This might not be the typical expat blog, written by a German expat, living in the Philippines since 1999. It's different. In English and in German. Check it out! Enjoy reading!
Dies mag' nun wirklich nicht der typische Auswandererblog eines Deutschen auf den Philippinen sein. Er soll etwas anders sein. In Englisch und in Deutsch! Viel Spass beim Lesen!
You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?
There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!
Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!
Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
A simple journal can be the key to sound mental health
One of the lessons many of us learned during the pandemic is valuing the state of our mental health. Although our life is now going back to the way things were before the pandemic, our mission of keeping our mental health well continues. There are many ways one can release stress, from enjoying the company of others and exploring places to grinding at the gym. But did you know that writing, scribbling, or even doodling on paper can help improve the well-being of your mind?
Meg Yarcia and Pahin(g)a journal
According to Filipino psychologist Meg Yarcia, journaling is a good way to pause, externalize our thoughts, and become self-aware. The beauty of journaling is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, making it the perfect way to escape the hustle of our everyday living and get in touch with our inner selves.
“Journaling is one way to find a still point in a world that’s always turning,” Meg said. “There is no right way to journal, but there’s a right state of mind for journaling.”
The psychologist, known for sharing her musings and thoughts on mental health and well-being on Facebook and Instagram via her page “Dear Meg,” shared more about the benefits of journaling in enhancing mental health and how people can practice it on their own.
Is journaling a form of pahinga?
Rest is important to keep one’s mental health in a good state. What people may not know is that journaling, too, is a form of rest or in Filipino, pahinga. According to Meg, journaling can help people be able to take a step back, study things in awareness, and, importantly, take a break.
But how do our mind and body benefit from it? Taking a break allows our system to recharge, have new ideas, and improve our blood circulation. Journaling as a form of rest also helps us express what usually can’t and enables us to make deeper connections with ourselves, the people that surround us, nature, and the higher being.
How to journal?
Journaling is not limited to just jotting down notes. Meg listed down ways one can use a journal, which includes list-making, the two-column method, my day anecdote, reflections, a mood diary, a letter to myself, and sketches.
A big part of the journaling process is, of course, the journal itself. There’s a bounty of many people can select from every bookstore, both online and offline. What you need is something that will give you space to express yourself and will inspire you to be creative.
Each undated page has quick breathers, word spotlight, and mindful activities
A good example of this is Looking for Juan’s (LFJ) updated version of the Pahin(g)a journal. First released in 2021, the journal now comes with undated pages and has various sections designed to rest the mind such as quick breathers, word spotlight, and mindful activities by Meg and writer Monica Antonio. It also features the works of Filipino artists Ivan Reverente and Kyla dela Torre.
“The Pahin(g)a journal encourages users to slow down, our hope is that through this journal we can prioritize self-care to strengthen ourselves so we can extend more to others,” said LFJ chief executive officer Larissa Chavez.
If you’re still looking for that one item to give to someone, the perfect present may come in the form of a dependable journal.
To know more about Pahin(g)a journal, visit @lookingforjuan on Instagram or lookingforjuan.com.
What are some arguments to be made for the tradition of mano or bless that it is precolonial in the Philippines, and not introduced by the Spanish as some people mistakenly think?
Let’s just say that this misconception has definitely been perpetuated by bad education and a lack of knowledge of pre-colonial and even colonial practices. There are so many reasons as to why the tradition of pagmamano, or bless is actually a precolonial tradition.
1. Despite the Spanish word for “hand” or “mano”, the tradition is unique to societies mostly within maritime Southeast Asia. It is not only practiced in the Philippines but is also seen in neighboring Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The tradition is called sungkem or salim in Indonesia and salam in Malaysia. The fact that this gesture is common among these nations shows common ancestry and a shared history of trade and contact. You could argue that this gesture originated from Arab traders based on the name it's given in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Pagmamano in the Philippines, Pagmamano (in Tagalog), also goes by Amin in Cebuano, Siklod in Kapampangan, Siyom in Maranao. This honoring gesture is done to elders in the family.
Salim or sungkem, a gesture in Indonesia done towards elders. It is practiced mainly by Islamic groups as well as in Bali.
