Wednesday, March 6th, 2009-“Laoang is a Laoang Ways Away”

Tuesday I had the same motorbike ride as Wednesday, but for some reason Wednesday took it’s toll on me.  The motorbike ride is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes from Catarman, which is fine, but I was nearly exhausted from the previous day, but that wasn’t going to stop me from the occasional good times (which happen a lot in the Philippines, making them not-occasional).  Laoang was not short on these either.

The previous day we had visited the government offices of Laoang to get the proper business permits for NSCAP to operate.  While there, I am not sure, but I think I might have promised to marry a couple of the governmental employees… it was in the local dialect so I had no idea what I was nodding and smiling to… but one time I did it, they all busted out in laughter and Dexter (the Branch Manager of Laoang) said something to the effect of “They like you”… I said that I am just a different face in a different place… and that was pretty much it… I did manage to grab a picture of the engagement party though.  Very nice.

Lunch on Thursday consisted of lunch at one of the Loan Officers house’s.  It was very nice and I ate a lot… I could probably say that I have gained all of my weight back that I have lost since arriving here in one sitting.  I also met the son of the Loan Officer, he was probably 16 months old and was extremely cute.  He was old enough to show me the sign of respect.  I don’t think that this was covered in prior posts, but the local way of showing respect to elders (namely, family members) is to take their hand and, as you would go to kiss the top of their hand in a European culture, the Filipino culture puts the top of their (elder’s) hand on their own forehead (the younger person’s)… it is a great way to see the interaction between the younger and the elder… I think the kid just didn’t know who I was, so he did it to me, it was very nice.

Thursday was another fiesta for one of the daughters of a client.  The daughter had just been baptized and there was much celebration.  There was one difference between this fiesta and prior fiestas however… it was at 11 in the morning.  Lechon was served and goodness ensued and I was not famished anymore.  Also, a child at the fiesta showed me the sign of respect as well, twice in one day!  It must have been my luck day!  Upon returning the Branch, I noticed there was a parked Jeepney next to the branch, I had to take advantage of the situation so I took some pictures for your viewing pleasure… including one of me being the conductor.  More on Jeepney’s later.

Thursday night was another fiesta, including a trip to Dexter’s house with Bimbooy (I just realized yesterday that I was spelling his name wrong this whole time… sorry) and Sir Vivencio.  It was a great time with great food and brandy (and the “one glass” rule was properly in effect).  The night was good and I apparently promised to give my camera to Dexter after having one too many… luckily, he did not demand payment and, as  you would know if you took business law, the contract would not be binding… but that is for a different discussion that would probably put you to sleep… not that you aren’t already.

Tuesday March 3rd, 2009-“Links, Links, and More Links… and a Bit of History Correction”

First of all, I took the liberty of looking up some links for your viewing pleasure.  I highly recommend all of them, but if you only have a few minutes, I will put them in order of “must sees”.

Music:

Rivermaya (Band):  214 (song): Ricky Blanco (singer) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=rico+blanco&aq=0&oq=rico+bla

Closer to You (song):   Toothpaste Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJqCKYaZuQE

Sponge Cola (Band):  Pasubali (Song): http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=sponge+cola&aq=f

Milo Commercial (played about every other commercial, the other one is the toothpaste commercial, see above): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4diSl3Rbi8

I will post some more favorites later, but soon to come will be the famous Jollibee theme song, WaWaWee, more music and much much more!

A bit of correction on History:

I read a little bit about Filipino history last night and wanted to set some things straight.  Apparently I was way off on say that there was a Prime Minister in the Philippines.  It is a democracy, so the leader of the nation is the President.  Currently, the president is a Female (the second in the short history of the country).  There were never any military coups to take over the government.  I had briefly read that there was martial law instituted, which is true, during the 1980’s in fear that the he was not being well-liked by his country and was worried the opposing political party would beat him in election (so, like any good president, he ensured his position by instituting martial law… good idea, right?)…

Sunday and Monday, March 1 and 2, 2009-“Coconut Tree=Tree of Life”

Sunday and Monday did not involve a whole lot of exciting news other than the usual.  I went to church and the Head Office, but other than that, nothing too too exciting, so I will take this opportunity to enlighten you on coconut trees.

