A few antecdotes from life in Manila

Hi all-  We’ve safely landed in Manila and are adjusting rapidly to our new life.  It’s exhaustingly hot, but the people are so kind that you just forget about the heat.  I have been going nonstop and Nick has been trying his darndest to get me to sit down.  I just can’t!  There’s so much to explore… so I just started ditching him 2 days ago.  He mentioned something about pacing himself.  How boring!  I plan to keel over from exhaustion first!  So, here are a few of my favorite things so far!

Favorites:

• Being called “mum” by everyone I pass.  “Hello mum”.  Good-day mum.  This way mum.  I feel like a freakin’ celebrity.  Kindest people ever, those Filipinos!
• When purchasing my blow dryer, they plugged it in for me to show me that it worked prior to purchase.  Huh?  Same with the light bulb I got.  They showed me that it lit up.  Then, “Okay, mum?”
• When I asked the concierge for a Barong store (the Filipino men’s shirt we need to get for Nick) and he thought I said Thong.  Nick and I went on this goose chase to find the store we thought was going to sell barongs, only to find out it was basically Victoria’s Secret… oops!
• A 75 minute massage for $25 at the nicest spa I’ve ever visited.
• McDonald’s delivers.  On mopeds!
• There are 12 malls within walking distance of my door!
• Customer service is incredible.  I have never seen so many people assigned to assist.  For example, at the grocery store, there was one person assigned to each aisle to answer questions.  At the department store, I counted 14 attendants in the minuscule “Men’s Underclothes” department.  One person rings things up, then next puts it in the bag, etc.  Shopping is fantasticly fun here!

Okay, that’s all for now.  More to come.  I can’t put up pictures until our computer arrives in 1.5 weeks.  Stay tuned… I’m off to go take a tour of the city!