Marine research in ... the Philippines!?

December 7, 2008 8:46 PM

I need help mentally preparing myself or the conditions and culture of the Philippines, where I will be working for the next 8 months. I'll be doing marine research around Cebu and Bohol. So many questions.

This is kind of blowing my mind. On a whim, I decided to spend a year doing conservation work with the Filipino arm of a Canadian ENGO in Vancouver, which is where I was born and raised. I just graduated from university, so my workplace experience is still somewhat limited, let alone in a country as different as the Philippines. While my parents are both Filipino, I am pretty westernized (I saw Black Mountain yesterday, it ruled!) and so the culture shock and the climate are probably both going to kick my ass in a big way, at least at first.

Does anyone have any experience doing research, marine or otherwise, in the tropics? What kind of weather/climate/beast conditions can I expect? For those who grew up or have been to the Philippines, how did you find Cebu and the Visayas? I'll be doing some diving, and some other kinds of field research, but otherwise I'll be living in Cebu and working at the lab/office. How's the city? Fun? Safe? Cheap? Should I try to stay with a family or get a place of my own? I'll be working with a team of local biologists and volunteers, and will be doing some capacity-building work in local communities around Bohol. Are there some things I should keep in mind as a westerner who looks like a Filipino?

I'm especially curious about other people's experiences visiting and/or living in their parents' country of origin, especially when raised in North America. This could be one of the more interesting parts of my year, since I am Filipino by heritage, yet my grasp of the language and culture is still very undeveloped.

posted by eagle-bear to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

US Department of State Travel Warning.
posted by b1tr0t at 10:22 PM on December 7, 2008

Jesus Christ, Cebu isn't in Mindanao. Speaking as someone who is in the Philippines as opposed to just reading about it, the actual threat of terrorism in the Philippines is quite overplayed in the international press.

Now that we've gotten that rant out of the way...

Your "local" looks mean that you won't stand out so much in a crowd, and your Canadian upbringing means your peer group will try to "re" acquaint you with local foods and customs. Expect a good natured food hazing, being offered "balut" (duck embryo in its shell) and endless rounds of rotgut rum.

The weather is wet and humid, except when it's hot and dry. You really should provide more details as to when you'll be flying in. I imagine the weather will be your worst enemy; I've heard the complaints of a few American Peace Corps volunteers, and it's all about the heat. Mosquitoes, too.

Please offer us more specifics. Where is the field office/lab located? (If it's in Cebu City, you can expect most of the creature comforts you'd expect in a mid-sized US or Canadian town... cheap cable TV and broadband internet, too). Check this page out for more details: Sample cost of living in Cebu

Good luck, and have a safe trip! Ingat!
posted by micketymoc at 11:00 PM on December 7, 2008

b1tr0t's link is the US State Department going "Oogity Boogity". In Cebu you need to worry more about getting mugged or pick-pocketted than you do about abu sayyaf snatching you for ransom. Your Filipino ancestry alone makes it highly unlikely that anyone is going to single you out as a target. Just don't do anything stupidly, ostentatiously western and you'll be fine.

If at all possible, pick-up some basic Cebuano or at least Tagalog from your parents. Most Filipinos speak competent if not excellent English but, unfortuantely, large sections of the population have been excluded from even basic public education. You'll definitely benefit from picking up some Cebuano. I have the feeling that your looks mean you'll get many earnest inquiries along the lines of Taga asa ka? (Where are you from?)

General Cebu notes:

• Jesus and Catholicism is kinda big in the Philippines. Been to Mexico? Bigger than that.
• WayBlima's visitor guide hasn't been updated in ages, but still has some good info.
• Sinulog is coming up in about 5-6 weeks.
• "Tops" is a mountain overlook of the city and is a great place to visit when you need to decompress. It's a bit of a haul from the city, but definitely worth an evening trip to look at the lights.
• The main local social scene is strolling at either SM or Ayala Mall. Malls are a huge thing in the Philippines, moreso than in the US or Canada. I can see the point: they're a nice, safe, and air conditioned oasis. You can find pretty much anything you need/want at either mall, including full grocery stores. I prefer Ayala; it's in a more walkable area than SM and is better laid-out.
• There is a decent, local club scene which does not involve sex tourism. The popular clubs change every couple years and the covers and drinks are cheap.
• Learn the jeepney routes for local trips. They're cheap transport and often easier than hailing a cab.
• Cab drivers are not necessarily trying to kill you with their driving. They will, however, likely to try to rip you off. Have your parents teach you how to say, "Use the meter or I'm not riding".
• If you take a fastcraft between Cebu and Bohol, pay for the more expensive cabin. It's a very cheap upgrade and worth the extra quiet (cheap seats are usually right above/adjacent to the engines and sound proofing is not a priority)
• I personally avoid crossing the Old Mactan bridge because the combination of its age and Filipino driving terrifies me. The suspension bridge feels safer.
• Street food is generally safe and good (mmm... lechon!) but I'd stay away from the shaved ice vendors due to water safety issues. That said...
• You can drink tap water. It's relatively clean and safe, but you might want to ease into it. Do not drink well water or stream water without boiling it.
• If you get a craving for more western food, the Marriott near Ayala runs a fantastic breakfast and dinner buffet that's fairly cheap. There's several five-star resorts on Mactan that have excellent and (relatively) inexpensive restaurants; I'm really quite fond of La Papparazi, an Italian restaurant at Shangri La. The Waterfront Casino in Cebu also has a decent selection and, if you must, McDonalds and Pizza Hut are around. The best pizza in town is Yellowcab at Banilad Town Center. (BTC also has the iStore and the somewhat ironically named Fight Club gym.)

