- Now three months ago I would say YES! without a doubt. Just for the fact that I missed the place. I just came back from an exciting 5 month during exchange period in Bangkok and had a short exciting stop in the Philippines. Whereas my life back in the Netherlands was just (nice) but same old same. Of course I'd say yes ;-)
Now that I actually got back to Manila and managed to get an internship here for 5 months, my thoughts changed a little
Here's my thoughts on his question:
To be in the Philippines as a tourist is amazing. It offers all the needs for a good vacation; high quality hotels for relatively cheap prices, beautiful beaches, nice people, hip hangoutspots and a huge amount of great shopping malls, but when I came to actually experience living here, everything was just totally different. The chaos on the streets that I didn't see before; it suddenly appeared. The hot sun that burns on you, the totally different, unwesternized culture, corruption, the underdeveloped infrastructure; it ''suddenly'' was all there.
My short stop in the Philippines was indeed amazing. Of course I was only there for a short time. Comparing the two situations (a short vacation break and a 5-month during settlement) makes it seem that when you have too much of something, it will lose its value. Doesn't that sound demotivating?! I've sacrificed a huge amount of time and money to get and stay here for 5 months so I thought I'd just change that a little. And so I changed my mindset; I know 5 months is much longer than a 2-weeks vacation break, but it is still too short to be bothered by the unfortunate negatives in this country. I stopped bothering and that really gave me space for plenty of good experiences here!
I guess it is the mindset that really changes your experiences..wherever you are ;-)
Manila is not the easiest place to settle in. It gives you all the challenges there are, but just stay openminded and you'll appreciate all the beauty you'll find here!
I say go for it mate ;-)
