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OTHER
INTERESTING ARTICLES
Pearl
of the Orient Seas
by Clarence Henderson
A
Few of My Favorite Things
by Rob Faraone
Relatively
Speaking
by Ambeth R. Ocampo
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Forget what Julie Andrews sang about in Sound of
Music. That was Austria in the late 1930's and we are
here in Manila in the new millennium.
When it became clear that my stay in the Philippines
might end at the close of my employment contract, I
thought about whether we wanted to stay on in Manila
or not. Just a few months ago, the Chamber asked me to
prepare a short article that talked about life in the
Philippines. It gave me ample time to reflect upon
various positive aspects of life here.
We in the American Chamber can recite the advantages
to potential foreign investors here in the
Philippines, and most of you have heard them all
before: a large English speaking population, an
economical and friendly labor force, an affinity for
Western things and particularly things which are
"American," a highly educated and literate workforce.
All of these things are true, but from a personal
standpoint these were some other positive things that
might be missed.
- The joy of a 15-minute drive from Alabang to Makati
on a Sunday morning.
- Chills down the spine at a perfect rendition of a
favorite song performed by any one of an infinite
number of highly talented Filipino performers.
- A quiet cappuccino in a porcelain mug alone at a
table before the busy workday starts.
- A genuine act of kindness and generosity from a
local Filipino to a foreigner like me.
- The cooling fury of a thunderstorm in the middle of
a dry summer day.
- A bright warm sunny day in the middle of a week of
dark rainy days during the wet season.
- The shiny black marble floor at the Dusit Hotel.
- The smile of a Thailand- based expatriate who
marvels and appreciates the fact that most of the
people here understand his English.
- A relaxed sense of well-being after a P100 one-hour
massage
- During a side trip outside of Manila, the
realization that there really is an exotic side to the
Philippines.
- The undimmed brilliance and sparkle of the stars in
the night sky at Puerto Galera.
- The first cold San Miguel beer after a hard set of
singles tennis or a round of golf in the middle of the
day.
- The wonderful classic music found only on 98.7FM.
- The smile of appreciation from a street kid who was
given a toy or an ice cream.
- Seeing a brand new bus with a clean exhaust on the
South Superhighway.
- A shady tree to park under during the middle of the
day.
- An unblemished ripe mango that has just fallen from
one of the many trees in Alabang.
- A maid (helper) who has really learned to cook well
your favorite home country cuisine.
- The occasional stretch of truly smooth road where
you can actually read (or write) while sitting in the
back of the car.
- A perfectly restored or repaired item you thought
was unsalvageable until you gave it to a Filipino
craftsman.
- Taxiing for takeoff from NAIA after a really tough
week of work.
- Glimpsing Manila from the air on your trip back from
overseas, when your suitcase contains lots of winter
wear.
- The spectacular Christmas lights and displays on
some of the homes in some of the villages.
- A fine bottle of wine at a truly fine price on a
Friday night in Manila, having spent the past work
week in Singapore where alcohol is so expensive.
- Discovering a new Filipino nickname you have not
heard of before.
- Exchanging smiles as you take one of your few
jeepney rides and realise that it really is effective
transport.
- The temptation to buy when you discover how easy it
is to find and own a classic car or motorcycle here.
- Legally driving on a car- ban day using the
"talisman" of a special license plate or window
sticker.
- Passing through a clean and well-organized
Philippine town after leaving Manila.
- Enjoying the comfort of a Barong instead of wearing
a formal dinner jacket
- Calamansi-and-soda that has not been sweetened too
much.
- Real Noritake China at one fifth of the US price.
- Driving the upper level of the Skyway late on a
Saturday night.
- A Boracay sunset with a Tanduay and coke in one hand
and someone special in the other.
- A boutique store without the customary loud
background music playing.
- Your first glimpse of the brilliant undersea life on
your very first scuba dive.
- Female caddies on the golf course, who provide
smiles, giggles and an umbrella when it is needed.
- The marvelous scenery and green perfection of any
number of great Philippine golf courses.
