Troy Love English 955 10/20/2012 Final Draft Two Islands in Comparison While living on the Philippine Islands

for 2 years, I grew accustomed to the living conditions, food, language and culture. I also saw many wonders and attractions, strange and exotic creatures, and many interesting day to day things. Located in the central part of the Philippines lie two islands that are neighbors of each other, but they couldnt be more different. The two Islands Im referring to are Cebu, and Bohol. These islands may have certain things with which they share common ground, but take a bigger look at them and it may surprise you the differences they have. Cebu has very diverse living conditions. Cebu is home to the second largest city in the Philippines. It has sky scrapers, libraries and malls. On the other hand it is also home to some of the poorest people in the world. There are those who have cardboard boxes as homes. Some children dont even have clothes on their backs. It is interesting to see that it is not only home to some of the richest people in the Philippines, but it is home to the poorest. On the island of Bohol, however, the people have moderate living conditions. They arent quite as poor as those who are poverty stricken in Cebu, but they arent very rich either. You cant find sky scrapers, libraries, or malls in Bohol. It is quite neutral in that aspect. You cant find big name companies like McDonalds in Bohol. It is quite interesting, however, the food you can find. While on the island of Bohol you may find food like snake, chicken intestines, liver, dried fish, duck embryo, and many other bizarre foods. Now dont let that scare you. They also have sweet pulled pork, ice cream parfaits called halo halo, and

barbeque chicken. Cebu has all the aforementioned foods, and more. Cebu has many different places to eat. If you are not accustomed to the food of the Philippines, no worries, they have McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC. Although they are neighboring islands, the people in Cebu and Bohol speak different dialects. Surprisingly enough the people of Cebu speak Cebuano, and the people of Bohol speak Boholano. These languages are similar to another with slight variations. An example of this would be easily pointed out with the phrase I dont know. In Cebu the way the people would say this is Wa ko kabaw. In Bohol they would say Waja ko kabajaw. Although they are similar you can see slight variations in the way they are said. It is quite interesting to go from one of the islands to the other and hear differences in the way they speak. Cultures in Cebu and Bohol are quite similar, with slight differences. The majority of the residents in Bohol are Catholic. This religion plays a big role in the culture found in Bohol. They have many celebrations for the Virgin Mary, and for Baby Jesus. Easter is also observed strictly. They have their own version of Passover, then they reenact the last day of Jesus Christs life. It is a very sacred holiday to them. In fact everything closes down on this day. Cebus culture is also centered on Jesus Christ, but they celebrate it quite differently. They have several parades and parties throughout the year to celebrate his life. Christmas, however seems to be an excuse to get drunk and party all night. It is interesting the differences found in their cultures. Bohol is home to several tourist attractions, both physical and cultural. One of the major physical attractions of Bohol is the Chocolate Hills. The Chocolate Hills are approximately 500 hills all about the same size. They are called the Chocolate hills because during the dry season the foliage found on the hills turn brown. To the Filipino people the Chocolate Hills are

considered the 8th wonder of the world. Bohol is also home to many Old Catholic cathedrals, many of which are open for tours. These cathedrals carry a lot of history of the Spanish founders of the Philippines. Cebu is home to some of the nicest beaches, and has an occasional waterfall here and there. Cebu has quite an impressive cultural background and does have some tourist attractions, but they dont compare to the physical wonders found in Bohol. Its really had to forget the Philippine islands once youve seen the animals found there. In Cebu you can find many varieties of monkeys, snakes, and fish in the sea. The carabaw, also known as the Water Buffalo, is found on the farms and walking down the streets all throughout Cebu. You might be looking for awhile before you can find a carabaw on the island of Bohol, but what you can find is a creature native only to the Bohol Island. This creature is known as the tarsier. This little primate is the worlds smallest primate. You can hold the tarsier in the palm of your hand once its full grown. With its large puppy dog eyes, you could instantly fall in love with this creature. On the island of Bohol you dont see too many strange things. You have an occasional beggar that will come by asking for money or rice, but that is about it. Cebu, on the other hand, is quite different. Many interesting and strange things happen on a day to day basis on the island of Cebu, it is full of many people. You can count up to 8 people on one motorcycle at a time. People will come jump in front of your car and try to sell you stuff. Little kids will be playing games with random things you could find off the street, they are quite creative. Cebu and Bohol are unique in their own ways. It is quite interesting to notice the differences found. Its amazing, although they are right next to each other, how different they

can be. Any way you look at it, both islands have much to offer. Many adventures wait in the Philippine Islands.