the search for home...in macau

Senado Square with Fulbrighters

Colonial Past meets Consumerism

After reading all the travel books and looking at all the pictures, I've finally been able to see most of the sights in Macau. Of course the most famous place is Senado Square in the heart of the Macau Peninsula. When visiting for the first time, you truly feel like you are in Europe (minus the 1000s of Chinese people everywhere). The 400 year old Portuguese buildings are reminiscent of time and place when Macau was a sleepy European colony. Before a time of billion dollar casinos and glizty neon signs, Macau was a quiet town, where locals strolled the plazas on lazy afternoons. Life was slow and easy. To this day, some Macau locals observe siesta, which is probably the BEST tradition ever created by the Spanish. Just imagine how much more productive your day would be if you were able to go home from 12-3 and have lunch and nap before you return to work. During the blistering hot days in Macau, you don't even want to be outside during that time in the afternoon anyways.

Santo Domingo Church

The influence of the Portuguese is also seen in the strong Catholic presence in Macau. There are a number of small Catholic churches spread throughout the peninsula. Also an astonishing number of Macanese students attend Catholic schools for both primary and secondary levels. Though I may not be the most avid churchgoer, the Catholic presence here is reassuring in a strange way. The churches remind me of home and my Filipino culture, which is forever ingrained with Catholicism. In addition, the number of Catholic schools around the city bring me back to my own upbringing at the giant pink church on Judah. Being away from the states, you are constantly looking for anything and everything that can remind you about home...the mcdonalds down the street, the cheerios sold at the supermarket, the hagaan daaz shops all over town. All of these things are simple reminders of home which ease your mind and help fight the homesickness. For me, the catholic influence seen throughout the macau peninsula is what helps me keep my peace of mind on this whirlwind of a journey. I made this decision to come abroad so I could experience a new culture, learn a new language, and simply broaden my cultural prespective. Now that I've finally settled here, I, strangly enough, am grapling to always find something to bring me back home...even for just a moment.