Brasstown Bald

Brasstown Bald is the highest point in Georgia, about an hour's drive north from Atlanta. Far from being a towering Matterhorn, it's more of a sloped hill on a rather gentle rolling mountain range. Its elevation was enough, however, to make my ears pop on the uphill drive, and to keep me chilly in my short-sleeved shirt when I went there with a group of around 20 of my Filipino workmates last Sunday.

The road to our destination was very twisty and steep by American standards, though it was a pleasure to drive compared to the highway through the Philippine mountains of Negros or Panay. The drive included the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway through the Chattahoochee National Forest, with a neverending barrage of picturesque oaks and other wonderful views. Perhaps everything is relative, but I find it hard to imagine an American being as enamoured by our endless coconut and banana trees.

For the last leg of the trip to the top there was a hike of about one mile. That is not much of a distance to conquer, even when going slightly uphill. But to our underworked and overpampered Filipino infantry the uphill climb was an opposing army, pressing at us with its artillery, and before long some of our tribe had succumb to enemy fire and had to reteat to the base. Luckily there was a shuttle available as an alternative to the hike.

We made our way through the foresty trail flanked by majestic trees with leaves that had just begun to evidence the symptoms of autumn. Surely the fauna is commonplace to those who have experienced the fall year after year, but coming from a tropical climate even the slightest detail is magical.

Suddenly the tall trees lining the path came to an end and gave way to the cool, clear blue sky as we reached the highest point in the state of Georgia.

It was beautiful. There was not a cloud in the sky in any direction for as far as the eye could see.

The New York Times opens its archives

A few days ago the New York Times did the internet a favor and opened up a lot of its archives. We now have free access to all their news articles from 1987 to the present, and those written from 1851 to 1922 (those articles have lapsed into the public domain). Yeah, articles as far back as 1851! There are still charges for some of their material from 1923 to 1986, though some others are free.

These old news articles give a whole new context to the historical things we know all about. Time has a way of shaving away the details and eroding the roughness. With history books what we absorb is the condensed and sanitized version of the story-- the number of people dead, the results of the election, the outcome of a war. With news articles you can get down to the nitty-gritty and bring yourself to the time the event happened.

This isn't to imply that the news article context is better (because it is very often not), but it's just fascinating to see things through the eyes of the people who lived at the time and were learning about the events for the first time.

I can foresee myself spending hours browsing these archives just to soak up all the history. Especially with the Philippine-related articles... they seem to give a more balanced view than our locally-written news articles and even history books. It would be better if the 1923-1986 stuff was free too, a whole lot of interesting stuff happens in there.

Some of the stuff I've found in the past days:

• A 1865 article announcing Abhraham Lincoln was shot and is likely to die.
• A 1898 article where Emilio Aguinaldo says Americans have accomplished their mission and should leave Manila.
• A 1912 article saying the RMS Titanic struck an iceburg and rescue ships are on the way.
• A 1916 editorial arguing that America's role in the Philippines is not yet complete.

Shining city upon a hill

Last weekend, for the first time since I arrived in Atlanta 3 weeks ago, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of the car. It's a very different experience from being in the driver seat, bearing the burden of maintaining peripheral vision and worrying about things like changing lanes and such. In the passenger seat you're free to just look out the window and admire the view going by. The view out the window was mundane by most standards, but... it's what so many people aspire for. Just... just everything.

Just like that last two times I went out of the country, the people I'm with put into words the things that fill my head about how things here are different from things back home. You can hear the ironic disdain in their voice, how they look down on their own race and country. How the streets here are clean, the drivers stay in their lanes, the people are courteous, the rules are enforced, and the rulebreakers are punished. Those are things that can't be blamed on poverty or corruption, because it doesn't take any money. It's in the culture. I don't know how we're gonna change that.

I don't like to think about it. The Philippines, for better or for worse, is always going to be home. It's an acquired taste, one that I have acquired with much effort.

While looking out the window of the passenger seat, all of a sudden I came to the lonely realization, as I do every now and then, of how far away from home I am and how lucky I am to be all the way out here.

I wonder how long it will be before I take it all for granted like any other American.