Whenever nations face off in major football tournaments, people across the globe glue themselves to their television screens. Well, not quite everywhere. In the Philippines, for historical reasons, football has never exactly set the national soul on fire. Those students kicking a leather ball between two posts on the foggy school grounds of 19th-century England…
Tag Archives: Manila
05
kesä
kesä
Filippiinit on arvoitus, joka kelluu meren päällä. Se on tuhansien saarten kudelma, jota historia on repinyt eri suuntiin – kuin perhe, joka ei pääse sopuun siitä, kenen tarinaa uskoa. Kun maa vuonna 1946 nousi omille jaloilleen, se ei ollut enää lapsi, mutta ei vielä aikuinenkaan. Saarille ensimmäisenä rantautuneet espanjalaiset toivat mukanaan ristin, kirkot ja pitkän…
27
huhti
huhti
In the Philippines, global superstars are treated like visiting royalty, and fans practically worship the air they breathe and the ground they walk on. But when things go wrong, even stars are quickly reduced to mere mortals. Every year, millions of foreigners arrive in the Philippines. Most have a wonderful time, enjoying the beaches and…
15
huhti
huhti
Manila is basically a self-improvement program disguised as a city: the endless gridlock builds your patience, natural disasters sharpen your risk assessment skills, karaoke doubles as therapy, and the air-conditioned malls keep your head cool when everything else overheats. When foreigners dream of the Philippines, they picture white sand beaches, swaying coconut palms, turquoise water,…
27
maalis
maalis
When the weight of social realities, irritating cultural quirks, and all the other assorted nonsense becomes heavy enough to dull the shine of your new homeland, you inevitably begin to wrestle with fundamental questions about integration. After living long enough outside the enchanted bubble of the Western world, everyone eventually experiences moments of pure frustration…
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maalis
maalis
For many travelers heading to Asia, food is half the reason to go. People cross oceans dreaming of Thai curries, Japanese sushi, and steaming bowls of Vietnamese pho. But the Philippines? Somehow, it rarely makes anyone’s bucket list for culinary reasons. For years, food writers and culinary commentators have predicted that Filipino cuisine will be…
12
helmi
helmi
In the early 2000s, the Philippines made international headlines after two high-profile kidnapping cases involving Western tourists. From that moment on, the words PHILIPPINES and KIDNAPPING became inseparably linked in the global subconscious, reinforcing the image of a lawless and dangerous country. Then you arrive in Manila… One of the first things a visitor notices…
02
helmi
helmi
Manila on kokonaisvaltainen hyvinvointiohjelma, joka kehittää sinua ihmisenä: loputon ruuhka kasvattaa kärsivällisyyttä, luonnonkatastrofit lisäävät riskitietoisuutta, karaoke toimii terapiana ja ostoskeskus pitää pään kylmänä. Kun suomalainen miettii Filippiinejä, mieleen piirtyvät valkoiset hiekkarannat, palmut, kirkkaat turkoosit vedet ja Instagramin täyteiset aurinkolomat. Mutta todellisuudessa suurin osa asioista tapahtuu jossain aivan muualla kuin Boracayn auringonlaskussa tai Palawanin laguuneilla. Jos…
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tammi
tammi
What is it about motorbiking that’s so addictive? At first glance, it looks suspiciously like an attempt to reach a personal tipping point between self-preservation and self-destruction. The only things arguing in favor of survival are the rider’s real – or imagined – skills, and their remarkable ability to deny reality. That said, the Philippines…
05
tammi
tammi
The Philippines is a tropical paradise where the sun always shines, where locals wear smiles as serene as a yoga instructor after meditation, and where mojitos cost less than a cup of coffee back home. Everything looks picture-perfect until you realize your trip can shift between a dream and a nightmare in the blink of…