Bannana Returns to Mindanao

I discovered Mindanao State University (MSU) in 1971 as a teacher, placed there by Stanford's Volunteers in Asia program. Circumstances, financial and logistical, pointed to my return to Mindanao 45 years later when MSU was again subjected to Martial Law. In 1972 the reason for the application of Martial Law was described by President Marcos as a Maoist rebellion. I was teaching Chinese history at the time inviting students into my cabin to read Mao's Red Books, smuggled in from Hong...
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I discovered Mindanao State University (MSU) in 1971 as a teacher, placed there by Stanford's Volunteers in Asia program. Circumstances, financial and logistical, pointed to my return to Mindanao 45 years later when MSU was again subjected to Martial Law. In 1972 the reason for the application of Martial Law was described by President Marcos as a Maoist rebellion. I was teaching Chinese history at the time inviting students into my cabin to read Mao's Red Books, smuggled in from Hong Kong. I was a teacher at a time in my life when I knew very little and considered my eighteen months in the Philippines as a learning experience. 45 years later I had a life full of travel, 15 years with IBM, and experience as a consultant in international business development to contribute to the redevelopment of Marawi and the surrounding area, largely destroyed in the fight against radical Islamic terror that had brought Marawi back into the world's attention. The book offers practical advice to anyone considering retirement in the Philippines, a top destination according to experts.The book is filled with pictures taken on an IPhone as I revisited places discovered in my youth and includes reflections on change.