Hello from Sydney Australia, a very cool Sydney - only 6 Celcius when I landed at 6:30am this morning. I overheard an Aussie today, horrified that yesterday morning it was 2 Celcius when she left for work - her reaction was that she may as well move to the North Pole! Personally, I find it quite refreshing after the heat and humidity of the Philippines and I happily spent the morning wandering around Darling Harbour and visiting the aquarium. I have a couple of pictures on my camera but forgot to bring the cable so will post them after I get back to Cebu.
Who knew that Canadians require a visa to enter Australia? I didn't! But luckily the young woman at the Cathay Pacific desk in the Cebu airport did and they were able to get me one online fairly quickly so that could make it onto my flight. I had foolishly believed that Canadians could visit any Commonwealth country for a few days without a visa, and didn't even bother to check. I have since checked and we definitely don't need a visa to visit Scotland, so that's good news. Visa requirements is another thing to add to my "visiting a new country" checklist.
The other stupid thing that I did was to not even consider how I would pay for things that required cheques when I moved to the Philippines. Because I didn't set up some sort of international bank account, I spend a fair bit of time withdrawing Philippine cash from ATM's to pay for my rent, and any other large purchase that's required. I can use credit cards for some things, but there are definitely many places that require either cash or a cheque drawn on a local account. I'm planning on setting up an HSBC account when I'm back in Canada next month and that should make things easier. Live and learn!
I'm here in Sydney for a Health Informatics conference (that's very similar to the Canadian COACH conferences for those of you that know them) and to see if Australia might be a good location for the next Global Village Asia Pacific office, once the Philippines is fully up and running. So far, it seems great (fairly similar to Canada), but I'd certainly be interested in other's thoughts.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
First house guests
I have my first house guests at the condo in Cebu City and it took quite a bit of time and effort to get ready. The condo is furnished but didn't include any housewares, so I've been out buying bedding, towels, bedside lamps, pillows, mattress toppers (the beds are EXTREMELY hard) and bathmats. But it's now all finished and I have two ready-to-go bedrooms that will be empty starting next week.
My house guests include my boss so just a short post this week as I have lots of work to do! Plus my new laptop died completely on Thursday evening so I've had to devote a lot of time to setting up another new one. Thank the Lord I had made a backup recently so really haven't lost anything.
I'm off to Sydney Australia on Friday for a week, then back in Cebu for a few days and then on vacation to Scotland, Victoria and Lake Wenatchee! I can't wait. I'm really enjoying it here but having my first paid vacation in 14 years is going to be great.
Interesting note - typically lawyers cannot get credit cards here in the Philippines. Apparently they're too inclined to not pay their bills.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Things that I will get used to and forget to write about
I've been here 3 weeks now and I already know there are things that I am getting accustomed to, that I found foreign when I arrived. This post is focused on sharing those things that I truly found different and amusing when I arrived here in the Philippines.
Personal safety - there is security everywhere here, in this privileged enclave in which I live and work. Security guards are, literally, everywhere. Outside of every building, whether it's a government office, private sector building, condo like ours, malls, hotels, anywhere. Inside some buildings - an airline has an office on our floor and they have a security guard outside the office door, who's job appears to be to help direct people trying to find the airline's office. All security guards are dressed in spotless uniforms and they carry guns. I found it odd at first as I assumed they were here as a reaction to events that had occurred. I've been told that no, they are here to prevent problems from happening and I now believe that. I feel quite comfortable here and this week made an uneventful, solo trip to Manila, which is one of those cities where people get shot because of road rage.
Clothing - it's hot here and very humid and I've yet to feel cool temperatures outside at any time of day or night. I'm told it will be cooler in January but I don't think the difference is that much. What I find interesting is in the office and mall area that I live and work in, people dress as though it's not that hot. They may not wear jackets (except in the morning) but they are wearing clothing similar to what you would see in Victoria. Jeans on all the young people, pants (or dresses) for the office people, service workers in uniforms that are much more formal than shorts and sandals. I can wear black as much as I did in Victoria and don't stand out at all!
