Good Memories

Right now I’m sitting on the ground in the international terminal of the Manila airport, a place that offers free wifi but very few benches.  My plane doesn’t leave for another five hours.  That means I have plenty of time to reflect on what I’ll miss most about the Philippines:

1.       The people.  It’s unbelievable how nice everyone is here.  I’ve commented particularly on the hospitality of lenders, but really almost everyone I’ve met has been kind and helpful.

2.       Lack of scams.  When I first arrived I was hyper-vigilant about keeping an eye out for tricksters, but outside of Manila that caution seems unnecessary.  I’ve turned into a very lazy traveler, just passing money to jeep drivers and waiters and assuming I’ll get the correct change, so we’ll see what happens when I go to somewhere less friendly.

3.       Motorcycles.  They’re so fun!  My foray into driving one was humbling and traumatic, but it’s really exhilarating to hop on board with an experienced driver and ride away into the mountains. 

4.       The fruit salad in Dumaguete.  I miss it very much already.

5.       The language.  The people in my three research locations spoke three different languages (Visayan, Cebuano, and Waray-Waray), but all of the languages included enough Spanish that I could usually follow the gist of what interview subjects were saying.  My favorite incident came when a woman said she usually spends money ‘para el abogado’.  I asked her why she needed a lawyer and she gasped – why hadn’t I told her I spoke Visayan?

The scenery is also pretty and the transportation network is good, but I’ll hold myself to five.  I’m currently facing one of the most tiring and constant challenges of the solo traveler: who’s going to watch my bag while I go to the bathroom?

I hope you all enjoyed these posts.  It's been an unexpected, educational and adventurous summer for me, and I really enjoyed writing about it.  I don't know when I'll start up the blog again.  My tentative plan is to return to China (to dreaded Nanjing) in August 2012, but who knows what will happen before that.  Hopefully something interesting will materialize!