Since my last blog, I have done some interesting things. I went to Taiwan for two days, did karaoke for about 5 hours, and got severely ill (the two are not necessarily related). I also went to see the Philippine Philharmonic in the middle of a typhoon. But rather than talk about these things, I feel like being David Sedaris-esque and recounting some of the random observations I've been making in my daily life here. I feel like I write a lot about the big events that happen - trips and projects and super big challenges, and not so much about the little nuances that really make up my Manila experience. I've been meaning to carry a small notebook around with me so I can jot down whenever something really interesting happens, but in the absence of that, I sometimes use the notes app on my iphone. Here a few of them, with slight expounding, from the past week or so, in no particular order and with pretty much zero cohesiveness:
1). 10/1 Tuesday, Robinson's supermarket - in the US, I feel it is more common and even appreciated when people use credit cards because it's faster than waiting for someone to dig out their cash. Here it just seems like a massive inconvenience and requires lots of typing in of long codes and the signing of many receipts. Also, even though there is a long line of people behind me (the guy directly behind me is only buying a loaf of bread and two beers) the woman is taking her time carefully bagging all of my items with some kind of special bagging technique, tying all the bags, and placing smaller items like a toothbrush in their own tiny little bags and placing those in bigger bags. I feel like I should apologize to everyone waiting behind me, but unlike in America, no one here ever seems to be agitated to wait for anything.
2). 10/2 Wednesday, walking home from work - all the guards at the bank are all huddled around the steps intently watching two guards play chess on the concrete. All of them are holding what looks like AK47s. Just A little ways down the street, two other men sit on the curb playing a game whose board is the bottom of a pizza box. Demarcations for the game have been made with pink highlighter. The pieces are bottle caps.
3). 10/10 Thursday - same guards are seated in a line on the curb, still holding their guns, all reading different newspapers.
4). 10/3 Thursday, Robinson's supermarket - man taps on my shoulder while I am looking at cheeses. I have to take out my earphone. He keeps repeating milk, milk, milk and shrugging. "milk - like a cow" I point to the section with milk, lots of milks - lowfat, full fat, skim, already chocolate-ed. "milk COW."
I go over, pick one up and point to the picture of the cow on the carton. He seems suddenly satisfied. "Where are you from? What part of the world?"
"USA - America."
"Ohhhhhh. I'm from Kuwait."
"Nice."
"Kuwait. KUWAIT."
"I know, that's really interesting."
"It's ok, USA and Kuwait are friends"
Apparently, this man thinks I'm incredibly dense, and what does that say about me when he can't find the milk in the dairy section?
5). Funny and nonsensical things on people's shirts I've throughout the week:
"Got soap?"
"I left my other shirt in my ninja"
Various sexually explicit shirts that are clearly meant for men, being worn by women. I wonder if this is some kind of thing here, of if they just can't be bothered to know the meaning.
6). 10/3 Thursday, the coffee shop which is weirdly located in the lobby of the hospital, and also at the WHO cafeteria - I got coffee three times today, and twice was asked if I had exact amount. I only did one time, and was very kindly thanked for my thoughtfulness and foresight. The times when I didn't, I got a very loud and disapproving tongue clicking. This country has a real problem with giving people change; they act very put out, and will sometimes say they don't have any change when it's pretty clear that they do.
7). 10/7 Monday, walking back to work from getting coffee - small children on the street selling pens to other children who are on the way to school and might have forgotten their own. Reminds me of walking down from Taal volcano when two local girls approached us, asked for chocolate and then: "Do you have boyfriend?"
"Actually, yes I do! do you have a boyfriend?"
Girl scowls. "I didn't say boyfriend. I said ball point. Do you have ball points. For school."
I don't usually take supplies of chocolate or pens with me on hikes, so I had to disappoint her. The kids selling pens on the road side seem to be doing a good deed. But their customers are headed to class; why aren't they going to school too?
8). One of my project entails reviewing medical records at the ER. The first step is getting a sample of road injury patients, so I have to look through a years worth of uncomputerized records that are organized by date, but not by injury type. While road injuries don't seem to be so common, some extremely common causes for ER admission include:
- bites, of various kinds (cat, rat, dog, mouse, hamster, monkey)
- mauling (as in, "patient was mauled by two assailants after they robbed him")
- fishbone caught in patient's throat, usually just shortened to"fishbone"
Everything also seems to be classified as "severe." I know it's the ER, so you would assume that people would have a good reason to be there. But there are just some things I can't picture: "patient severely injured himself while peeling some shrimps," "patient severely injured himself while trying to open the cookie jar," "severe pinky trauma" for example.
9. 10/13 Sunday, Nailogy - I am here for a manicure, and it's very crowded, but mostly with men. Most of them are getting pedicures, but some are having their hands massaged and nails painted with clear polish. A surprising number of them have fallen asleep in the chairs.
10. 10/13 Sunday, outside Robinson's - Almost hit by an SUV because the crossing guard was too busy staring at me to direct traffic
11. 10/12 Saturday, Oarhouse - a local talks to us about all the prostitutes that hang out in and around Robinson's, and is surprised that I don't know how to spot them (aside from ones who are obvious at nighttime outside of dodge massage places and bars). Because Malate is the red light district, there is a lot of prostitution - male, female, and child that is constant and pervasive, and apparently right under my nose. I already know that Malate is less than classy. Walking around at night, you are approached by people who want you to come into their various sketchy establishments. Also I've been personally approached by female prostitutes which was more confusing to me than anything else. I don't want to always be judgmental of particular men or scenarios that I often see in this area, but with so much trafficking, forced sex work and what basically amounts to slavery, it's hard not to feel slightly embittered and disillusioned.
12. 10/11 Friday, walking home from work on Pedro Gil Street - some kid, maybe 13 or 14, in a school uniform is in the sidecar of a pedicab (basically a little car attached to a bicycle), presumably being taken home. He sticks his head out of the car and the driver (biker? peddler?) deliberately elbows him in the side of the head, signaling for him to get back inside. This kid has no shoes and no backpack. I am wearing a $50 shirt, pants that were not on sale, Gucci perfume, and I have a driver take me to work in the morning.
Even so, I am tired and sweaty and I think: Spoiled brat, you can't walk home like the rest of us?
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