Whenever I wanted a new toy and my parents were not able to buy it for me they would always tell me to appreciate the things that I have. I used to hate it every time they said that, but my experience in the Philippines helped me understand the reason behind it. After visiting another country and observing its culture I was able to realize that I was extremely fortunate and in the end I gained a whole new appreciation for the things that I have. .
When I was in high school my family and I decided to make a summer visit to my mother's family in the Philippines. Both of my parents used to live there but this was my first trip to the island. Upon arrival I was overwhelmed with what I saw and I experienced an intense culture shock. The lifestyles of the people in the Philippines were completely different that the lifestyles in the United States. The people on the island live more simplistic moderate lives while life in the U.S. is more fast-paced and money oriented.
When I first arrived in the Philippines and walked out of the airport people started to stare at me and I immediately felt like an outsider. As I looked around I began to realize that the fashion in the Philippines was a lot more conservative than in the United States. Even though I was of the same ethnicity, the native people still knew that I was not from there because of what I was wearing. Apparently short shorts and tube tops are not common in the Philippines. Unfortunately the fashion difference was not the only thing that freaked me out. .
As soon as we got out of the airport we got in to a taxi and headed to my grandmother's house where I began to observe the impoverished city. As we were driving around I noticed the numerous amount of homeless people. There were several tents pitched up in the middle of parks and on side walks. In addition the atmosphere was extremely polluted and the buildings looked cramped and crowded.