Roots & Wings | Spring 2017 by Roots and Wings

Dear Kababayans We are happy to welcome you to the Spring 2017 issue of Roots&Wings, the Filipino e-magazine in Europe. As we greet another Spring season, our hearts leap with joy at the sight of cherry blossoms, wood anemones, cowslips, violets at the same time as we are filled with high hopes and bright expectations eager as we are to start afresh after a season of darkness and destruction .

We at Roots&Wings are determined to keep on working hard to bring out the best in every Filipino in Europe through stories that are meant to inspire, encourage, stimulate us to reach out to even higher heights. We should be credits to our race. In this issue, we are delighted to share with you a very warm and friendly conversation with Elisabeth “Betsy” von Atzigen, Chair of the European Network of Filipino Diaspora or ENFiD for short. For those of you who have not heard of ENFiD, we urge you to find out about this organization whose main goal is to connect Filipinos in Europe for exchange of best practices. You may also check ENFiDs website at www.enfid. com for future get-togethers open for all. Or you may read their newsletter ENFiD News&Views.

We wish Betsy and the rest of the enthusiastic ENFiD board all the very best as they work hard to accomplish their mighty goals.

We have re-opened our Career Corner pages, with Liza and Mae sharing their thoughts about their career choices. We welcome more such inspirational stories in the next issues.

A piece of 16 th century chronicle about Ferdinand Magellan´s naval adventures and misadventures as retold by our very own Marthy Angue, also serves as good source of inspiration. Some circumnavigators after him have definitely learned some lessons from his epic experiences.

We have no more room to name each and everyone of you who contributed to make this inspirational Spring issue, but we thank and appreciate you all from the bottom of our hearts. Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat!

Rachel Hansen Founder/Editor

the team Rachel Hansen Editor & Founder Luz Bergersen Associate Editor, Oslo, Norway

contents

MARTHY ANGUE Associate Editor, Philippines

HISTORY Magellan at World’s End, pg.4

DONNA MANIO Lifestyle Editor, Philippines

COMMUNITY Betsy von Atzigen: Reestablishing the Terms, pg.10

Liza De Vera-Preiczer Bureau Editor, Vienna, Austria Lyndy Bagares Web Editor, Fornebu, Norway Arianne Faye Calvero Web Support MaFLOR SVANDIS Bureau Editor, Iceland Elizabeth “Betsy”Von Atzigen Bureau Editor, Switzerland Miles Viernes Bureau Editor, Oslo, Norway

TRAVEL Coco Beach, pg. 18 EXPERIENCE Pope Francis in Sweden, pg. 20 SPORT Spring into Golf Season, pg. 22 NEWS ENFiD Sweden, pg. 24 POETRY The Goddess at Covent Garden, pg. 25 CAREER CORNER Lisa Pedersen, pg. 26

McKlein Onoya Web Master, Oslo, Norway

M AG E L L A N ”On March 16, 1521,” or so the song went , ”the

Philippines was discovered by Magellan.” A catchy mnemonic, to be sure. Problematic? Even more certainly. As easy as it is to narrow down the narrative to a post-colonial morality play replete with caricatures - conquering foreigners, traitorous collaborators, muscular protonationalists made of bronze - history itself is rarely so unencumbered. It almost makes you wonder if, even to this forerunner of empire, history might also be more forgiving.

words by Marthy Angue | pictures from Wikimedia Commons

A T

W O R L D ’ S

It’s not especially difficult to dislike Ferdinand Magellan in first grade civics. Here was El Conquistador, invader from an alien land, herald of an age of European Imperialism that will last three hundred years if it had even ended at all. Even Filipino schoolchildren soon realize the sheer absurdity of that epithet ”discoverer of the Philippines.” Why? Weren’t we here when he found us? Didn’t we discover these islands? You’d be right to call it Eurocentric. As for circumnavigating the planet, his one claim to international fame, does it even count if he died halfway through it? Then again, it wasn’t as though Ferdinand’s journey began with those five ships sailing from Seville. It didn’t even begin in Spain

