wow! lol!
In a sense I look forward to the poverty .. .. and to be honest, Manila isn't on my list of places to visit -- but I will see poverty where Mar lives because her family is poor from what i understand . ..
and in a weird way, there has always been a part of me that has desired to live in a "developing" country. I have always loved the idea of becoming a member of the local community in one of these places, and interestingly, most of the gals i had dated in the past had come from "developing" countries.
I have always had the dream to live amongst local communities and make a difference, one that is totally non-financially-motivated, and one that is of benefit to those who could never afford it any other way!
I guess, I have been preparing for the worst type of poverty . . . and . . . i'll not know what it feels like to be around it until i actually am!
The guy here in Belfast who teaches me Bisaya, he gives me a "no-frills", "warts and all" view of what the Philippines is really lilke. He tells me the GOOD things, and he also tells me the BAD things. I learn about all the beautiful silver linings and also the dark side of the beauty.
Hopefully, before i go, my eyes will be quite open to what im gonna see! lol¬
anyway, i have been rambling on here for long enough lol!
tom