As soon as I graduated from high school (well, even before that), I was ready to be as far away from my “old life” as possible. I was acutely aware that everything I knew was limited by location, circumstance, culture, and other factors that couldn’t be controlled without making a move. I wanted to get out, but the only way I saw was college – and I wasn’t ready.

In my case, going to college straight out of high school wasn’t a mistake that utterly doomed me for the rest of my life, but it certainly complicated things. I was unsure what I wanted in terms of a degree, so the main factor that influenced my college choice was the potential to study abroad. I ended up letting different professors persuade me to change my major and join their departments on three separate occasions (one of those was at the beginning of my senior year), but somehow I emerged after seven semesters with a high GPA, a major, and a minor. That’s all fine and good, but I would have done things much differently if I had given myself that controversial gap year between high school and college. If I could do things over again, I would have volunteered abroad and started a blog to nurture my travel writing proclivities. What I needed before college was the opportunity to experience the kind of learning that happens outside of the classroom.

Thinking About Taking the Plunge?
There are a lot of negative connotations attached to “taking a year off” – and I would never recommend that. What I think would be helpful is a year spent doing something constructive so that there’s something to show for the amount of time spent away from traditional school. Here are some of the reasons people like to cite when they recommend going from high school to college without stopping to take a breath. I’ve also included ways to counter these arguments and make a way to spend a productive year away from school:

• “You’re not mature enough to be on your own in a foreign country yet.”
  People love to tell you how immature and naïve you are and how difficult it will be to navigate the language and culture of a foreign country. It helps if you can say that you already know the official language of the country you’ll be visiting. But the best thing you can say is that you won’t be on your own – arrange to go with a volunteer group and explain that you’ll be living with a host family.

• “You don’t have the money to accomplish this and you don’t want debt when you’ll have college loans to pay off soon.”
  If you do choose to go with a volunteer group, this may not be an issue. You can find a pretty wide variety of organizations that provide room and board in exchange for your volunteer work, so your expenses will be manageable.
• “No college will accept you if you’ve been goofing off for a year.”
  That’s why you won’t be goofing off. By volunteering and learning while you’re abroad, you’ll be able to write impressive essays and ace scholarship interviews where applicants fresh out of high school will be lacking. Show that you’ve helped someone and that you’ve learned something, and you’ll be well prepared for college applications and multiple acceptance letters.
• “You’re going to forget everything you learned in high school that you’ll need to know in college.”
  This is a valid point if you’re planning to become a musician, dancer, actor, artist, or other practice-intensive career that requires a constant flow of instruction. Otherwise, you can keep your skills sharp by taking along some textbooks, using foreign language skills, reviewing mathematical and scientific processes, and taking online quizzes when you have Internet access. As long as you’re motivated to keep learning, you’ll retain information and skills by building on them.

Photo credit: gsbrown99

© RSS feed from Final Transit - Priyank's notes from the road.. If you are viewing this content on a website instead of your RSS feed reader, then the website you are on is guilty of stealing my content without permission. Please visit my blog (Final Transit) and let me know so that I can take action against this spam website. Thanks!

A Tour of the City

Priyank and I could have been walking around Manila side-by-side and he hit many of the major points that you shouldn’t miss if you’re planning a trip there. Taking a tour of the city is one of the best ways to capture the high points, especially if you have limited time. Manila isn’t the easiest city to navigate on your own and tours within the city are cheap and informative. Also, aside from some mild requests, you won’t be hit up to purchase extras or souvenirs excessively, an annoying aspect I’ve encountered in many other cities in the region.

Fort Santiago

Located inside Intramuros, this former Spanish fort built in the late 1500s has a backdrop of a modern city behind it and is one of the many instances where old meets new in the city. One of the views overlooking the walls is that of a pristine golf course right next door that seems out of place.

St. Agustin Church

As I mentioned last week, religion is prominent in Manila and there is a strong Catholic influence that permeates everything there. There are several churches worth seeing and discovering in Manila and St. Agustin Church is certainly a must. Generally free to the public, make sure you are dressed appropriately.

Balut

One of the Philippine delicacies that Priyank missed out on in his post about Manila was balut. While halo-halo is a refreshing a sweet desert, balut is an adventure that most don’t brave in Manila. (I missed my chance, but won’t the next time I’m there.) Balut is the fertilized egg of a duck that is eaten straight from the shell. This food you can find from street vendors isn’t for the faint of heart…or stomach. You can try your eyes first.

Variety and…Contrast

Manila is an eclectic city and only one stop you should make if you have time in the Philippines. Manila is a great city to explore and launch many more excursions to see the natural beauty the island nation has to offer. It will overwhelm your senses, both imaginary and real.

Any questions or observations? Feel free to ask. I’ll be listening to the comments all day and look forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for making this series as wonderful as it’s turned out, I really enjoyed writing these posts and reading yours.

© RSS feed from Final Transit - Priyank's notes from the road.. If you are viewing this content on a website instead of your RSS feed reader, then the website you are on is guilty of stealing my content without permission. Please visit my blog (Final Transit) and let me know so that I can take action against this spam website. Thanks!

Manila bay at night

Manila is an eclectic city seemingly in the midst of it all and yet at the edge of the world at the same time. Contrasts between old and new are abound and almost everyone wears a smile when you meet them. Many of Priyank’s assumptions were right on target, including his first taxi ride.

Contrasts

Language

Priyank began his imaginary trip by getting into a cab with a driver who only spoke Tagalog. You’ll find that English is common among the educated but most people you’re likely to encounter driving taxis and jeepneys won’t speak more than a few words. While many won’t speak English you might come across several tour guides that can sing almost every single Elvis song word for word – which I did outside Intramuros, The Walled City (He’s the guy on the left).

Tour guide

Take A Jeepney Instead

One thing that I highly recommend is taking a jeepney to get around. The most popular mode of public transportation in Manlia, many are made from old World War II jeeps left by American soldiers. They can fill up to 8-10 people who hop on and off, passing their money to the driver who never looks back to see the passengers. The entire process works on the honor system. Be prepared to board and exit quickly as jeepneys stop and go with the flow of traffic.

Jeepney

Religion and the West

Catholicism is everywhere in Manila. Most wear crosses, there are elaborate churches throughout the city, and numerous religious icons for sale at shops. Mostly an influence the result of Spanish colonization, aside from religion there is a strong Western current that runs through Manila. Many of the bars, cafes, and restaurants could be taken out of Asia and placed in Europe. And everyone seems finely in tune with US pop culture (especially the NBA).

Manila Church

From People To Places

Many of Priyank’s observations were insightful and mostly accurate. Here are a few more well made points.

• The streets aren’t terrible inside the city but traffic is a nightmare at most hours except the very dead of night.
• Malls aren’t too different than ones you’d find in North America but they are exceptional in how close they mimic them.
• Fashion is comfort meets casual. In the Philippine summer it almost has to be.

Next week I’ll run down some of the places I visited in Manila and compare with Priyank’s imaginary tour of the city. Any questions or observations? Feel free to ask – I’ll be listening to the comments all day and look forward to hearing from you.

© RSS feed from Final Transit - Priyank's notes from the road.. If you are viewing this content on a website instead of your RSS feed reader, then the website you are on is guilty of stealing my content without permission. Please visit my blog (Final Transit) and let me know so that I can take action against this spam website. Thanks!