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,…
Tag Archives: Southeast Asia
01
huhti
huhti
Holy Week gives everyone in the Philippines a multi-day break – a curious mix of worldly indulgence and religious traditions that are slowly fading away.The season also highlights just how far Filipino Catholicism has drifted from the more subdued, diluted version practiced in Europe. Today, about 85% of the population, most of whom belong to…
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…
19
maalis
maalis
Today in the Philippines, people are celebrating with food and drink in earnest. Some are simply celebrating a welcome day off, while the country’s Muslim community marks the end of Ramadan. Both are perfectly valid excuses to celebrate; they also serve as a reminder that the Philippines has a significant Muslim minority. Eid al-Fitr marks…
11
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…
01
maalis
maalis
If Metro Manila is the brain of the Philippines, then Cebu City is its heart – and the heart, as we know, sometimes does things the brain simply cannot explain. It beats, dances, loves, and sings. You can only find its rhythm when you stop searching and simply let yourself be. I have a problem…
25
helmi
helmi
Let’s take a look beyond the border, into a parallel world that is everyday reality for most Filipinos but utterly baffling to those of us perfectly comfortable inhabiting just one reality at a time. In the Philippines, all kinds of supernatural beliefs are woven into daily life and culture. Some Filipinos will firmly deny believing…
20
marras
marras
In the previous post, I listed the most common (yet often completely wrong) stereotypes about the Philippines and Filipinos. But that was only half the story. So here’s the rest – another five stubborn misconceptions that sometimes contain a grain of truth but collapse like a poorly built sandcastle when applied to an entire nation…
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marras
marras
Is the Philippines truly a place where you can live like a “king” on a thousand dollars a month? Is it inherently dangerous? Is every Filipino genuinely happy, all the time? Many of the assumptions Westerners hold about the country – its cost of living, safety, or the nature of its people – are due…