Rafe Bartholomew’s Pacific Rims

“It’s not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way” (Penelope Riley). Truly Rafe Bartholomew’s, the author of the book Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin’in Flip-Flops and the Philippines Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball, experiences traveling thousands of miles away from home gives him a deeper understanding of himself, his values and perspectives in life. In the book, he passionately shares his love for basketball. He receives a grant from Fulbright fellowship to write and expand his knowledge about basketball in the Philippines. Little did he know Filipinos love for basketball is greater that what he had expected. Bartholomew learns from the history, cultures and differences in the people while writing the book. Similarly, traveling to a Third World country will sure challenge us but at the same will bring inner joy, self fulfillment and indescribably great feeling to our lives.

Rafe Bartholomew is not a typical basketball player because he has an extreme passion about the game and thus, has done extra-ordinary job writing a book about basketball. In the summer of 2005 is when he received his government-funded academic grant from Fullbright fellowship to stay in the Philippines to write about basketball. Despite of the unwelcome advices, he devoted his time and energy learning about the culture, the places, and the people. Before coming to manila, he was anxious and excited all at the same time. Bartholomew states, “Here was a nation full of basketball freaks like me! So somehow I managed to convince the Fulbright to give me their blessings” (7). To him, out of all the places or countries, Filipino people have this unique unbarring love for basketball that he has to discover himself.

One of the things that Bartholomew learns during his stay in the Philippines is the history of how the country fought its way to a complete independence from Spanish and American. As a matter of fact, Catholicism brought by Spain, is the most common religion in the Philippines. While Americans, during its effort to embed the country, made English the language of instruction in public schools. However, Filipino, a tongue based on the Manila (The Capital City) region’s Tagalog language, is more widely spoken. Moreover, because the United States is the one that had introduced basketball to the islands, Filipinos learned to play before the rest of the world. No doubt that Filipinos