Tuesday, May 22, 2007

1 in 7000 Letters from the Philippines

Pt one the people
The first and almost overwhelming impression that I had on exiting the terminal at Cebu City was one of business, of life flowing through streets of the city like life blood rushes through the veins in your body, the senc is due in very large part to the people of the Philppines. I am told that fully 50% of the population of the Philippines is under 15 years old and looking around I can easily belive it youth and its abounding energy is everywhere. The oldest person I have met Ps Rod is 52 everyone else is between 15 and 30.the Philippino poeple live on the streets and every streets is full of people cooking playing motor cycles rickshaws scooters it is like a festival every night it is chaotic but full of life. The people here are also very industrious making their house out of whatever they can lay their hands on , So their house are an amazing mix of bricks and concrete, thatched & tins rooves, woven walls, bamboo walls. The houses are jumbling rambling affairs almost built on top of each other crammed together with very little room between them. They are almost organic as if the house have grown out the ground into all sorts of fantastic shapes like like twisted and gnarled trees in an ancient forest. The people make a living, in the cities at least, by selling almost every of imaginable products out front of their homes, in little home made street stalls. phonecards coke, dried coconut firewood all sorts of interesting looking breads and meats. Whereas in the country people scratch out out a living on small plots barely big enough to support themselves let alone have enough to sell . It is truly an amazing country.

No comments: