running in the philippines: just say it keeps you on your toes.
while filipinos generally leave you alone when you’re walking down the street,
for some reason they enter a whole new mode of interest when they see a white
man running down their street. one is suddenly peppered with questions
including “whats your name?” “where are you going?” or “why are you running?”
also, comments such as “you’re so handsome," and the classic “f—k you” and “fight
me”. for some reason some shout with the intention of startling you, even when
you are two feet from them, usually “whoa," “hey” or “uhhhhghh”. i don’t really
know what to make of it. sometimes people will intentionally stand in your way.
in terms of the ladies – some giggle, some wave, and many cover their faces
like stefan on saturday night live. but most of the time one is met with just
incredulous stares, as everyone completely stops whatever they were doing and
watches you pass. virtually no one ever acted normally when i ran by.
even the drivers of cars and buses
stare. one time, i was very slowly passed by a brand new beamer. you would
think the driver of a new $50 000 car would probably be worldly and educated
enough to know what a running caucasian looks like, right? well, all the black-tinted windows got rolled down. they turned around
and slowly drove past me again, all staring as if i was the most exotic
specimen they had ever seen. 200 meters down the road they turned around yet
again for yet another pass. another time an oncoming bus pulled over in front
of me, and stopped. bus driver was staring. it was right on the edge of the
shoulder, and i thought he was going to start driving again, so i was forced to
run through the tall reeds along the side of the road. well, turns out no one
was getting on or off the bus – he had just stopped so he could have more time
to stare at me running.
drivers in the philippines don’t know
how to deal with runners either. i run opposite to traffic, and they hug the
shoulder to the inch without budging, forcing me into the ditch on numerous
occasions. i have no clue as to why they love being within an inch of the
shoulder so much. some even swerve to hit. and they always honk.
my favorite responders are the kids.
usually they get super happy, yelling “hi!”, and often running alongside for a
few seconds, sometimes even for considerable distances. always good for a
hi-five. but even some encounters with kids are less than joyous. one boy about
ten years old was carrying a bunch of fresh fish hanging from a metal hook. as i
ran by, he abruptly slapped the dozen or so large, raw fish against my back!
not cool! then he chased me for a good kilometer attempting to do it again.
lets just say it was one of the fastest kilometers i’ve run recently.
there are many things i love about
the philippines, but the human obstacles to running aren’t one of them. but at
least its always warm!
