WHEN TWO COLORS MEET

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Zatia Denise Danao Gammad
IV - Madame Marie Curie


“That would be lovely, sir” I responded while my friend asked if I would like milk in my tea. Though I had not spoken the British slang, he thought my accent was impressive. I offered him one of my favorite Filipino foods, suman. Though the sweet, glutinous rice seemed bizarre to him, he gladly accepted it. He then responded slowly the word “salamat.”

Come to think of it, worlds apart are hard to unite. Traditions, customs, and mannerisms battle out when those worlds introduce themselves. I thought that my friend and I will not get along well. Just look at our differences. We are the perfect combination of milk and coffee. But, as I continue to sip the milk and tea he gave me, I realized we had our midafternoon break in the country club that was established by British operations. What a coincidence it was. Then I thought, “How in the world did Philippines made connections with United Kingdom (UK)?”

As I scan the pages of historical documents, I found out that the British were the world’s ultimate colonialists during their times of glory. At that time, the Philippines was a part of their journey. It is flattering for a Filipino to hear the British say, “The United Kingdom has confidence in the long term future of the Philippines.” That was a clear indication that the Philippines and UK are in accordance with one another. Their influences are countless and all these were aimed to help the Philippines improve in government, economy, and education. For instance, the British government initiates programs on the governance front involving the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Food Authority, and the like. As I see it, the Philippines and UK have a twofold relationship. For example, the number of issued visas for Filipinos to visit the UK gradually increases and over 50,000 British tourists visit the Philippines annually. Businesses which were established in UK have been recognized in the Philippines such as Marks & Spencer, Lush, and other establishments. On the other hand, ABS-CBN and other Philippine corporations have set up their branches in UK. Both are learning each other’s races and people have acknowledged the other’s culture as a part of their own. I don’t think there is such a productive relationship comparable to what both Philippines and UK has. As a sign of gratitude, the British Embassy annually holds the “British-Philippine Friendship Week” for the Filipinos to have the opportunity to live a life like a British man.

Now, as I am about to meet my friend again, I surely will share the moments of companionship started by our races. And even though we still open our eyes wide whenever we share something peculiar, I know for sure that those risks will end up with smiles. As I take another opportunity to see him, we shall continue in exemplifying the picture of an eager handshake between two colors.