Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Steel Building

I was helping build a steel mill back then, I am still building a country now. Another country that is. Construction was my life in NSC, and construction brought me to this far flung place of Africa. I miss talking to someone here in my native dialect Bisaya, but then not really as my vocabulary now consists of sim-sim for the same, washi-washi for wash, chop-chop for eat and a lot more.

I am in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Sa kadugay nako diri wa jud ko kita ug elephant, mga lion ug uban pang wild animals. Naay daghan mga baluga nuon na way ligo. If you will be surrounded by 10 of them I think you'll die in 10 seconds. Grabe ka lethal ilang baho. You get used to it, but it does not mean na dili na pud ko maligo. LOL. Don't believe in the romance of Africa like what you see in the movies. It's all annoying flies and scorching heat and dust. That's all. Dealing with the natives here is a sad, funny, demanding, hypertensive experience. It covers all facets of human emotion. But then, if they are clever, I would not have been here. Corruption is a way of life here too ( talk about missing my native land ), and the word hurry does not exist. Everything waits in their own time. This is Africa.

If any NSC colleague ever comes this way, I'd be glad to show them around. We can have a welcome party with my native friends. (your choice: with or without the huge pot of boiling water).

JPM

7 comments:

  1. Jolits,
    Thanks for this entertaining post. I don't have plans to visit Africa just yet.

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  2. Brod,
    Reading your post made me laugh out loud. Nice to know that even if you are alone in such a far away place you still find ordinary things to amuse and entertain you.
    Kun ako pa to, I would have died sa 10 ka baluga surrounding me.

    ervin

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  3. I am still guessing who you are but you are "so cool" (that's bagets talk). I enjoyed your blog immensely!

    Kalidadis-ly yours,
    Dang S.

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  4. Pero bilib lang ko sa ila maski in-ana ka backward world class sila sa soccer. I think naapil gani na sila sa last World Cup.

    Si Angelina Jolie lagi enjoy man diha sa Africa.
    -Nono

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  5. Dang: I was under Emarene's area sa FYEP2 Cold Mill Department. Nagpa mysterious effect lang ko for fear that I would be charged for my contemptuous remark. It's true baya, with exageration lang. I agree with Nono---they are gifted when it comes to sports. They are also good in dancing which goes well with their flattering physical attribute---the bumpy well-shaped behind (ma'am ems excuse my term). They are friendly too.

    Nono: Contrary to your comment about Angelina. She stayed in a plushy hotel, rode a limo and was surrounded by bodyguards which masked the harsh realities of Africa. With the VIP treatment that was given to her there's no reason she wont enjoy. The country where she went to adopt a child, Namibia if I am not mistaken, AIDS is at worst. People are buried in hundreds weekly. This is in the south of Africa. In the west of Africa where I am working now, Malaria is endemic. Millions die every year. Mostly children are the casualties because their system are yet weak to fight the parasitic virus. If you ask me if I enjoy here, my answer is "yes". This is second home to me. My life after Steel.

    JPM

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  6. This is truly hilarious!
    I was ROTFL regarding the 10 balugas! I believe I know the smell! Anyone tried being around one single injan Power Ranger, who some of us here at the old Beloved thought he took a bath once in his life, that is right after birth? We, Pinoys never "would get used to it", but we chose to ignore the smell, eventhough the ambient air became stale that one could almost taste it, because its human nature or politically-correct thing to do!

    JPM: Thanks for your post! Even in this time of great sadness for most of us here [yes, some of us are still with NSC, albeit the name change, and we are on a three-day duty per month], the post really made my day! Ahhh . . . the tenacity of Pinoys . . . finding humor in times of despair or in unusual places!

    Notes:
    ROTFL: internet speak for Rolling On The floor, Laughing; sa Binisiya: nagkisi-kisi (nag-ligid-ligid) ug naghagikgik sa katawa.
    injan: not ninja, by the way, acquired the old Beloved NSC in 2004
    Power Ranger: one who has the POWER [the strength of smell or odor] from a RANGE of 1 to 100, in meters, which a Filino could sense.

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  7. reyadel,
    We taga Toronto are not strangers to ninja powers.
    On a hot summer day, inside the jampacked TTC bus, unya ninja do-ol nimo, mora kag napenitensya. During winter pud, maski jacket pa lang...

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