Live in the Philippines

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Taking a break

Language Learning / by

As any regular LiP readers know, I have been taking Cebuano language classes for more than 2 years now.  Recently, I decided to take a little break.

It’s actually been about 4 weeks already since I stopped taking classes!  At first, having some time away from my studies was a bit of a relief.  It sort of felt like the pressure was off a bit.  I had been experiencing a problem, because I didn’t have enough time to properly study.  Every week, as each day passed, I felt guilty because I knew that I had not taken care of my homework, and had not practiced learning my new vocabulary words as I should.  As each day passed, I felt worse about it.  Then, on Wednesday, which was my regular class day, I always felt badly because I knew I had not been living up to what I should do.

The reason that I had not been able to study was because I was very busy with some business things.  Over the years that I have lived in the Philippines, I have been blessed that business has been good, and I never really had to work too many hours on any given day.  Just 2 or 3 hours per day, and it was all I needed to do to keep business moving good, and earning good money.  However, in the current economic climate, I have found that I needed to work a lot harder and a lot more hours in order to earn a decent amount of money.  So, when it came down to a choice between studying language or keeping my businesses going, the choice was a simple one.

So, about the first week or November, maybe the last week of October, I talked to Bebe and told her that I was going to take a break from my lessons.  Bebe was very nice about it, and I was happy about that.  I told Bebe that I was planning to get back to my language studies just after the first of the year.

This part of the year is by far my busiest time, business wise.  Most of my businesses do most of their sales during Christmas season, so right now I am really concentrating on business, and hoping to have a successful Christmas season!

Over the past few months, I have seen ups and downs in business.  Sometimes I see spikes in business, and I feel that the recession is finally coming to an end, and people are getting back to their normal buying habits.  Then, after a week or so, things slip back to where they have been.  I still feel that the trend is slightly up, though, and I hope that as the holiday season comes, things will continue on the upward trend.

One thing that is kind of funny about this whole story is that lately, I find that I am missing my Cebuano classes!  I find that I am wanting to study more, wanting to practice and such.  I miss it!  I think that taking a little break was a good move, and it helped me get my focus back!  Now I am really looking forward to getting back to the classes right after the New Year.

By the way, speaking of holidays… Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans who are reading this.  I hope you had a great Turkey dinner.  Feyma and I, since moving to the Philippines, have always celebrated our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.  The reason is because Thanksgiving is not a holiday here, and the kids are in school.  By shifting the holiday to Saturday, we are able to include the kids in the celebration!

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Comments

  2. Kamusta ka Bob,

    We always need to prioritize don’t we, anyways you can continue your studies in the New Year coming.
    Also, on a “curious note”, what will be the main dish for Saturdays dinner….turkey? I have asked Rose whether she ever have turkey before and the answer was yes, but only once, and was a couple of years ago at a neighbors house in Maasin City. But she didn’t know where the turkey was bought. So was curious if turkey is something available there??

    Salamat,
    Danny 🙂

    • Hi Danny – I often hear from other expats in various parts of the Philippines that they cannot buy a turkey. However, here in Davao, I can go to any one of a half dozen or more grocery stores and purchase a turkey on any day of the year (not only during Thanksgiving time). They are always available here in Davao. Turkeys are very expensive, though. I regularly see Butterballs and other American brands of turkey here too.

      We will have a traditional style Thanksgiving dinner, with all the normal dishes. As I said in the article, though, it will be on Saturday, as the kids are in school on Thursday.

      • Kamusta ka Bob,

        Thanks for the info, I guess it just goes with living in Southern Leyte, maybe her neighbor got it from Cebu…I am guessing. Take care and I hope you and the family have a great day together.

        Salmat,
        Danny 🙂

  3. Your not alone Bob, most everyone I associate with is self employed as myself, we have all been saying were working 3 times harder for less pay. Most of us are making it but its not business as usual, our general hope is that this is not the “new economy”. Best of luck for a successful holiday season Bob.

    • Hi brian – I hear you, my friend! If this is the new economy, I want no part of it! 😯 Working a lot more hours, and a lot harder is OK with me, but only if I can make more money doing it! Working more just to keep alive is no fun at all! Ha ha… Hopefully we will see the end of this sometime in 2010. We can always hope!

      Good luck to you as well, Brian!

  4. Hi Bob – Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, too.

    I can relate to your situation with the Bisaya lessons, even though I’m far behind you. It’s been very tough finding the time to study since I lost my job in June and then got the new one. I’ve really had to focus my time on work and trying to make this new job work. Being a sales position, there is no guarantee unless I produce and soon. As you indicated, work has to take a priority.