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at all - the man was born in Portugal. He’d been as far East as modern day Indonesia, rounding the Horn of Africa, avoiding pirates, braving the monsoons participating in the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in his twenties. He even gained distinction saving his expedition from a murderous conspiracy. Magellan had already made that trip to and back from South East Asia. What no one had yet done was reach Asia the other way around. Writing as someone schooled primarily in the Philippines, it’s odd thinking of Ferdinand Magellan as any sort of heroic figure. The fact that he owned (and eventually sailed with) a Sumatran slave he named ”Henrique” does make things a

bit more par for course. There is, however, still a real person there to talk about: an exceptionally single-minded man who fought a number of naval wars in the Mollucas for his native Portugal, ran afoul with Portugal’s king over a salary dispute, and left his homeland to work for his homeland’s archrival Spain. By 1519, he was on his way. They offered him five ships, a multi-ethnic crew of 270, enough food for two years of travel, and promises of wealth, titles, pensions, and any island after the sixth richest he found. He also won something Columbus did not: the support of the powerful Bishop Juan de Fonseca who, having snubbed the Columbian bandwagon four decades before, decided to secure financial support for Magellan’s expedition. To secure his own investment however, he placed his own men in a few key crew positions just in case.

One of these men happened to be Fonseca’s secret son, Juan de Cartagena - a man whose propensity for betrayal borders on cartonish. He popped his first mutiny plot alongside two of the five captains halfway across the Atlantic; Magellan pinned him down for his insolence, eschewed the usual penalty of death, and had him shackled before letting him back to his command. Cartegna will mutiny at least two more times before Magellan gets fed up with him and strands him in an unknown island with a similarly treacherous priest. Then again, the search for the Southern Passage was an insane feat of obsessive compulsion on Magellan’s part, having the fleet explore every coast, cove and inlet to 6

see if one of them led out into the ocean west of the Americas. One ship got smashed by a storm, another escaped back to Europe.

If Magellan had any claim to history, finding the Southern Passage to the Pacific was probably it but why he was as motivated as he was - that may be the true mystery. Surely, with no heirs, all that wealth wouldn’t be worth dying for. His mission was also to the greater glory of Spain, his fatherland’s rival and the motherland of all these mooks trying to kill him. They say that Magellan wept upon sighting the straits that bore his name. He must’ve been relieved he wasn’t totally mad.

Beyond the Southern Passage is where a lot of our Elementary Textbook histories tend to start: with the last three ships and the creeping realization that Magellan may have been given less than he was promised by Spain. The state of the ships were awful to begin with: Magellan Seems to have only been given half the food he was promised. As kids, we heard stories of the diet of sawdust, brined leather and rats - a diet that caused a fair amount of scurvy among other things. The only bit of luck that seemed to find Magellan on this impossibly massive new ocean was consistent winds and peaceful waters: he named it the Pacific having never encountered a typhoon there. MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES

Right: a map of Bohol, Cebu and nearby islands as they were charted by Magellan’s Venetian chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta.

Magellan’s Cross, still standing in Cebu. The intuitive thing is to read the accounts of that fateful ”discovery” from hindsight. Hindsight is always 20/20 given the context of consequences: imperialism, colonial mentality, discrimination, indoctrination, war, and abuse. When we imagine those waterlogged mariners though, being welcomed by our ancestors off the shores of Homonhon, might there be other ways to remember what happened? Lapu Lapu and Mactan are still a month away. Magellan’s death was still a month away. Might it have been that after years at sea, Magellan and his crew was fine to just trade? As quickly as conflict did follow contact, this was still the first-time Filipinos traded directly with Europeans. Unlike Columbus who pretty much captured and enslaved the first gold-encrusted native he saw from the word go, Magellan offered his hosts ivory, mirrors. fine linen cloth, and other European crafts in exchange for fresh fish, local wine and fruit (the first international pasalubong.) Accounts of his meetings with 8

