Wondergirl Ilay

Image copyright © 2017 May T Papa

I met Ilay in 2012. Mama Lyzeth told me that we will get along well, because Ilay loves books.

True enough, when Ilay and I met, we instantly became friends. She had just undergone a very delicate operation that took out a large tumor from between her eyes. But from her wide smile, her very quick and playful manner, it didn’t seem as if she had just gone through something very scary and painful. She was only four years old.

She must have some kind of superpowers, I thought. Amazing kid!

Ilay and her mother live in Bataan. They just come to Manila for Ilay’s treatments. Even if I wanted to visit her, Bataan was just too far away. Years passed, I was able to see Ilay grow up, through the photos Mama Lyzeth shared on her Facebook page.

“Ilay’s first day in school” Mama Lyzeth captioned one photograph. “Ate Ilay makes it to the Top 5 in class,” she captioned another. I was happy Ilay was growing up to be a happy, smart, and pretty young lady.

Last Sunday, Mama Lyzeth sent me a PM. And then I saw Ilay’s new pics. Apparently all these years, Ilay has still been very sickly.

“Things are not looking look good for Ilay,” Mama Lyzeth wrote. “The infection in her blood has reached her brain. She continues to fight, but we expect to lose her anytime now. She is already very weak.”

At age 9, brave Ilay is fighting her bravest fight yet, but her mortal body cannot keep up anymore. We are lifting Ilay up to God, in whose loving arms she can finally find comfort and rest.

Nakilala ko si Ilay noong 2012. Nasabi ni Mama Lyzeth na magkakasundo kami, dahil napakahilig ni Ilay sa libro.

Noong magkakilala kami, agad nga kaming nagkaibigan ni Ilay. Noo’y kakalampas pa lamang niya sa isang delikadong operasyon na nagtanggal ng malaking tumor sa pagitan ng kanyang mga mata. Ngunit di mo ito mababakas sa napakalaki niyang ngiti at liksi ng kilos. Tila walang nakakatakot o masakit na pinagdaanan. Apat na taon pa lamang siya.

Baka may superpowers siya, naisip ko tuloy. Pambihirang bata!

Ngunit sa Bataan nakatira si Ilay at ang kanyang nanay. Lumuluwas lamang sila kapag magpapagamot si Ilay. Gusto ko man siyang dalawin ay napakalayo ng Bataan. Sa kabila ng lahat, sa paglipas ng panahon, nasubaybayan ko ang kanyang paglaki mula sa mga letratong ibinabahagi ni Mama Lyzeth sa Facebook.

“Unang araw ni Ilay sa paaralan,” ani Mama Lyzeth sa isang letrato. “Top 5 si Ate Ilay,” aniya naman sa isa. Nakakatuwang makitang lumalaki si Ate Ilay na isang masiyahing, matalino, at magandang dalagita.

Bigla na lang noong Linggo, pinadalhan ako ng mensahe ni Mama Lyzeth. At nakita ko ang mga bagong larawan ni Ilay. Sa kabila pala ng kanyang masasayang letrato, sakitin pa rin pala si Ilay.

“Hindi maganda ang lagay ni Ilay,” aniya. “Umakyat na ang impeksyon niya sa dugo sa utak. Patuloy pa rin siyang lumalaban, ngunit ‘di na namin siya inaasahang magtatagal. Napakahina na ng kanyang katawan.”

Sa edad 9 na taon, ang pambihirang si Ilay ay lumalaban sa pinakamalaking laban ng kanyang buhay, ngunit hindi na kakayanan ng kanyang katawan. Itinataas namin ang aming pinakamamahal na si Ilay sa kandungan ng Panginoong Diyos, kung saan siya makahahanap ng ginhawa at pamamahinga.

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Nurture vs Nature

How much does nature contribute to an individual’s formation? How much does their environment influence their being? Is behavior inherited (ie genetic) or acquired–or both?

“Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors. Nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception e.g. the product of exposure, experience and learning on an individual.”

from simplypsychology.org

According to their LinkedIn page, “Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children is founded on the belief that culture is essential to understanding both ourselves and the world in which we live today. The overall aim is to enrich the cultural lives of children and prepare them to welcome their future.”

This, I believe, is what the world needs to nurture confident, culturally literate and emotionally intelligent kids–a cultural centre like the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children. The Centre encourages creative self-expression. They even have a 24-hour family radio station, Pearl FM (with 5 studios) where kids can call in and talk about just anything.

