It's More Fun In The Philippines!

Yesterday I was in the Grade 6 class. I had a little bit of time to do something with the students, so I showed them my blog and asked if they would contribute something for the blog. The official tourism motto is "It's more fun in the Philippines" so I asked if they would write a couple of things about why that is the case. This is what they had to say.

It is more fun in the Philippines because:

 "People here are humble, they are fun to be with, they are nice and hard working and there are so many beautiful places. Filipinos take care of the tourist spots here in the Philippines and we have 7,107 islands, you can visit them and you will enjoy your stay here. Children are respectful and fun loving and there are lots of foods here; kakanins, and dishes are the best sellers of the Philippines. You can play with the children here, there are lots of Filipino games that are so fun. I hope you can visit the Philippines."

"There are many places and many islands, and the Volcano Mayon in Albay"

"It's a beautiful place in here and it has many games. It has many animals, the peoples attitudes in here are kind and sometimes we are silly. The people here are loving and fun loving and friendly. Everyone is hardworking, the kids here use "po" and "opo"* and the kids here are courteous."

"The people of the Philippines take care of the place. It has so many tourist spots like falls, hills, mountains, beaches and more. The people of the Philippines are happy, lovely, friendly, hardworking and we use "po" and "opo" to the older people."

"It has many places and many good places and beautiful like Tayak Hill."

"Once you have come here in the Philippines the people will welcome you. There are many tourist spots in the Philippines. Because of its 7,107 islands. There is Mayon Volcano, Chocolate Hills, Tayak Hill and many rivers and waterfalls. The people here are kind, hospitable and thoughtful. No matter what disasters come we are still one country. We have many festivals. One example Masskara festival. We show respect by saying "po" and "opo". We have many Filipino dishes here, like sinigang, adobo and kare-kare. We are known brave and strong because we fought the Spaniards for our freedom. The houses here in the Philippines in the past are nipo huts. And that is why it is more fun in the Philippines."- Arianne

So now you all know why it is more fun in the Philippines! I have certainly experienced many of the things that the students mentioned, and I look forward to visiting Tayak Hill sometime in the next couple of weeks! Now here are a few other ways I have experienced it to be more fun in the Philippines:

- Jeepneys and tricycles are only used as means of transportation here, as far as I am aware.

- Umbrellas are used all the time, both when it is sunny and when it is rainy!

- People are constantly taking photos

- The spaghetti sauce is sweet and often has banana in it.

- Filipinos are very clean, they always wash their bread in their coffee! (That's a bit of a local joke)

I also got to choose the winners of an art competition that the students did last week and the theme was "It's more fun in the Philippines"

*Po is a term of respect used to address older people (even just slightly older). From what I understand, it is used at the end of statements. For example; opo - polite form of yes, thank you po, good morning po... Older people are also addressed as Ate (big sister) and Kuya (big brother)