My wife is originally from Cebu so, if you need anything more specific, post and I'll pass the question on to her.
posted by nathan_teske at 12:17 AM on December 8, 2008

I'm leaving next Saturday (December 13), so it's creeping up pretty quickly. I was told that picking up the relevant Culture Shock! book for the +14 hour flight would be a good first start. The headquarters where I'll be working are in Cebu City, and it looks like most of the field work would be around northern Bohol where we'll be doing some biological monitoring in and around a bunch of marine parks and consulting with local fishing communities. I'm not getting paid that much, just a stipend (~$800/month) plus a subsidy from the Canadian Government (~$350/month). The organization will be covering my travel and work expenses.

Outside Canada, I've traveled and lived in Europe and the US before. But the developing world is almost entirely new to me.

I've gotten vaccinations up the wazoo, but it looks like Dengue Fever might be a problem. It was once described to me in terms of that virus in the plot of Mission Impossible (the one with Tom Cruise) where your blood explodes. If possible, I'd prefer not to catch this and would love any advice on how to avoid it. Would long sleeves and long pants be the way to go? Or perhaps just a lot of Deet?

Also, is piracy an issue out here in the Visayas? I know there's a lot of illegal fishing in this area as well - would they be armed? How might they react to a conservation biologist snooping around?

Finally, as a non-Filipino Filipino, how might my co-workers perceive my presence? My position implies that I will technically be the "boss" for the local field biologists, though I would probably try to sketch out my work in more of a mentoring/consulting capacity. Besides the fact that I've not really been anyone's workplace boss before, I imagine that this could lead to some confusion, tension, and/or comedy.
posted by eagle-bear at 12:30 AM on December 8, 2008

I grew up in Manila and only ever went to Bohol or Cebu to vacation at luxury resorts so I can't offer much in the way of practical living advice for either city, but nathan_teske has covered a lot of the cultural stuff.

I have to disagree about the water, having gotten bit by stomach flus multiple times when drinking what I suspect was from tap at restaurants. Best to be safe.

Mosquitoes won't be quite so bad in December as the rainy season's over, so there's less stagnant water pooling in potholes, and it's relatively cooler (anything below 80F is "cool" there). Doing marine conservation means you'll be dealing with a lot of mangrove swamps and such, though, so pass by a grocery or a Mercury Drug first thing, and get some local OFF Lotion, stuff in a green bottle. Can't recall if it has DEET or not but it works great for me. Oh, and if you're going where there are leeches, Vicks on exposed skin keeps them off.

> Finally, as a non-Filipino Filipino, how might my co-workers perceive my presence?

From my experience, balikbayan friends of mine who grew up abroad and come back to the Philippines do experience some resentment manifesting as mild needling for their accent and alienness, especially if the balikbayan registers visible disdain or dismay at perceived inferior aspects of local living ("Ew, the roads are, like, so dirty!"). A Pinoy-looking guy who speaks perfect English with a foreign accent is likely to be regarded as rich mestizo-type, so if you can master Tagalog and Cebuano/Bisaya with a decent accent (even just a few key phrases) that helps go a long way to connect with your staff.
posted by brownpau at 6:58 AM on December 8, 2008

I'm not getting paid that much, just a stipend (~$800/month) plus a subsidy from the Canadian Government (~$350/month). The organization will be covering my travel and work expenses.

Do take note that $1,150 a month is what a midlevel white-collar worker makes in Metro Manila, and that cost of living is far lower outside the capital. As far as finances go, you won't need to scrimp much. :)
posted by micketymoc at 7:38 AM on December 8, 2008

You are going to love the diving. Oh my god, it's amazing down there.
posted by crinklebat at 8:10 AM on December 8, 2008

let alone in a country as different as the Philippines. While my parents are both Filipino, I am pretty westernized (I saw Black Mountain yesterday, it ruled!) and so the culture shock and the climate are probably both going to kick my ass in a big way, at least at first.

1) don't expect filipinos in the philippines to be filipinos like your parents. remember: your parents left DECADES ago and things have changed A LOT since then. are your parents conservative? religious? tell you that they left the philippines because it's a poor, miserable country with no hope? there'll be more luxury cars on the road, rolexes on wrists and expensive handbags in the laps of pretty girls in trendy restaurants and clubs in manila and cebu than in vancouver. people go to mass on sundays, but they also have lots of premarital sex—they just lie about it until someone gets pregnant.

2) westernized? culture shock? uh, it's the most westernized country in asia—yes, more than singapore and hong kong, culturally. people will speak english to you, especially in cebu.

3) if you come off as exoticizing the country and the people while you are there, the way that you do in your post, people will think of you as an asshole, as brownpau said. don't be the dude that acts like they're on a safari, or like they're totally slumming it. it's the third world, sure, but there is no greater way to insult a very hospitable people than to make them feel like they're not up to your standards—especially considering your average filipinos are much happier than your average first worlders. sometimes people who have less than you actually have more.
posted by lia at 9:03 PM on December 8, 2008

That WayBlima website is awesome. Thanks for all the advice - Maraming salamat!
posted by eagle-bear at 11:18 PM on December 9, 2008