What's a grad student to do....

As we entered week two in manila kiara and I were feeling pretty confident about our adjustment to our new city....but, like any big city (and especially, as we're learning, any big southeast Asian city) Manila has continued to school us in the ins and outs of navigation, transportation, communication, and so on and so on...

our newest lesson is that if one attempts to buy an airline ticket that originates in the Philippines, one must devote a half-day, day, the rest of one's life, etc. to sitting and waiting in one of those corporate airline offices that I feel like don't really exist that often outside of airports in the US. I'm probably wrong about that, I'm sure they must exist somewhere in the US...but not being to buy a plane ticket online or over the phone poses challenges to Manila's newly arrived.

But our luck continues and we were kindly instructed to go to the Philippine Airlines Office in a Mall within Jeepney distance of our apartment. With help from a neighbor we figured out which jeepney to take and how much to pay the driver.

Although we also need to buy a plane ticket home still--the purpose of this trip was to buy plane tickets and hotel vouchers for a trip to Cebu (we leave a week from saturday!)

The jeepney ride, like all others---had no immediately clear route, cost,or destination--but did include, again like all others, plenty of visual stimulation (this particular jeepney was bedecked in britannia paraphernalia), close quarters and steamy temperatures and of course...a load of pollution-hazy air blowing through the open windows. But sure enough, about 10 minutes after boarding the driver shouts and points to the our mall of destination.

After waiting for our turn, successfully buying our tickets, and then stuffing ourselves with a late lunch I decided that it was too late to trek out to UP and my archives, so we disembarked again for---yes, another mall--to work before finishing up the evening with a little grocery shopping.

Frustrated by not making it to the archives as planned and a poor internet signal at the mall we packed it up early and did as any other good grad student would do under such circumstances...we hit the bar for a cheap (but tasty) local beer in a frosty mug.