Salam in Malaysia is done to elders. The hand of the elder goes to the forehead of the younger person.
2. The Spanish literally recorded the gesture being practiced by natives upon their arrival and within the early colonial period.
Fr. Pedro Chirino, Relacion de Islas Filipinas (1604)
"Of the civilities, terms of courtesy, and good breeding among the Filipinos. Chapter XVI...As among them it is not courtesy to remain standing before a person whom they respect, they seat themselves upon the ground, or rather on their heel-bones. Seated in this way, with head uncovered and the potong thrown like a towel over the left shoulder, they talk with their superiors. The mode of salutation upon entering or meeting anyone is as follows: They draw the body together and make a low reverence, raising one or both hands to the face, and placing them upon the cheeks; they next sit down waiting for the question that may be put to them, for it is considered bad manners to speak before one is spoken to."
Fr. Juan de San Antonio, Cronicas (1738)
"422. The natives of these islands employ innumerable other elegancies and courtesies, now in actions, now in words, now in names and titles, which they apply to themselves; these are various according to the difference of the provinces, and are too numerous to mention, for they are ceremonial, and they value their ceremonies highly. No one will pass in front of another, without asking permission, and in order to pass, he doubles the whole body with the most profound bow, at the same time lifting one foot in the air, and doubling the knee and lifting both hands to the face. If one has to talk to any person of higher rank, he shows all reverence and squats down [pone en cuclillas], with raised face, and waits thus, until he is asked his reason for coming; for to speak without being questioned would be a point of bad breeding."
It should be worth noting the Spanish were meticulous note-takers when it came to exploring their colonies. It’s how we know so much about pre-colonial customs. Also, note how the Spanish chroniclers never stated here that they “taught the natives to do it to priests to be subservient.” The gesture they saw was based on their observations of the native's interactions with one another.
Tagalog and Visayan nobles as shown in the Boxer Codex. These people illustrated most likely practiced the more ancient form of mano po as written about by Spanish explorers.
3. If the Spanish introduced the gesture to the Philippines, then it would make logical sense that all the other former Spanish colonies would still practice it, or it would even exist throughout their colonies. Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Argentina would even have this practice. But looking at their cultures and their histories, it seems that this gesture in Latin America is nonexistent. The closest similarity would be kissing the ring of the pope in the Catholic tradition, but even then, it is still a different practice from what is seen in the Philippines.
It’s also interesting to note that Mexicans and Filipinos make up quite an immigrant population in the United States, so there is most likely a lot of cross-cultural exchange going on. Given their shared colonial past, you would think that this specific gesture would be one of the ways that they see common ground by now. But it shows that the pagmamano gesture is foreign to Latin Americans.
4. Logic also follows that this tradition would exist in Spain. Again, there are no recorded instances of this specific practice existing in Spain. Hypothetically, it may have been part of al-Andalus when Spain was ruled by Muslims who might have practiced this gesture.
And even if it did at some point, why didn’t Spanish people in the 16th century practice it anymore? What would make the new Catholic monarchs of Spain want to continue this “Islamic” practice in their domain when they were already making plans to get rid of Muslims in the kingdom? And furthermore, when the Spanish recorded the gesture, why didn’t they liken it to anything they practiced back home?
All the evidence of this practice goes back to contact and trade with the rest of maritime Southeast Asia, and cements the idea that the mano gesture goes back to the arrival of Spanish people to the Philippines.
Spaniards engaging in sandugo with the datu of Bohol.
You’ll find most beauty queens strutting on runways or posing for magazine covers, but Zara Carbonell tells a different story. Instead, you’ll find her on the football field scoring touchdowns for less privileged Filipinos. Just last weekend, the inaugural Miss Tourism Worldwide 2018 title holder, together with her co-founders Justine Cordero – Em, and Steve Near, raised P12 million in healthcare solutions for Filipinos in the far-flung areas of Visayas and Mindanao.
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Zara Carbonell has always been known to work with organizations of impact from the education sector, to violence against women, and now diving into healthtech. Last December 3, in the spirit of Christmas, Zara’s newly-launched company –The Manila Flag Football League (MFL) mounted a full-day tournament in partnership withKonsultaMD– a leader in healthtech under the Ayala-led Globe group, to raise funds for underprivileged and underrepresented Filipinos.
