Conversation anyone?

I'll say it. I miss Philippine society - the genteel, the intellectual, the poetic and artistic. I do not include other adjectives right now because those particular things are what I miss. I miss sitting down at any local cafe in the afternoon and overhear office workers, students and entrepreneurs go about their business. I miss reading the opinions of our intelligent and witty columnists in the broadsheets (I could use the internet, but being home and buying the paper and settling down to devour it with some merienda is so different).

I do not wish to sound elitist when I say I do not miss the afternoon shows (TFC anyone) or the mass appeal of our two main television channels. There's enough of that here. And the melodrama sometimes doesn't really help the national consciousness (again, my own humble opinion).

When I say I miss the intellectuals and what gentle society has to offer - I only mean that I miss being a citizen in my own country where I am an INDIVIDUAL. Where I am not only a nationality (one that I am proud of being part of mind you - but thats a different point) or a skin colour but where its something that I do not need to think about everytime I walk down the street or open my mouth to speak my thoughts.

It would be really cool to find some intellectuals to talk to right now - without having to fret that we're of different nationalities and where walking on eggshells is not required.

I love that most of the Pinoys I've met so far are nice and smile when they realize that you are "kabayan" and even go out of their way to give you extra service if you need something in one of the stores they work in. That is just beautiful for me.

But I miss my banter mates. I'm not sure I could pull the attendee at the shoe store at the next building into a long winding conversation about the futility of going off to pursue a writing career when faced with the offer of a stable well paying job that demands me assisting executives of a corporate giant.

Or could I?