Rather than changing the Philippines, the Philippines…

- Seeing poverty up close so often made me more grateful for what I have, and I stopped taking things for granted. - My eating habits changed based on what's available here. - I learned that living in the tropical heat can mean my performance drops in some areas of life. - I learned that survival is the more realistic goal here. Even if you can't make it on your own, you can't count on someone else to save you. - The way I communicate and socialize changed. Being brutally honest isn't always the answer. - I came to understand that people here put relationships, family, and practical survival ahead of chasing a career, which is a different way of living.

Honestly, I've met more bad people here than I've met everywhere else in my whole life combined. I've become colder and harder, and I trust others less. I don't think that's a good thing.

I realized that it's my responsibility to make sure others don't hit me while I'm driving. Legally, it doesn't matter who's at fault... just don't get hit.

It's hard to believe, but most of us foreigners are in the Philippines because our money goes further here than it did back home. So I don't think we have any right to judge how these people behave.