January 23, 2009-What I Like to Call “Another Long Day” (Manila to Catarman)

Well, the morning started off rough… my wakeup call was at 3:00 a.m.  I got absolutely no sleep due to my “air-con” dripping with condensation and wheezing at me all night (I told my air-con this, “look I know it’s tough… but sometimes life can be tough!”  It wheezes only louder).  Also, the guys across the hall must have had a 2:00 a.m. departure because they were not short on noise this morning.  On the other hand, the place I stayed at was very nice, with a KFC in the lobby.  I had a fried chicken sandwich for dinner last night for 120 pesos ($2.25).  One thing that Filipinos are great at in their servings is moderation.  I got fries and a drink with the meal and there were approximately 20 fries and the drink was 12 ounces, probably something us Americans could use a little of… moderation.

Anywho, I had a good flight to Catarman.  The guy sitting next to me was from the Philippines and had gone to University in San Francisco and Hawaii.  He was a foot doctor (what is the deal with people and feet on this trip!?).  He was on a week long a medical mission with three other doctors to a town next to Catarman.  I talked quite a bit with him and he (without asking for it, just as I would expect from a Filipino) gave me his business card and said, “If you are ever in Guam and need a place to stay, don’t hesitate to call.”  Once again, harping on the “Nicest People on Earth.”  The plane ride was gorgeous.  I could see many of the islands and the sky was rather clear over the main island (where Manila is).  You could see groves and groves of palm trees and it was green everywhere… absolutely spectacular.  I took pictures, but they do not do it justice.

Upon landing in Catarman, there were approximately 100 people waiting to pick up the various passengers and, once again, palm trees and greenery everywhere (more on precipitation later).  After I de-planed, the first thing I saw was a sign that said “Beware of Foot Baths… Keep our Town Clean”.  I would assume they mean puddles… more feet references… I love it.

The next part of my adventure was about to begin… who was going to pick me up?  I will say that it is a good thing that I was the only white person on the plane because I would have never been able to spot Bembooy (that is his name).  Not because of anything in particular, but I was just saying that I was easy to spot out of a crowd (On average, I a probably 6 inches taller than everyone here, I am a few shades lighter and my hair is probably blinding to their eyes… other than that, I fit right in with the crowd… they could definitely tell I “wasn’t from around here”).  The next part of my trek came with no warning.  Bembooy picked me up on a scooter… built for two (although I have seen as many as 5 Filipinos on one… quite impressive).  Second lucky part of the trip (actually probably more like 100^th lucky part), I only brought backpacks with me (Haley!), cause this would have never worked with a proper suitcase.  I would have been walking for sure… and I would still be walking right now.  The ride to the Grameen Branch office was just as the plane ride, absolutely gorgeous.  Another lucky part was that I have a motorcycle at home and have ridden on a scooter before, if I had not, this would have a very scary ride for me.

We left the airport and proceeded on, as near as I could tell, the main highway of Catarman.  Once again, I could not tell which side we were supposed to be on, but I lived to type this blog nonetheless (note that the “driving” rules apply to Catarman as well).  We passed many small homes and huts and fields of rice patties along the road.  These, I would assume are potential/current clients of Grameen.  The huts were no bigger than 6 x 10 feet and many were on stilts to stay out of the water.  They were mainly made of wood, but some were lucky to have metal siding.  In order to traverse between the road and some huts, there were suspended beams between the road and the residence.  I will assume I will have to traverse these at some point and will probably fail miserably and end up in a rice patty… we shall see!

One of my former colleagues (Jerry Elkins) had told me that he had visited the Philippines a while back and noted their enduring spirit.  I have noticed, in only my few days here, that they have a love for life that cannot be matched.  They (or the majority) don’t have a single worldly possession, but always have a smile on their face.

We arrived at the Hina Branch office, which is the office I will be working out of for the majority of my stay (with other branch visits from time to time).  There are a total of 11 branch offices in Northern Samar and the Hina Branch is the main branch.  More on the Grameen operations in separate postings.  Little did I know that this is where I will be residing as well.  I may move to a hotel at some point, but it is very nice of them to offer up the guest room for me to stay in for the first part of my trip.  The room is nice, but I am a bit worried about staying here during the week, as I will not have any privacy from day to day operations and will feel the need to stay here all day.  Let’s be honest, the real reason I may move is because of the rooster that is right outside my window that promptly wakes me up at 4:30 every morning and continues to crow every 15 minutes (the snooze alarm from hell) until around 4:30 p.m.,  I will probably get used to it though and may end up staying here for the majority of my trip, it’s free!

