Three days in and I have experienced 2 full days of monsoon rains. A certain smell floats around the air just before the first drop falls. Moist. Humid. Cooling. Words you don’t commonly use for a scent. With temperatures boiling the asphalt road, the rain releases the heat from the ground making it a bit more uncomfortable to stay here. Looking outside from my grandma’s old house, I then see how the rains actually encapsulate the Philippines in all its “glory”.

Monsoon rains are something indescribable, something that needs to be experienced. Raindrops create a deafening cacophony of taps on rooftops and road. West coast rains are just embryotic compared to the power of a tropical storm. Streets flood and as covered by much of popular media, houses and villages do get destroyed. Much in the same vein, the streets of Manila are the same.

Rules do not apply on the road, everybody contributing to the creation of chaos. Cars weave in and out of the littlest piece of asphalt on a two-lane street in order to get to their destinations as quickly as possible. People do much the same but are just more vulnerable than their metal counterparts. Jaywalking is illegal. Just the same though, might as well say “que?” when it is mentioned. Smog settles both on your skin and into your lungs. Escape is impossible. Breath but not too much.

On the other hand though, the rains also cleanse. The dirt and grime are washed away. The weather cools and makes living a bit more bearable. And if you think this is a little bit too dramatic, try just standing in the rain. Feel your skin cool and the water replacing the sweat on your body.

People, even the poorest of the poor, still find reason to smile. Laughter is as abundant as the heat. Compared to other countries, people live in questionable conditions. Yet these same circumstances are the same ones that will remind you, you don’t need a lot to live. What we consider necessity is actually luxury. We do not even think about our necessities. People here live with what they have, work hard to get more. Everybody complains but that’s just people trying to create a better life for themselves and their family.