The coconut tree is considered “the tree of life” for Filipinos.  It is called this because of its many uses, which include the entire tree.  The prawns of the cocunut tree are weaved into, the equivalent of, shingles for housing.  The coconuts themselves are obviously used for their milk, meat and even hollowed out they can be used as a bowl (or in the westerner’s case, a nice accessory for a Luau… coconut bra).  The part that surrounds the coconut, which I have deemed the husk, has the same visage as the husk of corn, but it is much more dry and sturdy, giving it many uses, including kinling to start a fire or mattress padding for a bed or even a pillow.

The base of the tree is very sturdy and is used to creat the many boats that traverst throughout the 7,100-plus islands.  The base is also used, like many other trees, for structural purposes in houses and small stores.

The roots of the coconut tree have long been a source ofremedy for the common headache or cold, thought I have yet to verify this finding, many of my co-workers have expressed great praise in the boiling of the root.

So, instead of bagging up all of those leaves and limbs around your house and giving them to your local disposal company for them to take it to a far-away place, maybe you can find a rightful use for your “unwanted” foliage.  Maybe create a compost , or mulch the leaves and sticks to fill in the holes in your yard… This has been a public service announcement from Jon Nixon, paid for by the Philippines government… just a joke.

Saturday, February 28th, 2009-“Rain, Rain, Go Away”

Today was a great day (now that I am writing this on Wednesday)!  At the time I may not have had the same sentiments, but time has given me some perspective.  But really, the day was great even when it was happening!  Julian and I received a text from one of the Hina Branch employees that they were thinking of going to the beach that day.  I was worried that I was not going to have the proper attire for the beach, as I still do not have any swim trunks… then I remembered the “proper” beach outing included anything BUT swimming.  So, we saddled up and we went to Duncalen Beach (the same beach that we went to with Mme Juneth).

Did I mention that I drove the motorbike there?  Cause I did.  It was the first true test of my skills.  I drove for about 25 minutes straight and only managed to terrify onlookers a handful of time (joking).  We made it there and we joined, unbeknownst to us, with the Branch Manager of Bobon Branch, Laarni.  This is the person’s birthday party I attended earlier in the week and the beach party was nothing short of the birthday party.  Complete with pancit (local noodle that is eaten during birthdays to promote long life… it also happens to promote the satisfaction of the palate… very delicious and I have it frequently, I have extended my life at least 20 years by the amount of pancit I eat), fish, chicken, rice, deserts and, the staple, San Miguel beer… not to mention great company.  I met Laarni’s uncle, Albert, who was in town for vacation, but was currently working in the Middle East as a chiropractor.  He spoke very good English  and was a pleasure to talk to.

Upon arrival, the Hina Branch pawned us off to Laarni (they did not really pawn us off, they were going to get supplies).  I was then formally introduced to the Filipino tradition of sharing one glass between the group during drinking sessions.  I have not really received the formal reasoning behind this, but I do have my theories.  First of all, I have not received the formal reasoning because I usually start drinking and after a couple, I just don’t care… but one of these days I will get it out of them!  Alright, here is Jon’s ideas of why this occurs, there are many:

1.     The use of one glass keeps the dishes down to a minimum and makes drinking sessions much more enjoyable to clean up… i.e. it would not be a big deal to just throw the cup away.

2.     It puts pressure on the person who is drinking to finish quickly because other people are waiting, causing the drinking time to be significantly enhanced.

3.     It also promotes responsibility between the group, nobody can drink more than their lot… they are given a drink and then it passes to the next person, you cannot take seconds.

4.     Taking your time is not an option (see number 2)

5.     It is a sense of community where you only share one glass, and it really does spark more conversation for some reason, I don’t know why (see previous comment regarding “after having a couple”)

The real reason is probably due to something a bit more dramatic, like symbolizing the passing of the one cup at the last supper or something like that… I will get to the bottom of it (the reason, not the glass) and let you know.

After the drinking session, I decided it was time to swim, in my khaki shorts… so I did.  After going out into the ocean about 50 meters and still with the water only up to my waist, I grew tired and turned around.  It was quite refreshing and I had to swim while I was in the Philippines or I am sure I would get made fun of if this did not occur (getting made fun of is something I am willing to accept, as it occurs daily).

