The Culture Shock Felt Around the World
By an American Motorcycle Vagabond Traveling the Philippines
I was born and raised in Oklahoma, in the city to be exact, but I’ve always called it a country/city raising. My grandmother was raised in the country and my great grandmother was raised on my great great grandmother’s farm in Arkansas. They were all a part of my life until I was fifteen years old and each had their own old knowledge to pass on. From a country-raised belief system my grandmother taught me from a young age a good work ethic thru chores, a strong moral code to help others but also from her police officer’s perspective to be cautious of strangers, to lock the door, and wary of potential threats. I was taught to behave in public, know my self worth, remain dignified in front of strangers, to stay strong with challenges, and to be a well adjusted adult with the confidence that I could be a success in any way I chose. I had a bicycle, local playground, and almost every toy I could’ve asked for that I earned by doing my chores. It was a true middle-class southern/midwestern raising. It was a raising I’m proud to claim is what made me who I am today but also a fairly sheltered one that caused me to be shocked by my first trip into a third world country. I flew into the Philippines for four weeks with only a small rose-tinted idea of what it was going to be like. For the most part I was going with no preconceived notions of how it would be. Jumping in head first where I can either sink or swim is my style.
My first impression of Manila was the jam packed airport trying to get thru customs. It was 2300 and it took an hour to get seen because there were only six officers reviewing tourists. While waiting I made friends with the people in line in front of me, Corey and Sean, who are fellow Americans. They were very nice and Corey gave me a few new things to check out after getting my traditional tattoo. We finally we made it to the counter where I was asked a couple basic questions and given a stamp providing a month VISA and sent on my way. We split ways but became friends on Facebook.
The first stop was an ATM where I could get local currency and I was pleasantly delighted that they have colorful paper money just like Canada does. It made my month of monetary transactions easier because I didn’t have to pull out my money to see the value to pay for things. But I took my new pretty monopoly-looking money over to the Globe cell service counter and bought a SIM card with data for PHP600($12). Happy it didn’t cost near as much as the states I sat in the terminal to find somewhere to stay for the night. Here I found and booked my very first hostel private room for $8 a night. Next I was off to find a taxi and I was weary of them because I had been warned they’re the first line of people to try to rip you off in this country. Lo and behold my taxi did try to get more money out of me by taking wrong turns so I quickly straightened him out with directions I read from GMAPS. It only took a few minutes and then I was at the door of the hostel in a dark alley waiting to be let in.
The next shock was the difference in the living quarters and bathrooms. I dropped my stuff in my bedroom, which was a closet with a thin mattress on a wood frame, a fan, and one electric outlet. That was fine with me since I’ve slept on the ground at beaches, rest stops, city parks, the desert, and so many other places I can’t count that were much more uncomfortable. At least I had a little cushion and the invaluable fan though many Americans would complain about the lack of air conditioning since it was hot. As the young boy left me to settle in I went to the bathroom next door and was baffled at it. I’m not saying anything new to some of you but in America the toilets have seats, flush and there’s always toilet paper. This wasn’t the case here. I was baffled by the large scoop, the bucket of water, the lack of toilet paper, and found the sink didn’t work either. Luckily I’m quick to learn and figured it out. To use it the way locals do you squat over the toilet then use the scoop of water to wipe yourself and to fill the bowl until it flushes. If you’re unable to maintain the poop squat long enough you can perch precariously on the edge of the bowl but it will most definitely be wet. While I was okay with squatting, I brought baby wipes just for this instance and used those to clean myself. I wear khaki shorts and going around with a wet crotch doesn’t appeal to me, and I’m also a little scared of getting a urinary tract infection from improper technique. So I did my business, threw my baby wipe in the trash can(you’re not supposed to flush paper or wipes but I sometimes forget), and went back to my room. From this experience until I left I learned much more about bathrooms. It’s common that you may have to pay PHP3-10 to use the restroom and those often provide very thin napkins for wiping. Restaurants like McDonald’s and Jollibee are my favorite places for restrooms because they’re free, air conditioned, have flushing toilets, there’s toilet paper and hand soap, plus hand driers. It’s not common for people to wash their hands and if they do it’s without soap then they dry by wiping it on their clothes. I dealt with this issue by carrying a bar of antibacterial soap which has come in handy for showers, hand washing, and my tattoos. In more remote areas the business owners almost act like it’s a nuisance to have to provide restrooms for public use but it’s never taken more than a few times asking to find one. Most bathrooms are tiny, cramped and hot rooms so I don’t spend a lot of time in them. Don’t expect a mirror very often either. On the topic of showers, most are done by dropping scoops of water onto yourself in the bathrooms. I’ve seen wall mounted nozzle very few times and there’s never hot water, not that you’d want it in the heat of the lowlands anyway.
