One of the values Filipinos are proud of, to the point of drilling it to our elementary-age kids by way of textbooks and conscious example, is hospitality. According to my trusty Merriam-Webster, to be hospitable is to be: 1) given to generous and cordial reception of guests; and, 2) to readily receptive. To be honest, however, I've never been particularly fond of this innate trait of ours. It's not uncommon for heads of households to borrow money from their friends or, God forbid, 5-6 lenders just to be able to serve something to their guests during fiesta time. I don't like that. (But for the record, if I were in the tightest spot imaginable, I think I could tolerate it.)
My point is that after attending the UPD International Center Korean Night (20 November 09), I realized that our Korean counterparts may just be as hospitable as we are. The whole event was very carefully planned, as evidenced by the "parody movies" that they presented - as anyone who's tried to film and edit anything would know, you can't edit and sub decently within a short span of time. They also made sure that the guests were very "at home", and I daresay they even thought of everything with the guests in mind. Obviously, one of their top priorities, if not their top priority, was to please the crowd.
I have to admit that, initially, my goal for attending the event was getting free food to save on dinner; I'm not big on KPop, unlike a certain faction of the Filipino below-20 population. I stayed even after having eaten though, because: 1) I thought it rude to fall prey to the infamous eat-and-run habit; and, 2) the first half of the program looked promising. So I guess the organizers got their wish: it was a DEFINITE crowd pleaser.
Bana and I didn't get there in time to see the Super Junior impersonation that some of the guys did, but I really don't mind because the succeeding performances were excellent. I particularly liked the Taekwondo Dance, the Fan Dance, the solo performance that a visiting dance professor performed, and the Sign Language Dance - just for the record, I thought the solo performance was breathtaking. Of course, the last 'stage' was very moving, too: an acoustic version of Heal the World by everyone involved in the event. Another thing I liked about Korean Night? They had a donation box near the entrance, the proceeds of which will go to Ondoy victims. Isn't that nice of them?
I couldn't help feeling biter though, even after I had such a good time. See, I was wondering why we couldn't come up with something like that - every culture has its own interesting details, after all. Why is it that, despite the large number of Filipino immigrants in each corner of the world, their children don't organize events like this? A university is the perfect venue for cultural nights, so why can't Filipino kids studying abroad (and maybe even in the country) take advantage of that? Is it because they've assimilated too well? And is our 'colonial mentality' worth blaming for that?
Then again, I'm not the right person to rant about things like this.
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