let freedom ring

So this past Friday was Independence Day in the Philippines. They're celebrating the end of over 300 years of Spanish rule. I think everybody would agree that Filipinos are pretty patriotic. I especially find in school that patriotism is naturally a part of the curriculum. Many of the reading selections from the book are about national heros and Filipino pride. I guess because of that I was expecting some big happenings around town. Overall however, it was a pretty quiet day. There were no processions through the streets, or insanely long speeches given by the mayor and vice mayor, in fact the only thing I noticed differently around town were the Filipino flags that the put-put drivers attached to their bicycles. Low key, kind of like it.