I have received one question more than any other from home: What is Santiago? I cannot answer that question exactly, but I can try my best to explain the culture here from the limited knowledge I have, having only been here for three short months. I ask only that as you read this you keep from judging the culture or feeling any kind of sorrow. Transportation: There are cars, SUV’s, Semi’s and Vans here just like in the US. However, the main form of transport here is motorcycle and tricycle. A tricycle is a Filipino invention of a sidecar attached to a motorcycle. Tricycles are also my main form or transportation. The tricycle drivers will accept fares to give a ride to and from town. The fare goes to mostly gas, with the taxi driver usually only making a couple of dollars a day. 5 full grown adults on one tricycle is a perfectly normal occurance. The record so far that I have seen is 12 passangers, 1 driver, and 2 large sacks of what I assume was rice all on 1 tricyle.
Lifestyle: The Filipino people have found a way to live simply and comfortably. A boy who doesn’t go to college likely will buy a tricycle and transport people when he can’t find work. If he is lucky, he may be able to get a job helping a neighbor in harvest or doing construction. A woman will likely have a family started by the time they are in their mid 20s. It is not rare at all for a girl to get pregnant in high school. They will either find a simple job in a town, or simply run a canteen store from their house. If a couple is able, they will also own a small piece of land where they can raise chickens or grow rice. If they live outside of the city, where land is more available and there is less demand for a tricycle, they will spend most of their time tending to the farm. If money gets tight, meals will be rice heavy and meatless. It has been hard for me to get a good idea of a “lower class” meal, because if I go to someone’s house to eat, they will always put out the best meal they can afford. The middle class is privileged to have access to refrigerators, air conditioning, water heater, cable television, washing machine, or computer. Most of Santiago does not have access to any of these luxuries. Even I don’t have a water heater or washing machine. Video games, dryers, and ovens are all non-existent in the area. However, almost everyone in the country has a cell phone and some form of access to a billiards table.
The goal of many people is to work overseas or gain political power. Getting elected is a quick way to make it to the upper middle class, however, it takes money and power to get elected. Therefore, the best way for most people to make a lot of money for their family is to work overseas. Like I said before, here you can make 7 or 8 dollars in a day doing unskilled labor. In Hong Kong, the minimum wage is over $500 per month. In the United States, you can make $400 a week on unemployment. Most people in the middle class here have a family member who works overseas. If you would like to know more about what life is like for Filipinos working in Hong Kong, check out my friend Spencer’s blog at www.spencerinhongkong.tumblr.com/.
You did it, didn’t you? I said no air conditioning, or 7-8 dollars a day, or meatless meal and you felt bad sorry for the people here. They don’t feel sorry. The Philippines is a study on satisfaction with ones surroundings. People here have less stresses then most Americans. They pray every week for their relatives working overseas, because they are the one sacrificing their happiness to send some money back to their family here. I'm starting to ramble a little, so the next blog is going to be about everything I have discovered I don't need.
Here is a list of some prices, just for fun. Remember, 43 php = $1
12 oz coke- 12 php
10 minute ride into town- 15php
Chicken breast / prime pork- 200 php/kg
Rice- 30 php/kg
Average meal at best resturaut in city- 600php
Plate of pork adobo at “point point” roadside stop- 50 php
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