DATE ARCHIVES : April 2018

Haircut Problems in America

Haircut Problems in America

Getting a haircut is never a problem in the Philippines. For just 50 pesos, you can get one from your friendly neighborhood salon or barbershop like Reyes Haircutters, Bruno’s Barbers, or your friendly neighborhood unbranded barber. If you’re feeling like a star, go to Bench Fix, David’s Salon or some other high-end salons for men and women–either way, you’d probably spend a maximum of P500 for a haircut.

In the USA, the process is more tricky. When we first arrived in Nashville, and I needed a barber, I searched for one on Google Maps. After reading reviews of the closest ones, I picked one and decided to visit the next day.

My barber in the Philippines is a guy named Glenn who worked at GQ Barber Shop at Waltermart North EDSA. I would just tell him I wanted a short-cropped hair–maikli lang sa gilid at naaayusan ng gel sa taas. He understood what I wanted. If I had additional instructions, I would just tell him in Tagalog or demonstrated with my hands.

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Exploring Porto, Portugal on a Bike

Exploring Porto, Portugal on a Bike

In September 2017, I had a chance to visit Porto, Portugal. It’s a beautiful city–Portugal’s second largest after Lisbon–known for its bridges and port wine. I didn’t sample their wine, but I explored the city and saw all its majestic bridges! I did that while riding on a bike.

Rent a bike in Porto, Portugal

Renting a bike in Porto is easy. I simply opened Google Maps on my phone and searched for bike rental shops. After reading reviews and comparing costs, I decided on going with Biclas & Triclas, which is on the bank of the Douro River. I was able to rent a bike online, specified the pick up time, and showed up there the next day. Sweet and easy!

Get a Map and Ask for the Best Places to Visit

Pablo, a friend who also attended the same meeting I was in decided to join me. It made the exploration doubly fun. Before setting off, the owner of Biclas & Triclas briefed us on the nice places to visit, where to get lunch, and where the bike paths were. We hit the road and went to the general direction of the city. There was no uphill pedaling for us. It was all flat roads as long as you stay on the paths near the river and along the beach.

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Where to buy groceries in the USA

Where to buy groceries in the USA

In the Philippines, we usually bought our groceries from the Hypermarket at SM North EDSA The Block or at Waltermart Munoz (North EDSA). For fruits and vegetables, we went to the nearby palengke.

After more than 2 years of staying in Nashville, TN, in the USA, we have come up with a system of grocery shopping that involves 4 different stores: Aldi, Kroger, Sam’s Club (or Costco), and Asian Store (or World Market).

We have compared our options for buying the goods we need and looked for the best grocery stores to shop at. Take a look at our family’s grocery list and what we buy from each of the stores below:

What to buy at Aldi

Before we discovered Aldi, we bought our meat, meat products, and most of our groceries at Kroger. But we discovered that several things are affordable at Aldi.

  • Meat (pork, chicken, beef) and meat products (bacon, hotdogs, etc)
  • Eggs and dairy products (eggs, milk)
  • Some fruits and vegetables (cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, carrots, corn)
  • Canned goods

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