Learn your SO's History!

[OhioJim]

I thought I would post this so others could try it.

Even though my SO is a USA citizen, she has been in the Philippines with her mother for the last 17 months.

I like to read eBooks before going to sleep every night. Most of them are from Gutenberg.org.

I came across one on the history of the Philippines, published in 1905 so it does not have the 20th or 21st century.

Still, it is interesting to learn the early history of her country (she is biracial American-Filipina).

i would suggest, if your SO is in another country, to find a book, eBook or paper, on the history of the country. Learn as much as you can about about his/her country, and how it started. It makes me feel more connected.

[vivid_idea]

I think this is a super sweet idea. I would like to learn more about Germany, seeing as there is so much history there, especially because it feels very far from what I am used to here in Australia. I definitely find the more I discover, the more I feel I understand him. Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany. I find it amazing to know that my SO was so close to that reality. I listen to podcasts about it sometimes and it does, indeed, make me feel much closer to him. It's nice to know that others also do this

[OhioJim]

I know I got a kick out of her reaction when I told my SO how the Philippines got it's name.

She didn't know. It was named after Philip 2nd, Kiing of Spain when the Spanish settled there over 400 years ago. Before that it was not a country, but a bunch of socially isolated tribes an islands.

[Enric]

I've always liked history and it was my major back in college. I tried to study a bit from every topic, country and period though it's rarely deep knowledge. My SO says I know much more about his country (the Philippines) than him. I tried to talk about a few topics, and he said he had no idea. He lives next in Quezon City and I asked his opinion about President Manuel L. Quezon (the city was named after him) and he didn't even know this guy existed. lol

Btw OhioJim you're slightly wrong because the Philippines had several small states (barangay states or city states and the sultanate of Sulu) before the Castilian conquest, some of these organized confederations.

[OhioJim]

.....Btw OhioJim you're slightly wrong because the Philippines had several small states (barangay states or city states and the sultanate of Sulu) before the Castilian conquest, some of these organized confederations.

Yes, you are right. But what I meant was, as a whole, it was not a single nation with a central government until the Spanish made it that way.

I did not know that Mindanao was a Muslim stronghold even before the Spanish came. They caused problems back then, and still are.

[CheapThrills]

this is such a superb idea!