What the guidebook left out part 2

Things the guidebook forgot to tell you part two:
(Once again, this would be things you would need to know, not "the beaches are terrific, whee!" type stuff)


- clothing sizes:
Clothing is sized as in the US, but it's not the same dimensionally. A size XS is a 00, a large is about an 8, and XL (which is hard to find) is about a ten on top, an 8 on the bottom.

In addition to that, due to the weather, many companies don't use poly or Lycra, so there is no "give" to the clothes. They are also cut very narrowly- high armholes, tight bodices, close to the body, tight arms, small neck openings, etc. Also, people like to wear their clothes either too tight (in my opinion) or pillow- case voluminous, neither of which are really the best look for a tall, curvy girl like myself. The general style we've been over but suffice to say it's 1980's bonanza over here.

Now I'm sure in Manila or other cities the selection is a bit wider, but most of the malls here in Clark have the large stores, so there's not much we're lacking, it's just...really, really tiny.

Which leads me to my next point, which is sort of a "gimmie" but you don't really think about it until you are here:

People are small. Okay, so? Well, that means that public transpo, dressing rooms, chairs, bathroom stalls, and other public spots are small, like sized for people under 5'7", and less than 120 lbs. My first few weeks here I was covered in bruises from "too small" spaces until I got used to it. In addition to that, people are a little scared, rightly so, of someone who looks like they can break them over their knee, so it's hard to get anyone but drunks, street walkers, and total creeps to talk to you.



The music people play in public spaces is almost always top forty, club mixes, or uncensored, hard core rap, and that includes grocery stores, malls, mini stop, offices, etc.

Nuff said about that, I think.

Personal space? what's that? In Internet cafes, if there's 39 empty chairs and one taken, I will ALWAYS be put next to the ONE taken spot unless I request otherwise. Also, as another example, people do not mind being pushed, bumped, and jostled out of the way. As a result, they will block doorways in a kind of unintentional "chicken" with outgoing/ incoming pedestrian traffic. The upside is you can just shove someone gently out of the way and they'll just keep gabbing away on the phone, totally unfazed. The downside of this is that it's VERY irritating at first to be around hundreds of people with ZERO awareness of the people around them, since they work as a unit anyway.

There is no line. There is no "next". It's shove- and- cut central. If you politely wait behind the current customer some shrill granny with 87 items WILL push her way in and take over, making you either push her ass out of the way or bitch to the guard "she cut me" in a painful reprise of kindergarten block time. It's a fucking free for all, with the loudest and tallest or most pushy getting to go next.


Well, ladies only for this one: The country does not, in general, use tampons. They only stock a few "kinds" and that's one type of one brand and one type of another, and they are quite expensive. For you hippies out there, there is no Diva cup, Instead (my personal fave), or any other earth friendly things, unless you count sea sponges, I suppose, but they don't really carry those either. The reason is that people think they are "dirty" and as a result, don't use them. On one hand, those two boxes are always available, on the other, let's hope you like what they have. There's no, like travel size boxes with 5 emergency ones in the gas station like there is in the US.
I said "uncensored" people!!! Don't be prudish!!
On a similar note, there is no NuvaRing, or other devices for women that you can get over the counter either. It's rubbers or the Pill, and welcome to baby central!!! And the brands of condoms do NOT inspire confidence: Kama Sutra, Frenzy, Kiss, Lick, and Trust. (and Durex, I think). All of them are like 50 cents a box. You can get these anywhere, so that's a plus. It doesn't explain all the nine zillion babies everywhere, but whatevs.

It's loud. All the time. Really, really, really loud. I have permanent ringing in my ears now from a combination of air con, traffic noise, music, work, and street noise. I had it in Buffalo too, and it subsided when I went back to the country for a while, so hopefully it will get better once I go back to the states. Also, people have a tendency to vocalize in what I perceive as a really awful, shrill shriek. Mostly older women, but no one's immune from this. It just grates on me. However, North Americans sound like the honking of geese to Pinoy (they call it "the American Twang") so I realize this may just be me but GOD is it nerve- racking. Often this occurs in the context of what appears to be an average, everyday, regular conversation with no visible anger and no reason for the shouting, it's just how we do over here.

People will tolerate an incredible amount of nonsense. I mean, three different cell phone radios playing and kids screaming away in Internet cafes, broken everything, no service, rude trike drivers, kiosks with no change (hello!! isn't it YOUR ONLY PURPOSE IN LIFE TO TAKE MONEY? AND YOU HAVE NO CHANGE FOR A 50P bill? The only thing smaller is a 20P bill!!!), coasters that zip by without stopping and no explanation of why, medicine being out of stock, no toilet paper in any public toilets, employees following you around like you're a shoplifter and then giving you a poker faced refusal to help you when you need it, etc. And you will either exhaust yourself being outraged/ incandescent with shock and awe/ stunned/ etc or you'll just learn to get yourself a cold one and laugh at all. My first few weeks I was like "TURN ON THE FUCKING POWER NOW. DO. IT.", now I bring a book to the phone card store, it will be a 30 minute ordeal to buy one phone card, that's how it goes.

You are "sir". Your ample bosom, pretty face full of makeup, generous "baby making" hips, Marilyn Monroe booty, strappy sandals, man on your arm, and long wavy locks don't mean anything. "Yes sir? What size dainty plaid pump do you want sir?" Or, covering their bets "SIRMA'AM" all one word. Sometimes they catch themselves, or already have a better grasp of English to begin with, but usually I'm "sir". No matter WHAT I'm wearing, who I making out with at Atlantis (could be Vin Diesel him self and I'd get "another Skyy and vodka, sir?" And they mean me), or where I am or what I'm buying ("how about some chocolate to go with these feminine hygiene items SIR?") I get "Sir", and it's with the usual huge eyed poker face. Sigh. Just give it up.

Phrases you hear that sound offensive but aren't:

"so there" (means "that's all for now"/ "alrighty then")

"just wait for a while" (means " a second or two/ a moment")

"yesssssss ma'am?" (Said in a super sugary ingratiating sing- song voice from hell- just a regular store clerk trying to get you to buy something)

"hey! angeles, angeles!!" (or whatever destination they drive to- they're just lettin' you know, just in case you can't see/ read/ hear/ haven't a clue where their jeepney goes)

"have a seat" (please make yourself comfortable) personally I've always hated this, even in the US. I have an immediate reaction of DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!! Could just be me, though.

"sorry?" (I didn't get it/ don't understand)