Bittersweet

That’s the word that best describes my feelings right now, three days away from my flight to New Zealand. The sweet part is quite straight-forward: Most of us would naturally feel good and sunny with the idea of starting life in a country known for its good culture, people, and natural wonders, and such is New Zealand. I’m on the tip-toe of expectancy for the new and wonderful things that God will bring into my life in this new land, and also for how God will open doors for me so that I can advance His Kingdom there. But the bitter part? The bitter part is that I’m leaving a country where I have been so much blessed, a country where I finished two Master’s degrees (MDiv and ThM), where I met my lifetime partner and where we got married. I’m leaving behind a people who have welcomed, loved, and supported me all the way. These people are quite many and I can’t possibly count them count by one: They are from Kosin University, from Peniel Church, from Peniel International Christian Community, from Baekyangro Church, and from Hosanna Church, all in Busan.

I’m also leaving a ministry that has been part of my very life from the time I had set foot on this land to this very day: the Peniel International Christian Community (PICC). The PICC has been to me a family member and I feel that I have become a father to it. Father because throughout the years my job has been mainly guiding, counseling, and nurturing the members in God’s Word. It is where I have felt the profoundest joy when I saw real individuals being changed from hopelessness to hopefulness and from weakness to strength – the work of God’s grace. I’m surely going to miss PICC!

I have not yet arrived.

To say that I have not yet arrived does not mean that I’m getting tired of the journey. It does mean that I know where I am going. I am aware of where I currently am in relation to that end.

But the focus of that statement is on the following.

1. I must keep going.

2. I have loved the journey thus far.

3. There are many exciting things happening on the way.

Birds in the Airport Terminal

As of this writing, I am here in Auckland awaiting my connecting flight to Dunedin. Well, what struck me the most on my very first day in NZ was the sight of birds inside the domestic airport terminal in Auckland. This morning, as soon as I stepped into the busy domestic terminal (which apparently was busier than the international terminal), I was confronted with mixed sounds: people chattering, announcements on loud speakers, noises coming out from the many restaurants and cafes, and, guess what else, birds chirping! I immediately assumed that the airport must be playing recorded bird sounds. But no, it wasn’t recorded, because I readily saw birds perched on posts and flying near the tall ceilings. I told myself immediately, this isn’t a familiar sight for me. I didn’t see anything similar to this in airports in Manila, or in Korea, not even in Japan’s Narita. 

 

As I had four hours of waiting for my connecting flight to Dunedin (the NZ city where my university is located), so I lingered in the restaurants area of the airport. I bought McDonald’s hamburger for lunch. I ate it slowly because I had so much time. Here are some of my thoughts on the sight of birds in here. 

 

It seems that the airport authorities have adopted an open-door policy for birds. I did not see any attempt to block the birds out. Structurally speaking, the airport has passages where birds can come in and out freely. The airport authorities need only to close these passages if they dislike bird infiltration. But there’s no apparent attempt in that regard. Also, in about three hours that i was in the area, the airport security personnel did not make any effort to drive out the birds. So I conclude that the Auckland domestic airport is a birds-friendly airport.

 

This apparent friendliness to birds has made them also very friendly to humans within the terminal. As proof, the birds don’t cease singing and chirping. I literally heard their sounds nonstop for as long as I was in the area. Another is, the birds fly freely across the air within the area, and so low that on one point, one bird almost dropped into my Cola cup! I also saw a couple of birds flying so low that they almost landed on a New Zealander’s head who was having lunch.

 

What business do birds have in the terminal? I think of two things. One is, the terminal has become their home—a refuge especially because today has been a rainy day. Two is, and this is very important, the birds find lots of foods inside the restaurants’ area. How? Of course they don’t order McDonald’s burger or Japanese sushi or Korean noodles. They enjoy the crumbs that fall on the floor. It was such a peaceful and good sight when I saw two birds eating crumbs below the tall chair where i was sitting. Yes, they are that close to humans. I think they might not hesitate to eat the crumbs right on your table.

 

The negative side of it? The birds’ dung. I did notice some traces of bird wastes on the top of posts and walls, and it’s apparent that no one has removed cleaned those places.The airport authorities must know that birds don’t clean their own wastes. Therefore, their open-door policy towards birds must mean that they recruit employees who should ensure and maintain the orderliness and cleanliness of the terminal. 