After the beach, we decided that it was time to, what else, go to Video-Cinqo (videoke).  Filipinos call videoke “Video-Cinqo” because it costs five (Cinqo) pesos to play a song.  I am not sure what they will call it when the price goes up, probably just video-cinqo still.  We went to a town that was fairly close, San Jose.  It is the hometown of one of the Hina Branch staff, Albert, so he know his way around.  I had also spent a few days in San Jose, but by no means could navigate… I was still driving (don’t worry, the “drinking session” above included actually two-beer and took place over the span of three hours).  Video-Cinqo was fun and I actually found a couple of songs that I could sing… fairly well… not possible, I know.

We departed San Jose around 11 o’clock and headed back to Catarman (approximately 45 minutes away).  When we left, I noticed the gas-light was on and so I stopped the Loan Officers in front of me (Diana and Donna)… Diana cordially turned the gas-intake valve to the “emergency” stash… little did we know that she “accidentally” turned it to the “off” stash… why this is even an option I do not know… but Julian and I puttered out after about 5 meters… causing me to honk the horn continuously, praying that Donna would turn around and come save us in the middle of the pitch-black highway.  Well, it wasn’t quite pitch-black… we managed to run out of gas right in front of the only house within 100 meters that had a group of about 20 people standing outside, wondering what the h*ll these two foreigners were even doing on their street (just kidding, they didn’t say anything, but they did chuckle a bit at us… I have to admit, even I was laughing… terrified of being left, but laughing nonetheless).  As if our troubles couldn’t have gotten worse, we had more to come…

I could think of a hundred things that would be worse than what happened next, but it was still quite comical and miserable at the same time.  It started pouring down rain as we reached the halfway point.  It was raining so hard that the wallet in my back pocket was drenched by the time we got home (even the money was soaking wet… and, yes, I took my wallet out when I went swimming).  It was quite funny and Julian let me borrow his hat so I could see while I drove, it was a life saver, considering I could not see a thing before he put it on my head.  We arrived back in Catarman drenching wet and, for the first time in the Philippines, I was cold.

Friday, February 27th, 2009-“The Life of a Pedi-Cab Driver***”

This is just to give my friends back home an idea of the life of the Pedi-Cab driver, if there are any corrections to be made, please enlighten me!  Thanks.

Since the average time to get up in the morning is around 4:30 A.M. due to the extreme number of roosters in the area, a pedi-cab drivers morning starts very early, as there are many clients that need service that early in the morning.  The pedi-cab driver goes and gets his/her (although I have yet to see a “her”) pedi-cab from the storage unit they use for the night time.  This storage unit is typically rented by the owner of the pedi-cab, who may/may not be the driver.

The long day begins by patrolling the streets for prospective customers.  Granted, I have not been up this early, so I do not know how busy the streets are this early in the morning, but will soon discover.  The day continues with the driver patrolling the streets looking for customers.  A typical ride in Catarman is about 200 meters and costs anywhere from 3 to 5 pesos (although they typically charge me more because I am a foreigner… not a big deal).  It takes about 2 minutes and then the customer is dropped off and another customer, hopefully, is picked up.  There are two approaches to being a pedicab driver.  The first, is what I have just mentioned, patrolling the streets and actively seeking out clients.  This way is probably the way to get the most customers, but it is also the most risky to get customers.  It is very happenstance how a driver gets a customer, being in the right place at the right time plays a major role in the income generated by this method.

The second form of generating business is to form a queue (line) at some of the “hotspots” around Catarman.  These hotspots are few, but there are always potential customers.  The only problem with this method is that there are always other pedi-cab drivers waiting for these customers.  At times, the line of pedi-cabs can stretch to 50-long on either side of the runway (one of the hotspots) and no queue is really formed outside the bus terminal, but there are many many pedi-cabs.  While this is a sure-fire way of getting a consistent amount of business, I would assume this also has the least amount of turnover of customers for the drivers… possibly 25-30 customers per day, whereas, the other method might generate up to 50 customers per day.

The pedi-cab driver cannot afford to take a day off, considering their daily income is only about 100 to 150 pesos or about 2,800 pesos a month (just below the minimum wage line of 3,000 pesos a month).  They work seven days a week and they are always seeking out new business and work very hard.

