Sorry for long reply...pandaexpress32February 26 2009, 07:25:33 UTC
Sorry, I thought I answered you .... I forget often :-(
Personally, I like the Philippines. It took a LOT of adjustment though. You've been to WV ... you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Does your friend speak Tagalog? Has she been to the Philippines before? I noticed that the Fil-Ams that speak fluently have a better time adjusting than those who have been to the Philippines only once (when they started here, hehe).
As for budgeting....
My housing expenses are a little pricey ($600-$800 a month) - I live in a hotel, but that includes free wifi, air condition 24/7, hot water, not-so-shady security, room service, laundry, there's a nice cafe on the ground floor, this is where a majority of the Fil-Ams stay and it's close to the school. There's another place near where I live where a lot of Fil-Ams stay and they only pay around $400-$500 and the rooms are bigger and the building is a lot cleaner, but that doesn't include utilities, and they also had a burglary problem (tell your friend to be careful about leaving her stuff around her room). I know a Fil-Canadian who lives in an apartment with other locals and he only pays $100 / month, but he uses an electric fan to cool off.... What I'm trying to say is, it's all about how much your friend is willing to spend for comfort and peace of mind :P
Transportation - how far is your friend going to live from the school? I usually just walk to school, but on days when it rains / floods, or if it just too darn hot, I take a tricycle ride (usually about 10 pesos). If your friend lives further away - Jeepney drives are usually about 8-10 pesos (around a quarter) and the same goes for the lrt/mrt per destination. There are also taxis, but I don't recommend them unless you are going somewhere far. They can be shady as well, and if your friend doesn't speak Tagalog very well or if she's alone, they're gonna rip her off.
Meals - I'm an American pig, so I usually spend about 1000-2000 pesos a week. ($20-40)Food usually runs cheap, but the servings are much smaller. Does your friend like Filipino food? If so, food will run much cheaper. Tell her to be careful about the outside stands ... They're really cheap, but there's a greater chance of getting food poisoning. Stick to restaurants that look cleaner, have air-conditioning, etc. They may be a bit more expensive, but it's not worth risking getting diarrhea... or worse, e.coli.
Living generally - From my experience - *Bare necessities; I always have with me - -Toilet paper / Wet wipes - Using the bathrooms in the philippines have humbled me. Before, I didn't even want to be in a building if their bathrooms weren't clean. Now, I'm just happy to walk in a bathroom where there's toilet paper, because in PI, they don't have toilet paper or soap dispensers... Don't ask me, I don't know why. And the toilets aren't strong enough to flush down the toilet, so there's always a trash can to dispose stuff. -Hand sanitizer - You just never know what you get your hands into ... -Umbrella - For rain ... or to block the sun ;) -Spanish Fan - even though they are sometimes hideous; they're a great way to cool off -Medicines - Immodium, tylenol, etc. -Bottled water - which leads me too ....
*Don't drink the water. Obviously. They have full water dispensers that run about about 30-100 pesos depending on the size.
*Wear sun screen and bug spray religiously. Dengue which is caused by mosquito bites was a huge problem in my school. Plus, mosquito bites are just really annoying and itchy, and they leave ugly marks if you scratch them too much.
*Try not to wear anything flashy or expensive when you are walking around, and for the first couple of months try not to walk around by yourself until you get used to the place. Kidnappings and holdups are still a major problem in PI - so just try to be as cautious as you can.
Well, that's it for now, if you have any more questions, feel free to contact me anytime. I'm just so sorry I took a long time to reply.... I'll check on here more often.
I hope your friend enjoys Ateneo and her experience in PI. Let me know what I can do to help! =)
Personally, I like the Philippines. It took a LOT of adjustment though. You've been to WV ... you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Does your friend speak Tagalog? Has she been to the Philippines before? I noticed that the Fil-Ams that speak fluently have a better time adjusting than those who have been to the Philippines only once (when they started here, hehe).
As for budgeting....
My housing expenses are a little pricey ($600-$800 a month) - I live in a hotel, but that includes free wifi, air condition 24/7, hot water, not-so-shady security, room service, laundry, there's a nice cafe on the ground floor, this is where a majority of the Fil-Ams stay and it's close to the school. There's another place near where I live where a lot of Fil-Ams stay and they only pay around $400-$500 and the rooms are bigger and the building is a lot cleaner, but that doesn't include utilities, and they also had a burglary problem (tell your friend to be careful about leaving her stuff around her room). I know a Fil-Canadian who lives in an apartment with other locals and he only pays $100 / month, but he uses an electric fan to cool off.... What I'm trying to say is, it's all about how much your friend is willing to spend for comfort and peace of mind :P
Transportation - how far is your friend going to live from the school? I usually just walk to school, but on days when it rains / floods, or if it just too darn hot, I take a tricycle ride (usually about 10 pesos). If your friend lives further away - Jeepney drives are usually about 8-10 pesos (around a quarter) and the same goes for the lrt/mrt per destination. There are also taxis, but I don't recommend them unless you are going somewhere far. They can be shady as well, and if your friend doesn't speak Tagalog very well or if she's alone, they're gonna rip her off.
Meals - I'm an American pig, so I usually spend about 1000-2000 pesos a week. ($20-40)Food usually runs cheap, but the servings are much smaller. Does your friend like Filipino food? If so, food will run much cheaper. Tell her to be careful about the outside stands ... They're really cheap, but there's a greater chance of getting food poisoning. Stick to restaurants that look cleaner, have air-conditioning, etc. They may be a bit more expensive, but it's not worth risking getting diarrhea... or worse, e.coli.
Living generally - From my experience -
*Bare necessities; I always have with me -
-Toilet paper / Wet wipes - Using the bathrooms in the philippines have humbled me. Before, I didn't even want to be in a building if their bathrooms weren't clean. Now, I'm just happy to walk in a bathroom where there's toilet paper, because in PI, they don't have toilet paper or soap dispensers... Don't ask me, I don't know why. And the toilets aren't strong enough to flush down the toilet, so there's always a trash can to dispose stuff.
-Hand sanitizer - You just never know what you get your hands into ...
-Umbrella - For rain ... or to block the sun ;)
-Spanish Fan - even though they are sometimes hideous; they're a great way to cool off
-Medicines - Immodium, tylenol, etc.
-Bottled water - which leads me too ....
*Don't drink the water. Obviously. They have full water dispensers that run about about 30-100 pesos depending on the size.
*Wear sun screen and bug spray religiously. Dengue which is caused by mosquito bites was a huge problem in my school. Plus, mosquito bites are just really annoying and itchy, and they leave ugly marks if you scratch them too much.
*Try not to wear anything flashy or expensive when you are walking around, and for the first couple of months try not to walk around by yourself until you get used to the place. Kidnappings and holdups are still a major problem in PI - so just try to be as cautious as you can.
Well, that's it for now, if you have any more questions, feel free to contact me anytime. I'm just so sorry I took a long time to reply.... I'll check on here more often.
I hope your friend enjoys Ateneo and her experience in PI. Let me know what I can do to help! =)
Angelica =)
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