Please, allow me to correct myself here. I noticed I've used double negatives. This is just the effect of not using my brain sometimes, hehehehehe....Unless greed and crab mentality motivate people's actions, that symbol will go away.

Spoken like a true English teacher. I would have never notice that double negativeeither. But I do understand your feelings about crab mentality.As far as hopes and aspirations to make a little difference to the poor, my way is to give a random act of kindness to someone in need. A bottle of water or a large pizza offered to tricycle and jeepney drivers that service my immediate area is my small way to gain alliance in neighborhood watchers for myself and family. Of course therewill be some people who would try to take advantage but they will be discouragedimmediately.Respectfully -- Jake Edited April 18, 2010 by Mr. Lee
repair quotes