by Clarisse Esmile
Aside from knowing what Valkyrie is, here are 15 more things that will most definitely happen when you move to Manila after being a small towner living in a lonely world all your life.
You will notice how beautiful everyone is.
Is it the water? Is it the polluted air they’ve been breathing in since birth that makes them have such nice skin? What is it and how do you human like that?!?!
You will realize that Starbucks is not as big a deal as it is in your hometown because there’s a Starbucks at every corner of the metro, each one full to the brim with what seems to be the entire population of your town.
Commuting is going to make a warrior out of you.
With traffic, pollution, and careless drivers you have to face everyday, you could practically be at the front lines should a war break out any time soon.
MRT. This deserves to be a separate bullet because the MRT is a whole story in itself.
The MRT will happen to you and then you will finally understand why storms are named after people.
The first few times you ride a cab, you are going to be ready to jump out at the first sign of danger.
Or, you know, hold on to a can of pepper spray inside your purse, if you want to be more chill about it.
You’re definitely gonna meet someone who knows the twists and turns of Manila very well and will take you to your first rave in the city.
While grinding to EDM, you will ask yourself, “Am I a legit Manila person now?”
With the abundance of concrete around you, summer is going to be even hotter than it is (40 C! Is this Manila or the Sahara?!).
You can forget about summer breeze now, sadly.
You will encounter catcallers at every possible turn.
You will learn that if you respond to every catcall, you’d have no time to live your life. So you will master the art of the resting bitch face instead.
You will forget how stars look like but you’re going to learn how to differentiate smog from a cloud and that counts for something, um… right?
These are stars, btw.
You can finally join the chorus of complaints about EDSA traffic over social media.
All together now: UUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
Your faith in humanity will be restored every time you make it home with all your stuff still with you.
All the latest restaurants you only used to see in food blogs are going to be within your reach.
So. Much. Nom.
You’re going to bump into personalities in the most mundane places and you’re going to try your best to keep your chill. But we all know that on the inside, you’re all:
You will get sad for anyone who says they don’t have a probinsya to go home to.
In the middle of navigating your way through busy streets while trying to still resemble a human being, you will miss the fresh air and the idyllic lifestyle your hometown offers and you can’t wait for the long weekend so you could go back.
From one promdi to another…
