I've had a couple questions about publishing a non-fiction book set in 1990-1991. Do the issues and storylines of my story still matter? Haven't the Philippines and the world situation completely changed since then? Who cares about what happened to some dude 17 years ago?
Although downtown Makati is almost unrecognizable from back in the day, with new skyscrapers, restaurants, and malls, other items in the daily news make you wonder if anything has changed at all.
In the weeks prior to my original arrival in the Philippines in 1990, Peace Corps volunteers were kidnapped, and Americans were killed, prompting extensive warnings against travelling to the country. Unfortunately, it just happened again.
And the story I wrote in a prior post about hundreds of people living in a massive Manila trash dump? Well, the dump has moved, but as an article in last December's Harpers Magazine described, the people just followed the trash.
Politics are still crazy, with the same Jokers involved. The the overthrow of the government after the EDSA protests of '86 were followed by the sequel of EDSA2 in 2001 . I experienced martial law a few times in 90-91, last year they just called it a "state of emergency." And Anti-American protests, continue to be part of Philippine news.
Although downtown Makati is almost unrecognizable from back in the day, with new skyscrapers, restaurants, and malls, other items in the daily news make you wonder if anything has changed at all.
In the weeks prior to my original arrival in the Philippines in 1990, Peace Corps volunteers were kidnapped, and Americans were killed, prompting extensive warnings against travelling to the country. Unfortunately, it just happened again.
And the story I wrote in a prior post about hundreds of people living in a massive Manila trash dump? Well, the dump has moved, but as an article in last December's Harpers Magazine described, the people just followed the trash.
Politics are still crazy, with the same Jokers involved. The the overthrow of the government after the EDSA protests of '86 were followed by the sequel of EDSA2 in 2001 . I experienced martial law a few times in 90-91, last year they just called it a "state of emergency." And Anti-American protests, continue to be part of Philippine news.
And so the question remains--how does a person travel and live abroad in a place like the Philippines during these troubled times? How does the reality on the ground contrast to the nightly drama featured on CNN? And how did a clueless American like myself bridge the gap between cultures and come out of all this turmoil not only surviving, but thriving in the experience. For that story, you'll have to read Dunked in Manila (just as soon as I stop screwing around on a blog and actually finish writing the book)
No comments:
Post a Comment