United States of Enotita

     Alright. I never usually do blogs about myself. It's usually just news or history. But today, it's different. You see, I stayed in Manila from May 15 to May 17. And it was great. I visited many places, including the Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago. In addition, we get a small dose of sports here. Okay, let's go! Basketball - May 15     We started by watching the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). We watched two games - San Miguel Beermen vs Terrafirma Dyip and TNT Tropang Giga vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. San Miguel and Rain or Shine won the games. However, please note that we did not watch both games in its entirety. We watched the last two quarters of the first game and the first quarter of the second game. Intramuros Tour - May 16     There were two events on May 16. This first one was the Intramuros tour. (Intramuros is a small area in Manila, though it used to be all of Manila. Intramuros literally means "inside the walls.")...

     This was based on Reader's Digest: The Story of the Filipino People - Parts 6 and 7 ( Under the Stars and Stripes  and The Japanese Occupation ) by Milagros C. Guerrero and Ricardo T. Jose.      Now that I think about it, I would call the Spanish occupation "the first storm," the American occupation "the second storm," and the Japanese occupation "the third storm." The "between the storm" parts would be 1898 - 1901 and 1935 - 1941.  Part 1 - The Second Storm (1901 - 1935)     After the Philippine-American War, the United States turned the Philippines into a colony. They gained it in the Treaty of Paris along with Puerto Rico, Cuba, and some other islands. The Americans needed to keep it away from Spain, France, and Germany.      Under Spanish rule, the Filipinos were taught Catholicism. But the Americans were mainly Methodist (a sect of Protestantism). American missionaries were sent to the Philippines, although most ...

     This was based on Reader's Digest: The Story of the Filipino People (Part 3) by Jose S. Arcilla.  Magellan's Early Expeditions and the Way to Asia     There was a man named Ferdinand Magellan. He was born in Portugal to the lower part of the nobility. In 1511, Magellan explored India, Malacca, and Indonesia.      Now, here's the problem. To go to Asia, he would have to go around Africa. In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer working for Spain, explored the Americas. To the Europeans, it was a new continent. Since most explorers knew the world is round, they knew Asia would be on the other side.       From Portugal to Spain     One time, Magellan was fighting the Moors in North Africa. He won, and asked for a raise from King Manuel of Portugal. But the king declined.      Now, to understand this next part, you have to know the rivalry between Spain and Portugal over colonization. Sp...