Homonhon’s Rajah Kolambu and Cebu’s Rajah Humabon are touching insights into cultural exchange during an age of frequent war. They tell of gifts of steaming hot rice in porcelain jars, of mock battles among Magellan’s sailors, of inviting the Europeans to banquets and of the first Christian burial there. It’s easy to cast Kolambu and Humabon as Judases, given how openly Magellan pitched vassalage under Spain to them. Usually, this self-interest to unify the tribes of the islands under the Rajahs on behalf of Spain is contrasted with the obstinacy of LapuLapu, the first of many future martyrs for Philippine independence. Then again, many Filipino regions at the time where already puppet states and vassal kingdoms under foreign powers: Manila at the time was a puppet of the Kingdom of Brunei after the latter invaded then displaced the Kingdom of Tondo. Meanwhile, Pangasinan was a tributary (albeit sovereign) kingdom of Ming China. Even in Mactan, only Lapu Lapu

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | HISTORY refused to bend the knee; his co-chief Zula sent two goats to symbolize his approval. It was even Zula who suggested that attacking Lapu-Lapu together might change his mind. MIRROR AND LIGHT

Magellan sailed to the ends of the world and found it in Mactan on April 27, 1521 due to a conflux of bad planning and even worse adventurist bravado. His men fled. Returning to Cebu, the slave Henrique supposedly convinced Humabon that one of the other captains planned on kidnapping him, was spared when Humabon slew 28 sailors in a trap-banquet, and returned to Sumatra as arguably the first man to truly circle the Earth. That said, three ships sailed off of Cebu but only one found its way back to Seville – weeks short of three years since they left. ”Primus Circumdedisti Me,” ”You circumnavigated me first!” This motto, wrapped like a ribbon around a meridianed globe, was awarded to occasional mutineer Juan Sebastian Elcano who limped the expedition to eternal glory, minus four ships, 210 men, and Magellan himself whom he had once mutinied against. He was made a Marquis for his trouble and his lineage remains: the 17th Marquis de Buglas lives in Silay City, Negros Occidental. Magellan had no living children and, because irony is a universal force, his wife died the same year he did. I suppose he has two entire galaxies named after him, as well as two lunar craters, a Martian crater, and a penguin but you wonder if any of that was

worth being cast as a classroom villain.

But then I remember the accounts of Magellan’s relationship with the Rajahs. I remember the blood compact and I imagine how they must’ve convinced each other into such an intimate agreement. I am reminded of those paintings of the First Mass at Limasawa and the baptism of Rajah Humabon, wondering if there was some true evangelism there or, at the very least, true belief yielding true belief. Most of all though, I am reminded of Humabon’s wife who fell in love with an icon – a beautiful statue in the style of the Infant Jesus of Prague – and received it as a present. Four decades later, when the Spanish returned to conquer what they found, the icon was still there. Four centuries later, here we are and the icon is still there.

How could something that became so beloved to Filipinos also come from a man who would herald so much suffering? It’s not impossible. Great deeds are by definition consequential and so it is also with the flaws of great men. Here was a man who dragged five waterlogged buckets to the edge of the known world and an entire ocean after. For better or for worse, he introduced our ancestors to the West, a fate that would have happened sooner or later. Had he returned to Spain alive, would Spain have thought of us differently? Certainly, his death didn’t terrify the Spanish away. Either way, who can really tell? This is an abridged version of this article. View the full version at rawmags.com

Betsy von Atzigen Reestablishing the Terms as interviewed by Ms. Rachel Hansen

Roots and Wings Editor in Chief Rachel Hansen interviews the new ENFiD Chairperson on the Organization’s new thrusts. Filipinos in Europe have been organizing themselves in groups since they started arriving in hordes in Europe as workers and family members way back in the 60s and 70s. Why should Filipinos living in Europe join ENFiD? Grüezi from picturesque Switzerland! What a blessing to connect with you through this interesting and engaging magazine. What is ENFiD? ENFiD stands for the European Network of Filipino Diaspora, an active international networking association that seeks to cultivate a sense of shared nationhood and cooperation among Overseas Filipinos in Europe. ENFiD is presently represented by correspondent Filcom Affiliates in twenty one countries and is active in organising cultural events, relief operations, focused training workshops, online fora for the discussion of issues pertinent to EuroFilipinos and partnering with institutions for greater access to migration issues on culture and development.

