The Philippines (Georgie)
Wow, so I keep meaning to type but I never get around to it. I shall have to be quick actually as I’m in an internet cafe in Baguio in the Philippines and a friend is waiting for me to jump off the comp.
I arrived in the Philippines about a week ago and it has been great so far! I came here for the World Creative Youth Forum, which was actually a very average conference, but I love Manila! It’s crazy busy, but has such an interesting history and the people here are so so so unbelievably friendly. The participants at the conference were all really great as well, and a plus was that there were lots of filipinos there and they served a lot of traditional food.
I’m increasingly self conscious as I walk down the street as I am 5ft 8, which is above average even for Australia, but here I am a giant! And I am whiter than white which is not so noticeable in Melbourne, but here I look like a ghost. And there are very few tourists in the Philippines, so people stare when I walk down the street and I feel like I have something drawn on my face or my pants are pulled down. And I have never been in so many photos in my life! Every five minutes at the conference I would be in a different photo and then I would be so sick of photos that there end up being very few on my own camera.
Am north of Manila at the moment and am planning to go see the Rice Terraces in Banaue which are world heritage listed and meant to be great. Am travelling with a hungarian girl from the conference. Am starting to realise why travelling alone is so much better.
Will be back in Melbourne and to the real world in a week and then study study study for all my final essays.
And on a final note, the Philippines is awesome!
Ahh… homesickness
I know what you mean about the height thing – I’m about 5’5″ and I’m considered tall there; approx. 5’1″ or 5’2″ is the national average for women I think
I do wonder what you mean by ‘traditional food’… care to elaborate?
And were you able to see the famous Manila Bay sunset at least once?
Oh, and the Banaue Rice Terraces is usually dubbed the 8th woder of the world so it’s bound to be great. You might get to meet some Ifugaos (minority tribe) there and try their traditional dance as well.
Hope you have lots more fun for the rest of your stay 😉
Gianina, you’re from the Philippines?! That is so very cool.
So traditional food I mean it was actual Filipino food, rice for breakfast lunch and dinner (though we didn’t get to eat with our hands, which I thought would have been cooler than a spoon and fork) and bangus and all the vegetables I can’t remember the name of.
In my head when I was typing it I was comparing it to a conference I went to in Prague where it was all just western food and no czech food (dumplings etc.), so it was nice having something from the Philippines I think.