Final Hours in the Philippines...

I got a mani/pedi for $14.00:) and an hour massage for $20.00!

(More Pictures to come re the below blog...Kaye has them:))

I am sitting at my computer, after my final day at Cybergate 1, floor 11, training room 11.44. My last days of training are complete. I am not sure why I decided not to go into teaching because I adore doing so. I love helping people learn and giving them confidence in something that they are nervous about. And seeing their growth is so empowering. Getting to know a whole new culture in and out of the work environment has been so inspiring as well. What a neat culture this is also.

In the Philippines, family is such a large aspect of life. Call centers are a new trend and booming. Also, Manila folks love to sing. They have raving karaoke (“videoke”) bars in which you and your friends dine in a private room with a massive flat screen TV, karaoke microphones, and plenty of food and drinks. They sing their insides out with confidence and joy. It’s a wonderful experience. Also, their local bands enjoy covers as much as their audience. You will rarely hear an indy song in this culture. You will always hear the latest pop songs, the oldest love ballads, and Journey.

Last night I went to the Seafood Market for dinner, Seaside Paluto, in Ortigas. This was my favorite meal in the Philippines, by far. Frist Alex and Kaye took me to this large loud market in which a cook met us at the front grasping a blue bucket. We began at the live crab cages. There we picked our favorite little crawlers along with the best and HUGE pieces of shrimp (no kidding, they were like seven inches long and two thick) and squid. The cook took our bucket of seafood and we followed her next door into a restaurant. Alex told her how to prepare the fish/crabs and we appetized on a coconut filled with juice and hardy meat while waiting for our food to cook. When it arrived, it was like a feast fit for a king! The shrimp tempura was GIANT, the crabs in a sweet chili sauce, the squid into calamari, the shrimp heads into a shrimp head soup, more shrimp cooked in butter and garlic (gambas), and a green mango ensalada in shrimp paste.

We ate until we were full…and then we ate some more. We had so much to eat in front of us that we couldn’t waste a bit. Unfortunately even to the point of explosion we only got halfway through. The meal was fresh, delicious, and so colorful. I felt as if I had died and gone to ocean-heaven.

After that we had what the Phils call “Beer below zero”. This is a subzero freezer in which keeps the beer enticingly chilled until the very last drop. Alabama needs to catch onto this trend. The fun part about beer below zero is that when you tap it, it ices over! It’s so tasty and fun!

My last night in Manila was a blast. I am now preparing for my two days in Tokyo on my way home. What a blast this role/exploration has been.

Look forward to sharing Tokyo with you before my trip home!

Till next time…