Korea has been my home long enough now that it feels just
like that; home. You seem to reach a
point in overseas adventures where you are where you’re at, and you don’t pine
away as much for home. In my first year
here I thought I would never make it to July and never get back to a semblance
of normal life…whatever that is. Staying
longer makes it apparent that I will eventually go home, as the first end date
did come around. You also make more
friends, are more familiar with the city and its transportation, crowds, smells,
and different Korean ways. You still
miss home and the people there, but it’s almost like a lock on those emotions,
or you get so used to missing people you start to feel like you’re missing them
less. You build up a tolerance to
missing people, places, and sights of home as deep down you know that soon,
you’ll be back there.
It all goes back to this concept of time. I feel like I was home so long ago; that I
arrived in Korea so long ago; that the trip I took to the Philippines never really
happened; that the last parent teacher conferences were years ago; that the
last time our principal or owner complimented the teachers on their hard work
was decades ago. Uh-oh cynicism! Sometimes I think that there are aliens out
there messing with a dial that is linked with human time/our brains and they
twist it around and around when they’re bored to see our reaction, and how our
small brains react to it. Then they
laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
Speaking of the Philippines; I went there. It still amazes me how in Korea your five day
weekend trip can be to an island in Southeast Asia. “Where are you going for summer break, small
nosed Korean child?” “To China; Guam;
Cebu; Taiwan…”
I was excited to be able to travel as last year I was either
too broke, unaware of the breaks, or had my mama visiting (with the latter
being a most excellent reason to stay in Korea.) My friend Vicki and I decided that we would
enter in the dates we could travel somewhere and see where the cheapest ticket
would be to. Manila, Philippines! It was almost like playing the Price is
Right, a show I hope to win big on someday ($1, Drew!!) We flew in on a Saturday and left on a Tuesday, with Wednesday to
re-coop before heading into the front lines of teaching again.
We stayed at a hostel where the front desk people were very
helpful and very giggly. I never know
how to take this giggle that I often get in Asia; I know Koreans do it when
they’re nervous and as I make a lot of people nervous, a lot of people giggle
around me. I wasn’t sure if it was the
same in the Philippines, but as I was so tired when I was trying to intake
their advice, I giggled quite a bit right along with them. We had some basic plans when we got there,
but figured out the rest when we were there.
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| Our first Jeepney |
Our first day was spent exploring the historical part of the
city, the Intramuras, and experiencing local transportation, my favorite of
which was the jeepney. The front is a
jeep, the back is an open area to sit in that can fit about 20 people if you
really squish. It cost 8 pesos (19
cents) to ride, which was passed up to the front of the jeepney where there was
a money collector person next to the driver.
It was quite an amazing system and felt like it took real cooperation
among the people of Manila. It was a
wild and bumpy ride, one where you can get off and on anywhere you please. (Driver to the white girls 'GET OFF HERE!!') The Intramuras was a neat, old part of the
city with a lot of interesting flora and fauna, which delighted me and
frustrated me as I couldn’t identify what everything was, and a lot of
historical information was garnered there on our part.
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| White Beach |
The next day we headed to White Beach, which entailed more
interesting transportation in the form of buses. We tried to find the bus stop and after a
taxi taking us to the wrong place, a random bus picked us up. On buses in Manila, they have a simple sign on
the front advertising where they are going, and a man who stands next to/hangs
out the door trying to get people in. We
finally got on the proper bus and headed down to the Batangas, about a two hour
ride from the city. The bus stopped
quite a bit on the way down, and whenever they did peddlers hopped on trying to
sell snacks and got all up in your business to try and get you to buy
something. This was often the case for
two white women in the Philippines.
We finally made it to the port to get on a boat, and were
again accosted by Philippine men trying to ‘help’ us. Once on the boat we made the decision to stay
overnight at White Beach, which proved to be a most excellent decision. We were able to swim, get massages on the
beach, explore different sides of the island, get a room for very cheap (though
hot water and a working sink was lacking), and met some fellow foreigners who
were teaching in China. The restaurants
turned into drag show bars at night, which was extremely entertaining, and a
nice change from Seoul where that kind of freedom is strictly looked down upon
and discouraged.
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| Side car view |
The next day we again traveled a lot and by nightfall made it to Tagatay
City where we would hike Taal Volcano. We took another bus to Tagatay and once there, a motorcycle
with a side car to our hotel. The latter
ride sure made me giggle a lot. Since we arrived at night we took a good rest before we took another motorcycle/sidecar to
Taal Lake Yacht Club. It was that ride
that I finally started to try and bargain for a cheaper ride and felt a great
indignation when the men were seeing us as easy prey. The hike was grand, rainy, and beautiful. Seeing a lake in a volcano was unreal, especially sticking your feet in and feeling HOT water.
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| Top of the Volcano to you |
Another bus ride, complete with more hawkers and a fun
addition of a Jack Black comedy, took us back to Manila. We were unceremoniously told to get off! Now!
And hoped that we were in Manila and not in a sketchy part where we
should be wary. We walked around a bit,
tried to find a non-chain/non-sketchy place to have dinner and asked the locals
for help to no avail. We ended up
heading to the airport early because it was getting dark, we had all of our
stuff, and we had no idea what part of town we were in though judging by the
pawn shops it was not a great part.
I learned a lot on this trip. Being a foreigner is both a help and a
hindrance depending on the circumstance.
When we were on buses or jeepneys, folks were always watching out for us
to make sure we got off at the correct spot.
Being white in Asia assures you stick out and people are more apt to help
(or stare.) In the Philippines they were
also more apt to try and push you around in terms of selling you things, be it
food, rides, or their other wares. There
were many cases where it was MANY Philippine men shouting in our faces telling
us what to do.
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| Unknown and Beautiful Flora |
At times I felt angry that this occurred, but I realized it’s
their culture and what they know. A
young white girl is easy prey and someone who is bound to have some money to
throw around. I felt guilty at times for
going to a country that was so obviously in need of some assistance, and I was
just there as a ‘rich’ white tourist. It
was the first time I had experienced anything like that and it dragged my
spirit(s) down more than once. I was
also petrified of dying or getting sick from eating something bad, a bed bugs
infestation, pesticides, or poor planning.
Proper Planning Prevents Dying. I
finally calmed down towards the end, even drinking (sipping) Tang with ice, and much of
that is due to my travel partner Vicki.
She had a good, rational head on her shoulders and helped me calm the F
down. It was a great trip and I look forward to going to Malaysia during Christmas break.
Life in Korea continues to be a grand adventure with more
learning happening on my part every day.
I’ll be sure to write again sooner than last time. To all those back home, I hope you’re well. Love to you.