So I’m still stoked to be somewhere totally alien to me and I’m enjoying the challenges I’m faced by having to adapt. Even in the first day I learned more about myself than I ever would have if I never left the states. Anyway, after a few hours of sleep I went into the common area and questioned one of the hostel workers about everything I could think of before setting off to walk to the Mall of Asia. I figured walking would provide me time to take in the sights and I was still unsure(nervous) of how to use the buses and Jeepneys anyway. Here comes the next revelation: the road. In America we have lots of laws to keep people in somewhat decent road etiquette but that apparently isn’t the case in this country. The buses, cars, Jeepneys, vans, SUVs and trucks float every which way, going as fast as they can, slamming on the brakes, honking, and trying to force their way thru the traffic. It was noticeable that the lines in the street meant nothing, no one obeyed the speed limit and brake pads need to be changed more often. Among all that chaos are the motorcycles pretty much doing whatever they want. I’ve seen them lane split, ride on sidewalks, ride the wrong way, and zig-zag thru stopped traffic. Most of them are 250cc or smaller so whether they’re a privately ran bike, hauling three people, or delivering goods they didn’t have a hard time finding a way to squeeze thru. After observation of the traffic and the people around me I learned how to cross the street and where I could walk pretty quickly. It takes nerve, good timing, and concentration to cross most roads because there often aren’t crosswalks. While there is a little more law abiding done in Manila, in the mountain province of Kalinga it’s even worse. The drivers of the vans, buses and Jeepneys I rode were often on the wrong side on curvy mountain roads and it terrified me to look out the front window. I eventually stopped trying to watch what they were doing and stuck to my phone or side window. They would do reckless passing of other vehicles around blind curves and speed like they were trying to win a race. It took me awhile but I noticed that there were no speed limit signs on the roads in the mountains and very few ‘curve ahead’ signs. Not that it would matter since not a single police officer was to be seen patrolling those roads. It’s a free for all that I could imagine how commonplace head-on collisions are, and was told of the many fatalities for motorcyclists every year. Despite all that I borrowed a motorcycle from a guy at the hostel I was staying in to ride part of the island Bohol. The traffic was nothing compared to Manila and I had such a great time I wondered why I thought I wanted to be without my motorcycle in the first place. The most the bike would go was 80km/h but most of the time was spent around 65. I got used to swerving around cars and was prepared to stop for the unpredictable intersections quickly. There’s a little regret that I chose to backpack thru the Philippines instead of renting a motorcycle but I got to experience the culture at the level of the common citizen.
Back to my first walk in Manila: I noticed dozens of heavily armed guards in front of banks, hotels and other nice buildings of unknown purpose. They could be holding anything from large, long barreled revolvers, semi-auto pistols, pistol grip shotguns, rifles, and billy clubs. It caused me to have a lot of thoughts about why but it didn’t bother me at all. Another very handy detail was that at every bus terminal someone in a uniform or a bus employee was there that I could ask for help so I was always pointed in the right direction. It was essentially the total opposite of going to an American Walmart where help can never be found. Once at the mall I saw the next security measure: metal detectors and guards to look thru bags at every single door. I suppose it supports a lot of jobs and I was glad they don’t look very hard at tourists. I spent a few hours looking around and learned about Filipino time, which means that “open at 10am” is probably more like “open at 11:30” for many of the vendors.