To give you an idea of the pedi-cab driver population I will give you some food for thought.  I have been here for over six weeks and I have not had one pedi-cab driver that has been the same, that I know of.  The ages of the pedi-cab drivers ranges (from what I believe) is 12 to 65.  There are some pedicab drivers that look like they played college basketball (they are very tall and muscular) and some that look like they might be a horse jockey (very small and thing).  There is no question on their strength however.  Every pedi-cab is the equivalent of a beach cruiser with only one speed.  There are many inclines in Catarman and pedi-cab drivers are able to ascend them with little struggle (although some struggle more than others), even with a passenger (or three) on the bike.

All of the pedi-cab drivers are very nice and talkative (even though their English and my Tagalo are limited), but we converse on my way to my destination.  The typical day for a pedi-cab driver ends around seven p.m. (a 14 hour day).  There are some, probably 30% or so, of pedicab drivers that last through the night and work until 10 or 11.  I would assume these are the younger pedi-cab drivers that do this, as they would have more energy.

Pedicabs Themselves:  Every pedicab has three wheels, two of which are the bike and one is located on the side car.  The side-car has a cover over it to shield the passenger from the rain and sun.  The driver is typically seated well above the handle bars (I think so they can generate more power) and is typically not covered.  Some, pedi-cabs, however, have a self-made cover that protects the driver from the rain and sun.  Since the drivers are not protected from the sun, they typically wear long-sleeved t-shirts to avoid skin diseases.  As a way to help pedi-cab drivers, the current Congressman of Northern Samar, Paul Daza, gave a gift to all pedi-cab drivers and habal-habal drivers.  It is a long-sleeved powder blue t-shirt that displays the slogan for the Congressman: “Progess & Development for Nothern Samar”.  The “P” and the “D” in progress and development are the initials of the Congressman, very clever.

Each pedicab has it’s own unique flare to it.  Some are the same (I would assume these are the ones that are leased by the driver), but the majority of them have something unique to them.  Some of them have covers for the driver, some are painted with a unique patern or colors.  Some have accessories that distinguish their bike from other bikes.

Me in a pedi-cab:  I have probably said this in a prior post, but pedi-cabs are not meant for a person of greater than 5’ 8”.  For the first few days upon arriving in Catarman, I tried to lean back in the pedi-cab (like you would in a normal chair), but quickly found out that any bump we hit in the road would result in the crown of my head being wrapped by the top of the side-car, quite painful the first time.  Recently, I have found that leaning far forward in the seat (with your elbows on your knees) is the most comfortable way to sit.  While bumps are still very common, the “hitting of the head” is minimal.  As far as bumps are concerned, the pedi-cab drivers try to avoid the pot-holes as much as possible, but some are inevitable.  The pedi-cabs do not have shocks of any sort and some of the speed bumps in Catarman feel like I am am going to fall out when we hit them.  In addition, I think it my be planned so that some of your change falls out of your pocket when you hit the bumps.  Kind of like having a really comfortable couch only to have all of your change fall out of your pockets when you lie down.

All in all, the pedi-cab is a major source of transportation.  Due to the extreme weather and heat, it is not ideal to walk everywhere.  Thus, instead of like in a major U.S. city where taking a taxi is prevalent, people take pedi-cabs.  It is convenient, fast and sometimes quite an adventure!

***All recollections of pedi-cab drivers and income are just observations by me, with no real factual amounts.

Thursday, February 26, 2009-“Wearing Red=Not a Good Idea if You Don’t Want Attention… and Other Things”

I bought a shirt the other day with the advice of one of the Loan Officers at Hina Branch, Donna.  It was red, I did not think anything of it, so I got it.  I wore it out around town yesterday and had numerous people ask me if it was my birthday… since it is nowhere near my birthday and I thought people had an uncanny knack for guessing peoples birthdays (it wouldn’t really be a knack since they were way off), I just replied “No” and went on my merry way.  After the second time this happened, I texted Donna and told her that I was unaware why people were commenting on my birthday.  Come to find out, from Bembooy, that persons who wear red are either celebrating their birthday or are part of a rebel group… I was neither… unless my last trip to the bars included a pact I was unaware I made… just a joke.

