salamat po for the memories, manila!

i finished my contract yesterday, and this is how excited i was to submit the final report and get going on my vacation.

i hope you are all similarly excited to start your holidays!

today i bid a fond farewall to manila as i head off for three weeks of travels before eventually returning to toronto. to wrap up here are a few lists, of things i will miss about manila, and the philippines in general:

• wearing tank tops and sandals
  
• palm trees everywhere
• cheap food, movies, clothes, manicures, massages, taxis, everything!
• getting a dozen compliments a day
• pearly white laundry service
• having my apartment cleaned every day, and my dishes done
• the bay
• the incredible friendly people
• sizzling gambas, chocolate crinkles, buko pie, san miguel
  
• hobbits
• being called ma'am all the time (it grows on you, trust me)
  

things i will not miss about manila:

• crushing poverty everywhere
• getting robbed
• the air pollution as thick (or thicker some days) as pea soup
• cockroaches
• working all the time with almost zero days off in two and a half months
• all texting, all the time
• earthquakes
• typhoons
• total lack of blonde hair dye!

overall, i'm very very happy i came here. i learned a lot, and absolutely none of it was what i thought i would learn (which is a lesson in itself). now... my re-integration into toronto life. i guess i will have to start wearing makeup - and long pants - again. i hear it's cold there. brrr.

i look forward to seeing you all when i get back in january. thanks SO MUCH for following along on the blog, but don't tune out just yet. i'll be posting some stories and photos from my travels when i get back.