You Got A Friend In Me

Envision yourself in a foreign country where the native tongue is a mystery and your location is undetermined and you're lost. Then some random stranger who is overly kind and helpful, leads you to your destination purely out of the kindness of their heart...not to receive money or to harm you, they help just because they want to help. Or perchance you and your neighbors live an impoverished life when a natural disaster strikes...the neighbor's situation is just bad as yours, but instead of taking care of their own house first, they help you and your family first. And in turn, the community all helps each other until normal life is restored. That, is what Filipinos do. Kindness and soft-hearts are consistent and well-known traits of the Filipino people.

In fact, ever since I've been in the Philippines there hasn't been a day thats passed where I've haven't been assisted in some way by a Filipino I know, or just some random stranger. Similar to the Thai and Cambodian people, Filipinos are there to help, but even more so. In the other countries I've visited during this trip (besides Vietnam), I've felt relatively safe; but here, I feel the safest and the most welcome. During a trip this weekend to Biliran Island, my fellow volunteers and I were showered with unexpected (kindness). After eating a delicious meal of lechon manok (roasted chicken), the owner of the restaurant began talking to us. Shortly after he learned of our hopes for visiting the nearby waterfalls and caves, he quickly formulated a plan for us to do just that. He let us use his pickup truck, driver, and even his nephew offered to act as our guide for the day, all for half the price we were quoted earlier by someone else. The day was perfect, and it was all a result of pure kindness, plain and simple.

Not only do Filipinos help each other regardless of what their own life is like, they also treat guests as their number one priority. Its important to them to make sure their guest has plenty of food and drink, is comfortable, and has their needs attended to. It can even be a bit awkward at times. I'm not used to the treatment I get here sometimes. As nice as it is, I long for the day where I am no longer a guest, but just a friend. But then I wonder, even then would the overt kindness end? Probably not.