Hitting the wall

I think that the novelty of being in Manila has worn off much more quickly for me this time than on my first trip. I can't put my finger on the precise cause of my discontent, but I'm sure that the following all have something to do with it:

1. Ethics review stuff is still up in the air, which means that I can only conduct archival research and informal meetings with existing contacts. The earliest that this is likely to be resolved is Monday, which gives me barely a week to conduct as many formal interviews with new contacts as I can. The people who can help are aware of my time constraints, but have done little to help push it through faster, despite lots of pleading text messages (which probably just serve to make them think I'm crazy!).

2. Where we are staying this time is far from many of my meetings, which means lots of time riding around in taxis (often with a fair bit of negotiation with drivers, who aren't always willing to drive long distances!). There are occasional fun interactions in this--the driver who spent most of an hour-long ride telling me I looked like Sharon Stone, for example--but overall it's wearisome. The street where we stay is also noisy, meaning that neither of us has gotten much good sleep here. Joel has wisely decamped to the beach for a couple of days to catch up, and I'm finding that I am very jealous of him!

3. Even though we are staying at a private house, I'm feeling kind of isolated. Maybe it's the location, maybe it's the fact that our host has been gone a lot (and the maid just quit!). At any rate, I am craving some purely social interaction...am hoping that the weekend will bring some opportunities for real relationship and conversation.

On the other hand, I know that I have much for which to be grateful relative to my first Manila experience. For example:

1. I have not had my belongings violated or seriously threatened--unlike last year, when I had my bag slashed right outside my hotel during my second week in Manila.

2. My computer is working consistently--unlike last year, when the motherboard began dying a slow and agonizing death while I was here, preventing me from writing up my interviews soon after conducting them.

3. We have wireless internet at home--unlike last year, there's no need to spend a couple of hours a day at an internet cafe to feel connected to the outside world. This has definitely saved a lot of money and hassle! (What's sort of funny is that the internet works better than our shower, which has been on the fritz ever since we arrived...)

4. It is easier to get around on the second visit, and it is fun to contact people who say things like "welcome back!" and "of course I remember you!". My meeting contact yesterday ended up hospitalized unexpectedly, but she invited me to meet her there anyway, perching next to her on the bed to look at my report on her laptop. I doubt the meeting would have happened at all if she didn't already know who I was!

I guess, looking at both of these lists, in returning to Manila I have gotten pretty much what I signed up for--a crazy, unpredictable place where things happen when they happen and specific expectations are rarely worth having. With that in mind (and a couple of opportunities for escape on the weekends), I'm sure I will survive just like last time--maybe even enjoy it enough to think about coming back again...