Before leaving for the Philippines, I had the opportunity to get together with the Rev. June Hardy Dorsey, who was a missionary in the Philippines before her days as a priest. One piece of advice she shared which was given to her before she started as a missionary was, "in the beginning write down all the different, weird, or strange things you see because soon enough they will become normal to you."
And so I began my list the minute I touched down in the Philippines. It's surprising, however, how many similarities there are; people still want the best for their children, hope to accomplish their dreams, work hard to put food on the table. While the Filipino culture is different, I hate to use that word because it divides us as people or makes one inferior to the other. I should call it unique, one of kind, or distinct.
