Reflections from a Faraway Land
A very good friend who had been resident in the Philippines for many years just returned to Australia. We’ve had regular chats as she settles her life back in a developed, Western country. And it’s been interesting for me to reflect on the funny and challenging differences in our lifestyles. Particularly today, the 11th anniversary of arriving in the Philippines on my “3 month business trip”.
These are the highlights.
I don’t carry keys. I’m sure I have house keys somewhere. But I’ve never used them. There is always someone home – I have live-in domestic staff, as is normal and respectful in the Philippines, so I never have to lock or unlock doors.
I have no letterbox. Literally. Bills that come to my house are hand delivered by an employee of that company. Missives from overseas must be sent via door-to-door courier. Or they will end up in the near-non-existent Philippines postal system, never to be seen. Documents or packages between cities in the Philippines are sent via courier.
I (do/don’t) miss driving. If you ask me what I miss most about living in Australia, I would say “driving”. I used to love to get behind the wheel of my car and drive. Sunroof open, music loud, tank full of gas. It is the epitome of freedom for me. BUT. If I were to return to Sydney, what I would miss most about life in the Philippines, is having a driver. Never having to worry about finding a parking space or about drinking and driving. Never worrying about finding a taxi late at night, or navigating a dark parking lot alone. A paradox indeed.
I misunderstand progress. Sometimes I experience something innovative in the Philippines, and I’ll think “Wow! We never had that back home!” . But I forget that I’ve been gone for 11 years. Like the little plastic sleeve my hairdresser puts on my spectacles to protect them from hair color. Or WIFI in shopping malls. Being able to make appointments via text message. And when I tell my friends back in Australia, they say “oh yes, we’ve had that for years”.
Neapolitan, not vanilla. There are places in the Philippines with pristine cities and villages. They are sophisticated, clean and vibrant. There are upmarket shopping malls, luxury hotels and resorts and there is fine dining to be had. But just a few kilometers away are the streets lined with heavy electricity wires overhead. Poverty, litter, homelessness. There is a contrast that makes just traveling from A to B a fascinating but sad journey. When I return to Sydney, it’s sparkling clean, easy to navigate, well signposted. But after 7 days, it’s all just a little bit vanilla to me. And while vanilla is in fact my favourite flavour, as a lifestyle descriptor, it just doesn’t offer the mental or emotional stimulation of my chosen home.
Community. It’s incredibly easy to give back in the Philippines. My charitable contributions back home were an annual Red Cross donation, an occasional Starlight Foundation ball. In the Philippines I have seen my dollar make a significant difference to children’s lives. As well as feeding and clothing many orphans (yes, we have orphanages here), I’ve personally educated a couple of kids from primary school through to university graduation and beyond. Oh and the animals. I’ve sponsored spay/neuter events that have seen hundreds – yes, hundreds of animals desexed to reduce the suffering of unwanted puppies and kittens. And every single person I know in the Philippines, from the relatively wealthy expats to the poorest of the poor – they all give back.
Daylight Savings. There is none. When I first arrived, I was delighted! As an insomniac for many years, the time changes each October and April gave me, ridiculously, a few weeks of unpleasant adjustment, like jet lag. After a year in the Philippines, I found the monotony of the days wearying. Sunrise around 6am. Sunset around 6pm. Every day. All year. 365 days. Now, I’ve adjusted and I don’t mind it at all.
Languages. Filipinos in the professional workforce have fabulous English capabilities and workable English out in the field. The competencies are high enough that tourists, visitors and foreign residents don’t need to learn the vernacular. While I’ve studied both Tagalog and Bisaya, my skills are poor. But the benefit of not understanding the lingo is that I’m spared from local news and local politics, which is immensely liberating.
Customer Service. I struggled (and still do) with the overly attentive, sometimes obsequious customer service ethic in the Philippines. It can land like a desperate desire to please that doesn’t always hit the mark. And then I visit Australia. After so many years away, their service ethos can land on me as dismissive and arrogant at its worst, blasé or overly casual at its best. The learning? I have to change my response, not expect service workers to adapt to my evolving perspectives.
Living The Dream. Besides all the good, all the bad, all the reflection and contemplation, what I always come back to, is what drove me to be here. From the time I was a young teenager, I wanted to live and work overseas. I yearned to explore foreign lands, but never as a traveller or as a tourist, but living and working and immersing myself. I had a few false starts and amazing experiences. Hong Kong, Florence, London, Delhi. But the Philippines won my heart from my first landing in Manila, back in 2009, a month or so before I would move here, unknowingly at the time, for ever.
