Moments: Davao

I spent most of my time in the Philippines in Davao City on the island of Mindanao. Especially after hectic Manila, Davao was like a breath of fresh air. Although it's a large city of around a million people, it felt much smaller than that. There is not one central, downtown area but rather pockets of commerce in various locations. It was still quite hot and humid, but it felt cooler than Manila. Less people, less traffic, & less pavement all contribute to this fact, along with a nice breeze from the bay and some overcast days.

Davao also reminded me of where I lived in Mexico in several ways: bougainvillea trees, half-paved streets, bumpy roads, friendly people, gated houses, and corner stores. Both cities are the kind of place where you run into people you know, and I love this. Unfortunately, another similarity both places share is being home to noisy roosters that do not seem to sleep much.

Since I was in Davao for ten days, I felt like I received a fairly good picture of what life is like there. I rode on various forms of public transportation (including jeepneys, motorized "tricycles", and taxis), went to grocery stores and the market, ran errands, went to church, etc. Some days, I did things at home while Kate was working or I followed her to meetings at the SIL office or a coffee shop. We also a took a few vacation days though and enjoyed some time at the beach and at a nearby destination in the mountains. For meals, we enjoyed eating out at several delicious restaurants as well as eating at home and even ordered pizza one night. :) And of course, I tried lots of new food and fruits--all of which were very good, minus the infamous durian.

It's funny how quickly aspects of a place can become routine. I loved "taking it all in" and not only observing, but participating in daily life in Davao. Spending a significant amount of time there was great, and I enjoyed feeling at home during my stay.