 

Well, it’s now time to prepare for my connecting flight. See you later! 

Cast Your Net Far and Wide: Getting a PhD Full Funding

I have gone through rough roads in my journey toward finally getting a PhD full funding. As of this writing, I have four days left prior to starting my doctoral program at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. I’m all set to go. Meanwhile, it is good to look back and reflect on my experiences of applying for a PhD place and funding. These may prove helpful to some readers who have the keen interest in pursuing postgraduate studies. 

There were basically two main concerns that I had to take care of: (1) secure a PhD offer of place and (2) secure my finances. If you have enough personal money to sustain your studies (fees plus living expenses), then you only need to be concerned about getting an offer of place. Let me elaborate my thoughts along these lines.

1. Where do you want to study?
This is about finding a university that will accept you into their PhD program. If you think that this is an easy process, that can only be true if you set your eyes on a university in your neighbourhood. It is a very difficult and competitive process if you seek acceptance at some of the world’s leading universities, such as those in North America, Europe, and Oceana. Suppose that you want to apply at some of these leading schools, here are some helpful guidelines:

a. Decide between a shorter and a longer PhD program. The North American (US and Canada) PhD takes about 5 to 7 years to complete, whereas the British/Australian/New Zealand PhD takes only about 3 to 4 years. The main reason for this distinction is that, whereas the North American PhD has about 2 years of coursework, the British-style PhD does not and the doctoral student immediately starts with the research project. Each system has both pros and cons and the student must choose which one suits him better. If you are that type of student who has had sufficient grounding in your course, if your research and writing skills are up to the task, and if you are hard-pressed on your time, then apply at British or Australian or New Zealand universities. But if you feel that you need some preparatory coursework to enable you to carry out your doctoral research, if you feel that your research and writing skills need further stimulation and development, and if you have much time, then apply at North American schools.

b. Choosing where to study is a matter of consequence because it affects the matter of funding. Large North American universities, such as Princeton, Yale, Duke, Notre Dame in the US and McMaster in Canada, offer fully-funded PhD programs. Receiving an offer of place in one of these universities means receiving also their abundant scholarship for the duration of the doctoral program. Small colleges or seminaries, however, may not offer fully-funded PhDs, or may not offer funding at all. Wheaton College, for example, offers funded PhD places (very limited; to my knowledge, only six students a year), but the funding may not be really big, especially if the student has a family to support.

In large British universities, admission to a PhD program is a separate matter from funding. The student has to apply separately to whatever internal or external funding schemes there are. For instance, I was offered a place at the University of Edinburgh, but there was no any funding attached to that. So I applied separately to three University funding schemes where, regrettably, I was eventually declined. With that, there was simply no way that I could start my studies at Edinburgh. Australian and New Zealand universities work similarly with British universities: admission to a PhD does not include promise of funding; scholarship has to be secured separately. Like Edinburgh, the University of Otago offered me a PhD place. I also applied separately for full funding. After months of suspenseful waiting, the great news came out that I was awarded a full scholarship: free tuition plus living stipend every year for the duration of my program.

c. Another thing that makes your choice of school very consequential is the set of application materials that you are required to submit.

American schools require GRE scores of PhD applicants. To my knowledge, British (Cambridge and Oxford are exceptions), Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand universities don’t. The GRE was probably the main reason why I was declined by all three American schools where I applied; I blew the GRE math section! If you are sure that your GRE scores (in both the Verbal and Quantitative Sections) are below the 90th percentile, then don’t apply at the US top-tiered universities. You may stand a chance at second-tiered schools and seminaries, so consider applying there.

If you are applying at schools outside the US, then the GRE will not be a concern anymore. But the TOEFL or IELTS will be, to prove your ability at the English language.

If you are applying at universities that follow the British system, then you must understand that the research proposal will be the most important document in your application. The research proposal is an extended statement of what you wish to accomplish in your PhD program. It should state the topic or the problem that you intend to research, the methodology that you wish to employ in conducting your research, a tentative outline of your project, a list of key bibliography, and a timetable. It is crucial that you get in touch with a potential supervisor from within the department of that university where you are seeking admission. You must present your proposal to this prospective supervisor, and allow the interaction to progress from this point. The potential supervisor that I contacted via email at Edinburgh was very kind and prompt in replying to my initial inquiry. According to her, my research proposal was vague and looked only as a summarising and restatement of what scholars have already written on the subject. She then advised me to revise it. I did, and her next comment was that I improved significantly, but that still I must expand on my list of bibliography to include the views of this and that author. So I revised my proposal for the second time. Then, finally, she found my proposal good and workable. She then instructed me to lodge my application with her department and promised to endorse and support it. I believe her support was they key why I was offered at place at Edinburgh.

That worked the same with the University of Otago. I submitted the same research proposal. The professor I contacted was also very kind and accommodating. He gave a different set of comments and recommendations on my proposal. For instance, he found my topic to be too broad and advised me to narrow it down. I revised it and tailored it to his suggestions. Then per his go-signal, I lodged my application with the university department. In due time, I was granted admission. I then worked on my application for full funding, which I did with much trepidation for the outcome, since Otago was literally the last university in my list that I hoped would grant me full funding. Well, after weeks and weeks of waiting on tip-toes, I got the letter confirming receipt of my full funding! I was the happiest person on earth!

2. Give yourself sufficient time.
Much time will be needed to fulfil and prepare key documents. For instance, I spent at least three months to write my dissertation topic, which was the key requirement for application in UK, Australian, and NZ universities. How much time you will need for writing your own research proposal will vary depending on your own intellectual preparedness and skill to organise your thoughts into a written proposal. The key question here is, do you have any topic in mind that is relevant and researchable? If you have, then do a quick study or survey to make sure that nobody else has yet done this particular topic or issue. Or, it is okay as well if your doctoral research aims to revisit a familiar problem but from a new perspective or using a new methodology. For sure, you will need sufficient time to draft and revise this document.

For those desiring to apply at US schools, especially at top-tiered ones where the GRE weighs crucially, you must ensure that you’ll score well on this test. In my case, 3 months of brushing up my math was simply not enough. What I would have needed was at least one year of math. I simply didn’t learn enough of math in elementary and high school, and I didn’t attend middle school because there was none in my country some years back.

3. To catch fish, cast your net broad and wide.
That’s exactly what I did. I applied at seven schools in total, not including some universities in Seoul where I had thought of applying just in case all the seven schools declined me. I applied at three universities in the US, three in the UK, and one in NZ. Of the seven, two offered me a place: Edinburgh and Otago. The other five declined me: Oxford, Nottingham, Duke, Notre Dame, and Marquette. In hindsight, I was quite thankful I cast my net broad and wide. It is also good to diversify the options to include universities in more than one nation, as I did. I chose universities in three countries! This kind of selection does not necessarily mean that we just choose any university without carefully considering whether our doctoral study there will be productive as we would desire. Our choice must be guided by such things as the presence of excellent research supervision, availability of funding schemes, research resources, and our belief/theological compatibility with the university (this last factor may not matter for others).

In conclusion, I am indeed very thankful that of the seven schools where I applied, one has accepted me and granted me full funding. This is God’s open door for me. This is His blessing. It’s a good blessing because NZ is such a beautiful place to live and study. It’s a good blessing because I will be working with a world-renowned scholar, Prof. Paul Trebilco, as my supervisor. It is now up to me to make the most of my time there, given all these blessings.

Lesson #1 Learned While in Korea: For Filipinas Who Want to Marry Koreans

I want to say to Filipinas who dream of marrying Korean men: “Think again!” Why? Not because Korean men, more than other nationalities, make bad husbands. Inherent in an international marriage is the compounded risk for miscommunication and misunderstanding owing to very different cultures and cultural definitions and expectations of husband and wife roles in the family. The Korean definition of the role of wife is so tough and demanding, and I am afraid that generally Filipinas will have a hard time and in many cases fail to fully satisfy the Korean husband’s and his family’s expectations, resulting in disappointments, or worse, in the break-up of marriage. On a basic level, miscommunication can be due to the fact that the Filipina wife most probably does not speak Korean and the husband does not speak English. How can the “union of souls” take place in such a situation as this?