- Indulging in the creature comforts of manicure,
pedicure, face massage or foot massage for less than
the price of a mixed drink in the United States.
- Coming across a truly well trained receptionist who
says "just a minute please I will transfer your call."
As in all things, there is a "flip side" to the
positive things. All cultures have their
idiosyncrasies and the Philippines does have its own
as well. Admittedly, we foreigners tend to pick on the
things that conflict most with our own cultures, so
there is not a really objective source.
I did, however, ask around informally. Here are some
things that many foreigners tend to find grating or,
in some cases, even aggravating. No doubt the Filipino
readers will view these with a certain degree of
detachment and realize, as we do, that there are LOTS
of things one could say about Americans in general.
Here goes for the "peeves" though:
- Phone handlers who ask your name ("Sir, who is
calling?"), then pass you along to another person who
repeats the same question, and then on to a third
person. Obviously, your name is NOT passed along with
the phone calls.
- Clerks who are idle and chatting or bored, and whose
standard response to any question is "out of stock."
- Sweet spaghetti sauce and, for that matter, the
sweetness of other normally savory dishes
- Food handlers who take orders and don't write
anything down (of course, the orders arrive wrong in
some way!)
- Dirty road or street signs that can't be read even
during daytime, and are all but visible during the
night.
- Trucks with bright lights at the REAR, which blind
drivers of vehicles trailing behind.
- The popular and incorrect reply to a phone caller:
"for a while". It is doubly bad when the caller is
left on hold or unattended for a period of time.
- Too many needlessly leaking faucets or pipes in a
country where water is scarce and also expensive.
- Devil-may-care littering by the rich in Alabang as
they stand on a street corner and discard a Marlboro
pack, and by the working class who carelessly discard
paper anywhere they please.
- The "territorial" need to fill all spaces with loud
music: a small kiosk has a blaring stereo as does each
shop beside it. There may be TV or stereo vendors in
the main area of a mall playing their music, and on
top of this cacophony the mall itself may have music
playing.
- Taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter and
blatantly overcharge you because you are a foreigner.
- The apparent unwillingness of most vehicle drivers
to execute 90 degree turns, preferring instead 45
degree turns that block traffic and alter rights of
way.
- Food servers who obviously have never read their own
menus because they can't explain a thing about them.
- Lettuce heads which are more akin to Brussels
Sprouts in size and to truffles in price.
- Inclination of tradesmen to defer maintenance up to
the point there is failure or breakdown. They seem to
prefer to repair or replace the item in question even
if there is no downtime or service breakdown.
- The silly and convoluted payment and queuing
techniques at Landmark and other seemingly enlightened
retail establishments.
- Junk food, which has taken over from native fare,
and blue jeans and T-shirts that have replaced native
dress.
- The sign on some trucks "No smoking within 50 feet"
when most of the population knows metric and not
English measurement.
- Filipinos in their 30's and older seem to speak
better English than those in their 20's. (Why?)
- Too many claims of high blood pressure by too many
workers
- Staples - letters stapled into envelopes or multiple
staples in each bag of purchases.
- Excessive demands of personal servitude by Filipinos
who can afford it - such as the man at Polo Club who
had his manservant tie his shoes for him while he sat
in a chair.
- Yayas who treat their charges as if they were still
toddlers.
- Poorly equipped gardeners who are expected to cut a
lawn using hand clippers.
- When asked for directions, the respondent may roll
the eyes and 'point" with his puckering lips in a
general direction. No explanations, and that is your
reply.
- Rich kids with amahs who place small white towels
onto their backs and under their shirts.
- Drivers who enter intersections without looking and
with the utmost confidence that what they don't see
cannot hurt them. They assume that others will stop
for them.
Keep in mind that these "complaints" come primarily
from foreigners who most likely will live here a few
years then move on. Our "Expat" expectations can
sometimes be unrealistic. That is enough for now.
Surely there are more "pet peeves" and positive things
we can assemble.
http://www.amchamphil.com.ph/comms/journal.html
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