10 things to get used to in the Philippines

10 things to get used to while in the Philippines

1. Black outs here are called brown outs. These brown outs occur at the most unusual times...at least twice a week. During the day the power may go out which means no fans! The usual is around 2 hours, but it can last days! Get used to those flashlights!

2. In most stores/laundry mats/restaurants etc there is no change! Every time I pay the cashier asks for smaller bills or exact change. You can imagine how difficult this is when we exchanged our money is large bills!

3. Here is something that has been difficult....there is no toilet paper in the bathrooms! You have to carry it with you or else you will be using your hand!

4. The water situation is also something new...there is no hot water, bucket showers are common and we can't drink the water from the faucet. We can't even brush our teeth with the water! Get used to carrying around those water bottles!

5. Language--It is hard enough to get used to not speaking Ilonggo. I tend to use a lot of sounds and gestures when trying to communicate with the children. However, their word for yes is "oo oo." Can you imagine?? If I say "uh-oh" they think that I am saying yes. Or if I say "oh!" they think I am saying yes. I tend to get confused looks very often.

6. Filipino goodbyes...they last forever! It kind of reminds me of leaving Camp Sonshine in the states. Filipinos tend to say goodbye multiple times, at least 5. Whenever we see them, they say goodbye again, hug, kiss and all! It makes you feel very loved!

7. There are no distinct traffic patterns. Using a horn is almost like saying "excuse me, coming through" and lanes don't really mean anything here. They have traffic lights, but they don't work.

8. I am starting to get surprised when I see a white person....I ask to myself, "What are they doing here?"

9. There is a distinct Filipino smell everywhere you go

10. Roosters don’t just crow in the morning (like you see on all the cartoons), they crow all day long.