One thing I wish I had been better prepared for was the clothing.  The people in my office only where jeans and polo shirts to work and I only brought business casual work attire… which is fine, but I don’t particularly want to stick out any more than I have to, not that I was going for the “discreet” look anyways, but comfort (as it is 90 degrees here) would have been a preferred option over style.  I will make do however.  I did bring two pairs of khakis and one pair of jeans and three polos, so I should be okay with dress code… I am not here to make a fashion statement, I am here to learn (“…not to make out with you”-Billy Madison… I had to do it, I can’t quote movies with anyone here… maybe my original humor will blossom like the coconut trees of Northern Samar… then again… maybe not).

I forgot to mention what time it was, at this point in my trip it is still only 7:45 in the morning.  Bembooy took me to Jollibee for breakfast and we had a Jolly-good time, but I am not sure I will consistently eat it while I am here.  It is not very authentic, although, with my American stomach, it is probably the safest food here.  Jollibee is essentially a McDonald’s with hot dogs… can you imagine!!!  I couldn’t, but now I can!!!  It’s like Andy’s dream (less queso-dip).  By the way, Andy would die of starvation here.

The rest of my day consisted of learning a bit about the Branch operations (see Grameen details in separate posts) and meeting everyone in the branch.  There are five people that work in each branch with persons that oversee a few branches and persons overseeing all of Northern Samar and then all of Asia and then… you get the point.  In each branch, as the Grameen way, there are five people:  the Branch Manager (Grace-27 yrs old) and four Loan Officers (field workers) whose name are Albert (24), Donna (23), Panchito (23) and Dianna (24).  Bembooy is not considered part of the Branch because he is the quality control manager for multiple branches.

Sidenote:  I forgot to mention that Filippinos love American/English names.  The Second Luitenant on our plane flight was Al Pacino… yesss.

All of the Branch workers are very nice and Albert offered to take me to the beach on Sunday and a cock fight on Saturday (turns out, both were rained out… for me at least).  All of them are very young and have been working in the Branch for anywhere from 6 months to 15 months (since its inception).  Bembooy has been working with the company that preceeded Grameen (NSCAP-Northern Samar Coalition Against Poverty).  I believe Grace also started with NSCAP, but am not positive.  All of them have their own scooters and take them everywhere.  For lunch, we went to a place that was 50 yards away… we rode on the scooters.

In the afternoon, I spent some time with the different workers and learned a bit more about the operations.  I got some materials from Bembooy regarding the “screening process” for potential loans and various other items.  I will review those this weekend so I have a better sense of the goings on next week.

Needless to say, as I am writing this, I am a bit worn out.  I have had four pretty full days and am looking forward to the weekend to relax a bit (a little cock fight… a little beach… no big deal).  It is about 4 o’clock right now and I am ready to go to bed.  The office typically closes at 5 and work begins at 9.  So I only have one more hour to go and then I can pass out.

(3 hours later)

Well, Albert was nice enough to stick around the office and hang out with me on my first day here.  I told him that I was fine and he could go home, but he insisted on staying until dinner.  So, we went to dinner and on the way (again, only about 100 yards… and we travelled by scooter) Bembooy texted me to see if I wanted to join him for “two beer”.  I think “two beer” means, what we say in America, a drink.  When we know we aren’t only going to have one, but 3 or four.  So, Bembooy picked me up and we went to a local bar for two beer.  The bar was very nice and I am sure that I will frequent it for two reasons:  1.  They have karaoke (also known as videoke) and live music on the weekends, and 2.  They have very good food.

We were finishing up our third beer and a man walked in who was, as Bembooy described, the “Father of NSCAP (now known as Grameen in Samar)”… or what I alternately phrased “The Godfather”.  He was a very nice man (I believe his name is spelled Ven, pronounced “vain”) and he and Bembooy insisted on paying for my drinks (we had a few more with Ven and the Band) and a light snack…  My drinks totaled about 7 beers (not sure how much the cost was), well over the standard two beer (and Brettz wasn’t even involved!).

I had a great day, and am officially exhausted.  I went to bed around 11:30 and (if you do the math, got approximately 5 hours of sleep, totaling 20 hours for the last 5 days… I’m on a roll!