Jump into the future a few weeks and my next walk thru Manila was totally different. The goal was to get to Cebu for the last two weeks of my travels and I wanted to take a ferry. After some help from the bus employees at the terminal near the hostel I got on the correct vehicle and went as far as I could in it. Once I got off I spent a lot of time trying to find a Jeepney that would go the way I wanted and was dismayed to learn it was taxi and tricycle only, both of which are overpriced and often try to con you out of more money. My GPS said it was a 40 minute walk and I was okay with that. Oh, and was that walk was eye opening. In comparison to the area my hostel was in, which was clean and attractive, the area to get to the ferry pier was the epitome of poverty. Garbage piles, collapsed buildings, naked babies running around, children trying to force you to give them money, predators looking for an easy target(certainly not me), people yelling at you, and disgusting living conditions showed me another side of the Philippines. The living areas were made from any material imaginable including sheet metal, plywood and fabric that looked unsafe. It isn’t a walk I would recommend unless you want to experience it and that I will taxi thru next time. I know we all hear about these things in the media but nothing prepares you for what it’s really like. I did more walking later on in my trip on Alona Beach in Bohol and really enjoyed the atmosphere of that town. My walks thru the smaller towns on Luzon and Cebu all proved to be decent as well.
What I realized next didn’t happen until after weeks of being in the Philippines and it was a deep realization that the society is fundamentally different. When it comes to animals, trash, and nature it varies fairly drastically. Many of the issues the Philippines is facing comes from a lack of education, which isn’t provided to every citizen but instead has to be paid for. The majority of the poverty stricken don’t realize that their littering, exploitation of nature, and disregard of animals is slowly destroying their section of the planet. In the nice parts of Manila there are dozens of workers who get paid a menial amount to pick up the garbage all day though it still ends up in the canals, waterways and ocean. When I was in Buscalan I asked the locals who was throwing so much trash into their surroundings and was told it’s the locals from Manila. A lot of why backpackers from America and Europe don’t litter is based on decades of laws and society teaching us the consequences of that action whether it be from getting cited a ticket or the damage we cause to our environment.
In Buscalan pigs, chickens, dogs and cats wander the village at free will but also breed unchecked. The rest of the Philippines has chickens, dogs, and cats who breed uncontrollably. No only are you risking inbreeding from this but many of the animals are in poor condition. The dogs and cats sometimes have fur missing, injuries, fleas, mange, or are starved. The pets I’ve seen are kept on short chains or dragged along in a pet carrier at the ferry terminal, oblivious to the dog’s terror or neglect. The chickens running around are small and skinny while the few cows I’ve seen are also skinny with saggy skin. It’s something I had to steel myself against because I know I couldn’t do anything to help and I can’t blame a people who can’t even afford to take care of themselves.
When it comes to nature and wildlife I saw two opposite behaviors. In the mountain area of Luzon there’s thousands of acres of steep and untouched terrain. By contrast anywhere people settle to make a town they’ll cut down or dig up anything that gets in their way until places like Baguio have very few trees left. The wild animals I encountered were the whale sharks and tarsiers. The whale shark experience in Oslob is something I wanted to see for myself and now don’t recommend to others. From 600 to 1200 every day there’s boats feeding the whale sharks to keep them in a netted bay while hundreds of people float in the water to see them. The tarsiers are almost extinct and while I tried to visit the sanctuary to see them in a good environment, it was closed. The group I was with decided to visit the conservation center instead and it was a tiny area with around 10 Tarsiers being stared at and awoken during their sleeping time. With an under educated and poor populace they’ll exploit anything to make a living and it’s again that I can’t act superior to them because I’ve never lived in conditions like they do. The best I can do is pass on my experiences so maybe one day things might change for the better for the people and the animals.
