I’m Back
I’m back in my own domain. No matter how productive and relaxing a trip is, it is still good to be home. It’s also good that I’m the only one back, the rest of the tribe are still back in the Philippines. At least for two more weeks I won’t have to fight anyone for the remote control, beat someone to the shower, and clean after somebody’s mess. But, as always, this euphoric feeling of independence will only last for a week. After seven days, I will for sure be missing all of them like crazy.
So during me two weeks in the Philippines I got some work and relaxation done. I was able to finish phase one of my “school project” which I will discuss in my next post and more importantly, I ate well.
This “I’m Back” post doesn’t really have a unified theme except to give you some odds and ends of my tropical adventure. Here it goes:
1. I still can’t get over the Manila traffic. You think New York rush hour traffic is bad, increase it exponentially and you’ll get a sense of the Manila traffic.
2. One rainy night, when we had a 10 hour road trip, our car broke down. It was around 8 p.m. We stopped at a closed car shop. Needless to say, I was dejected. My mother-in-law said not to worry because she said that if we knock, someone will open the door and they will fix the car. Sure enough, after 5 seconds of pounding the gate, someone came to the door, let us in and the mechanics began working on our car. I was shocked! I whispered to the driver that back in the States, Jiffy Lube would have never opened its door for weary travelers with broken cars.
3. I visited some schools and I still can’t believe how crowded the classrooms are for both public and private schools. In public schools, the average class size is over 50 students and private schools average over 40 students.
4. We went to a resort with the extended family and it was a blast. While we were there , during the afternoon, there was a swimsuit pictorial for a beauty contest. Beauty contests are big in the Philippines, aside from basketball, beauty contests are national pastime.
5. Once again I’m in the wrong business. I realized that instead of opening schools, I should be opening churches or starting my own religious cult. Man talk about big money making business. These religious sects (Christians) are making out like bank robbers. What’s worse is that their leaders openly flaunt their wealth and political power (courtesy of their followers). I guess they’re just continuing the grand tradition that the Catholic Chruch started some 500 years ago. I wonder what Jesus would say if he finds out that his name is being used to take money from church members who the majority are dirt poor.
6. I need to remind myself that the next time I go to the Philippines that I have to condition my body into my college drinking days. Needless to say, when I went drinking with my male in-laws, I pretty got my ass kicked. Hey but at least I redeemed myself when we had diet coke drinking contest.
7. One of the best things about the Philippines is the cheap medical and dental costs without sacrificing quality. I got my teeth cleaned, fixed a chipped tooth, and filled a cavity. My wife got the same treatment and more and it only costs me $300. Now if we were to get the same procedure here in the States, then I would have spent over $1000 if not more. This makes me hate insurance companies more for driving up the medical and dental costs.
8. Did I say I ate well? Yes, I did. And the best food came from street vendors and little canteens and not from the fancy schmancy restaurants. The best way to really immerse your self into a different culture is by experiencing and appreciating the local cuisine. The best part of all the eating experience is the freshness of the vegetables, meat, fish, and fruits. So it’s safe to say that I’ve put a few inches on my waist line.
This is pretty much it. My next posts will mostly related to my Philippine trip, so for those people who stuck around, thank you.