I was privileged to be taken on a tour around the complex, and I was just awed at the facilities and the conceptualization, creative energy, as well as resources that brought the centre to life.

Grateful to the Sharjah Book Authority for arranging my storytelling activity at the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children as part of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2017. Thanks also to Ms. Ayesha Juma, AJCCC Director for Program Management, and the very accommodating AJCCC staff for making me feel so welcome and taking me on a wonderful tour around their centre.

Sharjah Scrapbook

Sharjah is widely considered to be the cultural capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is a city that beautifully juxtaposes the old with the new. For the 2017 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, we were billeted at the Sharjah Hilton which had a vantage view of the sunrise over the Khalid Lagoon. The sunrises are spectacularly beautiful from the hotel, as the city’s sand-colored palette amazingly reflected the colors of the sun.

Grand staircase at the lobby of the Hilton

The Eye of the Emirates at daytime.

The Eye of the Emirates at nighttime.

The Khalid Lagoon, viewed from the Corniche.

Inside the Sharjah Central Souk

Tree of Life motif on a Persian rug.

Central Souk

The story behind our bee book.

I believe that the true test of a brand story’s worthiness is when it can explain complicated things to a child.

Shell Philippines gave me my most challenging commission yet, a picture book that will engage young and old readers alike, and call their attention to urgent environmental concerns.

 

We rewrite our story: Day 2 of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival

We are so different, and yet, in many things, we are also alike.

The Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children. An amazing place. This was where did my storytelling on the morning of my second day at SCRF.

Ms Marwa (below, left) welcomed us and ushered us to the AJCCC Library on the second floor.

I was assisted by SCRF 2017 student volunteer, the petite Amie (below, right), who balanced herself amazingly in stilletos while lugging an LCD projector.

I felt so privileged to do my storytelling in such an inspiring place. (Was later taken on a tour of the place. Will post the pics in a separate post.)

School children magically appeared as soon as we had settled and set up our projector in the library. Shortly after we’d gone up to the second floor, a couple of school buses must have arrived carrying some thirty school children and their teachers. There was no sign of them while we were in the lobby earlier. Or, maybe there is a school adjacent to the cultural center?

Me: I heard that the kids who come to the AJCCC are the smartest and most creative…
Kids: Yes, Teacher!
Me: I was wondering if you could help me with my problem.
Abdulrahman M: What is your problem, Teacher?
Me: I wrote a book, and I used some Filipino words. I want to rewrite it using Arabic words so Arab kids can understand it. Do you think you can help me?
Kids: (chorus) Yes, Teacher!

And so we brainstormed (above), and chose the best words to use in our storytelling:

Yammah. Souk. Rafiqui. Sellah.

I was very pleased. I liked the sound of our words.

It was impressive because these kids were not only bilingual, but they were literate in writing in Arabic and English. They were very specific with the pronunciation as we agreed on our anglicized spellings of the Arabic words. The teachers beamed as they listened to their students enthusiastically interact with me. When the Head Teacher saw that the kids kept raising their hands to suggest even more words, she laughingly said, “We have about twenty words for everything!”

Was also told that it is easier to learn to write in English than in Arabic. These kids are geniuses, then, to both know how to write in Arabic and Latin.

In exchange, I taught them Filipino words: Nanay (mother), Palengke (market), Suki (customer-pal), and Bayong (native basket).

And I read them my book with its new title,  “A Day at the Souk” (above), using the Arabic words:

Today, I woke up early.
I was still sleepy when Yamma helped me get dressed.
I will spend the day with her.
Today is souk day!

Yamma and I each carry a sellah.
Yamma’s sellah is big and colorful.
Mine was small and yellow.

I told the story using slides. There was an awkward moment of silence, as I clicked and showed them this scene (below).

I had told this story a hundred times. I had forgotten it was there.

A little boy, whose name I would later find out, is Abdulrahman M, raised his hand, and exclaimed:  Teachur, der ees a P. I. G.!

His outburst caused the class to titter. I felt faint, and flushed all over, about the faux pas.

I remarked to the Head Teacher:  I apologize for that oversight.

She smiled, gave a little compassionate nod, and waved her hand, as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”

Then I explained  to the children that it was a typical scene in a Philippine market, unlike in a souk, where the meat they sell is halal.

After the storytelling, I told the children that it was only my second day in the UAE and so I’ve not yet been to an Arabian souk, and if they would be so kind as to draw me a picture (below).

The activity made them quiet for about five minutes, hahaha.

The Head Teacher thanked me. “You were wonderful with the kids,” she smiled.

