The Philippines is our sixth stop on gap year and by far my least favorite. From the food to the uncomfortable stares, I’m ready to move on to more personal space and a pool! Here are the biggest things I’ve noticed or experienced in the Philippines.
The Food
Besides chips, most food I’ve tried in the Philippines has been either unbelievably sweet or spicy. When we first arrived (at Alphamart) I got fried noodles, expecting them to taste something like lo mein. It wasn’t until I took my first bite and felt my tongue slowly burn away, that I realized the sauce that was in the bowl was basically hot sauce times 10. After that, I’ve experienced sweet pizza, sweet wings, REALLY sweet ketchup and I’ve gotten sick from the food here 4 times.
The Stares
The amount of ‘what are you doing here’ looks I get is unbelievable. With my blonde hair, it’s even harder. I’ve seen people backpedal, openly stare, glare, or just act overall creepy. I was telling my parents that I thought it would be fun if I acted just as surprised to see the people here as they were to see me. Like, if some girl stares at me like I’m an alien from another planet, I stare right back, like “what is that!?”
The Kids
The amount of really cute kids here is wonderful. I get multiple requests to touch my hair, do my hair, and play volleyball. One time this little four year old, who was the sister of someone I was playing volleyball with, ran up next to me and just held my hand. SO UNBELIEVABLY CUTE!!
Crossing Streets
Whenever I think back to how I would cross streets back home – running across the street like my life depended on it – I laugh. Here, the amount of cars is like the busiest rush hour there, ALL THE TIME. The way to cross streets here is just holding up your hand and hoping that a car doesn’t mow you down. Over time, it gets less scary and the trick is really just to travel in groups. Safety in numbers – my favorite motto.
Polar Opposites
Our home in Colorado and life in the Philippines could not be more different. Have you ever read a dystopian novel? About a girl or boy who grew up in this perfect world, and then travels outside of that perfect town only to find out how different the world is from their little oasis. That is what this feels like. In our Colorado neighborhood, every house basically looks the same, the lawns are mowed, each person is required to have a tree in their yard, and the houses are all relatively the same color. Here, each house is a different shape, size, color and some people don’t even have houses. Here, you see children begging for money on the street. I’ve never seen that back home. It’s almost sickening. I wonder how much I will have changed by the time I come back.
One thing is certain though – I cannot wait to get to Vietnam!
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Alexis I loved your take on your current location! I hope you write more.
Love your perspective, Alexis! Also love your “stare back” strategy for getting so much attention.
I love hearing your perspective, Alexis! Thank you for sharing it.
Seeing poverty like that is so hard, especially that first time. I’ve gone on two mission trips to Mexico and do outreach in a poor part of Fort Worth. One Mexico trip was spent working people who lived by the train tracks. Their homes were made of card board or pieces of discarded metal. Kids had no shoes and no clean water. It changed me forever. I don’t think about it as often now, so thank you for the reminder! We have so much here.