One of the greatest gifts I received during my three-year stay in the Philippines was the display of love, hospitality, laughter and warmth that is so typical of the Philippine people. When I went to celebrate Mass in the barrios or visit families and friends or meet with students and coworkers at the seminary or at Maryknoll Women’s College (where I also taught literature), people always had time for me and were most personable and cordial.

Social events did not always start on time because people and their needs were always more important than schedules or the job at hand. No straight up relaxing with a pipe. This made me realize how task-oriented and time-conscious–and often impersonal–Americans can be by contrast. I began to discover how I, as an American, was always so serious about …

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