(To be re-written)
The differences in the people
Over the course of my trip I’ve tried to eat as much of a variety of food as possible. From Jollibee(Filipino fast food chain) to McDonald’s to local junk food(chips, juices) to restaurants and down to the street food. I’ve found after weeks away from the states what I miss the most and what I didn’t care for as much as I thought. Back to their food: it’s majority pork, chicken and fish. They use every single part of an animal in different dishes so if you’re squeamish to innards you have to google the words on the menu or ask. When they cut meat they’re not conscious of cutting off bones, grit or tendons so you’ll come across that within the meal. The locals eat it without complaint but I still spit out grit and bone. Every single dish is paired with rice and if you’re like me, someone who doesn’t like plain rice, you start liking soy sauce. Filipinos don’t have a strong food culture of their own and is mostly a mixture of Korean, Chinese, and Spanish with their own twist to it. The street food costs around $2 for meat and rice, the chips cost less than $1, the restaurants run more alone $6-$8, American food chains are around $4-$6, and Jollibee is close to $2 for a good sized meal. Most of what I’ve tried I’ve enjoyed but I often couldn’t tell you what it was because I just point and eat, locally called “turu-turu”. For sure I’ve had pork adobo, chicken wings in various sauces, tacos, monkfish, sausage, pork shops, beef stew, and chicken intestines. The diet is heavily laced with salt, sugar, and fried dishes which is far from healthy. The local beer: San Miguel and Red Horse are actually very good to me. I know when I get back to the states I’m planning to eat a steak with steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes with butter and a lot of Mexican food(tacos!).
(End of re-write)
I can’t say my trip to the Philippines was the best experience I ever had if I base it off of how happy I was there. Instead I can say it was the best learning experience I’ve had in my life. The lessons I learned never would’ve happened if I hadn’t taken the leap to do something new and push myself outside of my comfort zone. I’ve come away with a deep appreciation of my country, the cultures I know so well, the people I’ve spent my life with, and the laws that govern my land. Having my own transportation and all of my camping gear I now know is something I don’t want to discard for traveling for any reason and won’t ever complain about maintenance costs again. I also realize how fortunate I was to be given education, comfortable living conditions, enough money for luxuries, and even the basic necessities that are so easy to come by. Overall I feel these lessons, and some which I kept to myself, are now engrained in me and I can’t see myself ever losing the appreciation and gratitude I picked up in the Philippines. I’ve been humbled and found a new respect for my life that I hope I portrayed in these words some of the reasons why.
My first impression of Manila was the jam packed airport trying to get thru customs. It was 2300 and it took an hour to get seen because there were only six officers reviewing tourists. While waiting I made friends with the people in line in front of me, Corey and Sean, who are fellow Americans. They were very nice and Corey gave me a few new things to check out after getting my traditional tattoo. We finally we made it to the counter where I was asked a couple basic questions and given a stamp providing a month VISA and sent on my way. We split ways but became friends on Facebook.
The first stop was an ATM where I could get local currency and I was pleasantly delighted that they have colorful paper money just like Canada does. It made my month of monetary transactions easier because I didn’t have to pull out my money to see the value to pay for things. But I took my new pretty monopoly-looking money over to the Globe cell service counter and bought a SIM card with data for PHP600($12). Happy it didn’t cost near as much as the states I sat in the terminal to find somewhere to stay for the night. Here I found and booked my very first hostel private room for $8 a night. Next I was off to find a taxi and I was weary of them because I had been warned they’re the first line of people to try to rip you off in this country. Lo and behold my taxi did try to get more money out of me by taking wrong turns so I quickly straightened him out with directions I read from GMAPS. It only took a few minutes and then I was at the door of the hostel in a dark alley waiting to be let in.
