Crosswalks, Comfort Food, and Celebrity Status in Manila

Our experiences in the Philippines so far are reminding me of Japan where we encountered something new almost daily. Today the kids experienced crossing the streets of Manila for the first time and got a glimpse of what it probably feels like to be a celebrity. We also all enjoyed some familiar food that brought much-needed comfort.

Organized Chaos

We took a break half way through school today and made the adventurous walk to the mall for lunch. The kids knew what to expect and we instructed them to stay between us. They both did great! I wish I could capture the chaos that is crossing the street here. There are approximately 2.5 lanes going in each direction. I say 2.5 because there are no clear lines. At any given time the flow of traffic is 2-4 vehicles wide in each direction. You see every mode of transportation you can imagine. There are scooters, motorcycles, buses, cars, bicycles, trucks, people walking with carts, and a mode of transportation unique to the Philippines – Jeepneys.

A Jeepney is a colorful, iconic form of public transportation here. They originated from surplus American military jeeps left behind after World War II. Jeepneys are typically decorated with bright, vibrant colors. They function as shared taxis or minibuses. Passengers pay a fare based on distance, and you can hop on and off along the route by simply telling the driver where you want to go. The fare is often passed hand-to-hand from passenger to passenger until it reaches the driver. We’re excited to try these at some point!

A Much Needed Food Win

We walked around the mall for a while scoping out all the different places to eat. Braxton wanted The Pancake House and the rest of us voted for a pizza place. We flipped a coin and pizza won. This place reminded us of a restaurant we visited frequently while in Japan and it was delicious! When our pizza arrived Alexis said “This is exactly what our Tuesday needed.” Halfway through Braxton smiled and said “I’m so happy right now!” The pizza was fresh, cooked perfectly and tasted exactly like we anticipated!

The mall is elaborately decorated for Christmas. The kids had fun doing a “Santa” pose and looking at all the different decorations. It definitely doesn’t feel like December and I’m not sure it ever will. We had a local kid ask us to describe snow to him today as we all stood around sweating.

Filipino Paparazzi

We have gotten a lot of stares since we arrived here. Like I said before we are not staying in a common tourist area, so we really stick out. Dave and Alexis had some little girls around four years old point at them and yell “It’s whites!”. They were not offended and we have all laughed about it multiple times since. Today, the kids got a dose of what it probably feels like to be a celebrity.

We had been outside for a while doing our usual things of Braxton playing with a bunch of local kids while Dave, Alexis and I walk laps around the area. We went to tell Braxton it was time to go inside and a local woman came over to him and started caressing his hair and face and saying “Oh, so handsome!” She then spotted us and was equally enthusiastic about Alexis. Her friend joined in and they asked to take pictures with the kids, eventually wanting Dave and I in a picture too.

The kids were pretty uncomfortable and not really sure how to respond. When we got back to the condo we researched how common this is in the Philippines and discovered it’s quite common among most of Southeast Asia. It’s seen as a sign of affection and a compliment, not the intrusion we felt as Americans. We explained this to the kids and they felt much better about it. Maybe next we’ll be asked for our autograph!