Hanging out in Pampanga

Shopping day for me is Monday. You don’t go shopping in the outdoor markets of Masantol…at least I choose not too. They have many vegetables grow here in the Philippine Islands. Some I recognize and some I do not know. These are readily available in the local open market. But I question how free of bacteria they would be for my consumption. The people handling much of the produce are poor and potentially unsanitary. Because of the monsoon season many store tables rest in foot deep floodwaters. You can also buy fish in these local markets. I question how fresh it might be. Some appear to be out for days un-refrigerated. There are also all color and sort of grains. And of course with these plenty of rice. Along with the open market there are numerous sari sari stores (a place for cokes and snacks). In between are run down, open front, barbershops, general supply stores and auto welding or tire locations. Life exists and passes in the Masantol marketplace.

Each Monday I choose to go to San Fernando shopping. This is the capitol of this province called Pampanga. It is approximately one hour drive. There they have a huge mall called SM (I mentioned in an earlier post). This mall is modern and offers much of what you might purchase in the USA. It just appears different inside because of cultural style differences. Many of the products similar to USA are offered in much smaller containers. Most if not all of the fast food stores offer Asian menus. Even KFC, McDonalds and Burger King serve rice in place of French fries. Each of these sells chicken much more than beef. Of course there is Jollybees. This is the Philippians version of McDonalds.
There are teens that hang out at CC Masantol on a daily basis. So this shopping day I invited one to come along shopping. Three showed up. In conversation I found they had rarely or never been to the SM. Keep in mind that this is one hour from their home. Big John John, Michael and Andrew joined the day’s venture. They helped pick out food at the SM grocery store. $50 US money or about 2400 pesos buys enough to feed you and your friends for the week. We also went to see a movie for $1.50 US. Not bad!
During the week it is good to have plenty of food to go around. Young people show up daily. This is a great opportunity for discipleship and evangelism. While hanging out we typically play a game like scrabble. This is a great opportunity for them to increase their English vocabulary.
Ron drives me to the store, as we do not have a vehicle at CC Masantol. He speaks English and is quite helpful with shopping. This week I also needed a haircut. Since there was a barber at the SM, I chose to try it out. I thought it might be a little less risky than the ones in Masantol. Cutting with scissors gave a nice smooth cut. When the man added a peppermint lotion to my neck and began to massage my back I chose to end the venture and barber shop hanging out time. They charged me 100 pesos (about $2.25) for my fancy haircut. All in a day of shopping here in PI.