1. Do NOT buy soy milk. Even Belgian chocolate flavored.
2. Pay attention to what flavor you are getting for American brand stuff. Your ‘Ranch’ Pringles are really ‘Soft Shell Crab’ or your ‘Sour Cream n Onion’ Lays are really ‘Seafood Nori Seaweed’ OR ‘Berry and Hazlenut’ (Matt and I bought the first two out of curiosity).
3. Nearly everything is dirt cheap. You can eat three meals a day in the main city of Malaybaly for less than five dollars. I also bought two t-shirts for four dollars.
4. Hospital visits are crazy cheap. You can stay in the hospital for four days for less than $200. Without insurance.
5. Unlike American culture where people want to be tan, Filipino culture pushes white skin on them. So instead of tanning lotion on the shelves, there are bottles and bottles of whitening lotion. They also wear pants and long sleeves even when it is 120 degrees outside to avoid getting any darker.
6. To exchange money, you must go down a dark alley, turn left, enter a building, go down a line of cubicles and talk to unknown woman (she was nice though). You also have to fill out a form which includes your name and address back home. Creepy, right?
7. You will be treated like a celebrity. Like people coming up to you and asking if you are Halle Berry or Lady Gaga or someone famous like them. Our contact was once asked if he was Tom Cruise, and he is blonde. They will take your picture, film you and overall bend over backwards to please you. And simply smiling at them will make them blush and run away.
8. They serve mayonnaise with everything! Onion rings, french fries…
9. You can indeed find dog meat in The Philippines. However, only in the mountains. You cannot find it in restaurants or with street vendors.
10. Filipinos have a culture of honor. They will open doors for you, treat you with total respect and even try to avoid hitting you on the street (unlike the drivers in Central America).
11. Every American dollar is worth about 42 Pisos. So when an ice cream is 15 Pisos, you know you are in a pretty awesome place :)!
Oh, and just an hour ago I ate seaweed for the first time!
And it was delicious!
Well, six days in and I have learned all of these things about The Philippians. I hope to do a Part 2 and Part 3 before this month is up!
Thanks for reading!
