Anyway, tonight I decided to post about two TV shows that I was able to watch today.
One was Pinoy Abroad in GMA News TV. I forgot what the title was. Rhea Santos went to China (I think it was a back episode). It showed some Chinese people who major in Philippine Studies in Beijing University. I was happy when I saw that they were learning the culture and the language of the Philippines. It made me smile when they spoke in straight Filipino and even sang "Bahay Kubo". :)
It's pleasing to know that people of foreign descent are interested and are learning about our culture. However, it is also sad that we, Filipinos, tend to overlook the beauty of the culture we have. It's true that we have to learn English, etcetera to keep up with the globalization. Still, this should be no excuse to forget our roots and not preserve them.
In my own experience, I did not really bother to be able to learn the Filipino language since I thought that if I happen to go to Manila or to converse with people who speak the language (I'm from Cebu and our language here is different), I'd only resort to speaking English. Having had my first Filipino class in college this semester, I realized that there are a lot of fascinating things about a language, the Filipino language to be specific. I realized that there are a lot of things I didn't know about it. I used to think that what I learned from elementary and high school were enough, but I thought wrong. The Filipino class I'm enrolled in made me feel more of a Filipino. It not only made me appreciate the language, but it also made me proud that I am part of a culture that is so colorful. :)
The next one is a documentary entitled Alkansya (piggy bank) by Kara David for i-Witness in GMA. The episode featured a boy named Anthony who was working as a diver just to be able to save up for new school supplies and uniform. However, the money he gets in a day is less than 50 pesos. He hardly gets to sleep because he is busy working and, at the same time, going to school. One of the things that left a mark on me was when Kara asked him what he wanted to be in the future. He answered that he wanted to finish studying and be a janitor so that he can work in Manila.
There is a law against forced child labor, but children like Anthony are forced to work so that they can send themselves to school. Others are already working so that they can help their parents earn a living to pay for their everyday necessities like food.
I felt pity for Anthony and at the same time regret for myself. I thought about what I did in the past, wasting time and effort, and my parents' money to send me to school. There are people who get an education to be able to work, but there are others who need to work to be able to get an education. We should not waste the opportunities and the blessings that are given to us. On that note, I shall close this post with a text message a friend sent me:
They say, "You can never realize the importance of a thing until it's gone." But I say, "It will never be gone unless you realize its importance."
There is a law against forced child labor, but children like Anthony are forced to work so that they can send themselves to school. Others are already working so that they can help their parents earn a living to pay for their everyday necessities like food.
I felt pity for Anthony and at the same time regret for myself. I thought about what I did in the past, wasting time and effort, and my parents' money to send me to school. There are people who get an education to be able to work, but there are others who need to work to be able to get an education. We should not waste the opportunities and the blessings that are given to us. On that note, I shall close this post with a text message a friend sent me:
They say, "You can never realize the importance of a thing until it's gone." But I say, "It will never be gone unless you realize its importance."
