First, I would like to thank the Freeman Asia Foundation for making my experience in Asia possible. I am truly so grateful for this opportunity and for the support from all of my professors, friends, and family. After spending all night recounting everything I have done and experienced these last couple of days in the Philippines, I realized that it is not possible to convey it in a way that I feel does it justice. I will, however, do my best to share some of the highlights and insights that I learn throughout my time here.
Day 0: The Flight (Friday, June 10th)
I left my house on June 9th at 7am and headed to the airport for a 59 day adventure in the Philippines. After a 14 hour flight to Seoul, 4 hour layover, and a 4 hour flight to Manila, and a couple hours to our dorms in Los Banos, we were finally ready for bed.
Even before we landed in the Philippines, I could sense the openness and friendliness of the Filipino people from the interactions I had during our flight. I tend to try to avoid generalizing, but everyone that I have encountered so far have shown me nothing but pure kindness. By the end of my stay in the Philippines, I hope to hold on to my initial impression that Filipinos are truly hospitable people.
Day 1: Orientation to the Philippines (Saturday, June 11th)
We all woke up around 8am and grabbed breakfast at a nearby art cafe. We were all staying at Los Banos for our orientation where we learned about the history, culture, and language of the Philippines. I came in thinking that the national language of the Philippines is Tagalog, which is a common misconception. Their national language actually evolved from Tagalog into something they call Filipino, because it takes all of the variations of the different languages and merges them into one common language. I found the language pretty difficult to learn because there are so many syllables and emphasis on the wrong syllable can turn a word into something else completely. For now, knowing kamusta ka (how are you) and salamat (thank you) seems to suffice, as most Filipinos know English. One of the orientation leaders joked that she likes to answer “mabeauty” to kamusta ka, instead of the proper response “mabuti,” meaning she is beautiful, not just good. I love a good pun, and puns in a foreign language even more.
After our orientation, we were treated to dinner on a “floating restaurant.” We (all 18 of us) took a jeepney to the restaurant and ordered our own drinks in Filipino (gusto ko–), so we really started #becomingfilipino on our first day. Tito Mon ordered a variety of Filipino food for us to try such as pork and chicken adobo, pansit (rice noodles), sour soup, grilled tilapia, and pork belly. My experience with Filipino food so far has all been positive, even when I think I may be disappointed, I end up surprised with how flavorful it all is. In the middle of enjoying all of these different foods and great company, 3 guitarists and a bass player come and start playing some songs for us. They were so talented and had great voices. Great food, great company, and great atmosphere–what more could I hope for?
Day 2: First Free Day (Sunday, June 12th)
It may have been jetlag, but I woke up around 6am and was ready for breakfast. We visited the art cafe again, we probably came here 3 or 4 times during our stay. This place was pretty unique because I think the art inside is done by local artists. There was an artist outside carving clay outside in the hot morning sun who allowed us to take a picture. When we came back later in the afternoon, he was still there working on it.
Since we had the whole day to ourselves, we decided to explore our surroundings and took the jeepney by ourselves. Jeepeys are a cheap and local form of transportation that is unique to the Philippines. We walked up quite a way up a hill before we realized that we were not heading in the direction we wanted, but we eventually found our way. We put the phrase saan ang (where is the) to use today. As we got closer into the city, the sidewalks got increasingly crowded and the air became thicker from all of the congested traffic. We walked through the markets and got some fresh coconut juice. Apparently they take jaywalking very seriously here, so it’s best to use the crosswalks. When we walked out of the city, the air was so cool and suddenly the humidity hasn’t seemed so bad since. Later, we went on a hike behind the university thinking that it would take us up to the mountains. However, our hike was cut short by some dogs claiming their territory and chasing/barking at us to leave. Tip: If a dog barks at you–don’t start running away, because they will chase after you, and chances are, they will be faster.
WayinthePhilippines 