That Time I Moved To Manila

For more than a year, I spent my life in the bustling city of Manila.

It was an unexpected turn, a sudden move because of family and financial problems.

When I stepped out of the bus to be welcomed by my new home, I was both excited and nervous. 

Way different from where I came from, Manila was busy and never slept. It was loud and polluted, you could hear a multitude of sounds everywhere, and the atmosphere would make your nose scrunch. 

It had tall buildings and giant malls, everything that you couldn't find in Sorsogon.

The places were extremely densed too, the city's overpopulation was evident in many ways. You can't ride public transports without going through crowds and crowds of passengers. Lack of enough stock was common in stores too. Days were fast yet slow, busy yet lazy.

The people spoke tagalog, along with some casual slangs and idioms I couldn't quite understand until hearing it for the tenth time. They sounded foreign at first, but I quickly got used to them.

My new school was bigger than I imagined, and my classmates seemed more intimidating than I expected.

Regardless, I easily adjusted to the life in Manila. It was a fun ride, a year of trying out new things and new conditions.