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I’d like to wish all of my family and friends out there a very Happy Thanksgiving. As for me, I kind of gave up on a Thanksgiving celebration, this year. This is my 3rd Thanksgiving in the Philippines and I have slowly come to the realization that you can’t really pack up an entire country in a suitcase when you decide to relocate to a foreign land. You just have to open up a can of “adaptation”, instead.
Not that I couldn’t have had my usual “placate the American on Thanksgiving” dinner. But I’ve had enough roast chicken over the past few weeks and you can’t find turkeys out here. More to the point, whereas most of the U.S. is involved in some sort of Thanksgiving holiday celebration with family, etc. – here, it’s like being in a land of shadows when it comes to certain things. I have learned that I can have a big dinner served on Thanksgiving and folks will certainly be there. They will smile and say “Happy Thanksgiving, uncle!” (or ‘tatay’ or Henry or whatever). But I also know that I would be the only one who remembers or even understands “Thanksgiving dinner”. Those at my table would be just as happy if I had ordered some pizza, ice cream and soda. Happier, even. This way I don’t have to see them look at the mashed potatoes and know that they’re thinking, “Rice would be better”.
It’s sort of like passing away and finding yourself surrounded by spectres who want you to be happy. But they don’t know what exactly is missing. They can’t put a finger on it. Neither can I. Anyway, I ordered squid and rice for dinner (my wife also gave me the option of tacos – bless her). My dinner was served in the bedroom/computer room and to make my dinner special, three medium-sized shrimp sat atop the squid and rice. I can certainly be thankful for that…
Currently my favorite “holiday” of the year (!). Tonight, Alma and I are having a “Night Gallery” mini-marathon. I’m not sure if we’ll have any Trick-or Treaters in my new location. But that’s okay – I’m still a little tired form the Christening and the reception from yesterday. It was pretty cool. The catering was well done and quite professional (!!) and there was even entertainment at the reception. I’ll write more about that when I get the chance. Today is a regular workday – so I need to get finished with that. Folks at the reception were excited to hear about the official launch of my own oDesk company at the beginning of the year. That’s good. Although most of my employees will be professional oDesk writers (they’re quite plentiful and can benefit from my ability to secure good jobs, due to my profile feedback and history – people new to oDesk have a lot of trouble getting their first assignments, if they don’t have a mentor or company to work through. Even if they have advanced graduate literature degrees), I have some college-educated relatives that will probably make good use of the opportunity, as well. Helping out relatives in this manner is truly a big deal, here. Especially if you get to work for an American…
 The Baptism of Christina Kylie 
Yes, it’s been quite a while since I’ve updated my blog. It’s the usual story – work and lots of it. Which is a good thing. I have between 8-9 open projects at any given point in time and there’s been a new wrinkle added to the mix. Alma has picked up two assignments on oDesk under her own account (!) This means that I also have the added responsibility of looking over her work before she submits it. So, that’s one more thing that I need to spend time on.
But don’t get me wrong. This is a great development. The two assignments that she has only amount to 15 hours per week (3 hours a day times 5 days). But get this – the pay for these assignments works out to approximately 23,000 pesos per month (!!) To put this in perspective, a college-educated call center agent is considered to be a well-paid and fortunate employee, here. Yet, the typical pay for an experienced agent is only around 18 – 19,000 pesos per month before taxes. The 23,000 pesos that Alma will be earning is net. Not bad for 3 hours a day and not having to leave the house to earn it. Plus, she works off my old laptop and can move around the house, while she works, since her Internet connection is wireless. But she usually works in the air-conditioned master bedroom with me since our bedroom is quite large and easily accommodates another table besides my computer desk.
The only hassle, right now is the noise from the renovations that are being conducted next door. This has been going on for a few weeks, now. My neighbors are using the “bargain basement” contractors. This means that they don’t really have the proper equipment to do construction work. It appears that the tools they’re using were developed at some point during the Bronze Age. Seriously, with the exception of electrical connections, they seem to be using the same building methods employed by the ancient Egyptians. With the exception of the fact that the Egyptian slaves would probably have done a better job. Craftsmanship is not the forte of the Philippines. Oh well.
Other than that, things are going well. Next week, I’m attending the baptism of the latest addition to our extended family. Yours truly will be the Godfather (!!) There is a reception scheduled afterward. It should be a pretty nice affair. See the picture below for my grand-niece, Casey, (the one who appears on television regularly) and the new baby (Christina Kylie is her name)…
 Quite adorable, no?  I think the family room goes here.
Well, here it is, time to update my blog and I have very little to say. This can happen when you allow your days to move forward in a predictable manner. Although last Sunday (at least I think it was last Sunday – see what I mean?) was somewhat interesting. My brother and sister-in-law (Kiko and Alice) decided to take us on a day-long trip to a few locations where they own some land. The first stop was the most interesting since it was the town of Antipolo.