Service - the service here is absolutely wonderful, especially in the hotels, but pretty much everywhere there are lots of workers and they are happy to help. Minimum wage here is low (about $225 per month) and that's what many people are paid. I assume that since it's relatively cheap to hire workers and there is an abundant supply of young people that need jobs, companies hire a lot of them and train them to provide good service.
Height - for those of you familiar with the Rand competitiveness for height, you'll know that I have lost to my son (long ago) and daughters (by a mere quarter inch in some cases). In Canada, I am bordering on short at 5'6"; in the Philippines I am tall! There are times when I'll be riding in the elevator in our building filled with young Filipinas and I am at least a head taller than all of them, and probably 40 pounds heavier. The young women here are tiny!
Youth - the median age of the Canadian population is 39.9 years; the median age of the Philippines population is 22.5 years (and I'll bet if they had statistics for the areas where call centres are located, the median age would be even lower). This is a very young country, but senior people get a lot of respect. I also get respect because I don't have black hair and brown eyes, which 99.9% of the people here have. I don't know how they do it but Filipino's hair does not turn grey. Every older ex-pat I see here has grey hair, but not the Filipinos.
English - I live in the Visayas region of the Philippines and there are at least 2 local languages and 2 or 3 different dialects spoken. Since no one local language is prevalent and not everyone can understand each other's local language, the common denominator is English and everyone here speaks and understands a reasonable amount of English. This is good for me as I only speak English. When I was in Vienna many years ago, it was much more challenging. The professional people could speak English but the people that one interacted with on a daily basis in the shops and offices, really only spoke Viennese German. Here, even the cab drivers can understand me and I can usually understand them.
Transportation - a few stats for you: greater Manila has 25.5M people; greater London has 8.5M, greater Vancouver has 2.2M; greater Cebu has 2M; greater Victoria has 350,000. London has the tube (13 lines), trains and buses, Vancouver has the sky train (3 lines), trains and buses, Victoria has buses. Manila has an LRT (3 lines). Cebu has some sort of bus system that I've heard about but never seen.
But what do Manila and Cebu have that those other cities don't? Jeepneys! Thousands of them, providing transportation to the masses. I've thought about taking pictures of them but they're all moving too fast and I'm reluctant to appear too touristy. But do google them if you're interested. They are apparently made from old US army jeeps, they typically carry up to 15 passengers and they are highly decorated, often with religious themes. My favourite in Cebu is the one with "God is Good, All the Time" on it's front. Apparently the more decorated the jeepney, the more riders it gets -- private enterprise at its finest. The fares and routes are regulated but after that almost anything goes.
Personal safety - there is security everywhere here, in this privileged enclave in which I live and work. Security guards are, literally, everywhere. Outside of every building, whether it's a government office, private sector building, condo like ours, malls, hotels, anywhere. Inside some buildings - an airline has an office on our floor and they have a security guard outside the office door, who's job appears to be to help direct people trying to find the airline's office. All security guards are dressed in spotless uniforms and they carry guns. I found it odd at first as I assumed they were here as a reaction to events that had occurred. I've been told that no, they are here to prevent problems from happening and I now believe that. I feel quite comfortable here and this week made an uneventful, solo trip to Manila, which is one of those cities where people get shot because of road rage.
Clothing - it's hot here and very humid and I've yet to feel cool temperatures outside at any time of day or night. I'm told it will be cooler in January but I don't think the difference is that much. What I find interesting is in the office and mall area that I live and work in, people dress as though it's not that hot. They may not wear jackets (except in the morning) but they are wearing clothing similar to what you would see in Victoria. Jeans on all the young people, pants (or dresses) for the office people, service workers in uniforms that are much more formal than shorts and sandals. I can wear black as much as I did in Victoria and don't stand out at all!
Service - the service here is absolutely wonderful, especially in the hotels, but pretty much everywhere there are lots of workers and they are happy to help. Minimum wage here is low (about $225 per month) and that's what many people are paid. I assume that since it's relatively cheap to hire workers and there is an abundant supply of young people that need jobs, companies hire a lot of them and train them to provide good service.
