Culture Shock

Manila, Philippines – April 21, 2011 at 10:55pm
Kansas City, USA – April 21, 2011 at 9:55am

Two words for my first impression of the Philippines: Culture Shock.

Wow, I was not mentally prepared for this. Singapore I could handle but I am stressing out in the Philippines. Wow. Wow. Wow. Tommy and Anna have recently been traveling in third world countries…I haven’t been to a third world country in years and I honestly forgot what it was like. 

My senses are overwhelmed at the moment. I’m sure if I give it a few days I’ll be fine and adjust but I’m really in shock at the moment. I’ve never wanted to be rescued so bad in all my life. I closed my eyes and turned Van Morrison on my iPod to get to a relaxed state. 

We arrived last night and made our way to Friendly’s Guesthouse. Tommy and Anna ran into a girl they had met their first week of their trip in Russia…which is really random. On the bright side we had a really wonderful meal consisting of fresh seafood…we all three ate and drank for $26 USD. There is the silver lining…finally a country that is not going to drain my budget.

Today we spent the day at Corregidor Island aka: The Rock. The island was a US military base during WWII and serves as a memorial for the Filipino & Americans who defended the country when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. It also happens to be the island where General MacArthur said the now famous quote “I Shall Return” after he received orders to leave the Philippines to go to Australia.

The whole experience was interesting and eye opening. This part of the trip was really important to Anna. Her grandfather was stationed in the Philippines during WWII (as was mine - my dad's dad) and they had discussed it at length before we came to the Philippines. It was really neat to see her so excited. I remember going to Scotland and Ireland with my grandpa (on my mom's side) to research our family history and I know how much that meant to me so it was good to see her have that connection with her grandfather. Sadly my grandfather who served in the Philippines is no longer with us but I will definitely be discussing my experience with my grandma…I’m interested to hear her memories of my grandfather’s time overseas.

To be honest, I'm a little drained from this portion of the trip so I'm going to have to write a reflection post later once I gather my thoughts.

Additional Photos: Manila & Corregidor Island