One of the most enjoyable (but disorienting) things about living in the Philippines is that on many occasions I find myself thrust into a setting in which very little makes sense. I just have to go with the flow and ask questions afterwards. So there we were – approaching a town with an interesting number of young men nodding at our vehicle while folding their hands in prayer and indicating that we should drive straight ahead (??) I found out later that they were telling us that their famous church was close by. Alma also told me that they were selling something too (as always).
When we got near the church, I was told that it was some sort of pilgrimage site for folks who believe that God has a preference for certain locales (see: Lourdes, France). Anyway, the church had a huge number of folks that were making their way towards Sunday services and the surrounding area was attempting to earn their living based on this fact. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the bazaar scene in Casablanca. Just not as orderly, since these weren’t Hollywood extras. The small stores had “agents” whose jobs it was to gather up potential customers and lead them back to buy whatever it was they were selling. We got a lot of attention, since my brother-in-law has a top of the line SUV and there was a real live American in the passenger’s seat. Kiko took pity on one small (but highly industrious) kid and let him hang off the side of the car while leading us to his mom’s shop (!!) She was selling fresh roasted cashews (among other things) at a decent price – so Alma and I purchased a kilo for around 600 pesos (about $6 a pound).
This represented our second outing in as many Sundays. The previous Sunday, we went back to Zambales to view other property owned by Kiko and Alice. This was the same place where we went to have the family reunion, so we had lunch with family members who live there. The property was nice and has a fantastic view of the ocean, since it sits way up on the side of a mountain. Unfortunately, one would need to own a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in order to make their way to the local markets. I’m sure the roads will be finished in ten years or so. Well, that’s about all that’s happening for now.
Oh yes, we lost our maid, too. Poor Bebe missed her kids too much and decided to get work closer to home. Oh well. Now we’ll be looking at the outlying provinces to recruit new help. Not that it’s a big deal, since our niece, Cynthia (and nephew Renmar) helps Alma out on a pretty regular basis and we just don’t make much of a mess. It’s interesting, but the houses that surround us all seem to have maids (in some cases, multiple maids). But yet, these are the same folks who cut their lawns with hedge clippers (!!) Oh, yes, niece Rancel (who lives with us while her dad works in Japan) got a part time job over at the Starbucks near the local mall. She goes to college, works (sometimes till 2 am on her school off days) and is 17 years old. Good for her.
 I don't know, he said he needed a lift to the 7-Eleven
 Another work week has ended and I have a few minutes to devote to my blog. Last week was a bit hectic, since we had the obligatory birthday celebrations (yours truly and my sister-in law, Nora’s). This also served as an opportunity for everyone to come over and check out my new abode. We had previously landscaped the outside, so things were quite presentable. In addition, Alma took the opportunity to secure a house blessing from a local parish priest. He’s from the Immaculate Conception Cathedral (where her parents were married). A picture of the landmark cathedral sits at the top of my blog.
House blessings are interesting in that they appear to combine elements of Catholicism and old superstitions. The blessings from the priest were in Tagalog, so the only parts I recognized were the sections that would normally have been said in Latin (or English). Seriously, after attending catholic school for eight years, you get to know the routine. We then toured the entire house while holding lit candles (!) and the priest sprinkled holy water, everywhere. Our big dog, Onday (pronounced “Un-dai”), was tied up in the maid’s room and ended up being sprinkled, as well. She merely gave the priest a look of profound confusion. The best part was when my framed Night Gallery painting (a Hong Kong hand painted replica of the one from “The Messiah on Mott Street” – which features a silhouetted kid and the Angel of Death) also got blessed (!!) If anyone looked at the proceedings from the outside, they would swear that we were having an exorcism.
But that’s not the “superstition” part. The priest also blesses (with a little sprinkle) a small basket of coins, as well. After he leaves, you’re supposed to stand on the stairs and throw the coins at your guests (!!). The coins are considered good luck and saved as mementos of the occasion. I was a bit concerned, however, since Filipino coins tend to have some serious heft to them. It felt like I was tossing heavy pieces of metal at my family’s heads (which was pretty much the case). No one was injured, though, and a delightful time was had by all. My nephew even got his car blessed a second time (!!) I mentioned to the padre, “He still has to drive safely, right?” I think the irony of my statement may have been lost. That’s ok, since we’re all officially blessed over here, now…
It just occurred to me – I was born this day – 54 years ago.
Just kidding. I had a great birthday dinner of crabs and mussels with a birthday cake and ice cream (party is scheduled for this Saturday). By the way, Alma gave me the perfect gift, today – the first two seasons of “Night Gallery” on DVD. Nice!
Interestingly enough, the four-day-a-week maid that we had in our other home was disappointed that we didn’t ask her to join us in our new home (!!) We just thought that she wouldn’t want to live with us, since she was just contracted to come in for four days a week. But, evidently, her husband has lost his job and she wanted to stay with us for six days a week (going home on Saturday night and returning on Monday morning). This is just perfect, since she does excellent work and Onday , our “big” dog, loves her and now we have our laundry done through an outside laundry service (trust me – it’s not expensive). So, she’s packed her things and now lives in our maid’s room (in no way a “dungeon”).