Height - for those of you familiar with the Rand competitiveness for height, you'll know that I have lost to my son (long ago) and daughters (by a mere quarter inch in some cases). In Canada, I am bordering on short at 5'6"; in the Philippines I am tall! There are times when I'll be riding in the elevator in our building filled with young Filipinas and I am at least a head taller than all of them, and probably 40 pounds heavier. The young women here are tiny!
Youth - the median age of the Canadian population is 39.9 years; the median age of the Philippines population is 22.5 years (and I'll bet if they had statistics for the areas where call centres are located, the median age would be even lower). This is a very young country, but senior people get a lot of respect. I also get respect because I don't have black hair and brown eyes, which 99.9% of the people here have. I don't know how they do it but Filipino's hair does not turn grey. Every older ex-pat I see here has grey hair, but not the Filipinos.
English - I live in the Visayas region of the Philippines and there are at least 2 local languages and 2 or 3 different dialects spoken. Since no one local language is prevalent and not everyone can understand each other's local language, the common denominator is English and everyone here speaks and understands a reasonable amount of English. This is good for me as I only speak English. When I was in Vienna many years ago, it was much more challenging. The professional people could speak English but the people that one interacted with on a daily basis in the shops and offices, really only spoke Viennese German. Here, even the cab drivers can understand me and I can usually understand them.
Transportation - a few stats for you: greater Manila has 25.5M people; greater London has 8.5M, greater Vancouver has 2.2M; greater Cebu has 2M; greater Victoria has 350,000. London has the tube (13 lines), trains and buses, Vancouver has the sky train (3 lines), trains and buses, Victoria has buses. Manila has an LRT (3 lines). Cebu has some sort of bus system that I've heard about but never seen.
But what do Manila and Cebu have that those other cities don't? Jeepneys! Thousands of them, providing transportation to the masses. I've thought about taking pictures of them but they're all moving too fast and I'm reluctant to appear too touristy. But do google them if you're interested. They are apparently made from old US army jeeps, they typically carry up to 15 passengers and they are highly decorated, often with religious themes. My favourite in Cebu is the one with "God is Good, All the Time" on it's front. Apparently the more decorated the jeepney, the more riders it gets -- private enterprise at its finest. The fares and routes are regulated but after that almost anything goes.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Week 3: Settling into the condo
I moved into my condo on Monday so have spent every evening since then buying things. Technically the condo is furnished but it doesn't have bedding, dishes, an oven, towels, etc. And I have to say that each shopping trip here is a bit of an experience. It may be because I'm following Joee's experienced lead (she's a developer who was born in the Philippines, then lived in Vancouver for many years and is now back working here in Cebu with me) but shopping seems to involve a lot of discussion with many sales clerks about the exact details of what we're buying and, of course, the appropriate discount. I must say that the level of service here is really quite exceptional, compared to Canada or anywhere else I've been. There are always lots of clerks and they are extremely helpful.
Another thing that's different is that almost everything one buys must be examined and tested before it can be purchased. The explanation given for this is that many stores have no return policy and products often don't work, but I've not yet found either to be the case. But an example - this past week we were at a huge department store and I wanted to buy, among other things, a bedside table lamp. I picked out one that seemed decent and reasonably priced and came with a light bulb (or so I thought). The sales clerk took the lamp and plugged it in to ensure it was working. She then removed the bulb and packaged the light into a box for me. I asked her where I could get a light bulb and if it was a standard size. She pointed me to another area of the store and assured me it was standard. I wandered over to that area of the store and found a huge selection of different bulbs. I obviously looked puzzled so 3 sales clerks came to help. Picking the right bulb involved unpacking the lamp, looking at it, conferring about the correct size, then selecting one and testing that it worked. The lamp was then repacked again and I was good to go with a lamp and bulb that together cost less than CDN$50. Like many things here, I find the whole process quite amusing.
After all that shopping, the condo is quite comfortable now. I have dishes, a coffee maker, and an oven (at the end of the counter). I had to purchase a table-top oven (i.e. a large toaster oven) as the condo owners only supplied a convection hot-plate (that gets really hot!). Apparently ovens are not a standard thing here.