Why join ENFiD? No man is an island, no man stands alone, di ba? Tayong mga Euro-Pinoy, we recognize that we are social beings, needing each other and are therefore attracted to organizing and belonging to a group. It happened like that back in the 60’s and continues today. This question of choice comes to the fore: Why join ENFiD? I asked myself the same question when Luz Bergersen first invited me to come to Malta in summer of 2015 and these answers may be yours too. 1. Joining ENFiD is belonging to Europe’s welcoming, connecting, networking and caring Euro-Filipino community away from home, whose existence dictates beyond the common social, regional, political or religious gatherings. Come to an ENFiD General Assembly, look around and discover how easy one can connect with Enfiders from Paris, London, Maastricht, Prague, Zürich, Rome or even Iceland where

Ms. von Atzigen, alongside ENFiD cofounder Gene Alcantara, head the discussion. Euro-Pinoy communities also thrive. Happy gid ko kay damo na ko na meet nga mga Ilonggo kag kababayan.

2. Belonging to ENFiD allows meaningful affiliation, being the widest, most embracing in Europe, going beyond European borders and Filipino divide. Discover an open, friendly and up-to-date Euro-Fil community. At ENFiD, we inspire action in our communities, learn from our European hosts and neighbours, while staying true to our pinoy roots.

3. Belonging to ENFiD fulfills numerous needs such as the right companionship and collective achievement in building a stronger, purpose-driven Euro-Fil community. We have concrete action plans to carry out in 2, 5 years and beyond, and be accounted for. We are a truly collaborative organization that aims to stimulate interest and stay abreast of relevant issues in Europe and the Philippines. We have the capability to achieve more than individuals or small groups acting alone.

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | COMMUNITY 4. Belonging to ENFiD is a celebration in the largest scale of our colourful Philippine fiestas, culture, languages and dialects, tradition, arts and sports. These events highlight our artistic talents in every field imaginable and almost always involve cooking and therefore eating our much loved lechon, pansit and adobo, made even more appetizing by never ending laughter and camaraderie. Sadya gid ka ayo!

An organisation with many members is considered a successful organization. What is ENFiD’s strategy in increasing its membership?

Effective communication tools and approaches are in place to invite our kababayans to ENFiD. We have been building a strong member / Filcom organization engagement mainly through regular newsletter “News and Views,” http://enfid.org/april-2017-issue , email updates with live links to new web materials http://enfid.org , enabling twoway communication in online forum; organizing face-to-face meetings, annual general assemblies, conferences; inviting and connecting with new members and Filipino organizations through popular social networks like Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups and strengthening online communities.

1. An effective Secretariat headed by ENFiD’s indefatigable Executive Director Rohlee de Guzman, along with very hands on PR, Communication, IT, Youth, Training and Development, Arts and Culture, and Membership Committees continue to find ways to leverage and promote fresh online content to attract new members while keeping ENFiD members actively involved. I’m very proud to acknowledge committed members of the Board and Country Representatives who make all these possible.

2. Face to face invitation. Fancy meeting a fellow Pinoy or Filcom member on the train, tram, bus, or at church services or social gatherings and inviting them to experience ENFiD? European country roadshows are in in the pipeline to meet Euro-Pinoy communities face to face. 3. Updates from the Chairperson. As a personal initiative, I publish a onepage quarterly communication for fresh updates and glad to receive feedback from our readership. For me, an effective way to build membership is to make our kababayans experience the benefits of connecting with ENFiD.

Now in its 5th year as an organization, what do you think has ENFiD accomplished that has left a sustainable impact in our community in Europe? ENFiD has countless achievements and accomplishments to its credit in almost five years of its existence, and continues to deliver tangible and intangible results that leave sustainable impact in our community in Europe.

