Fishing With A Filipina / The American Dream

Pea goes fishing for the first time with a rod and reel — her fisherman father only ever used sticks and nets — and uses the downtime between casts to deliver a thoughtful comparison of American versus Philippine life. She covers everything from longer daylight hours and silent dogs to the paralyzing abundance of milk choices, and builds to a surprising economic argument: the Philippines isn't actually cheaper for goods, it's cheaper because of all the expenses Americans have that Filipinos simply don't.

The fishing trip setup ​

• Pea's father is a fisherman but they've always used sticks or nets — she's never used a fishing rod in her life
• Goes to a bait and tackle shop but nobody's working there; notes the employee shortage; sees you can buy licenses online via an app
• Marvels at the sheer number of fishing rod varieties — "How many kinds of fishing rods do you guys need?"
• Buys a $25 rod that comes with a tackle box and six hooks; picks up extra size 4 hooks (her dad's advice: "better to go too small than too big")
• Discovers fake worms and luminous lure fish — is genuinely puzzled that fish bite plastic: "I'm going to use live bait or worms and shrimp because I'm used to that"
• Considers buying a fishing chair, sees the $50 price tag and refuses — "I'm gonna set my ass on the ground and save 50 bucks. $50 is 2,500 pesos. That's 50 kilos of rice."
• Buys protective gloves for $2.77 in case the fish "have teeth or spikes or whatever"
• Gets a dozen live shrimp for bait at $1.99; jokes "if I don't catch one, I'll just eat the shrimp"

Actually fishing ​

• Goes to a state park on a river; doesn't know what she's doing but figures she'll get lucky
• Hates baiting the hook — the live shrimp part bothers her
• Someone tells her to hook the shrimp under the horn and "he won't even feel it" — she's skeptical: "Right, Mr. Shrimpy"
• Has multiple false alarms where she thinks she has a nibble
• Finally catches something — it's dragging her line and she gets genuinely ecstatic: "Holy smokes! It's a catfish! My first catch in the US!"
• Immediately feels bad for the fish, apologizes to it, carefully removes the hook, and releases it: "Go back to your wife, to your family where you belong"
• This is her only catch of the day but she doesn't mind — "it was a lot of fun"

Observations about American life (discussed between casts) ​

• Daylight hours: near the equator in the Philippines, it gets dark around 6 p.m. year-round regardless of season; she's fascinated that American days grow longer and the sun stays out until 8 p.m.; also struck by the vivid pink, purple, orange, and gold sunsets — Philippine sunsets are usually just gold
• Season changes: the Philippines only has wet and dry; she can feel the American seasons shifting even in a short stay, from chilly on arrival to warm daily
• Nobody walks: the only people she sees walking do it on purpose for exercise; in the Philippines, people walk because they have no choice; she walked an hour and a half to school every day — "I probably sound like your granddad telling you how hard he used to have it, but that's the way a lot of people really still live in the Philippines"; no school buses there, kids are responsible for getting themselves to school; believes all the walking is why Filipinos are skinny when young
• Silent dogs: American dogs barely bark, maybe a minute or two; Philippine dogs "bark constantly, sometimes for hours, for absolutely no reason"; she's impressed and thinks Filipinos should train their dogs the same way
• Quality of life is "top-notch": central air everywhere, a machine for every household chore, blazing internet, power hasn't gone out once since she arrived, everything moves like a well-oiled machine
• Speed and efficiency: had a doctor's appointment for a measles vaccination at 10:30 and was out the door practically on time; in the Philippines the same thing would take 3 hours
• Automation everywhere: describes her first Olive Garden visit — a monitor on the table showed the full menu with pictures and prices, you tap to order, stick your card in to pay, and it prints a receipt; "everything's fast and easy here, no delayed gratification"
• Amazon delivery: some orders arrive same-day, which she finds "ridiculous" — you don't even have to go to a store
• Paralyzing choices: can't just buy milk — have to choose whole, low-fat, almond, soy, then pick a brand (Borden's, Lactaid, Fairlife); spent an hour at the Publix meat department looking at cuts of beef and still can't tell the difference between a porterhouse, T-bone, and ribeye: "For me, they're all just steak"
• Says having choices is good but you get paralyzed, "especially for a woman — and when it's a Filipino like myself, it's even worse because we have trouble making decisions in the first place"
• Drug ads: can't watch 5 minutes of TV without a drug ad for a disease you've never heard of; jokes they even sell something for "persistent sexual arousal syndrome — isn't that the opposite of the little blue pill?"

The real cost comparison: U.S. vs. Philippines ​

• On the surface, a side-by-side comparison doesn't look that different
• Rent is cheaper in the Philippines, but many things are NOT:
  • Food is actually more expensive in the Philippines — she can cook fresh, healthy food in the U.S. for less than back home; even many restaurants are cheaper (she got a stuffed crust pizza from Little Caesars for under $10, better than anything in Dumaguete)
  • Electricity: her American friend's bill is about half of Pea's Philippine electricity bill, while running way more appliances (vacuum, oven, dishwasher, clothes dryer)
  • New cars cost about the same; used cars and gasoline are both cheaper in the U.S.
• The real cost difference is "what you don't have to buy" — things Americans barely think about that Filipinos don't have to worry about: health insurance, car insurance, home insurance, dental care, lawn care, hair care, child care, child support, HOAs, and a "whole bunch of stuff that can double or even triple your budget"
• The Philippines has some of these but they're pennies: car insurance is a few hundred dollars instead of $2,000/year; a haircut is $2 instead of $20; HOAs basically don't exist outside exclusive subdivisions

The American Dream — does it still exist? ​

• Defines it as the freedom and opportunity to have a better life — says it does still exist but "you have to sacrifice an awful lot to get it"
• 50-60 years ago, one paycheck could support a whole family with a house; now both parents work and are "still barely making it"
• Asks "what the heck happened?" but doesn't fully answer — leaves it as something that varies person to person
• Her conclusion: "Life can be really sweet here if you can afford it"
• Speculates on why Americans leave: tired of the rat race, want a slower pace, think the grass is greener in Southeast Asia

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