I believe the situation is urgent because I see many Filipinas enter into this kind of marriage without, first, really knowing the facts and hence, second, preparing themselves for the consequences. How can they know the facts when match-making agencies, in their desire for profits, lie to Filipinas about the profile of these Korean men looking for foreign wives? For instance, these match-making agencies will never inform potential wives that this particular Korean man is mentally or physically or emotionally handicapped. Instead, they will say that this or that Korean man has much money and has a good job, when in reality he has no money and is dependent on his mother for subsistence. I personally know a Filipina who was so shocked to find that the Korean that she had married actually is a Mama’s boy, controlled by the mom and had no mental and financial abilities to be independent. He had no house of his own and they had to live in the property of the Korean parents. She suffered a lot in this situation because her mother-in-law was so controlling; she felt so choked. The mother-in-law suffered too because the Filipina was so hard to bring under “full control.” Guess the outcome: divorce, and in this particular case it was initiated and pushed by the mother-in-law.

The blame must not be heaped on the Korean side only. One reason why there are Filipinas who marry foreigners from developed countries is the desire to escape poverty from back home. This desire is not bad. But it is bad if it becomes the motivating factor for marrying a foreigner. I’m reminded of a Filipina who is now divorced from her Korean husband. She didn’t want to divorce him, but he couldn’t live with her anymore. So he initiated and pushed for the dissolution of their marriage. His main problem with her was, she wasn’t devoted to him; she only wanted to earn money and send it to her family in the Philippines. He felt that she just used the marriage as a way to get visa to enter Korea to find work here and earn money. The court sided with him and did not require him to compensate the Filipina for damages.

While I discourage marriage with Koreans if that marriage is arranged and mediated by match-making agencies, there are exceptions. I myself have an international marriage, my wife being a foreigner as well. The key here is, marriage must be built on the foundation of love, faith, and mutual acceptance and trust. The couple therefore must have enough time to know each other’s backgrounds and cultures. In this process, they can confront crucial differences and be challenged to accept and adjust to each other. Given these healthy ingredients, I believe, and in my personal experience, an international marriage can be very rewarding, fun, and pose a lot of adventures for both the husband and wife.

Three easy steps to achieving what you want

Philippine Government: Keep up the good work!

There are two very good developments in our nation that relate directly to our islands dispute with China.

First, our nation’s leaders are doing right by filing a lawsuit against China, seeking the arbitration of the UN and asking it to declare illegal China’s nine-dash territorial claims. The submission of the massive document so-called Memorial explaining and supporting our case to the UN headquarters at The Hague last Sunday is a landmark achievement. According to our lawyers, we have a very strong case based on modern tenets of sovereign territorial boundaries. Plainly told, the Chinese nine-dash map does not cohere with these modern tenets because it includes territories that are too far away from actual Chinese shores. Furthermore, parts of what China claims are scattered islands that are physically close to our nation and, to add to that, have been occupied already by our fellow Filipinos. So on the basis of physical proximity and first-point occupation, we win the case; China loses. Now let us think in advance and proactively. Let us say that UN decides in our favor and declares that China’s claims are illegal. What might be the consequences of that? First, we as a nation will be vindicated in the eyes of the international community. We can then expect to have the sympathy and support not only of our straightforward allies such as the US and Japan, but also of the majority of the nations in the world. Second, will China acknowledge the UN resolution and revise its nine-dash territorial map? Doing this will subject China to consequent shame in face of the international community and it is hard for the world’s second largest economy to accept this situation. On the other hand, if China defies the UN ruling, it risks its own reputation as cooperative and law-abiding UN member and the consequent alienation from the rest of the peace-loving nations of the world. The best course of action for China, in the event that she loses the case, is to shallow its pride and own up to the UN ruling. That is definitely hard to do, but one that is beneficial for the country and the world.

Second, the signing of the contract of acquisition of 12 planes from South Korea and four combat helicopters from Canada last week was another landmark achievement. The current state of things with regards to our armed forces is, we are no match compared to China. This is a result and a reflection of corrupt, incompetent, and negligent governments that we have had for such a long time. Thankfully, the recent acquisition signing signals a positive change in government. Thanks to President Aquino and our defense officials. The 12 planes and 4 helicopters will surely boost, in the minimum, our capacity to police our national territorial boundaries and prepare ourselves for self-defense and offense in case of an armed conflict. We know, however, that these equipment units are not enough. We must see to it that our archipelago is in the scope of radar. Let us make sure that we have enough warplanes and warships to respond to any potential threat arising from any part of our nation. We as a nation are entitled to these capabilities.