The other shopping that's been really interesting is the grocery store. My two favourite stores are grocery and liquor, and I think it's a good thing that they're combined here because the wine choices are limited but the food choices are really quite amazing. Since moving into the condo I've been cooking for myself, so have had to buy food. The mall has two grocery stores, one that is quiet and more expensive, and the other that is packed and apparently cheaper. There are a huge number of options for most things, e.g. 20 different kinds of toilet paper, the same for laundry soap and cleaning products. And of course, everything is geared to an Asian market, so there is at least 10 different kinds of rice that is purchased in bulk, and another 15 different kinds that are packaged. It is possible to buy brown rice here but only in small packages. In the aisles, I find it amusing that there will be all sorts of Asian products that I have no idea what they are and then in the middle will be a small display of western-style tea, or peanut butter or something else familiar.
I went to church today, the first time since leaving Canada. It was an evangelical church, called the Living Word and it was quite wonderful. Everything was in English, and it could have been any evangelical church in Canada or the US, lots of praise and worship first, followed by a long but interesting and heartfelt homily. Probably 300 people there, and it was just 1 of 3 or 4 services that they hold. The Philippines is a Catholic country and I will try out some of the local churches as well, as there is no evidence of Anglicanism here in Cebu. There may be Anglicans in Manila, and I know that Precious Jewels is based in the Philippines, so I will be looking into them further.
On the way back from church, we stopped at a dried fish store. Each of the baskets has a different kind of dried fish in it. Apparently they are really salty but very good and crunchy. I'm not that adventuresome yet - I didn't try them.
Another thing that's different is that almost everything one buys must be examined and tested before it can be purchased. The explanation given for this is that many stores have no return policy and products often don't work, but I've not yet found either to be the case. But an example - this past week we were at a huge department store and I wanted to buy, among other things, a bedside table lamp. I picked out one that seemed decent and reasonably priced and came with a light bulb (or so I thought). The sales clerk took the lamp and plugged it in to ensure it was working. She then removed the bulb and packaged the light into a box for me. I asked her where I could get a light bulb and if it was a standard size. She pointed me to another area of the store and assured me it was standard. I wandered over to that area of the store and found a huge selection of different bulbs. I obviously looked puzzled so 3 sales clerks came to help. Picking the right bulb involved unpacking the lamp, looking at it, conferring about the correct size, then selecting one and testing that it worked. The lamp was then repacked again and I was good to go with a lamp and bulb that together cost less than CDN$50. Like many things here, I find the whole process quite amusing.
After all that shopping, the condo is quite comfortable now. I have dishes, a coffee maker, and an oven (at the end of the counter). I had to purchase a table-top oven (i.e. a large toaster oven) as the condo owners only supplied a convection hot-plate (that gets really hot!). Apparently ovens are not a standard thing here.
The other shopping that's been really interesting is the grocery store. My two favourite stores are grocery and liquor, and I think it's a good thing that they're combined here because the wine choices are limited but the food choices are really quite amazing. Since moving into the condo I've been cooking for myself, so have had to buy food. The mall has two grocery stores, one that is quiet and more expensive, and the other that is packed and apparently cheaper. There are a huge number of options for most things, e.g. 20 different kinds of toilet paper, the same for laundry soap and cleaning products. And of course, everything is geared to an Asian market, so there is at least 10 different kinds of rice that is purchased in bulk, and another 15 different kinds that are packaged. It is possible to buy brown rice here but only in small packages. In the aisles, I find it amusing that there will be all sorts of Asian products that I have no idea what they are and then in the middle will be a small display of western-style tea, or peanut butter or something else familiar.
I went to church today, the first time since leaving Canada. It was an evangelical church, called the Living Word and it was quite wonderful. Everything was in English, and it could have been any evangelical church in Canada or the US, lots of praise and worship first, followed by a long but interesting and heartfelt homily. Probably 300 people there, and it was just 1 of 3 or 4 services that they hold. The Philippines is a Catholic country and I will try out some of the local churches as well, as there is no evidence of Anglicanism here in Cebu. There may be Anglicans in Manila, and I know that Precious Jewels is based in the Philippines, so I will be looking into them further.
