I Wasn’t Aware that Bedlam Had a Blood Bank
Posted July 22nd, 2008 by Henry BrennanCategories: Random Musings
It’s been a while since my last posting. But I guess that’s to be expected. Things move more slowly, here, in the Philippines and my brain is adjusting to the slower pace. This week has been a bit busy, so far, though. Alma’s brother recently had surgery and there was a call amongst the relatives to donate blood. Five donors were needed and ten relatives showed over a period of several days. However, only two were accepted as donors because of various blood bank restrictions (blood pressure levels, weight, etc.). So, Alma and I trotted down to the facility (which appeared to be modeled after medical institutions depicted in 1940’s films about Great Britain in the late 1800’s) and I was able to assist with a fresh pint of “O” positive. This went quite a ways in my family “public relations”, needless to say. I had a chance to hang out with several new relatives that I normally would not get to see, since they don’t live near us. Although sitting outside the ICU might have been a tad more enjoyable if the hallways were air-conditioned (!!) or if there was even a fan (other than waving a piece of cardboard or relying on the a hand-held Chinese fan) (!!!). Try that sometime in the tropics after donating blood. But, as I mentioned – good PR for the new guy, in the eyes of the family. Plus, it cuts down on the expense of my new brother-in-law’s medical bill. Anyway, that was Monday. On Tuesday, I had an appointment with an American-based company (“TeleDevelopment”) in order to take a battery of exams for a technical position in the local area. I passed all the exams and now it remains for me to be contacted regarding employment. I have other options, of course, which I will also be pursuing. Now that I have my Immigration card, I am free to seek employment.
Other than that, nothing much is really new. I have long since become accustomed to cold showers (since this is the most practical and logical norm in the tropics – the apartments and homes are devoid of water heaters). In case anyone is wondering, you use an electric heater for hot water for tea, etc. However, electricity is expensive here and homes with air conditioners are not that common. Fans do the work. It’s funny – an hour’s cab ride might cost around $5.00, the average weekly family grocery bill is around $25 and a bottle of soda is around 10 cents – but a single small air conditioning unit in someone’s bedroom can add $100 to their monthly electric bill (!!) Personally, I prefer the more simplistic lifestyle. One of the most unusual things about the Philippines is that, even though it’s a poor country, the people are very friendly. In most places, one might equate poverty with violence, theft and hatred. Not so, here. I attribute this to a strong sense of family to be found amongst the locals and a pervasive Catholic sense of values that one might find in Vatican City.
That’s it, for now. Thanks to the charity of some family members who wanted to check out the local cinema – Alma and I had the opportunity to see “The Dark Knight” after I took the employment exams, yesterday. Going to the movies is a far less expensive thing, here, than in the states. My observations will be forth coming…