Studying Abroad: Life As an Undergrad in the Philippines

I was born and raised here in Southern California, a First Generation Filipino-American. "Fil-Am," as the native Filipino's term it. I was curious about my parents homeland, the Philippines, so one day I decided to go there and experience the life of an Undergrad in a well-known University.

The minute I got there, I knew that it was a complete culture shock. Everyone stared at me as if I were a movie star, and others just looked at me with pure envy. I had planned on living in a city known for the great weather (As you know, the Philippines is as hot and humid as a Florida Summer day, throughout the entire year.) and the increased amount of foreigners basing there. The city was Baguio, it was located 5100 feet above sea level, almost like a Shangri-La of some sort. It was quite cold when I had arrived in the mid-afternoon, and extremely foggy. The weather was almost like San Fransisco, not as humid as the rest of the islands, and definitely not as hot. The people there were of the dialect, Ilocanos, like my father, but these were of tribal native Filipinos, called Igorots. The Igorot people were very friendly, and sometimes, a little too liquored up, a little too early in the morning.

So, I got settled into a house my father had bought for me (He was already in that area.) but there are plenty of boarding houses, especially those accustomed to Foreign Exchange Students, but if you prefer your own room, a decent apartment with running hot water and some ammenities will run you about $100 - $350 a month for a 1 bedroom, anything more would be a rip-off. Look in a local newspaper or try a paper called the "Midlander Courier," stay away from the city or downtown, since these places are notorious for robberies and other ghastly crimes.