“The pleasure, really, is mine, Ma’am, ” I told her.

We took some group pics, but Amie took my pics for my camera from the side, huhuhu.

As the kids formed lines and waited to exit the library with their teachers, Maha came up to me, stood on tiptoes and gently pulled me toward her, to whisper in my ear:  I drew your picture at the back of my drawing, Miss May! (Maha’s drawing of me as Miss May Buterskawt, below.)

Was overwhelmed, because I believe I gained more than I gave of myself in this storytelling session.

Thank you, Sharjah Book Authority. Thank you, Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children.

It was a truly unforgettable experience.

A Whole New World: Day 1 of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (2017)

I came to Sharjah eager to share of myself and Philippine children’s literature. Five days later, I flew back home, my mind and heart filled with wonderful and shiny new treasures. Attending the 2017 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, I unexpectedly became a richer individual than I had been five days before — in terms of inspiration and insights.

Day 1:  My flight was late. We touched down at around 5:00 AM, almost an hour late. When I finally got out of the airport the sun was just coming out.

By the time we’d turned into Corniche Road where the Hilton was, the sun had already risen (below). I come from a country very famous for its sunsets. Only then, I realized that I had for years been programmed to look westward and at the end of the day, to look at the sun; I had never seen the sun at sunrise as immense as magnificent as this. It felt like a warm hug. It truly seemed as if God was smiling at me. What a beautiful greeting Sharjah gave me. Sadly, my phone cam did not do it justice at all.

Despite the lateness of my flight, it looked like I arrived too early for the festival. The  SCRF 2017 booth at the Hilton lobby had not even opened yet when I checked in. In my room, I napped for a couple of hours and then freshened up, then went down again to check the booth again to get my guest badge and inquire about transport to the opening ceremonies of SCRF 2017.

I got this box of cute doodads as a welcome gift from the Sharjah Book Authority (below).

It had felt so surreal, to be in the United Arab Emirates. The place is so unlike anywhere I’d ever been. But even then, within the UAE, the contrast between the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah seemed so marked. You will notice this in the architecture of the skyline. While Dubai is all modern, cosmopolitan and shiny, Sharjah’s sand-colored cityscape is proud, elegant and genteel, designed to complement the changing colors of the sun. Both are fascinating gems in a crown setting, each uniquely beautiful in its own way.

On the way to the Expo Centre, we passed by the iconic Eye of the Emirates (below).

It wasn’t  a dream after all, as I checked my FB news feed. In just a few hours, I was already going to be in my first SCRF event, a panel discussion on “Illustrated Stories and Its Status”. The Sharjah Book Authority had already announced it on social media (below).

The entrance to the Sharjah Expo Centre, venue of the 2017 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (below). The theme for SCRF 2017 is “Discover Beyond”.

A handy guide to the activities and a map to help you locate these in the huge venue (below).

Had to pinch and tell myself again that this was really happening.

Cute preschoolers in very colorful costumes hold up hashtags in Arabic (below). It was only my very first few minutes in the Expo Centre, so I’d been unable to ask anybody for a translation of the signs.

Very young schoolchildren waiting for the Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi to open the festival gamely pose for photographs (below).

A typical panel discussion that simultaneously happened around the venue. This featured two very young talents (below). One was a published writer who wrote her own stories in English while the other one was a storyteller who specialized in interpreting traditional Arabic stories. The forum was  bilingual and the rapt audience was composed of middle schoolers.

(Below) Our panel discussion entitled “Illustrated Text:  Illustrated Stories and Its Status”, facilitated by Linda Abdel Latif (Egypt) and co-paneled by  Sheena Dempsey (UK) and myself (Philippines).  The questions were in Arabic. Sheena and I and the audience were provided headsets while a translator in the booth interpreted the questions and answers alternately in Arabic and English–in real time. So cool.

Sheena discussed the importance of the various roles the illustrator plays to meet the changing needs of the child readers in their various developmental stages,  “Illustration plays different roles in different genres of books. In picture books for instance, the illustrator co-invents or co-authors the book, while it is seen playing a slightly different role in fiction where the illustrator responds to the author’s text – something I did for Dave Pigeon by Swapna Haddow,” said Dempsey.

I talked more about the expanding definition of literacy, beyond reading and writing, to include the visual as well. “In the college that I used to teach back in the Philippines, we have pushed illustration to include the visual metaphor, the visual pun, and visual analogy — traditional terms normally used in the formation of text — and applied these to visuals. There is a similar movement in visual arts schools in the US toward visual literacy. In a media-dominated world, we not only read books and magazines, but film, internet content, TV shows, and we need to learn to respond to these critically.”

