Immersing with Pinoys

Baguio City is the finest place to relax. Its cool climate and beautifully stunning sceneries attract tourists all over the Philippines and even abroad. This is the most appropriate place to relieve stress from strenuous work. But, these descriptions do not complete what is Baguio today. These characterizations are not enough to present the clear cut of the city.

The city is now being “intruded” by the Koreans. They are not here for simple relaxation and stress get away. Language, this is the main consideration of the Koreans who are blasting in the city. Every time I pass on one of the most popular streets in Baguio City, Session Road, I would not reach my destination without seeing a group of Koreans or even bumping on one of them. When we had a party in a bar in the city with some friends, we were terrified when we entered the bar. We thought groups of teenagers were fighting for something. They were all yelling at each other. Then we realized that they were not fighting. They were just talking among themselves with very loud voices filling the whole place. They are everywhere. And this is beginning to normalize among us.

Mostly, they are here to study English. They seek tutorials and formal lessons from the Filipinos. Many of the college students in Baguio engage in giving these services to them. They have specific modules and lesson plan in teaching these Koreans the proper use of English grammar.

Michelle Bayaua of Philippine Daily Inquirer conducted an interview with Mo Ran Hong, a Korean student for the June 30, 2006 issue of the said publication. Hong said, “English is very important.” Usually, Koreans bring with them their electronic English-Korean Dictionary so that every time that they would encounter unfamiliar English terms, they can refer to it. But, they just cannot rely on this techy equipment. They really have to learn the language.

Due to this overwhelming demand of the Koreans, the economy of the city boosts. Koreans are fast becoming the number one investors in the city. This means that the people will benefit from this. This provides employment to English-proficient individuals.

Only, there should not be any tone of superiority among the Koreans and Filipinos. This will help in the smooth relationship that the two nations will acquire. This will promote camaraderie while giving Filipino job seekers a temporary occupation. They should not just stay as tutors. They have to progress and not let themselves be stagnant on that job alone.