    Bebe has been very understanding, but at times it feels like we’ve been on the same lesson forever. Getting sick didn’t help and during one lesson I’m sure she must have thought I was a lost cause as I could hardly remember any of my vocab, even some of the ones I’ve known since the beginning.

    I’ve been able to stick with it, but I have wonder if it would be better to take a break if I can’t give the kind of basic attention I need to make it work.

    • Hi Randy – I’ll let you in on a little secret that Bebe has shared with me over the past couple of years that applies to both you and I right now. Bebe has told me of other students who have paused or quite their lessons, or people who never started, but inquired for lessons could never learn until the time was right for them. Bebe has told me that if somebody inquires, she will tell them the info they need to know, and then she does not pursue them. If they want to learn, they will follow up with her. If you are not at the right time to learn you will not learn. A month or more about (actually for the last 6 months or more), I have not been in the proper state of mind for good learning. I can feel it coming back though, and I am looking forward to getting back to the lessons. The time is not 100% right for me yet, but I am sure it will be after January 1.

      Happy Thanksgiving to your family, Randy.

      • Hi Bob,

        Nice words of wisdom from Bebe. I am back from visiting Leyte and really found value from her Skype lessons. I got laughs when I would say “Mubo ako. Taas ka.” (Very funny since I am 6’5″ tall.)

        Thank you … Jack

        PS. I needed this posting as motivation to start studying again. I hope to be able to understand more bisaya on the next trip instead of a couple of words.

        • Hi Jack – I’m glad to hear that you got some benefit from knowing a few words and phrases! Nothing is more rewarding than being able to speck the language, even just a little, when you are in a foreign country!

          • Bob,

            The lessons from Bebe were invaluable. I could understand certain topics. We were waiting for a van from Tagbubunga to Ormoc and I pulled out the Cebuano Survival Guide. Juramie nanay and lolo appreciated my efforts as I was practing reading bisaya. When I asked her nanay “Asa ka nagpuyo?” (where do you live?) , she pointed to her home and said “doon” (Tagalog for over there). We had a good laugh.

            Thanks again for the post. I found it very motivating for getting back to studying.

            Jack

  5. Happy Thanksgiving Saturday, Bob 😉

    Wow, and here I thought I used to pressure myself and mentally slap myself around for “not living up to” some standard I’d arbitrarilly set. I’ll pass the trophy over to you. 😆

    Yep, once the pressure is off, the old enthusiasm and dedication to an activity comes right back – sometimes doubled.

    Go easy on yourself – life is too short to waste on beating yourself up (mentally, physically or both). 😉

  6. Sir Robert as one of your ex colonial masters enjoy thanks giving. Its nice to see you have developed some good habits in the old colonies

  7. Hi, Bob- I think a regular reading of comic books in Bisaya would be a great help in learning the language. I think it’s much easier to remember words and their meanings when you have a visual aid (comic books) that is entertaining, than memorizing foreign words and their meanings that are hard to remember without the help of visual aids.

    • Hi John – I have a number of Bisaya books and magazines. Haven’t ever really tried comic books, I am not certain how much that would interest me. One thing that is a real advantage is that the words are not really so “foreign” to me. Having been married to Feyma for nearly 20 years, I have been hearing these words, and had some idea of their general meaning for half of my life already! Good tip for a beginner, though!

  8. Hi Bob-Happy Thanksgiving first of all! How much are those Butterball’s in Davao and what’s the price per pound, haha..god only knows what shape those birds are in if they’re processed and shipped from the states! I was going to leave a message in your “Bloodbath” thread but will just as well leave one here..wow, a horrible crime to say the least, and real close to where I spent a year in the 80’s: Cotabato City.

    And don’t get complacent about those Cebuano lessons just because you can get away with using good ol’ English in the Philippines (just a guess)! But it also sounds like you’re locked in there for the long, long haul..in the Philipines I mean…so what’s the pressure!

    Wade

    • Hi Wade – Expect to spend $50 or $60 for a turkey, and that is for a small bird, not a big one. So, they are indeed expensive. As for what shape they are in… well, they are no different than what you would find in a US supermarket. They are shipped over frozen, so there is not damage, or aging or anything.

      Complacent? I am not complacent at all. I don’t speak English when I am out in public, so I am not “getting away” with English at all! I try to speak Cebuano 100% when I go out to stores, to the market or whatever, unless I am with other foreigners! 😀 No need to worry about being complacent… I did take lessons every week for more than 2 years, after all!