Throughout MFL’s Santa Bowl 2022 tournament, KonsultaMD vouched to donate P100,000 in healthcare solutions for every catch made in the end zone to Zara’s beneficiary partner – FPUA, a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding communities affected by natural calamities. This drove more athletes to maximize every minute on the game clock to score more!
“It was heartwarming to see over a hundred athletes working together for more than just a win, but for the lives of our fellow Filipinos,” the beauty queen expressed.
MFL’s Santa Bowl was supported by 10 of the top flag football teams in the country hailing from Olongapo, Cebu, and all over the Metro. With about 600 onsite athletes and spectators coming together on a weekend to thousands of online viewers, the said tournament is definitely turning heads in the sports scene. Who would’ve thought that a flag football tournament could have ever been a platform for something greater?
When asked about the inspiration of her recent initiative, Zara shares:
“The older I get, the more I realize how important the little things we take for granted are. I’m lucky to be able to call my doctor when I’m not feeling well. I’m lucky that I can be rushed to the hospital when an emergency strikes or that I can call someone to help me process my emotions when things start feeling murky. But I am realizing that this is a privilege too many Filipinos don’t have, and if I have it in my power to somehow bridge that gap, I’m happy to do so. I’m just thankful that KonsultaMD rallied behind this cause and that I have partners who share the same vision of creating something bigger than ourselves, and even bigger than just a ‘sport.’”
“When we built MFL, our goal was simple – to create a highly competitive tournament for flag football athletes. We wanted to grow the sport and groom more Filipino athletes, because we’ve seen so many that are beyond capable to compete at a higher level. And now, with the Santa Bowl, my partners and I hope to create bigger ripples of change through our tournaments. Sana this 2023, we’ll be able to take bigger strides and help more people. So thank you, to all our partners for supporting this vision.”
The beauty queen also expressed an elaborate letter of gratitude to the whole community, its supporters, partners, and even its critics on her social media page where she said: “Thank you to everyone who shared their sentiments in private so we can fix them & bec they understand that criticism is only constructive when it’s delivered with empathy and sent with points for growth.”
The Manila Flag Football League is just one among Zara’s multiple successes. Before her taking home the Miss Tourism Worldwide crown, you’ll remember her at Miss World Philippines 2017’s 2nd princess alongside Laura Lehmann, Winwyn Marquez, Thia Thomalla Sophia Senoron, and Glyssa Perez, respectively. Since then she’s also founded The Social Startup, a digital marketing firm and has authored Lost You, Found Me, a self-help x memoir about life in your 20s.
We asked her if she thought her pageant experience played a role in her success today and she transparently said that while her pageant journey “wasn’t all beautiful” she did learn a lot from it. She learned how to take defeat gracefully, that sometimes things don’t go as planned – “Same as with sports, you do your best but sometimes it’s just not yet your time. You won’t always get calls that favor you, you won’t always have the perfect terrain or weather, but it’s how you hold yourself accountable for things within your control,” she adds.
She also expressed gratitude to her pageantry career for showing her what she wanted to spend her time doing. And how it taught her that impact can never be done single-handedly, the best things are always done through collective efforts.
She credits the success of her latest endeavor to brands who understand the value of community-building. Besides KonsultaMD, MFL has also partnered with Anessa Philippines and Alveo Land Corp.
“At MFL we do more than just play flag football, we’re here to make a difference.”
“I think it pays to partner with brands who are just as focused on impact as our team is because at MFL we do more than just play flag football, we’re here to make a difference. We really work together to do more for the sport but also for Filipinos who need the help. And to make that happen, it really takes all stakeholders – our team, our brand partners, the athletes, even the MFL spectators. I’m proud to say that everyone is involved in this.
Take Anessa for example, they’ve taken it upon themselves to build a homegrown MFL team from scratch because there are a lot of potential athletes who just need to be supported. We hope to see more homegrown teams in the coming years.”
Zara shares that this coming 2023, MFL is taking flag football to a grander arena through flag football’s first-ever international championships, they’re also brewing a ‘Flip the Script’ flag football tournament in partnership with Women’s Fitness Philippines where MFL’s coed 6s will be taking a turn into flipping the original rules. As for her, she’s also taking a plunge as she prepares for her wedding with MFL co-founder and professional athlete, Steve Near.
