things i have learned so far

1. i will never complain about the air quality in toronto again. you ain't seen nothin' until you've seen the black smudginess of the air here. triple ugh. or, if i do complain i will have a better sense of how bad it can get!
   
2. when walking on sidewalks in manila, there is a fine balance between having to look down so you don't step in, or on, something bad, and not looking down because you do not even want to know what is on the ground. i have yet to master this tightrope.
   
3. related to point number three, when walking in manila open toed shoes should be avoided at all costs. as well as any shoes you like and want to stay nice.
   
4. absolutely everything here is sweet. everything!! i tried to find a loaf of bread without sugar, and when i found one labelled "sugar free", it was sweetened with aspertame. on the plus side, slightly easier to cut back on the carbs.
   
5. filipinos eat 5 meals a day. officially, 3 meals and 2 snacks but really, 5 meals. example : i was at a meeting last week and two hours after lunch, it was snack time. fine. the snack? spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread. that's some snack!
6. people here prefer to drive an hour across town to do things in person rather than e-mail or call. a very different experience for me.
7. the predictive text on my phone doesn't recognize the words "karaoke" or "hobbit". don't ask how i found that out.
8. i can expect lots & lots of rain until december. and the national weather service is predicting five typhoons this fall. super. guess i should keep my kitchen well stocked....