The next shock was the difference in the living quarters and bathrooms. I dropped my stuff in my bedroom, which was a closet with a thin mattress on a wood frame, a fan, and one electric outlet. That was fine with me since I’ve slept on the ground at beaches, rest stops, city parks, the desert, and so many other places I can’t count that were much more uncomfortable. At least I had a little cushion and the invaluable fan though many Americans would complain about the lack of air conditioning since it was hot. As the young boy left me to settle in I went to the bathroom next door and was baffled at it. I’m not saying anything new to some of you but in America the toilets have seats, flush and there’s always toilet paper. This wasn’t the case here. I was baffled by the large scoop, the bucket of water, the lack of toilet paper, and found the sink didn’t work either. Luckily I’m quick to learn and figured it out. To use it the way locals do you squat over the toilet then use the scoop of water to wipe yourself and to fill the bowl until it flushes. If you’re unable to maintain the poop squat long enough you can perch precariously on the edge of the bowl but it will most definitely be wet. While I was okay with squatting, I brought baby wipes just for this instance and used those to clean myself. I wear khaki shorts and going around with a wet crotch doesn’t appeal to me, and I’m also a little scared of getting a urinary tract infection from improper technique. So I did my business, threw my baby wipe in the trash can(you’re not supposed to flush paper or wipes but I sometimes forget), and went back to my room. From this experience until I left I learned much more about bathrooms. It’s common that you may have to pay PHP3-10 to use the restroom and those often provide very thin napkins for wiping. Restaurants like McDonald’s and Jollibee are my favorite places for restrooms because they’re free, air conditioned, have flushing toilets, there’s toilet paper and hand soap, plus hand driers. It’s not common for people to wash their hands and if they do it’s without soap then they dry by wiping it on their clothes. I dealt with this issue by carrying a bar of antibacterial soap which has come in handy for showers, hand washing, and my tattoos. In more remote areas the business owners almost act like it’s a nuisance to have to provide restrooms for public use but it’s never taken more than a few times asking to find one. Most bathrooms are tiny, cramped and hot rooms so I don’t spend a lot of time in them. Don’t expect a mirror very often either. On the topic of showers, most are done by dropping scoops of water onto yourself in the bathrooms. I’ve seen wall mounted nozzle very few times and there’s never hot water, not that you’d want it in the heat of the lowlands anyway.
So I’m still stoked to be somewhere totally alien to me and I’m enjoying the challenges I’m faced by having to adapt. Even in the first day I learned more about myself than I ever would have if I never left the states. Anyway, after a few hours of sleep I went into the common area and questioned one of the hostel workers about everything I could think of before setting off to walk to the Mall of Asia. I figured walking would provide me time to take in the sights and I was still unsure(nervous) of how to use the buses and Jeepneys anyway. Here comes the next revelation: the road. In America we have lots of laws to keep people in somewhat decent road etiquette but that apparently isn’t the case in this country. The buses, cars, Jeepneys, vans, SUVs and trucks float every which way, going as fast as they can, slamming on the brakes, honking, and trying to force their way thru the traffic. It was noticeable that the lines in the street meant nothing, no one obeyed the speed limit and brake pads need to be changed more often. Among all that chaos are the motorcycles pretty much doing whatever they want. I’ve seen them lane split, ride on sidewalks, ride the wrong way, and zig-zag thru stopped traffic. Most of them are 250cc or smaller so whether they’re a privately ran bike, hauling three people, or delivering goods they didn’t have a hard time finding a way to squeeze thru. After observation of the traffic and the people around me I learned how to cross the street and where I could walk pretty quickly. It takes nerve, good timing, and concentration to cross most roads because there often aren’t crosswalks. While there is a little more law abiding done in Manila, in the mountain province of Kalinga it’s even worse. The drivers of the vans, buses and Jeepneys I rode were often on the wrong side on curvy mountain roads and it terrified me to look out the front window. I eventually stopped trying to watch what they were doing and stuck to my phone or side window. They would do reckless passing of other vehicles around blind curves and speed like they were trying to win a race. It took me awhile but I noticed that there were no speed limit signs on the roads in the mountains and very few ‘curve ahead’ signs. Not that it would matter since not a single police officer was to be seen patrolling those roads. It’s a free for all that I could imagine how commonplace head-on collisions are, and was told of the many fatalities for motorcyclists every year. Despite all that I borrowed a motorcycle from a guy at the hostel I was staying in to ride part of the island Bohol. The traffic was nothing compared to Manila and I had such a great time I wondered why I thought I wanted to be without my motorcycle in the first place. The most the bike would go was 80km/h but most of the time was spent around 65. I got used to swerving around cars and was prepared to stop for the unpredictable intersections quickly. There’s a little regret that I chose to backpack thru the Philippines instead of renting a motorcycle but I got to experience the culture at the level of the common citizen.