From being a published author, to launching several businesses, to being a ‘Pinaypreneur’ to watch out for, who knows what 2023 has lined up for Zara Carbonell? One thing is for certain, Zara is living proof that Filipinas prove to be gamechangers in whatever they pursue. Not only are Filipinas beautiful, but they are smart, strong-willed, and can most definitely achieve whatever they set their eyes on.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte expressed hope that the death of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison would mark the end of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte (Malacañang photo) and Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria ‘Joma’ Sison (Joma Sison Facebook page)
Duterte said this after the CPP announced the death of the self-exiled leader after a two-week confinement in an undisclosed hospital in the Netherlands. Sison was 83.
In a Facebook post, the former President expressed his condolences to the family of Sison, whom he has been referring to as his former teacher.
“My sincerest condolences to his family, and I pray that the Lord Almighty grant him and our country peace,” he said.
“Mr. Sison is known for his radical ideas that affected the course of our country’s history and birthed a movement that carries on to this day,” he added.
Duterte said Sison’s death marked the end of an era and hoped the latter’s demise would end insurgencies in the country.
“His death certainly marks the end of an era, and it is my hope that, with it, the end of insurgencies in the Philippines and the revolutionary movement that he has founded as well,” he said.
“As we move on from his passing, let us carry on the work of building a more harmonious and more united country for the present and future generations,” he added.
According to Duterte, while he and Sison did not see each other eye-to-eye, he knew they both wanted the same thing for the Philippines.
“While Mr. Sison and I have had many disagreements—especially in the ways in which he chose to pursue and effect change in the country—I would like to believe that, at the end of the day, we shared the same dream of creating a better future for every Filipino,” he said.
“As we move on from his passing, let us carry on the work of building a more harmonious and more united country for the present and future generations,” he added.
Am Montagmorgen kann es auf den Straßen gefährlich glatt werden, warnt der Deutsche Wetterdienst. Autofahrer sollen vorsichtig fahren. In vielen Städten bleiben die Schulen geschlossen.
Gefährliches Glatteis hat weite Teile Deutschlands in der Nacht heimgesucht. Zunächst trat im Westen und Nordwesten, später in der Mitte gefrierender Regen mit Glatteis auf. Im Laufe des Montags soll es laut DWD auch im Nordosten und Osten verbreitet Glatteisregen geben.
Diplom-Meteorologe Dominik Jung vom Wetterportal wetter.net am Montagmorgen zu BILD: „Der Eisregen ist im gesamten Westen unterwegs und langsam das Blitzeis nach Osten. Aktuell ganz Hessen, Teile von Rheinland-Pfalz, Nordbayern besonders massiv betroffen."
Und Klimatologe Dr. Karsten Brandt von Donnerwetter.de sagt zu BILD: „Aktuell noch Glätte im Rheinland mit heftigem Eispanzer. Am Mittag und zum Nachmittag erreicht die Eisfront Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Hannover und ganz Ostdeutschland. Sobald Regen einsetzt Vorsicht.“
Für den Südwesten Brandenburgs hat der Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD) amtliche Unwetterwarnungen wegen gefrierenden Regens und Glatteis herausgegeben. Demnach trete am Montagvormittag zwischen Prignitz, Havelland und Fläming gefrierender Regen auf, der sich zum Mittag hin weiter nach Berlin und andere Teile Brandenburgs ausbreitet. Die Temperaturen liegen zwischen 1 und 4 Grad.
Angesichts dessen rät der DWD, den Aufenthalt im Freien weitestgehend zu vermeiden. Wer am Montag doch mit dem Auto unterwegs sein muss, sollte seine Fahrweise im Straßenverkehr anpassen.
Zudem legt der DWD Autofahrern nahe, vollzutanken und Decken sowie warme Getränke mitzunehmen. Sowohl im Straßen-, als auch im Schienenverkehr müsse mit erheblichen Verkehrsbehinderungen gerechnet werden.
