Teach Me Not

This is the story of my childhood in the Philippines, where I grew up in a small town called San Juan. In the Philippines, the West is revered and many institutions, like education and religion, are within the realm of American and Spanish influences. Together with my best friend, we trek the paths that will eventually lead us to the brink of adulthood. Puppy love, stuffed animals, party dresses and visiting with friends will all be history, and someday we will have jobs as teachers, scientists, dentists and managers; and perhaps have a few kids and live in a nice house. Growing up, we could only dream of our first kiss, the prom, prince charming or the best meal in town because we were just children. In the process of dreaming, we always looked over our shoulders at the TV set or at our classmateas shiny new shoes; but some of us dared to look at the horizon, beyond the town limits, beyond our country.