Wider membership. ENFiD was born in September 2012 when the Rome Commitment was created and agreed by all D2D Participants. 2013 saw the formation of more national affiliates and writing of its constitution and by-laws in Malta by the first Board of Directors. In 2014, ENFiD collaborated with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in hosting the Ugnayan Project, a series of road trips in Iceland, Denmark, Italy, Norway and across Europe to network with Filipino associations and groups. In 2015, it mobilized its 2nd European Regional Overseas Filipino Conference in Malta, followed by the 2016 Assembly in Prague, witnessing the thriving of overseas Filipinos in Europe’s multicultural environment. ENFiD Country Membership now stands at 21 European countries and growing. http://enfid.org/ enfid-5th-anniversary YENFiD. Aware that the best way for ENFiD to stay relevant and sustain our collective presence in Europe is to ensure the active engagement of our Euro-Filipino youth or 14

Challenges in the social and political situation in our motherland are there to stay, just as they are here to stay in our midst in Europe. Young ENFiD popularly coined as YENFiD. http://enfid.org/euro-pinoy-youthworking-group-meeting-in-poppel-belgium . Now in motion, hear them speak and make waves in our forthcoming Annual General Assembly in Essen, Germany between September 30 - October 1, 2017. This is so cool!

Elements of unity and charity at home. As a people outside the home country, ENFiD visibly gathers and works voluntarily toward common aims. Considerable projects have been organized benefitting our families and communities in the Philippines including responses of EuroPinoys to recent natural disasters. A long term plan that is already in place is ENFiD‘s Biogas Digester Project for our home country.

Advocacy, training and communication. To date, we have confirmed full participation to Europe-wide subsidized Gender Development and Leadership programs on May 5-7 in Essen Germany. Early this year, Financial Literacy was organized in Norway. In 2016, ENFiD launched the overseas absentee voting campaign, engagement in Philippine elections, and disseminated information on the West Philippine Sea. It participated in IFAD Conference on Remittance Development in 2013 and

2014 in Bangkok, Migration Trends Conference by IOM and Italian Foreign Ministry in 2014 in Rome, Migration Conference in Stockholm, PinoyWise Conference in Kuwait, and the Middle East Diaspora Summit in Doha among others.

Continuing our unique culture, arts and sports. ENFiD has been mobilising cultural and relief projects among which are Fibre Filippine held in Rome and Milan in 2013 & 2014, Appellation of Origin:

ENFiD continues its meeting over a shared meal. The Philippines, a UK event organised to celebrate Philippine artistry and imagination in the form of crafts unique to Philippine culture and the continued exhibition of Philippine arts by Germanbased award-winning art curator Ver Cuizon. Today, visit any European city with Filipino presence and immediately feel the vibrance of our arts on or off stage, print or online and compete in friendly, healthy Euro-Pinoy sports matches scheduled beginning of July 2017 in Paris, France. http://enfid.org/tri-nation-pista-saparis-2017 Amongst its many projects and goals, what do you consider ENFiDsÂ main priority for this year 2017? Why? I highlighted in my Acceptance Speech and First Quarter 2017 Updates the 16

following priorities in our agenda. Why are they priorities? Because they ensure the relevance and sustainability of our communities. https://www.facebook.com/ groups

1. Bringing the Euro-Pinoy Youth Face to Face alongside our ENFiDEurope Annual Conference to Essen, Germany 2. Conducting Gender and Leadership Courses for ENFiD primemovers

3. Showcasing Filipino arts, culture and sports and 4. Initiating ENFiDâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s long-term Biogas Digester Project for the Philippines.

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | COMMUNITY What do you think we can do collectively as Euro-Pinoys about the present social and political situation in our motherland? Challenges in the social and political situation in our motherland are there to stay, just as they are here to stay in our midst in Europe. ENFiD is alert and pro-active in the fields of education, communication, conflict resolution and issues in the Philippines. Financial and Social Literacy, Gender and Development, and Leadership Skills are among ENFiD’s major learning programs on offer that allow transfer of knowledge, acquisition of skills and behavior required to stay ahead. We find these relevant and applicable as we stay on in Europe and for those who are heading home to reintegrate.

vantage point - allowing us to accomplish our mission seriously. On the other hand, being part and parcel of Philippine society, we cannot isolate ourselves nor sit unmoved by political challenges that beset our people and nation. This is where we bring to the table and process our thoughts, experiences, concerns, recommendations and be part of a solution too. We dialogue online or face to face as necessary, communicate with groups or agencies aligned with our identity and mission and collectively work on agreed resolutions.

This is where we bring to the table and process our thoughts, experiences, concerns, recommendations and be part of a solution too.