One other thing to note, I was in my local eatery where I frequent daily, it is very good, and I was watching WaWaWee.  I have touched on this game a bit before, but one of the games within the game (kind of like Plinko is to the Price is Right) is the “Hip Hip Hooray” game… (if you YouTube this, you should by the way, it is hysterical, it is actually Hep Hep Hooray)… if you don’t recall, not that big of a deal, but you should still YouTube it.  Anyways, one of the girls that was working at the eatery had just happened to turn it on and I proceeded to watch.  There were many contestants during this portion of the show, around 20 and one of them was noticeably different than the others, he was a tall white guy.  I thought, “I wonder how he got picked to be on the show?” but my questions were answered when the hostess (lady with pink hair) stopped everything when she saw him and proceeded to hug and smooch him up, she then introduced herself (common practice in the Philippines is to hug and kiss, then actually introduce… only a joke, this is not common practice).  So she asked the tall white guy where he was from and he said that he was from the United States… no big deal, it’s a pretty big country… she asked what city and he said, “I’m from Kansas City, Missouri”… are you kidding me!  This was hysterical.  Here I am, watching TV thousands of miles from home and there is a guy on the local (Manila) show from Kansas City!  I was intrigued to see how long he would last… he lasted about as long as it is taking you to read these sentences…  I think I might try to get on the show when I go back to Manila… why not?

I had some tuba with some co-workers later that night and had a great time conversing with them and learning a bit more about the intricacies of the organization, as well as the intricacies of trying to plan around wives… just kidding.  I found my new favorite hamburger in town and it is in an unexpected place… the Coffee Hub.  While having the best cup of coffee by far, they also have great hamburgers, whodathunkit?  Instead of dipping a doughnut into my coffee, I will now dip a hamburger.

At work I have been working on numerous tasks and I actually feel like I am accomplishing something… before I just felt that anxious feeling that I was learning but not doing anything, now I am actually accomplishing tasks and, like God said, “It was good.”  For someone as powerful and all knowing, you would think he/she would have indulged themselves a bit more (I am going to guess God is not into the self-indulgence), but maybe God doesn’t ramble as much as I do… a straight-shooter.  I could imagine that a conversation with God would take about two sentences and then you would be enlightened much more than in the 432 posts I have written… maybe I should shorten these up a bit… then again, that is probably not going to happen.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009-“Jon vs. Badminton… Badminton-1, Jon-0”

I had my first experience with badminton a couple of days ago.  It was a far cry from my glory days back at 5212 Belleview (childhood home).  Me and my two siblings would set up the badminton set in the yard and it would take much longer to set up than it would keep us entertained by playing.  We got out the shuttlecocks and raquets and we would hit the birdie back and forth to eachother, seeing how high we could hit it… then we would probably see a basketball lying in the distance and pick that up, look at the badminton set and the basketball, contemplate for 2 to 3 seconds which one we would rather play, and then Stephen would steal the ball from my sister and we would spend the next 20 minutes trying to steal the ball back.  In our mind, this was more entertaining than putting the badminton set back in the box, this still holds true (who wants to put the game back in the box?).  Little did I know that I would be waging full-scale war in Catarman on the badminton court nearly 20 years later (just kidding, the game is very friendly). 

One of the guys from the Coffee Hub was, well, at the Coffee Hub earlier in the day and I had expressed interest in playing that night… so he happily offered and I met them at the court (right next to Coffee Hub) after dinner.  I should have been paying more attention when I noticed that they guys were stretching before we played.  I thought, “It’s badminton, why would I need to stretch?”  I should have taken the necessary precautions.  Now two days later, my legs are extremely sore and I cannot bend over and touch my toes (I’m actually not claiming that I could ever do that, but you get the idea).  I warmed up with Milian (one of the Coffee Hub workers), she was telling me about prior visitors and occasionally “smashing” the birdie right back at me.  A smash is the equivalent of an “overhead” in tennis, but due to the close proximity of badminton, it is much more intimidating (Andy, I know exactly what you are thinking right now, so hold it).  The guys showed up for the real match (Milian told me that she does not play actual matches, so she would leave for the match) and we started.  I thought I got the hang of the game in the warm-up, but I was far from it.  I think I was the cause of 90% of the lost points, but it was all in good fun and I had a great time.  I did get better towards the end, but still have quite a ways to go.  I am looking forward to playing again and I can see why they love to play the game.  It is a great exercise (even though, at first, you may not think it would be) but more importantly it is a great time hanging out with friends.  That being said, I am going to try to stretch out for a minute before I try anything drastic.