Philippines: Experiences In A Third World Country

Having never been in a third world country I am left feeling so much for these people who seem to scrape a living together with less than the amount of money I throw at my daily Starbucks Chi Tea Latte. When you are surrounded by this much poverty you cannot help but get a first hand lesson in wants verses needs. Wow do I really need ANOTHER pair of shoes to add the 200 I have sitting in my closet, and sadly most of the things I wanted to purchase for the rest of the trip were all wants and very few were actual needs. There is a certain part of me that loves the obvious simplicity of their lives. This country makes me think of a simpler life without the city, and the stuff, and the competition; where life is about family, faith, and survival. There is also a certain level of ingenuity and creativity that comes from not having everything available at your fingertips. How people make their motorcycles fit a family of 6, how old signs become essential waterproof ceilings and walls, and how a length of string sees 50 different uses before it disintegrates. This level of limiting waste and making do with what you have is truly a gift I am hoping to incorporate into my life.