"Aren't you supposed to be in Cancun?!", a colleague at Germanwatch asked yesterday and I told her, "Yes, but I am flying on the 2nd of December, I have a meeting to attend this 1st of December."
Quite a puzzle for everyone at the office maybe but for me who is trying to get back in the hardcore climate world, I saw today's meeting as very important in shaping my proposed project and, hence, something that I should not miss in exchange for a few more days in sunny Cancun.
Today I met up with (Kuya) Red Constantino, one of the people who was witness to my christening at the international climate scene during the 2006 Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual General Meeting in Hyderabad, India. I was just 22 years old then, relatively fresh from university and only have my youthful passion to back up my "climate action." I distinctly remember Kuya Red giving me and the other Philippine youth representative some advice on how our conduct should be in international meetings, like how we are ambassadors of the Philippines no matter how insignificant we may be back home (hence, don't dress sloppily like other foreigners who travel in slippers and shorts) and that anyone aged 20 years and above are considered adults and will be treated like adults and will be expected to act like adults.
It was just a bit unfortunate that I did not stay long enough in Greenpeace (and in the climate change scene) and eventually lost contact with him and other mentors but I'm glad he is who he is: despite having too much travels and too much acquaintances, he never forgets people (or at least he never forgot who I was). See, I was even able to book an appointment with him today while he is in Germany for a climate justice meeting at Bremen. Yes, never mind that I had to freeze in Bremen's super cold weather (even colder than Bonn), because today I not only got valuable feedback on my proposal but also got much-needed inspiration for my all-too-boring Bonn life!
The past years, while they have been extremely nice to me, have zapped some zest from the Densio of yesteryears. Maybe life happened, but I find that I am no longer the Densio who looks at the world with child-like wonder and who can find amusement in every single thing when she wants to. Today Kuya Red reminded me that I must find a source of joy and not just confine my German experience to the monotony of work and home, that I should find ways to challenge myself - not just technically at work but perhaps at making life a little more colorful.
I realize now that life in Germany can never be the same life that I live back home, ergo, I cannot dream of "transferring" or doing the fun things that I do back home here. I really must do fun things that are distinctly for Germany alone, such as cooking my own meals!
"Older" people have played a big role in my life during the past years; you can never almost go wrong in listening to people with white hair or wrinkled skin, although I realized that older doesn't really mean wiser. I had experience with some whom I initially looked up to as mentors only to find out that they were de-mentors!
Kuya Red is one of the few whom I can genuinely call a mentor, a father and a friend at the same time. Extremely glad to cross paths with him and today to be able to freely discuss climate negotiations insights with free bio-bier and gluehwein to boot!
Today was a good one. Climate change to me is something like seaweeds to my former boss at the Marine Science Institute (Dr. Lluisma), it's my first love. Let's see if I can successfully establish a relationship with it again, not as a chirpy-cheery youth delegate but as a serious climate change researcher.
On to the climate negotiations at Cancun, will be back to frozen Deutschland in 2 weeks.
