Never have I, for even once in my life, thought of leaving this country. Yes, I imagined going to places, but maybe just to greet and feel the great wonders of the world. I never dreamed of spending most of my life in a territory not mine, in a land that I would never recognize as my place of birth.
Call me cheesy but I love my country. I love my country enough that I never had thoughts of leaving everything behind even if the opportunity to do so has long been there. Even if that somewhere far is where the greener pasteur is. I love my country that I want to serve it the best way I can--by staying.
I am a lover of politics, and all the dirt, grime, and mud that come with it..It is such a filthy world. But these are the things that open your eyes, and make you think again. And think.
Sans that premise, I believe I have a hundred more reasons to stay. I have my mom, my family, my friends, my noble job. And I have Nix. :)
I want to start a family here. I want my children to grow up in a country they could call their own. I want them to walk in a street with people who look like them. I want them to sing the National Anthem which is rightfully theirs.
The Philippines is the No.1 most corrupt in Asia. This is probably the only country where people running for an elective post seek the service of actors for political advertisements, as attested by Washington Post reporter James Dickenson, who I had a meaningful chat with last January. This is the only place in Asia where the election is tagged as a circus. This is the only country where doctors want to be nurses and teachers want to become domestic helpers abroad. Not that I have something against nurses or domestic helpers. I just found such a sudden change in profession absurd. You get the picture.
Oh well. I love this country. Odd controversies, unusual politics, and weird people make the country much more colorful. They're just bonus to over 7000 breath-taking islands.
--April 10, 2007.
patriotic! :)
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