Greetings and Leave-Takings
We just got here a few months ago and it's already time to say goodbye. I had my last day of my practikum on tuesday-- I will definitely miss my co-teacher and the students I have been teaching for the last month. Both my classes put on goodbye programs for me, it was touching! Filipinos are... how shall we say... a bit less reserved than Americans --or Germans, for that matter. That's definitely a good thing, adjustment-wise.
Every time I use the (blank)-wise construction (that I just used at the end of that paragraph) I recall the MAD About the 60s book that my cousin gave me one christmas. I had never heard of MAD magazine before, and I didn't understand more than twenty-five percent of the satire, but it was a fun read. One of the compiled comic strips made fun of the "Ad Men" on Madison Avenue, and how they used "(blank)-wise" at the end of all their sentences.
We leave our dear little town on Sunday. I will miss everone, especially my host family, but I'm worried that the goodbye is going to be awkward. Most of the leavings and comings with them have been weird somehow-- it might just be because it doesn't fit my american cultural expectations of greeting and leave-taking. Anyhow wish me luck with the transition, my new school and city and host family, and of course much success, ultimate-wise.
Every time I use the (blank)-wise construction (that I just used at the end of that paragraph) I recall the MAD About the 60s book that my cousin gave me one christmas. I had never heard of MAD magazine before, and I didn't understand more than twenty-five percent of the satire, but it was a fun read. One of the compiled comic strips made fun of the "Ad Men" on Madison Avenue, and how they used "(blank)-wise" at the end of all their sentences.
We leave our dear little town on Sunday. I will miss everone, especially my host family, but I'm worried that the goodbye is going to be awkward. Most of the leavings and comings with them have been weird somehow-- it might just be because it doesn't fit my american cultural expectations of greeting and leave-taking. Anyhow wish me luck with the transition, my new school and city and host family, and of course much success, ultimate-wise.
posted by ben at 6:07 AM
2 Comments:
Wish-wise, here's hoping it is a smooth transition on all fronts. You can't miss by staying fully present with everyone you say goodbye and hello too.
Hey Ben --
I hope all is going well overseas and I'm well-wishing you all the best.
Not sure if you care or not, but we just returned from Wildwood, where our team (formerlly Chebbies) went 6-1 to reach the finals of the non-competetive bracket, where we lost by just 1 point! Like I said, not sure if you care (I don't think I would), but that's a little frisbee news from back home. Miss ya and hope all is going swell Peace Corps-Wise.
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