Could You at Least Learn “Jingle Bells”?

Here it is – a couple of days after Christmas and things have quieted down a bit. It’s not easy, taking time out to update my blog since embarking on my oDesk adventure. I picked up another assignment, the other day, to add to my list of things to do. This one is actually kind of enjoyable and provides a much needed break from writing about medical procedures. I’m finding that as I build a solid reputation (that’s reflected on my oDesk profile), getting a premium job is becoming much easier. At the present time, I’m earning about $800 a month. Now, this may seem like a pittance for those of you in the United States, but it’s a different story, here, in the Philippines. For example, according to a Philippine national salary report, a practicing neurologist (with at least 5 years experience) earns an average of 26,085 pesos a month. This translates into $555 USD (!!). Interesting, no? I have to say, though, that the best part is being able to work my own hours. But, to be honest, it can be a double-edged sword. Sure, I can stop and take a nap whenever I feel like it. But with more work being handed to me on a daily basis, I find myself putting hours in, on the laptop, even on my “days off”. Hey – why sit around when you can pick up an extra 2,500 pesos for just a few hours work? The key to all of this is that I’m blessed with the ability to churn out high quality, imaginative and grammatically correct work in a relatively short period of time. I just knew my writing hobby of 40 years would pay off some day.

Anyway – back to Christmas. The days leading up to the holiday were quite unusual. It seems that my sub-division is surrounded by an astonishing array of shack-like homes and mansion-like houses. There seems to be no real separation of the economic classes when it comes to living areas. At least in my particular locality. It’s different, elsewhere, I’m sure.

So, each night (for about a week) leading up to Christmas, we had a multitude of “carolers”. I use the term loosely, since each small group of kids sang the same bizarre song for about one minute – then promptly began begging by chanting “Namamasko po” (the polite form of asking for a gift) – over and over and over again. This would go on until one of us managed to stumble out of the apartment in order to hand them some candy (that we bought for just such a “joyous” occasion). Oh yes, did I mention that each group would bang on a homemade “drum” (plastic cup) in a rhythm that, in no way, matched the song? Normally, this would be fine. However, once they discovered that “an Americano” lived here…well. I suspect that wire communications were sent throughout the Philippine Islands (and a few neighboring countries). I say this because there were enough “carolers” serenading us, on a continual basis, to form their own sovereign nation. It’s a good thing candy is cheap, here. We’re having a big family party in our home on January 3rd, to celebrate the New Year. We chose the 3rd since it falls on a Sunday.
Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season…