A 26-year-old native of Comox, British Columbia, is building a to-do list that he hopes would make him become a Filipino.
Canadian Kyle Douglas Jennermann put up his blog www.becomingfilipino.com in mid-February to encourage any Filipino to make suggestions and add to the list. The list is growing and Jennermann has now a local name, “Kulas.” He has also acquired a scooter from a Filipino friend which has taken him to places in Mindanao.
Jennermann first exposure with Filipinos was in Hong Kong where he worked with Filipino staff in an outdoor adventure company, which runs camps for children with special needs. He says he had no Filipino friends in Canada and he got intrigued by how his Filipino colleagues shared everything, from chores to food to beers.
He first came to the Philippines with four friends in January last year after being invited by his Filipino coworkers. He stayed for three weeks, traveling around Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Quezon. He came back in July of last year to see what it’s like to travel around by him.
Jennerman says what made him love the Philippines is the natural beauty of its environment—its beaches, waterfalls, mountains and rivers. He says he also loves the culture where strangers are treated like friends and everybody is family.
Jennermann decided to make Cagayan de Oro his home base because everywhere is like only an hour away and where everybody seems to know everyone else. He said Cagayan de Oro is his home now.
