Pinoy

As some people have been very nice to me, at a time when i surely needed it; i'm going to tell you about them now.  I had thought i wouldn't do this; at least not until i had left them, again; but then that might be a while.  There would have to be a longer version, later, if i were to tell you a true glimpse of them, for i could never see it all and every day is something new.   

My discription could have been about California, or maybe Korea, or a part of China or Asia in general but my article today is about Mindanao; the large southern Island of the Philippines.  Among themselves they are called Pinoy (and pinay, for mujerin).  Like Mexico they are a remnant of Spanish domination, among natives;  from the time of the Armada.  And similar they have many beautiful women, here.  The men here, as islanders of a tropical paradise, are typicly heavier than the Mexican men, whom often had to live in a dessert environ.  

Here they do not suffer the crime of Mexico, nor nearly as much violence.  Pinoy boys will make fun of an Americano, a plenty, but i don't think they would ever hit one (though they could easily beat the snot out of one).   The men are all good with a machete, or large bolo knife.  As islanders they are good fishermen and they cultivate many crops from the ground, and some from the water.  The hartiest appetites enjoy raw fish (kinilaw) and that certainly includes women among them.  The men can build a typical island house in one afternoon, working together.   

Laundry is done by women using buckets and pails of water, and sachets of Tide and Ariel  laundry powder,  and they prefer this method in every class or economic household, so long as one of them has time in a busy schedule.  Here they have funny TV shows and lately have been watching the U.S. NBA finals; they watch it zealously, even more than a Pacquiou fight because the women here watch and route much for one team or the other.  Go Heat!!! (for Miami).   I don't think that the idea of 'Race' has too much meaning for though they are nationalistic (as in 'the pinoy pride'),  the fame of Taylor Swift cannot be over-stated here.  Tall skinney young white Taylor is the idol of a large percentage of young men and women here.  They listen to 'Air Supply' (top ten USA 1983), as if it were the national anthem and thus they are most of them quite sweet, in their heart.  The radio stations play love songs between zealous talk of the days news from Malacanang palace.  The President of Philippines often dates Grace Lee, of South Korean news TV.  

Now, the men of the province dread to see their young women go oversea to work in the Persian Gulf; though they wouldn't say it and they wouldn't yet stop then from going in droves ; the brightest and best leave even young children behind to work for a stranger, (and even sleep with one) overseas, because the money is dearly needed.   Mindanao is sort of like California in the 1960's with regard to sexual activity and the Health community here is ahead of that game also.  The young men of the province drive motorbike- tricycles and they dread to see the girls go off to college in the city, though they wouldn't say it, and this is where a contempt of foreigners comes in because it is intrusion into the dating game that is very old style in courtship.  The people are very respectable here with most girls never had sex before age 20.  Young women are delighted to go to college with their peers and they make good because the family fortune is riding on it.  Far more people graduate each year than could possibly be retiring, from the workforce.  

Prostitution is legal here, among adults and it sort of goes with social class.  Some girls do it so they can eat and can sleep indoors out of the rain.  There is a tribe called 'bajio' that were boat people.  Many people of many tribes live in 'squatter villiage' areas by the sea but badio lived on boats and have been displaced by commercial fishermen.  Some have a bad reputation because they are seen begging in groups with their typical different clothing and sores on the legs from walking the street.  but i tell you, some of their women are more beautiful than any other women on earth.  They have a tribal tatoo on the back, of impressive workmanship though i wouldn't know much about body art.  And a man with money can spend time with one of the young women.  Some of them are very sweet though some of them will grab money out of a hand if they can.  Young girls carry babies, a begging.  Some of the night clubs are a beautiful spectacle of humanity and is a way of life for women who live on cots in the same building where they dance nightly.  A little money here can get a man some good 'close - time' though i should keep my best secrets, for myself and for them.