Counting the days

10 days. Not so much in the mood. But I’m sure the excitement will kick in, in a day or two or when I start packing.

I can’t recall in its entirety why I started this blog, but from what I recall I had a moment of “I want to blog about my holiday”. This will be the third time I’m traveling back to the Philippines since we migrated here. Looking back at the past trips, they mostly consisted of shopping and living the high life. Oh how I loved those days. But today as I was thinking about this upcoming trip, those same agendas didn’t make me happy or all excited inside. I’d like to think I’ve matured.

I really want this trip to be so much more. It’s often so easy to believe in the things that you believe in now, because nothing around you changes. If I lived in Austria, I would be longing for a beach because there is none around. But if I move to Hawaii with beaches left right and centre, would I still be in anticipation for the waves or the white sand? My point is, do you love things, do things, believe in things because they’re the only things in front of your eyes? Some say “seeing is believing” but I want to see because I first believed.

Melancholy aside, I’m ready to dive back into the country and the culture. One thing I really dislike is when Filipinos that have been living in another country and visit the Philippines start to act all ‘better’ than everybody else. I’m sure many of you Filipinos know what I mean. And I’m not referring to the inability to speak Tagalog, what I’m talking about is the inability to embrace another culture. I’m not a patriot of the Philippines, but its the nationality given to me so why not enjoy it.

What I learned from my parents, most especially during our trip to Singapore 3 years ago is that, the best way to enjoy a country is to do what the locals do! On our first day in Singapore, instead of eating lunch at the hotel or at a restaurant in a tourist hot spot, we ate at this little cafeteria where all the local workers eat. We went on a tour, but we took the time to also explore the city with no knowledge, no direction but it was a great experience. I look forward to doing that in Hong Kong in a month’s time.

Here’s a fact for you:

The Philippines is regarded as the “text capital of the world”. About 350 to 400 million SMS are sent daily by 35 million cell phone subscribers in the country, which is more than the total daily text message sent in the U.S. and Europe together