I've been back in the Philippines for about six months now. Never has my life changed so drastically in six months -- at least as far as I can remember -- that maybe there's some kind of self-imposed exile I'm going through to ease it all on me.

Of course it's easy to miss my Philly lifestyle: we lived in an apartment building, everyone's friendly, I loved teaching (and my students appreciated all that), I took the train everywhere, and there was plenty to do. I can get on my bike and pedal for miles.

In the past six months, we moved into our house (which we renovated), I picked up gardening, am back to designing for the private sector (as opposed to teaching, and yes, dealing with a very different breed of clients in a very different way), and have been beset with many disappointments -- all utterly owed to the fact that the standards of living, service, competence and achievement are much higher from where I had just come from.

All that and more I knew coming back. I even kinda knew my asthma would come back because of all the air pollution.

But what I never expected, really never, was how rude Filipinos can get. I was lucky: I lived in Philadelphia and rudeness, though never absent, had all but barely brushed me (maybe on the train). Here, people seem to be rude by default. And, most especially, anywhere there's a line.

I've gone grocery shopping many times in my shorts and sandals (it was raining) and people at the grocery store (even the cashiers) will look at me like I had no business being there. Never felt that anywhere in the U.S., even at a Hooters (maybe I should have gone more than once) or in the backwoods of Virginia. Even bank tellers are rude. People you're buying something from are rude too. And, try talking to a security guard. Very taxing.

I have no analysis or conclusion forthcoming -- but I really think it's because Manila's overcrowded. If the MRT had more room, people would be nicer to each other. And it irks me more that I used to live here and never felt any of this. I got spoiled, maybe, by all the nice people in Philly who catch your eye, say "Wassup?" with a smile, and then asks for a dollar.

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