Last night our Chevening 2008 Batch had a reunion dinner with no less than the new UK ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie as special guest. It was really a great honor for our batch to have the ambassador with us and for us to know him better and up close. His coming to our reunion underscored and convinced us of the importance of the Chevening Fellowship as a flagship program of the UK Government which we had the great fortune of being a part of..
Frankly though, I had always felt a little guilty that the first thing I did after my Chevening Fellowship was to quit my job for which I got the Fellowship in the first place. On our last day in class, our course director even had only very positive and encouraging words for me. If only he knew what was already in my mind then.
But I did not quit my job on a whim. Actually it was my fellowship experience that gave me the courage to act on my conviction. Even before I left for the fellowship, I had been questioning my work and participation in a project that if carried out as it was, I felt will only produce either martyrs or clowns. With the GMA – Ampatuan massacre occuring just almost two years later, I feel vindicated in my decision.
Still I am hoping that one day, I will get a chance to be engaged in genuine peace and democracy building work again in Mindanano, particularly in the ARMM where I can have a chance to put to use whatever knowledge and insights I gained through my Chevening experience.
I hope someday, I can show that British money was not wasted on me.
Frankly though, I had always felt a little guilty that the first thing I did after my Chevening Fellowship was to quit my job for which I got the Fellowship in the first place. On our last day in class, our course director even had only very positive and encouraging words for me. If only he knew what was already in my mind then.
But I did not quit my job on a whim. Actually it was my fellowship experience that gave me the courage to act on my conviction. Even before I left for the fellowship, I had been questioning my work and participation in a project that if carried out as it was, I felt will only produce either martyrs or clowns. With the GMA – Ampatuan massacre occuring just almost two years later, I feel vindicated in my decision.
Still I am hoping that one day, I will get a chance to be engaged in genuine peace and democracy building work again in Mindanano, particularly in the ARMM where I can have a chance to put to use whatever knowledge and insights I gained through my Chevening experience.
I hope someday, I can show that British money was not wasted on me.
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“Hi, long time no see!”
Having dinner with a queen’s diplomat was memorable enough but our night was made really unforgettable by one of our batchmates who came late. She mistook the ambassador for someone she had met some time before in the embassy and so when she sat beside him, she casually told him, “Hi, long time no see” and then proceeded to pat him on the shoulder. The good ambassador graciously repeated her greeting to her and we were all impressed that they had already established a friendly rapport in the short time since the ambassador came to the country.
But it was only after the ambassador left that our batchmate sounding horrified, very contritely apologized to us for her earlier behavior as she explained to us that the ambassador looked like someone she knew from the embassy. It was not until someone asked a question to the ambassador and began with “Mr. Ambassador” that she realized who she was sittting with. I almost choked on my food when I heard this and we ended the night rolling with laughter.
Having dinner with a queen’s diplomat was memorable enough but our night was made really unforgettable by one of our batchmates who came late. She mistook the ambassador for someone she had met some time before in the embassy and so when she sat beside him, she casually told him, “Hi, long time no see” and then proceeded to pat him on the shoulder. The good ambassador graciously repeated her greeting to her and we were all impressed that they had already established a friendly rapport in the short time since the ambassador came to the country.
But it was only after the ambassador left that our batchmate sounding horrified, very contritely apologized to us for her earlier behavior as she explained to us that the ambassador looked like someone she knew from the embassy. It was not until someone asked a question to the ambassador and began with “Mr. Ambassador” that she realized who she was sittting with. I almost choked on my food when I heard this and we ended the night rolling with laughter.
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