Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Onli in Pinas: part 3: Lunchbreak re-location review center

Currently Digging: Longsilog

The longer I stay here, the more Pinoy I become. Who knows, in time maybe it'll be easier for me to type all this in tagalog... afterall, i'm learning a lot of tagalog words and getting used to hearing tagalog 24/7. :) Sad part is, if i don't use english, i might lose it. Oh well...

Being a pinoy, what is it? I don't know how to answer this exactly. But I'll share my story with you. Here it goes...

The week after Mr. Ondoy Typhoon hit Manila, our review center decided to relocate us to Quezon city. Apparently, there is a smaller probability that they will cancel any more classes due to severe weather conditions or flooding if we hold our classes in QC than in Manila. So okay, anyway it is easier for me to get there. It's just one jeepney and train away. No worries.

Got a text message Friday night (week after Mr. Ondoy), that they are cancelling class on Sat, for the anticipated arrival of Ms./Mr. Pepeng, another typhoon. Seems like it wasn't just me who got traumatized...hehehe... even the admin people got scared too. Anyway, that's a cool deal!!! No class! Fine.

The next week, we received another text message that they are PERMANENTLY moving all of our remaining classes to Quezon ave, QC. Ok, fine. The only problem is I really don't know where it is, how the vicinity looked like, etc.

Came Saturday, thank goodness for a sunny day. We got there on time. Along quezon ave, there are a few slight logistics problem: From Q. ave MRT stations it is a good long walk to the building. I could ride a jeepney, but it's not sensible since it probably just about 6 blocks away. Plus walking is a good exercise. Just looking at the positive side.

Class went on... 7-12. Then lunchbreak.

Having walked 6 blocks going to our building from the train station, as far as fastfood, restaurants, I only saw 7/11 Convenient store, McDonald's (under renovation), Ministop convenient store, Starbucks, and a very expensive Cafe.

"O san na tayo kakain? (where are we gonna eat?)?" Across our building is a small grocery/supermarket shop. Since nobody knows the vicinity, those of us in the class who doesn't have a car or driver, decided to just walk altogether and find where to eat. Some have decided they will just eat at Ministop, some at Starbucks. Okay, cool with us, I don't particularly like to eat pastries or chips or hotdogs for lunch. So that didn't impress me nor my friends.

We've decided to check the supermarket/grocery, maybe they have stalls or diner within the store. OUR PROBLEM THOUGH, is how we could cross Quezon Ave.

Just an idea, Quezon ave is about 8 lanes wide, with a small island in the middle, barricaded by MMDA pink fence. Cars, Busses and Jeepneys go wild and crazy when they're driving at Q. ave. IT has a small emergency Bay area where there's no fence. But within the MMDA Pink fence there's this huge sign in all caps bold letters: "WALANG TAWIRAN. NAKAKAMATAY" Like saying: NO CROSSING: IT'S SUICIDE or ILLEGAL TO CROSS, DEADLY.
The overpass is 6 blocks away. There's some people crossing the street. So to cross or not to cross?!?

Being pinoy, and as studied from sociology, if belonging in a group or one of a collective group, you do things you will never do alone. I was really hesitant. Nonetheless, I don't really have much choice. So there's probably about 15 of us who crossed the ROAD. My strategy was to stay in the middle, so if ever we get hit, they would absorb the impact first becore the cars hit me.... hehehehe... MY friends were teasing me, cuz I was about to chicken out! I was sweating buckets and buckets of sweat droplets. I was scared. It's probably not as bad as crossing the interstate, but the thing is, I don't wanna get caught, I dont wanna get hit and I dont't wanna die just yet at Q. ave especially.

I thought after successfully crossing the street, the agony is over. But it's not. It's only the beginning.

Checked out, Hi-top grocery store. No food stalls, no eatery, no carinderia, mo cafeteria. no nothing. Beside it, starbucks... NOPE. Ministop... nope. Expensive Cafe, no no no!!
So we walked...

and walked...

walked... and walked and walked some more...

2 blocks after, there's a pair of policemen patrolling the area. "Kuya! Kuya! san ba may kainan dito?! (Sir, are there any place to eat here?). One of the policeman pointed to yellow bldg. 1 block away. They said that place has a cafeteria inside.

Off we went... Peeking through the glass wall, around the building... nope.. nope.. nobody is even there. There's nothing on that building... arggg....

It's 1220nn, everybody's getting really really hungry. Sun is up directly on us, we were tired, sweaty and slightly getting pissed but still laughing our hunger and tiredness away.

We walked some more... walked more.. walked... walked...

3 blocks later, we saw the GOLDEN ARCHES from a far. Another 2 blocks, and we are there! YEY!!!! McDonalds!!! Signs up. We were standing right under the sign. Uhhh... but where's McDonald's again? Did we miss it? 180 degree turn? to the left? to the right? No?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

McD is closed for renovation!!?!?! WTF?!?! ARe u kidding me?!?! ARGGGGGG!!! Well apparently not. IT is closed. Beside it, 7/11 Concenient store---ahh nope.

FRustrated and hungry, we are definitely looking for a carinderia or a fastfood shop. We need a BIG MEAL. So we walked again. walked another block. Then there was a group of taxi drivers. They pointed us to another direction. They said its just about 3-4 blocks away. Alright, no biggie.

So we walked.

Ahhhhhhmmm.. excuse me, everyone, we've already been here! just a block away is the grocery store! OMG!!! We just circled around, and there we are again, we're back to where we started. argggggggg...

Really frustrated now, we are just thinking of walking back to the building and asking our admin people where the closest fastfood establishment is. On our way back, remember Kuya policemen?!? We saw them again!!!

Riding their Police pick up van, bright yellow, open... One of them yelled: "NAkakain na kayo?! (Have you eaten yet?!)" They probably took pity on us. Cuz by this time, we are all about to collapse... its really hot and humid that day! Sun is up! Hungry....

So they said, Hop in the back, hold on, and we will take you to Jollibee!!!

So there we went, rode the open police minitruck, in bright yellow color, along the EDSA... They dropped us off, at Jollibee, then we asked, "Kuya, panu kami makakabalik!?!? (How are we gonna get back to Q. Ave?").
They said: After 30mins we'll be back, don't worry. 'Yan ang PINOY!!!! :)
Onli in Pinas right?!?

I couldn't stop laughing... we couldn;t stop laughing that day! we ate, we laugh. we went back to class, still laughing. Shared the story to the administation, and they were laughing at us.. Oh well...

That was really one memorable experience....

At least I rode the police car not because I crossed the road illegally, but because we have no where else to eat.

The week after that, I brought my own packed lunch...
enough of too much adventure in class...

:)