On the way back from church, we stopped at a dried fish store. Each of the baskets has a different kind of dried fish in it. Apparently they are really salty but very good and crunchy. I'm not that adventuresome yet - I didn't try them.
I'm off to Manila tomorrow for 2 days of business meetings. Wish me luck - apparently it's pretty crazy. Filipinos talk about traffic like Canadians talk about the weather, and I hear that Manila traffic is the worst.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
First post - 2 weeks and Happy Canada Day!
Hi - I want to be able to easily post pictures and news about my time here in SE Asia and a blog seems like the way to do it. I'm not going to commit to long posts, or witty posts, or frequent posts, but will share some photos and provide some details of what I'm doing.
I've been here for two weeks now. Week 1 was not a lot of fun as I left Canada on Friday at noon, lost most of a day in transit, overnighted in Hong Kong on Saturday, flew to Cebu City on Sunday and started work at 8:30am Monday morning. The only problem is that 8:30am Monday here is 5:30pm Sunday in Victoria, and a 15 hour timezone change is hard to adapt to. I don't believe it takes 1 day per timezone (thankfully) but it definitely took me a half day per timezone before I felt functional again. Thank goodness for Melatonin.
All being well, I move tomorrow into a 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom condo (so I have lots of room for guests). Actually having guests is a bit complicated here but more about that later. I went to the condo today and took some pictures. It's furnished but doesn't come with things like dishes, towels, sheets, etc. so yesterday we went shopping at the S & R store, which is just like Costco (except the service is much better)!
Here's a picture of the main room of the condo. The kitchen is at the back, living room at the front. Off each corner of the main room are the 4 bedrooms. The ceilings are very high and it's going to take some work for it to feel homey, but it's definitely better than living in a hotel.
This is me in our office on the 12th floor of the Ayala Life-FGU Center in the Cebu Business Park.
Happy Canada Day everyone. There is apparently a reception tomorrow evening put on by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines that I may have to attend, if I can find out where it is. Interesting fact about Cebu - buildings are not numbered - they just have names. Sometimes the name is posted on the outside of the building but sometimes it's not. An address for a place is the building name and sometimes the street that it's on or sometimes just the area that it's in. I have no idea how taxi drivers find anything.
I've been here for two weeks now. Week 1 was not a lot of fun as I left Canada on Friday at noon, lost most of a day in transit, overnighted in Hong Kong on Saturday, flew to Cebu City on Sunday and started work at 8:30am Monday morning. The only problem is that 8:30am Monday here is 5:30pm Sunday in Victoria, and a 15 hour timezone change is hard to adapt to. I don't believe it takes 1 day per timezone (thankfully) but it definitely took me a half day per timezone before I felt functional again. Thank goodness for Melatonin.
All being well, I move tomorrow into a 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom condo (so I have lots of room for guests). Actually having guests is a bit complicated here but more about that later. I went to the condo today and took some pictures. It's furnished but doesn't come with things like dishes, towels, sheets, etc. so yesterday we went shopping at the S & R store, which is just like Costco (except the service is much better)!
Here's a picture of the main room of the condo. The kitchen is at the back, living room at the front. Off each corner of the main room are the 4 bedrooms. The ceilings are very high and it's going to take some work for it to feel homey, but it's definitely better than living in a hotel.
Here's a picture of the outside of our office building. It's only about a block away from the Marriott hotel, where I've been staying.
Once I move into the condo, I'll be cutting through Ayala mall to get to work. The mall is, to be frank, the centre of my little universe here. It has stores, of course, but it also has the fitness centre, two grocery stores, a hardware store, movie theatres and many restaurants. I just googled and apparently there are 59 eating establishments in it, with everything from authentic Filipino food, to Thai, Mexican, Greek, Italian, etc, mostly sit-down but with some fast food outlets too. This is a picture of the mall taken from my hotel room yesterday morning.
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