Monthly Archives: July 2015
Touristy Things!
In my last post I talked about all the ways in which Kelsey and I are not tourists, but let’s not forget that we are still visitors in a foreign country and in a major metropolitan city! In our time here, these are some of the fun sightseeing and touristy things we’ve done on our … Continue reading
A Day in the Life (Travel size? No thank you!)
In the month and a half since Kelsey and I have been here, I think we’ve assimilated fairly well into living a Filipino lifestyle. Sometimes I’ve questioned my role here (Am I a tourist? I’m not a resident…but…) so I wanted to delve into some of the things that I’ve adopted in order to adapt … Continue reading
Echoes of Colonialism: A Brief History Lesson
One thing I had been wondering about here came out of comparing the Philippines with Mexico, as both were colonized by Spain at around the same historical period, and I can see similarities in the traces and legacy left on the culture. However, Mexico speaks Spanish and here they speak English. Yes, the USA has … Continue reading
Culture Shock at the Post Office
I recently had quite a significant culture shock moment from a most unexpected place. And really, that makes sense: culture shock comes upon you when you couldn’t have imagined things going any differently from your expectations and then you suddenly find that you have no idea how to manage and your world is turned upside … Continue reading
Homestay #2: Castillo Family Edition!
Last weekend was another wonderful experience for Kelsey and I. It was a long weekend, as we had Friday off for the Eid (politicians are trying to get the Muslim vote) so Kelsey and I went to Makati to visit the Ayala Museum. They had some spectacular collections of pre-hispanic Filipino gold artefacts and from … Continue reading
Updates (and more culture!)
We’re about halfway through our time here now – we’ve been here about a month and we have one more left. Things are starting to pick up here, as school has started in St. Scho and we’re starting to get a lot of projects and full schedules. Being busy is a welcome relief though, as … Continue reading
Our Weekend with the Marquez Family
This past weekend Kelsey and I were graciously taken in for a two-day homestay by Mrs. Becky Marquez, the Dean of Student Affairs, and her family. We were picked up Saturday morning and took a day trip to Tagaytay, a city a few hours (with traffic) south of Manila. We went with Mrs. Becky and … Continue reading
The College Atmosphere
Classes have just started for the college students at St. Scholastica’s, and I have been assisting the Student Council and the Council of Student Leaders in helping with “Frosh Orientation.” I was very fortunate to have had a “Turning Titan” week at Illinois Wesleyan, which is run very well. At IWU, the new students move … Continue reading