Keep up the good work, President Aquino and your team! Don’t let the guard down.

Is spiritual growth your priority?

Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight, doesn’t come automatically. As a process, it takes time, much time, and it requires patience, it requires intentionality. In short, it’s an investment. I remember what my previous boss told me when I was a new recruit as acting manager of a company department. He said, “Consider this department as now yours. Do whatever it takes to move it forward to your desired destination. Its success or failure ultimately depends on you, not on anyone else.” That was a profound statement, conditioning my mind for my leadership tasks and giving huge amount of encouragement as I began my work.

Are we serious about spiritual growth? If we are, then let’s do some very important things. As far as God is concerned, He has surely provided all things necessary to kick-start that process. One very practical thing is the necessity of investing time into certain aspects of discipleship necessary for our spiritual maturing. Let’s invest time in Bible reading and reflection, in prayer, in corporate worship, and in small-group fellowship. One very common excuse we make for not investing our time into these spiritual exercises is to say that “we have no time,” that “we’re too busy.” But to say this is simply to admit that spiritual maturity is not really our priority. The truth is, we do have time; we only need to decide to get out of our comfort zones and really invest our time into these spiritual exercises. I know that it’s so easy to find time for Facebooking or for Internet-surfing or for friend-chatting, and often we find ourselves looking for left-over time for Bible reading or for prayer or for fellowship. Many times, after our bodies have become really tired of doing other things, we realize that the next thing we need to do is sleep. In so doing, there was really no time for spiritual exercises because all of our bodily stamina has been spent on other things.

The unexpected

I made a full schedule for today. For what is life but a series of “to do’s”
Or is it really? Isn’t it that life consists of “to do’s” with dots in between?

That’s why I am writing this reflection now, because dots came into my schedule. These dots are the etcetera’s. Or shall we say that they are the extras? Whatever. They’re always there, they are there to tell me that I am not in full control, no matter how I plan my schedule. They’re there so that I can have some space to breathe, and to realize that life is beautiful. Breathe in and out. Stretch your arms. Relax.

It’s never too late to learn bicycling

 

It’s never too late to learn something. Today was my day to learn bicycling, with my wife as my coach.

I didn’t learn bicycling when I was a child for the simple reason that I didn’t have a bicycle. Many years of my childhood were spent on mountainous terrains that had no bicycle tracks. When my family eventually moved to the plains, still there were no bicycle tracks. There were only human tracks, cow tracks, buffalo tracks, and surely pig tracks. So when my mom asked me later whether I wanted a bicycle, my young mind knew what to say: “There’s no use for that here.”

Fast forward to this time, now that I am 30. I heard from a friend that there’s a newly developed spacious park in our city, and that there’s even free bicycles that can be borrowed, I right away volunteered to make up my mind to go. So today was the day! Today’s weather was quite fine, though windy. Indeed, I was able to borrow a bicycle. I only needed to submit my ID card. My wife-coach also borrowed a bicycle for herself. There were quite many cyclists near the borrowing area, so I felt quite shy. My wife was laughing at me when I carried my bicycle away from the populated area to neighboring roads, where people were quite few.

My first try wasn’t bad. I pedaled the bicycle to a distance of perhaps three meters, then I used my feet to bring myself to a halt. My wife told me to use the brake (on the left hand) instead; it’s the correct thing and it’s safe for me. I kept trying doing the same thing–putting myself on the bike and pedaling it, and again to avoid crashing, I found myself using my feet instead of the brake. I remembered what my wife said–to use the brake. So this time, I tried riding the bike again several times, and using the brake in case I felt that I was going to crash.

Lo and behold, after about 10 minutes, I successfully rode and pedaled the bike to a distance of maybe 10 meters without falling. This success boosted me, so I kept trying. To make this story short, after about 15 minutes, I became a biker almost as good as my wife. I rode the bike alongside her, enjoying the cool breeze on my skin, enjoying the bright 3PM sun, and enjoying the time with my beautiful wife. It’s never too late to learn riding bicycle, is it?

Am I a good learner? Well the better way to say it is, my wife is a good coach!