In Gaggenau krachte ein Cabrio (li.) in einen entgegenkommenden Golf. Vier Menschen wurden verletzt
Foto: Henry Mungenast/dpa
Nachdem Eisregen und Glätte in der Nacht zu Montag Niedersachsen und Bremen erreicht haben, ist es in der Früh zu zahlreichen Unfällen gekommen. Dabei ist auf der Autobahn 27 bei Walsrode-Hamwiede am frühen Morgen bei einem Unfall ein 25-jähriger Autofahrer getötet worden. Ein Sprecher der Autobahnpolizei Langwedel sagte am Morgen, dass das Auto aufgrund von Glätte von der Fahrbahn abgekommen sei.
Schon in der Nacht kam es auf den Straßen zu witterungsbedingten Unfällen. Bei einem Zusammenstoß von zwei Autos auf schneebedeckter Straße nahe Gaggenau (Kreis Rastatt) wurden vier Menschen verletzt. Eine 34-jährige Fahrerin wurde bei dem Aufprall eingeklemmt und musste von Rettungskräften aus dem Auto befreit werden.
In Rheinland-Pfalz kam es im Rhein-Lahn-Kreis zu Unfällen mit zwei Leichtverletzten. Im Kreis Warendorf in Nordrhein-Westfalen zählte die Polizei zwischen Mitternacht und 3 Uhr sieben witterungsbedingte Unfälle mit Sachschaden.
Das Problem: In den hohen Luftschichten hat sich warme Luft festgesetzt, aus der fällt Regen und der Regen kommt dann in den Bereich der Eisschicht und gefriert dort schlagartig fest. Der Erdboden ist nämlich noch einige Zentimeter tief gefroren. Das ist eine brandgefährliche Wetterlage!
In der Region Hannover fällt wegen des drohenden Eisregens am Montag an allen allgemeinbildenden und berufsbildenden Schulen der Präsenzunterricht aus.
Das gelte auch für die Landeshauptstadt Hannover, teilte die Region mit. Auch in anderen Städten und Landkreisen in Niedersachsen soll der Präsenzunterricht entfallen. Eine Übersicht finden Sie hier.
Das kündigten etwa die Landkreise Celle, Hameln-Pyrmont, Grafschaft Bentheim, Leer, Osterholz, Stade, Wittmund und Vechta sowie die Städte Delmenhorst, Hildesheim und Wolfsburg an - außerdem Stadt und Landkreis Osnabrück. In Stadt und Landkreis Göttingen entfällt der Unterricht an Grund- und weiterführenden Schulen, aber nicht an den berufsbildenden Schulen.
Blitzeis-Alarm auch in ganz Nordrhein-Westfalen: Der Wetterdienst rät dazu, Aufenthalte im Freien zu vermeiden. Zudem werden erhebliche Verkehrsbehinderungen erwartet.
Auch in Düsseldorf bleiben die Schulen und Kitas am Montag aufgrund der Unwetterwarnung geschlossen, wie die Stadt mitteilte. Für eine Notfallbetreuung sei gesorgt. Ebenso bleiben die Grund- und weiterführenden Schulen im Landkreis Göttingen am Montag geschlossen.
Eltern in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern müssen ihre Kinder am Montag wegen Blitzeisgefahr nicht zur Schule schicken. „Wenn Erziehungsberechtigte aus diesem Grund Schülerinnen und Schüler nicht zur Schule schicken, ist der Unterrichtsausfall nicht als unentschuldigt zu werten“, heißt es in einer Mitteilung des Bildungsministeriums. Volljährige Schülerinnen und Schüler sollen selbst entscheiden, ob sie trotz des Wetters zum Unterricht kommen möchten.
Imagine the pressure a Filipina feels as she prepares to compete for her country at Miss Universe. While it must be ever-present, Celeste Cortesi doesn’t let on. Upon her win at Miss Universe Philippines in April 2022, she’s demonstrated a grace and confidence that has led many pageant watchers - not just Filipino ones - to state she has what it takes to wear the crown on 14 January.
Check out my Miss Universe 2022 preview for the Philippines - having a look at Celeste Cortesi’s path to New Orleans and also the rich history her country has built up at one of the world’s most well-known beauty pageants.
#missuniverse2022#beautypageants#missuniversephilippines
