It's Over

My honeymoon with Manila came to a squeaky halt.  Maybe it’s because I am traveling every weekend so that I spend my free time away from Manila.  Maybe it’s because how disorganized work has been that I am taking out my frustration on the City.  Or maybe the romance was never meant to be no matter the city…  Of course, just like everything that bothers me, I have developed a hypothesis and I am going to test it and form a theory!

Before my relocation, people have told me to start in Singapore as it is considered “Asia-Light”.  However, Singapore and Hong Kong are a little bit too easy in my opinion.  Both places have a lot of expatriates, one can get by easily with English, and they are both extremely commercialized and developed.  To me, they are not “Asia” enough.  Prior to accepting my job in Manila, I also had my doubts.  “Will the Philippines be ‘too’ much of a developing country which will be too challenging for me since I have lived in the US for the past 20 years?”  Upon arriving Manila, all of those doubts evaporated.  The food selection is diverse and immense, English is one of the official languages, people are friendly, the apartments can be extremely modern, and consumerism blends right in with the polluted air.  All these ‘Western” influences make everything seem so “normal” and “US” for those who are not careful.

The expectations were low before I moved to Manila knowing that it is not as developed as some of the other Asian cities.  I was pleasantly surprised by almost everything that I encountered over the last three months - the food, people, culture, prices, accessibility, convenience, etc.  Then, slowly, the disappointments set in when the traffic gets in the way of catching a flight, when not knowing Filipino directly translates into higher prices, and when the perceived friendliness is just that, perceived.

My honeymoon with Manila is over probably because my expectations have changed significantly since my arrival.  Manila did not set out to deceive my expectations but as a new resident of the City, I wanted to see and experience familiarity, comfort, and relatedness instead of what the City can offer.  Maybe this is the beginning of a new phase – marriage, where reality sets in and staying married will take hard work from both Manila and I.