Observations

Some observations and scenes from daily life:
- This is a coffee culture. Instant coffee sometimes comes 3-in-1 individual packets – that is, with sugar and creamer already in it.
- I may get into the habit of reading the daily newspaper, the Manila Bulletin. It’s one of several English-language newspapers, and so far has been helpful, with coverage of Aquino (who, I should have mentioned, they call Tita Cory, “Aunt Cory”) and of GMA’s visit to the U.S., but also for weather forecasts and for keeping up with what’s going on here. I guess I have a routine now – yoga first, and then the bakery with the newspaper.
- My walk to the mall (and also to the bus to go to work, if I want to walk there – but given my heavy computer, I may take the jeepney – I could have used that notebook computer after all, though I still hope they will provide me with a computer to use at work) is along a busy street, with horns honking and lots of traffic. The sidewalk is small and uneven or crumbling, so it is not a pleasant walk – note that I am not complaining, just describing. There’s a pink line on the sidewalk for pedestrians – up until that line cars can come on the sidewalk. There isn’t a lot of garbage but there are puddles, since there is always some daily rain. Near me there are some storefronts but along the route there is nothing of interest. Then when you get to the mall, it is another world – fancy stores full of things I can’t buy on the Peace Corps allowance. Maybe I’ll buy new things before I go home though, and jettison what I am wearing here.
- The shops of interest near me are a drugstore, a small supermarket, a bank, a water store (they use reverse osmosis – I bought a container and they will deliver the water as part of the service), a small store that in Morocco we would call a hanut, with sorry-looking but fresh vegetables, and a laundry.
- Everyone tells me to bring my laundry to be done – for now, there’s no place to do it here anyway, with workmen around, and for another thing, it’s hard to get it dry in this weather. I’ll cross that bridge soon.
- One of the places between here and the mall has Thai massage (all right, there is ONE store of interest). I may check it out….
- There is concern here about the H1N1 virus, with hand sanitizer available in some stores. At the same time, we were cautioned against eating street food because it’s not automatic that people would wash after using the CR (different from Thailand, where most of the PCVs ate a lot of street food!).
- A side benefit to all of my ESPN viewing is that I have heard of boxer Manny Pacquiao, one of the Filipinos known world-wide (the other is Lea Salonga).
- I can put my garbage outside my room and the janitor for the complex will pick it up – that’s nice! I haven’t seen garbage cans on the streets. Pleased to hear that people recycle here.
- Also pleased to hear that people here bathe twice a day! I have a (cold) shower, not a bucket bath.
- So far (knock on wood) the weather has not been too bad. Hot and humid but not so miserable. That doesn’t mean I’m moving to St. Louis or Houston (sorry, Erica) next, but at least I can be outside. Harder is being in over-air-conditioned places!
- So far (again, knock on wood) I haven’t had any Big D or any other ill effects. Of course, that might be different if I were in home stay and adjusting to the food there.
- I don’t think they have Magnum bars here, but I haven’t given up the search.
- When asking for a bill, it turns out the universal gesture of signing your hand isn’t universal. Here you hold your thumb and forefinger a couple of inches apart and make eye contact with the waiter.
- I think I am going to pass Culture Shock: Philippines on to Mary (who is having a completely different experience in her nipa hut on the beach!), so this week I will intersperse some tidbits from that book with my own experiences.
- I haven’t figured out how to meet other people yet (other than Hanna, that is!). Maybe at work I will make some friends, at least to eat lunch with? Maybe I’ll see the guys? Or find other ex-pats? Not worried yet – it’s been only a couple of days. But it’s not built in for me, either.