She’s 28 years old, she lives with her family, and there are 20 people in her house. She dropped out of college to make money for her family, but wants to go back. Her English is fantastic.  She takes a bus 2 hours each way to work in Manila. I didn’t catch the name of her hometown, but this commute is obviously worth it for her.  She told me the average person makes 10,000 Philippine pesos a month, about $230.  I had already spent more than that in the last few days in Manila.  She asked if I made more money than $230/month, and she raised her hand a little, indicating a higher amount. I raised my hand to the ceiling. She’s never been outside the Philippians. I asked her if there was one place in the world she wanted to go, where would it be.  She said Rome to see the Basilica and the Pope.  The Philippians are a very Catholic nation.  She asked me where I would go and I said Nepal and Tibet to see the center of Buddhism. She was a very happy person. The last thing I told her before I left was that I hope she makes it to Rome one day.

We live in very different worlds.