Back to my first walk in Manila: I noticed dozens of heavily armed guards in front of banks, hotels and other nice buildings of unknown purpose. They could be holding anything from large, long barreled revolvers, semi-auto pistols, pistol grip shotguns, rifles, and billy clubs. It caused me to have a lot of thoughts about why but it didn’t bother me at all. Another very handy detail was that at every bus terminal someone in a uniform or a bus employee was there that I could ask for help so I was always pointed in the right direction. It was essentially the total opposite of going to an American Walmart where help can never be found. Once at the mall I saw the next security measure: metal detectors and guards to look thru bags at every single door. I suppose it supports a lot of jobs and I was glad they don’t look very hard at tourists. I spent a few hours looking around and learned about Filipino time, which means that “open at 10am” is probably more like “open at 11:30” for many of the vendors.
Jump into the future a few weeks and my next walk thru Manila was totally different. The goal was to get to Cebu for the last two weeks of my travels and I wanted to take a ferry. After some help from the bus employees at the terminal near the hostel I got on the correct vehicle and went as far as I could in it. Once I got off I spent a lot of time trying to find a Jeepney that would go the way I wanted and was dismayed to learn it was taxi and tricycle only, both of which are overpriced and often try to con you out of more money. My GPS said it was a 40 minute walk and I was okay with that. Oh, and was that walk was eye opening. In comparison to the area my hostel was in, which was clean and attractive, the area to get to the ferry pier was the epitome of poverty. Garbage piles, collapsed buildings, naked babies running around, children trying to force you to give them money, predators looking for an easy target(certainly not me), people yelling at you, and disgusting living conditions showed me another side of the Philippines. The living areas were made from any material imaginable including sheet metal, plywood and fabric that looked unsafe. It isn’t a walk I would recommend unless you want to experience it and that I will taxi thru next time. I know we all hear about these things in the media but nothing prepares you for what it’s really like. I did more walking later on in my trip on Alona Beach in Bohol and really enjoyed the atmosphere of that town. My walks thru the smaller towns on Luzon and Cebu all proved to be decent as well.
What I realized next didn’t happen until after weeks of being in the Philippines and it was a deep realization that the society is fundamentally different. When it comes to animals, trash, and nature it varies fairly drastically. Many of the issues the Philippines is facing comes from a lack of education, which isn’t provided to every citizen but instead has to be paid for. The majority of the poverty stricken don’t realize that their littering, exploitation of nature, and disregard of animals is slowly destroying their section of the planet. In the nice parts of Manila there are dozens of workers who get paid a menial amount to pick up the garbage all day though it still ends up in the canals, waterways and ocean. When I was in Buscalan I asked the locals who was throwing so much trash into their surroundings and was told it’s the locals from Manila. A lot of why backpackers from America and Europe don’t litter is based on decades of laws and society teaching us the consequences of that action whether it be from getting cited a ticket or the damage we cause to our environment.
