1. Has a population of around 94 million people
2. Is comprised of 7,107 islands
3. The official language is Tagalog
4. "Salamat" means "Thank You"
5. They were a Spanish colony for 300 years until they won their independence in 1898
6. 1 US Dollar = 44 Philippine Pesos
7. Manny Pacquiao, the number 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is originally from the city my team is working in, General Santos
8. A national delicacy is balut, which is a fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell
9. Filipinos love Americans for 2 reasons that I've discovered so far – first because we helped them win their independence from Spain and second because they absolutely love basketball
10. Filipinos are obsessed with Celine Dion and Karaoke
11. Everywhere I go people seem to just stare at me because I'm tall and white, and whenever I meet someone new, they never fail to ask me, "Are you single?"