With her daily chores completed, she’s currently chuckling at our new 29″ TV in the living room (tuned to a local language comedy show). This is absolutely perfect. We actually pay her well at $56 per month (with, of course, food , additional amenities, etc.). Her family now depends on her and I’m really happy to be a part of that. Now, I just have to get used to having a servant. After working for 16 years, overseas, as a servant, Alma (I suspect) is also thrilled. Having been on the “other end of the stick” she takes particular care of treating the maid well. By the way , her name is “Bebe” – which is pronounced “Beh- Bay”. It sounds like something Frank Sinatra would have said (while snapping his fingers}.
In actuality, I have to snap my fingers (behind my back) whenever I address her, in order to pronounce her name correctly. She calls me “Sir” (with no effort) and I have to pretend I’m one of “the Rat Pack” from the 60s when I call her by name. I doubt that she’ll catch on, though (I hope)…
I just wanted to make mention of the fact that a very close friend of mine’s mother recently passed away. Her name was Rita Bickel Stollon and she was 82. She had previously given no indication of illness. It was just her time to go. I think about things like that, every now and again, when I speak to my own mother (who is 85). Anyway, no humor today – just my sincere condolences…
The next place that we looked at was rather nice, albeit a tad expensive for the size. It was a bungalow-style dwelling with the owner’s home attached. The owner’s home was nicer. The “agent” and the owner kept pointing out the “maid’s room” (located downstairs), which I found rather odd. Now, I know that a maid’s room is not palatial, but seriously. This room looked like someplace you would stash a kidnap victim, while hiding out from the cops. It honestly looked like a closet adjacent to the laundry area – complete with a cement floor (!!) There was no window, no place to put your clothes and no real sleeping area if you happen to be over 4’11’’. But that wasn’t the real problem. As I mentioned before, this place was in a nice area where my well-off brother-in-law lives. This is why it was expensive. You’re, in essence, paying for the prestige of living in that particular sub-division. But get this – they have regular lengthy power outages (!!!). Not only that, but the flood from typhoon Ondoy left that whole area submerged for over a month – just like my old place (!!). Why would I pay for that ?
The final stop was in Greenwoods (Phase VI) – not to be confused with Greenwoods (Phase VII), which I have since renamed “Squatterville”. Now we were talking. This is a bit out of the way – but it’s a QUIET neighborhood (as in “no damn roosters”). It’s just great. The house is a stand-alone with:
- plenty of space (large rooms)
- a nice terrace
- a garage area for my nephew to park his new car
- two bedrooms
- three (count ‘em) bathrooms (with one bathroom located in the Master Bedroom)
- a maid’s room that isn’t reminiscent of a dungeon
- a spacious attic that can even be converted into a guest room
Originally, brother-in law Elmer was going to stay downstairs (in the maid’s room), but decided otherwise, since it’s too far from his job. So now it’s just me, Alma and niece Rancel. We’ll be getting the maid pretty soon, since we’re advertising for one, out in the Provinces. This is just too cool. Not bad for being in a third world country, I’d say…
 
After the wonderful trip to squatterville, the next stop was to another interesting location that the “agent” had in store for us. This one was kind of interesting since the place, itself, was pretty spacious. However, when I mean “spacious”, I mean it in a “former warehouse Manhattan loft apartment” kind of way. Which isn’t too bad – just a bit eerie. I wasn’t too happy with the neighborhood, though. It was kind of isolated and had a bunch of kids running around, either shoeless or like that one kid wearing a single shoe (!) I don’t have anything against poor folks (which is a good thing considering where I live) – but I learned a long time ago that you don’t want to be an American in a poor Filipino neighborhood – especially around Christmas time. Trust me.
 Hey Joe – Merry Christmas! (You’re handing out money – right?)
The way that this place was set up was kind of weird – with a small office on the bottom floor (our place would have been on the second floor with an outside fire escape that led to an attic storage area). The small office was currently occupied by a female call center agent, who I believe slept in there (!!). Anyway, we were told that she would be leaving soon. Whatever. This place was interesting in the fact that you could get the feeling that it was not originally intended to be a home – it was more like a school, actually. I got the impression that it had been converted into a home. Like I said, it was ok – just not for me. The next stop was a bungalow-style apartment in a “nice” section. Just down the street from my brother-in-law’s four-story house. He’s the one who owns the successful meat packing business and is the president of the Pasig City Market Association. He’s considered “well off” with four servants to look after his family. His granddaughter is also a popular child model/actress that we see on TV, all the time. So we knew the neighborhood (and its dwellings) would be more in keeping with what I was looking for. Next time, I’ll tell you what happened there (and the “interesting” thing that I discovered)…
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