In Buscalan pigs, chickens, dogs and cats wander the village at free will but also breed unchecked. The rest of the Philippines has chickens, dogs, and cats who breed uncontrollably. No only are you risking inbreeding from this but many of the animals are in poor condition. The dogs and cats sometimes have fur missing, injuries, fleas, mange, or are starved. The pets I’ve seen are kept on short chains or dragged along in a pet carrier at the ferry terminal, oblivious to the dog’s terror or neglect. The chickens running around are small and skinny while the few cows I’ve seen are also skinny with saggy skin. It’s something I had to steel myself against because I know I couldn’t do anything to help and I can’t blame a people who can’t even afford to take care of themselves.
When it comes to nature and wildlife I saw two opposite behaviors. In the mountain area of Luzon there’s thousands of acres of steep and untouched terrain. By contrast anywhere people settle to make a town they’ll cut down or dig up anything that gets in their way until places like Baguio have very few trees left. The wild animals I encountered were the whale sharks and tarsiers. The whale shark experience in Oslob is something I wanted to see for myself and now don’t recommend to others. From 600 to 1200 every day there’s boats feeding the whale sharks to keep them in a netted bay while hundreds of people float in the water to see them. The tarsiers are almost extinct and while I tried to visit the sanctuary to see them in a good environment, it was closed. The group I was with decided to visit the conservation center instead and it was a tiny area with around 10 Tarsiers being stared at and awoken during their sleeping time. With an under educated and poor populace they’ll exploit anything to make a living and it’s again that I can’t act superior to them because I’ve never lived in conditions like they do. The best I can do is pass on my experiences so maybe one day things might change for the better for the people and the animals.
(To be re-written)
The differences in the people
Over the course of my trip I’ve tried to eat as much of a variety of food as possible. From Jollibee(Filipino fast food chain) to McDonald’s to local junk food(chips, juices) to restaurants and down to the street food. I’ve found after weeks away from the states what I miss the most and what I didn’t care for as much as I thought. Back to their food: it’s majority pork, chicken and fish. They use every single part of an animal in different dishes so if you’re squeamish to innards you have to google the words on the menu or ask. When they cut meat they’re not conscious of cutting off bones, grit or tendons so you’ll come across that within the meal. The locals eat it without complaint but I still spit out grit and bone. Every single dish is paired with rice and if you’re like me, someone who doesn’t like plain rice, you start liking soy sauce. Filipinos don’t have a strong food culture of their own and is mostly a mixture of Korean, Chinese, and Spanish with their own twist to it. The street food costs around $2 for meat and rice, the chips cost less than $1, the restaurants run more alone $6-$8, American food chains are around $4-$6, and Jollibee is close to $2 for a good sized meal. Most of what I’ve tried I’ve enjoyed but I often couldn’t tell you what it was because I just point and eat, locally called “turu-turu”. For sure I’ve had pork adobo, chicken wings in various sauces, tacos, monkfish, sausage, pork shops, beef stew, and chicken intestines. The diet is heavily laced with salt, sugar, and fried dishes which is far from healthy. The local beer: San Miguel and Red Horse are actually very good to me. I know when I get back to the states I’m planning to eat a steak with steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes with butter and a lot of Mexican food(tacos!).
(End of re-write)
I can’t say my trip to the Philippines was the best experience I ever had if I base it off of how happy I was there. Instead I can say it was the best learning experience I’ve had in my life. The lessons I learned never would’ve happened if I hadn’t taken the leap to do something new and push myself outside of my comfort zone. I’ve come away with a deep appreciation of my country, the cultures I know so well, the people I’ve spent my life with, and the laws that govern my land. Having my own transportation and all of my camping gear I now know is something I don’t want to discard for traveling for any reason and won’t ever complain about maintenance costs again. I also realize how fortunate I was to be given education, comfortable living conditions, enough money for luxuries, and even the basic necessities that are so easy to come by. Overall I feel these lessons, and some which I kept to myself, are now engrained in me and I can’t see myself ever losing the appreciation and gratitude I picked up in the Philippines. I’ve been humbled and found a new respect for my life that I hope I portrayed in these words some of the reasons why.