The Philippines

A Week in the Motherland

By: Genesia Manalastas

The last time I visited my home town was in 2002. I didn't know a lot about the culture.

When my parents decided to return and visit family and friends, I made the decision to join them on this trip.

When we first arrived in the Philippines, the atmosphere was very different as it was very humid and crowded.  The road conditions were different as it was traffic, but I came to the conclusion that it was just a really busy place.

We stopped at a fast food restaurant called Jollibee. It's known for its sweet taste and I had spaghetti and yum with cheese everyday. At another restaurant, you had young people singing to you as you ate.

We visited markets with great prices.  The service in the Philippines was really good.  People always asked questions about your interests when it comes to shopping.

We only got to walk a quarter of the malls because they're really big.  We just took a stroll around and we noticed that every store always has people shopping.  You'd never see empty stores.  

Overall, the Philippines was a very busy but happy country with always something to do. 

Photo  credits: GM