Linda, Sheena, and I pose for posterity (above).

My lovely host, Ms. Cool-under-pressure Qurrat of the Sharjah Book Authority and I finally meet, and of course, we celebrate our first meeting with a selfie.

What an incredible first day!

On the way back to the Hilton, the glittery Eye of the Emirates winks at me.

The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is a cultural celebration attracting not only children, but extending the joy of learning to parents and adults in a family- friendly atmosphere. SCRF encourages learning and self-education from a young age, helping raise a generation of leaders, scholars and professionals who will contribute to the development of their society.

SCRF is held annually under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Muhammad Al Qasimi.

 

Wish List: Anong Pilipinong aklat pambata o pangkabataan ang gusto mong mailimbag?

1. Isang aklat pambata ni National Artist Virgilio S. Almario tungkol sa kung paano maging makata, at serye ng mga aklat na hihimok sa mga batang subukang magsulat din ng maikling kwento, awit, dula, at personal na sanaysay–upang maging bahagi ito ng malikhaing pagpapahayag sa kanilang sarili. Malaki kasing suliranin ng ating kabataan ay ang paghanap sa kanilang pagkakakilanlan, kung kaya nahuhumaling sa cosplay. Walang masama dito, ngunit sana’y magkaroon din sila ng venue upang mahanap ang kanilang panloob na pagkakakilanlan.

Ngunit, bumalik tayo sa dream book ko na isusulat sana ni Sir Rio. Sa lahat ng genre, ang tula pa rin ang pinaka-intimidating sa madla, hindi lang sa ating kultura, pero maging sa dayuhang kultura. Kung basehan ang mga kuwentong-pambatang nilikha niya, ang saya siguro matuto ng paglikha ng tula mula kay Sir Rio, kahit ito ay sa pamamagitan ng isang how-to book lamang. Sana ito ay masaya ang pagkakadisenyo at sana ito ay may mga makukulay na ilustrasyon, upang ito’y mas masayang basahin.

2. Mas maraming tunay na “picture book”–mga aklat na pasisimulan ng mga ilustrador, hindi ng manunulat. O totally walang teksto. Panahon na para makilala natin ang ating mga Shaun Tan, David Weisner, Jillian Tamaki, at Isabelle Arsenault. Ang aktibong gumagawa nito, ng pag-initiate ng ilustrador sa paglikha ng aklat, marahil, ay si Jomike Tejido. Lumalago na rin ang lokal na graphic novel industry, na nagsyo-showcase ng mahuhusay na trabaho ng mga ilustrador na Pinoy. Ngunit, napakalaki pa ng potensyal ng picture book, may mga uring hindi pa natin nakikita dito sa Pilipinas. Hindi naman tayo nagkukulang sa mga ilustrador na may kakayahang mangyari ito. Kulang tayo, marahil, sa mga premyong mala-Caldecott at siguro, mas masigasig na encouragement mula sa mga publisher. Ang Canvas books ay may ganitong layunin sa paglikha ng picture books–nauuna idevelop ang biswal bago teksto–ngunit may kamahalan lang ang kanilang mga aklat. Sana ay may pang-commercial market sila. Ang PBBY Illustrators Prize naman, sa tingin ko, ay maaaring maging daan upang mangyari ito kung siguro minsan bawat dalawang taon o salitan ng taon, iuuna nilang ilunsad ang Illustrators Prize kaysa Writers Prize.

3. Mas maraming aklat para sa mga batang may special needs. Upang tunay at tuluyang maisakatuparan ang layunin  ng Deped sa kanilang “No Child Left Behind”, kailangang bigyang-tuon at kilalanin din ang pangangailangan sa edukasyon ng mga batang may kapansanan sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng mas inclusive na lipunan para sa kanila. Ang unang-unang hakbang ay ang pagturo ng pag-unawa sa mga batang walang kapansanan. Sa aking palagay ay malaki ang magagawa ng mga aklat na pumapaksa sa 1)  “anti-bullying”,  2) mga specific na kapansanan ngunit sa mas sensitibong pamamaraan gaya ng “Xilef”, 3) araw-araw na buhay ng mga batang may kapansanan–sila ay mga bata rin!

4. Ang maraming mga kuwentong nasa mga notebook ko!

Libre lang naman ang mangarap.

Maligayang Pambansang Araw ng mga Aklat Pambata!