As ENFiD Chair, my mandate is to focus and steer the organization towards our call to connect and network among EuroPinoys, sustain that link to our homeland and integrate the vibrant and empowered glocal citizens that we are. Our Constitution mandates us to stay non-partisan and nonpolitical, that puts us on one hand at a

The strength of ENFiD as a major Euro-Pinoy organization is dependent on interrelated, complicated factors. Having been in corporate, education and civic leadership roles like the Association of Southeast Asian Women, Philippine Catholic Mission of Switzerland, San Pedro Calungsod CH and ENFiD-Switzerland, I’ve learned to pray more, listen actively, keep communication lines open, stay focused and get things done together with an inspired and productive Team. Mabuhay ang ENFiD!

words by Donna Patricia Manio Only three and a half hours away from Manila, Coco Beach Island Resort is a tropical paradise that’s truly home away from home. While Puerto Galera is known as a “party” beach destination, Coco Beach offers a private, tranquil atmosphere that’s also well-known for its culture of being familyoriented. Founder and Managing Directress Connie Pausanos wanted to introduce this Filipino brand of care to the rest of the world. “Back then, I would go to Europe and people would always ask me where the Philippines was. They only knew of Thailand, which most of them were familiar with. So each time, I had to draw a map of the Philippines and explain.” 18

When the resort was founded in 1986, Connie and her team highlighted how the resort was a natural paradise: the place was designed to bring out the best of its surroundings: the crystal clear water, the tall coconut trees, the soothing sea breeze. To this day, the resort remains true to being close to nature by implementing eco-friendly practices. Connie’s daughter, Ina Pausanos- Israel, now oversees operations and makes sure that Coco Beach stays rooted to its tradition of loving nature. Surely, the breathtaking view and white sand beach make guests return to Coco Beach, but Connie points out that most of their guests return because of the people. “They come

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | TRAVEL

“They come back because of our staff. I guess it’s the friendliness and the quality of service.” back because of our staff. I guess it’s the friendliness and the quality of service.” The entire resort is one big community---guests can expect to be treated like family. “We have what we call the Service Family. The families live near the cottages and are employed by the resort. We are the only resort in the country with this concept- we provide them housing, transportation to the town where the kids go to school, and so on,” Connie shares. This is another thing that sets Coco Beach apart from other resorts. Aside from providing employment, alternative

livelihood and self-development programs are implemented for the staff, this way, the families become self-sufficient even during low seasons. Every member of the Coco community are productive and well taken care of, making the atmosphere in the resort lighthearted. “I think our guests notice this and this is why they keep on coming back.” They feel the familial warmth and know that at Coco Beach, they will always have a home away from home.

words by Sylvia Bondoc

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | EXPERIENCE Last autumn, my husband and I were some of the hundreds of Filipinos who journeyed from far and wide to attend the ecumenical celebration of the 500 years anniversary of the Reformation held in Malmรถ in southern Sweden. The main reason for our journey is to see Pope Francis in person and to listen as he delivered the most meaningful and unforgettable homily. The mass was said in Portuguese but was translated into Swedish and English. The topic of the homily was the Beatitudes. I remember the Beatitudes in my elementary days and back then and until the time of his homily, the message of the Beatitudes had not really sank into my being. I felt it was always about others. Pope Francis gave a new light to them and proposed a new list of Beatitudes for the modern Christians these are, quoting from the Catholic Herald:

Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness. Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover Him. Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home. Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others. Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians. Living the Beatitudes mark one as a Christian. Thank you, Pope Francis for this message and leading the way for uniting Christians throughout the world.

Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their heart.

words and pictures by Mae Cayir

In Austria, golf is a sport - yes, it is

indeed a sport - that has quite a following amongst the local and foreign folk. In fact, the Austrian Golf Association has a current count by the hundreds of memberships spread throughout the country. And, it is growing. Though the climate here tends to be on the cold side, we do enjoy months of warm weather at the inception of the spring season that beckon most of us to get out and enjoy hours of this sport. Fortune is on our side, as the spring season extends each day longer. We do have to contend with rain and at times, raining snowflakes, but these last only a few days. Over the years, I have learned the rhythm of the weather here, especially in Vienna, where I have resided for over two decades. Whenever the weather gets warm, it is followed by a

few days of rain, and then it is back to sunny and cloudless skies. Soon enough, days roll by for hours of golfing to be had. And, no matter the days of inclement weather and rain, there will be time enough to enjoy this sport activity for nine months of any calendar year. The courses I play on are mainly in Vienna, and its surrounding provinces. In general, I am touched by the spirit of the players of all levels. The local folk are not only friendly, they are generous in sharing what they know of the courses, and have shown me guidance, as well as cheer on my small successes. I have learned so much from playing on rounds alone with them, that it

ROOTS AND WINGS SPRING 2017 | SPORT has significantly contributed to my love for this sport, especially my confidence.

In most cases, Austria is known for its tourist scene, especially those to be had in its two main cities of Vienna and Salzburg. The wonder of golf is that it takes players through areas of Austria that are rarely seen, and are accessible only through playing this sport, or tagging along in company of a player. The golf courses are expertly laid out in keeping with the natural undulations of the terrain, and incorporate its natural surroundings into the courses, so that it looks like the earth on which it lays was created for this sport. There are kilometres and kilometres of breathtaking scenery in the middle of forests, along the tops of hills, dotted here and there by alternate views of farm houses. castles, and churches. Horizons that edge the fairways and greens are lined with rows of crops waiting to be harvested. In most locations, golf courses are laid out next to vineyards, so there is surely wine-tasting to be had after rounds played be it casually or at tournaments. This spring I am due for the celebration of my 55th birthday, and every year is one that I celebrate as a miraculous blessing. Playing golf reminds me how truly blessed I am to have a body that is strong, and yet to be fully challenged. In fact, it was when I turned 50 that I decided to seriously take up the game - well, not as serious as my husband thinks I could. In golf circles, there is a term called, ‘the virus’, which is a healthy version of some madness that takes over one’s being, driving one to seek the nearest golf course regularly. Golf looks, from the eye of the uninitiated, a simple act of swinging at a tiny ball. Yet, unless you actually walk the walk, talk the talk, you would never know that this sport actually uses all parts of your mind,

body and soul. The endurance alone, that it demands in hours of walking, swinging, setting up golf balls, walking up hills and dales in search of golf balls shot in the wrong direction, is a feat all its own.

Now, my dear kababayans, I can only recommend that you give golfing a try. We in Europe have the great advantage of having this sport within our means. And, don’t even start on me about having financial obligations that get in your way. It is a matter of choice. For the same amount of time, money and energy it takes to keep up a social life, one could exchange it for taking up golfing. What you get back in return is a healthy mind, body and soul that will take you farther in to your golden years. And, talk about bringing your golf prowess back home to our 7,100 islands - well now, for all the wonderful feasts to be had, golf offers a respite in which to burn calories, move stiffened muscles from sitting through long hours of being hosted. Golfing brings that much needed breath of fresh air. I had my first discovery in 2014 of some of our golf courses back home, and it was an absolute joy to discover. Granted that we are spoiled with our caddies and umbrella girls, and the services provided by golf clubs that reduce golfing down to the minimum, we still have the opportunity to see parts of our country in ways that we rarely have the opportunity to. As ‘snobbish’ as the reputation that comes with this sport, let’s get real folks the health and life-giving properties it gives as a sport raises us above that perception. As I wait out my money tree to regrow its branches for our next visit back home, the longing grows to connect with our home country through this unique sport. This is an abridged version of this article. View the full version at rawmags.com

NEWS

ENFID Sweden elects new officers At the ENFiD Sweden Annual General Meeting last autumn of 2016 , the following officers were elected. Chair Liberty Fajutrao Vice Chair Silvia Bondoc Treasurer Loida Nunez Secretary May Ann Rafael De Jesus Auditor Liza Lopez Pedersen Board Member Dan Mayor (Social Activities) Rachel Hansen (Fund Raising) Suppleant (Deputy) Grace Ompod, Anabele Bringas 24

