Time in the Phillipines?

GearHead_1

GearHead_1

Long Time Member
I'm curious to know if any of our forum members have spent any time in the Philippines? My 20 year old daughter is going to be spending about 18 months over there. It makes me a nervous dad.
 
I was there at Clark AFB (Angeles City) for about 18 months many moons ago. A friend and I rented a house off base, got to know the locals rather well, and took a few motorcycle trips (Manila, Bagio, Subic Bay, etc.).

Near a military base you had to be careful (just like here in the states) because near any base there is some hustling going on.

With the above disclaimer out of the way let me say that I loved the Philippines and the residents (Filipinos). Aside from the fact it gets pretty darn hot and humid over there it was a wonderful experience. I found the Filipino people to be very friendly and extremely honest. It wasn't too unusual to hear about someone in the military living in the PI after they retired.

I'm sure the country has changed a lot since I was there, but in talking with Filipinos I occasionally run into they seem as friendly as I always remembered them.
 
I was TDY there for a week in the summer of 1985, when I was stationed in Japan. It was kind of rough back then if you were downtown Angelos City by yourself. The Air Force recommended at a minimum two people. What part is she traveling to, Manila? That would be a little safer then the smaller cities. Sorry, not too much info I can give other than what I experienced back in the mid 80's.
 
She is going as a missionary for our church to San Pablo (about 50 miles south of Manila). Her area actually covers a couple of islands. She will be speaking Tagalog, (she gets a couple of months training on this prior to departing), she presently speaks English, Spanish and ASL. I've been trying to read up on it, makes me nervous to have her half way around the world.
 
GearHead_1 said:
She is going as a missionary for our church to San Pablo (about 50 miles south of Manila). Her area actually covers a couple of islands. She will be speaking Tagalog, (she gets a couple of months training on this prior to departing), she presently speaks English, Spanish and ASL. I've been trying to read up on it, makes me nervous to have her half way around the world.
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In the more remote areas, away from the cities, the people are one of the most honest I have ever seen. I think that will be a wonderful experience for your daughter. Aside from any father being anxious when their child is so far away, I would much rather have her there than many places here in the states.

There is a lot of poverty in the PI and I'm sure your daughter will be blessed by serving over there. Just tell her to politely decline if anyone offers her a balut. They seemed to get more popular the farther away from the cities, but they sold them in Angeles City too.
 
Eliot Ness said:
Just tell her to politely decline if anyone offers her a balut. They seemed to get more popular the farther away from the cities, but they sold them in Angeles City too.
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I'll make sure I remind her about this. I saw this "delicacy" on Bizarre Foods just a few weeks ago. It was really disgusting. The ironic part of this is she is such a picky eater. I'm sure that's about to change.

I'm glad to hear the report you're giving me on the people. It's not like daddy can jump and save her when she's 12,000 miles away. I'm excited for her but in our church there are a lot of missions she could have been called to serve (I think just under 400). It's not a matter of choice, church officials determine where the missionaries will go. I actually thought they might utilize her ASL skills state side, sometimes this is a consideration and sometimes makes no difference.

She's a junior at BYU majoring in linguistics and I wanted to see her finish her last year of schooling prior to going on a mission. She wanted to wait and put her last year in after. She's saved her money to support herself through this time ($450/month, church picks up the balance) she doesn't know that we will be putting "her" money in the bank when making her monthly payment. This should be a good surprise when she comes home and looks at her bank account. She won't have access to this info while she is away. This will leave her something to come home to, enough to finish school and put something towards a car. One thing is for sure, I'm no longer in control.

My nephew was also recently called to serve a mission for our church, he was called to Portland Oregon (Spanish Speaking Mission). He got my hopes up thinking she might stay in the U.S. She reports to the Missionary Training Center on Oct. 1st and will serve for 18 months. My daughter got her papers in a week before my nephew, he was called a week before my daughter, he reports to the Missionary Training Center on Oct. 29th, go figure. Young men go at age 19, young women go at age 21 (her birthday is Aug. 29th.). Males go for 24 months, females go for 18 months.
 
I have family in Pasig City near Manila and I just visited them this past November/December in 2007.

Was there anything in particular that you wanted to know? :)
 
Never been there sorry I can not help. But I believe your daughter will be in GREAT hands and will have a very great experience. Will keep her in prayers
 
Denzil said:
I have family in Pasig City near Manila and I just visited them this past November/December in 2007.

Was there anything in particular that you wanted to know? :)
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Lifestyle, diet creature comforts, phone and computer access, how the people feel about U.S. visitors? I don't know anything about the Philippines other than what I have read in WWII history so anything you can share would be great.
 
I been there about 3 times and people are very friendly. I did alot of drinking and partying too, but it's a great place to learn more about culture and it's people.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Lifestyle, diet creature comforts, phone and computer access, how the people feel about U.S. visitors? I don't know anything about the Philippines other than what I have read in WWII history so anything you can share would be great.
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Lifestyle:
The lifestyle is somewhat similar to what we have in the U.S. except just a little poorer depending on where you go. Anywhere near Manila is very much like anything you'd see in any of our major cities in the U.S. but on a much smaller scale. However, there are parts in the Philippines that are trying their best to mirror American lifestyle.

Diet Creature Comforts:
Not exactly sure what is meant by this term but there's a lot of food that can be had that is very similar to American food. There's Jollibee and Chow King which are similar to our fast food joints. Of course, there's McDonald's, KFC, and some others I'm sure.

Phone and Computer Access:
When it comes to phone access, you can either bring over a 3G or GSM phone and use a calling card or just set up some sort of temporary account of sorts. Computer access can be had pretty much anywhere. The Philippines has many internet cafes in the populated areas with very reasonable rates compared to the U.S. Of course, you can't expect any of the amazing download speeds that you find with business/commercial lines.

U.S. Visitors:
Many Filipinos appreciate American visitors. They feel they always have something to bring to the Filipino community. As already mentioned, Filipinos are very kind, respectful, and caring people. They're not even remotely rude in comparison to the many people I've met here in the States. They're often calm, cool, and relaxed but watch out for their driving, LoL. Driving in the Philippines can be stressful if you're worried about people driving next to you literally only inches away but it's definitely something you get used to.

One additional thing I will mention is that the smog is really bad in the urban areas and there are no emission regulations like we have in the U.S. Expect to be breathing heavy and humid smog often and don't be surprised if it rains everyday.

Going to the Philippines can be an eye-opener for anyone. You really appreciate what you have in the U.S. when you realize the hardships of a third-world country but unfortunately not everyone realizes that.

I hope this information helps you out a bit. :)
 
i was in subic bay and manilla many times while in the navy.. i would never have believed that people really live that way. (poor)
mostly did a lot of driinking there, but they do have some good food though. i even eat some monkey meat, which was actually pretty good. didnt know that was what i was eating at the time..lol
for the most part the natives there are friendly, but in can get rough in the outskirts of the larger citys..
should be a good experience for her though!
 
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