Ch-ch-changes

Maria's turn to reminisce:

On our recent trip to the Philippines, old friends asked how long it had been since my last visit and I told them six years. Just now, I realized that my last visit was close to nine years ago. A lot has changed since then and a lot has changed since my family moved to the U.S. twenty years ago.

First and foremost: There are many more cars on the road, and the Manila traffic is now unbearable. Even from the 26th floor of our hotel, we could hear the faint noise of traffic and car horns invading our room. But as we were stuck in a traffic jam, it was still amusing to watch the colorful jeepneys and tricycles weave their way on the road against all the cars and buses.

The smog in L.A. is nothing compared to the pollution in Manila. My old school -- which stands next to a major highway -- is now air-conditioned because of the air. The all-girls Catholic school's yellow-and-white checkered uniforms remained the same, except now the girls are sporting longer skirts. In my day, the length hit mid-knee; but in the Seventies, mini-skirts were key.

American food franchises have full-fledged invaded my old country. When Gege drove us to the hotel, Mike and I were surprised by the amount of U.S. franchises around us. Starbucks, McDonald's and other fast-food joints are a given in almost any country; but in Manila you can find multiple locations of Chili's, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Sbarro's, Outback Steakhouse, Bubba Gump and California Pizza Kitchen, to name a few.

Even our beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf found its way there, even though we can't find one in the States outside of California; we were thrilled and the taste for our favorite lattes was fulfilled on our last day there.

On day one, we quickly got hooked into mobile phone texting. Gege (aka The Best Tour Guide EVER) loaned us her extra phone and suddenly, friends were texting us. Our rusty fingers hit the buttons like it was our first piano lesson -- but we replied back and never stopped. We started using the word "text" as a verb, i.e. "I texted Anthony about meeting up at 9 for drinks." Totally addicted, I felt a rush everytime there was a new message on our phone's inbox.

The text craze has hit every place else but the U.S. My friend Rachel, who moved to London a couple of years ago, is hooked on it too. When she tried explaining how convenient it was, I didn't get it. Now, I do. One afternoon, as we made our way inside a restaurant for some merienda I noticed a table with four people -- all of them with cell phones in hand texting. I guess it was convenient for them to avoid talking to each other. "I'll text you when we get back to L.A.," Mike promised me later that evening.

What hasn't changed is the hospitality of the Filipinos. My friends, some of whom I haven't seen in twenty years, welcomed Mike and I with open arms. We shared stories and jokes, never missing a beat despite those twenty years. They took time off from their busy lives to drive us around and spend time with us. We only had to take a taxi once in the eight days we were in the Philippines thanks to the kindness of friends.