Matt and Kristin in the Philippines

Our first two weeks in the Philippines had us reeling from the intensity of novelty. In our last two weeks we shed tears for the home we would leave.

Now in the US, my eyes, ears, nose, tongue can barely absorb as fast as they are stimulated and sometimes I am exhausted from the inevitable constancy of comparing two very unlike cultures.

What I have seen:

Green grass, lawns, organized flower beds, no gardens

Car ports as large as the nipa huts we lived in

A line of 8 wooden spoons discovered in our "kitchen supplies" box

Shiny cars

People of every color and none of them stare or shout at me

Chicken pesto pasta, cookies and cream ice cream, Puffins cereal

Way too much furniture and far too many boxes of "knick knacks" piled throughout our enormous 2-bedroom apartment

The sun rising after 6AM and not a rooster in sight

Wimpy thunderstorms and rain that sounds like a dripping faucet on an empty Tupperware container

Airconditioners blasting in 80 degree, non-humid weather

Tall people, very long legs, too much leg, too much cleavage

A McDonald's ice cream in the airport, $1.39

Bags upon bags of tasty semi-sweet chocolate morsels in yellow Nestle bags

Ovaltine, monggo beans, expensive mangoes, Datu Puti vinegar, one brand of soy sauce - Kikkoman

Quietness, the streets are nearly silent, no jeepneys, tricycles, videoke, yelling, playing

Angry faces and little celebration

Carpet

Hot showers (that continue to be hot day after day)

Coconuts in the grocery store

And many, many welcoming words and hugs