So I admit, I've let this whole
blogging thing slide a little, and I wish I could say I'll get
better, but to be honest, it probably won't happen. There haven't
been many new developments to report, just the ongoing battle to find
my place in the LGU, find projects to work on, figure out my life
outside of work, learn the language, and continue adjusting to this
completely different culture.
One thing I deemed worthy of a blog
post, though, was the Siaton Science High School prom I just
attended. And when I say “just attended,” I mean “just
attended,” as in 20 minutes ago I was there and now I'm writing
about it so I don't forget any bizarre details. My host family aunt
here in Siaton is the principle of the high school so I got to
experience the event from the observing teacher's perspective. I'll
start with the logistics:
WHAT: Siaton Science High School Junior
and Senior Prom
WHO: Juniors and seniors in attendance
of course (maybe 30-40 in each grade), teachers and parents, freshmen
and sophomore students observing, and any random passers-by who
happen to walk past the venue and feel like stopping to watch (it's a
very public event)
WHEN: Thursday, February 13, 2pm-6pm
approximately and continuing into the night
WHERE: The gym/dance/pageant/event hall
located in the center of town with open walls and a stage (very
nicely decorated, though)
ATTIRE: Juniors and seniors in expected
prom attire with boys wearing suits and girls wearing prom-style (and
also some homecoming-style) dresses and too-tall high heeled shoes
(like only the kind it's possible for super models to walk in).
Teachers also in prom attire, if not just fancy Sunday-best. Parents
mostly in fancy Sunday-best but some just in nice t-shirts and jeans.
Freshmen and sophomore students in their school uniforms. Passers-by
in regular street clothes just like any other day (because to them,
it is any other day). Me in jeans and a black polo with my
draw-string bag (I came straight from work and had no idea what to
expect. I mostly stayed in the back though so it wasn't too
embarrassing.)
SIMILARITES TO AMERICAN PROM: Fancy
outfits, a catered meal, dancing to the latest hits, prom king and
queen (called Mr. and Mrs. Science High here), guys not asking the
girls to dance when prompted, announcing couples on stage (not sure
if every prom does this last one, but my prom did)
DIFFERENCES: Prom is a graded event
(!!!), ballroom dancing,
parents in attendance, speeches, a program
Now I'll go into the story:
To get you in the right mindset, you
have to understand this is more of a ceremony than the “fun dance”
American proms are like. It has the fun dance part too, but you have
to get through the ceremony first. Since the majority of the prom
happened in the afternoon and I had work, I wasn't able to see the
entire event, but there was a program so I was able to see what I had
missed. The program included speeches of thanks and recognition, the
history of the school, the students saying their dream jobs (some
were Apples engineers and others were fashion designers or political
ambassadors), and choreographed ballroom dances. The dancing was what
really caught my attention. First off, they were ABLE to do ballroom
dancing, nothing too extreme mind you, but still, in the States
that's not a very common thing to see high schoolers doing. The
juniors have dances they do and then the seniors have a ~15 minute
waltz they do. I thought that was crazy enough until my aunt told me
they were being graded on the dancing and had choreographed the whole
thing themselves in 2 weeks! And since there were more girls than
guys (like in almost every setting in life), some of the dance
couples were girl-girl. It was interesting watching couples of girls
doing these dances in high heeled shoes neither of them could really
walk in. There was also the handing down of the “key” and “book
of knowledge” from the senior class to the junior class. Not really
sure what the significance was with those, but it seemed important.
Only after the 3 and a half hour
program was over did the dinner start, followed by what I like to
call the fun part. And you could definitely tell when that started. I
began recognizing prom stereotypes: cameras coming out and everyone
taking a million pictures, guys and girls no longer dancing
one-on-one but rather in groups, music blaring and making your chest
pound, and girls showing the obvious pain their feet were in because
of their shoes. Up until this point I hadn't been sure if the two
cultures' proms had anything in common, but this eased my conscience.
However, another curve ball in this event was that this “fun part”
only lasted about 30 minutes. Then there was a break so everyone
could go home and change into more comfortable clothes only to return
later and continue the fun. I actually really like that idea, if only
for the sake of high-heeled-tortured-feet. I think the States should
adopt this part.
But ya, this sums up the Filipino Prom!
So, until next time!
And quick update on my volunteer life,
this weekend I'm leaving for my batch's 2 week long IST (In Service
Training). This is the first time in 5 months I will have been able
to see most of my batch so I'm really excited. We've been at site
for 5 months now and in the Philippines for 7 and a half months. The
time is going by so fast but there is still so much time left, which
is definitely needed. I've barely begun to scratch the surface on
what I can do for my community.
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| The decked out gym |
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| Fancy tables and setting |
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| Ballroom dancing |
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| Seniors' waltz |