Activities planned for 2017 in Stockholm April 22 Seminar conducted by LO (Swedish Workers Organisation) about Rights & Rules as Workers in Sweden, Arranged by Dan Mayor May 15 Art Workshop For Adults & Children. Arranged by May Ann Rafael de Jesus June 23 Midsummer Celebration & Summer Camp. Arranged by Rachel Hansen September 23 Leadership Training Seminar. Arranged by the Board October 14 Philippine Culture Week, Arranged by the Board

POETRY

The Goddess at Covent Garden Idiyanale: The Tagalog goddess of good deeds and work. Why should you wonder, that I am here? Is my presence stranger than that of a Swedish busker playing “Sweet Home Alabama” to a group of Chinese housewives? This is tourist central after all, and I like strolling amongst foreigners on days off to give directions. I arrived with the first batch of nurses back in the ‘70s; haven’t left since. Worship is prayers from the living making a living in hospitals and hospices. I make sure we are known for our work: building and rebuilding; we take care of children or the dying.

Our people are almost everywhere. They ask for directions as well: Lost tourists, workers fresh from Heathrow, the occasional student, a young wife. Hesitant at first, they wish to know which train to get on, the street to turn into, the building with affordable flats, the space they can claim within the bounds of the life they need to lead. I tell them: Listen. This is where you are. This is where you need to be. Keep walking. Eventually, you will see Every step will lead you to break into a run.

Poet Michellan Sarile-Alagao is a British-educated writer whose first poetry collection “After the Sunstone” is available now on Amazon.com. 25

CAREER CORNER:

LISA PEDERSEN One of my children asked me, “Mom, what is your job”? My quick answer was, “I am studying, doing research, and sometimes I teach”. I think the pile of books I have in the shelves triggers his curiosity. My work is a study. I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Malmö in southern Sweden. Here in Sweden, a PhD study is a job, and this means that we get our regulated salary, pay our taxes and pension, and get to enjoy freebies or discounts for students. Typical Immigrant? As any typical immigrant, I had to find different ways of surviving, and for me it became clear that studying or going back to school would be the best way to get the job that I like and want. I juggled my hours between my new task as a mother and a university student. It was not easy but I managed with the help of my husband. After getting my Bachelor’s degree, I further pursued two Master’s degrees from two universities in the south. I was in my early 30s when I went back to school, and I would have to admit that it was not at all easy, but in the end it was possible to achieve the goal I set. 26

Second MASTERAL During my second MA, I thought that research was an enjoyable job. Interviewing people and trying to understand their perspectives on certain matters caught my interest, so I looked for jobs that were related to the academia until I was accepted for a doctoral position in 2014. I never really planned on becoming a PhD student, but as an immigrant, one has to be creative in surviving in our new home. A university study gives a stable foundation for a career, and for me as an immigrant woman I have to make that foundation as stable as possible since it is not easy to be an immigrant. Finding jobs that we like have not been easy, and we oftentimes feel that we are discriminated, but to protect ourselves and to find more possibilities and opportunities, going back to school can be one way of addressing the problem. I know several Filipino women in Sweden who have enrolled in universities because they know that studying will help them find better career opportunities. Several Challenges Doing a PhD study is a mixture of several

challenges. Perhaps if there is one particular aspect that could be seen as less attractive in this career, then it will be the feeling of being alone. A PhD study is done by the student with the help of a couple of supervisors, so there will be moments that one feels isolated despite working in an environment with fellow students and university teachers. The feeling of isolation is rather common among PhD students at least with my immediate network, but at the end of the day we tell ourselves and each other that even though we are alone in our own project, we are anyway all in the same boat, we know and understand the situation that many of us go through. Advise to fellow Filipino immigrant If I were to share one advice to a fellow Filipino immigrant, then that would be to take the challenge that is offered to you and

be creative in solving it. I know that many Filipino immigrants feel frustrated that they are not able to use their education from the Philippines in Sweden. This is of course disheartening and I completely understand the frustration that many go through, but it is possible to update our knowledge especially if we want to pursue the same career in Sweden. And we are lucky because in Sweden we do not need to pay any tuition to study at any university, and there are also university programmes that offer online teaching, so it makes it possible to combine work and study.

Lisa Lopez Pedersen is a Doctoral Candidate for the University of Malmรถ.