PoolBum's Adventures Has a New Home

For more options I have moved my blog. It can be found at ExpatLifePhilippines. Check it out! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Thanks for your understanding.

PoolBum's Adventures Has a New Home

I have moved my blog to: ExpatLifePhilippines. Check it out!

Doing business in the Philippines

I'm sitting on the floor at gate A6 of the International Terminal at the San Francisco Airport. Heading back home after a 2 week visit with my family. I'm pretty excited to get back to my wife and kid and our very new business. Well, to be more precise, Maricarl's new business. As a foreigner I have to be careful to not even appear to own more than 40% of any business venture. Really, even a partly foreign owned business often is dealt with differently than a local owned. The combination of being a foreigner and having white skin is absolute proof that you're rich. As a relative matter I suppose it may be true but as a practical matter I may be one of the many exceptions.

For instance, the city engineer who oversaw our remodeling including the planning and sub-contracting started out begrudgingly agreeing to Php 40,000 based on my wife's assurances that money was limited (which is true). When it came to his attention that there was a Kano involved he quickly found reasons for upping the ante to Php 50,000. And even this didn't include some of the things we had expected.

Were it not for my wife I have no doubt that I could easily have paid two times what we ended up spending. In fact, I would be surprised if any enterprise, foreign or local, could have accomplished what she did for less. She's that good of a negotiator. However, I take credit for the excellent deal we got on the computers. It was inspired, if I do say so myself. Something that anyone could do when buying any big ticket item or multiple items.

I researched computer systems online and found a very competitive price at a Manila based distributor in Cebu City. I used their online pricing to build 15 systems to my specs. I contacted them by email to confirm the price and ask if any additional discount could be had as I was buying so many. No, but they would throw in the networking materials for free and ship for only 200 or 300 pesos each. I was definitely dealing in good faith as I would have certainly bought them had I not found a better deal.

I printed the quote and went to several local computer retailers and spoke with the managers. I just told them the truth... that I would prefer to deal with a local business and if he could match the price for the same or comparable equipment I would buy them. As it turned out, I got a somewhat lower price and while I didn't get free networking supplies I did get free installation and a better warranty. Prior to doing my homework and dealing with the manager I had been quoted nearly $200usd more per system.

I often get charged more than the "Filipino price." This is why for the larger ticket items I count on my "negotiator." Being able to speak a little Visayan has definitely come in handy when I act as my own negotiator. It's not so much that I can do the subtleties of bargaining in the local dialect but it speaking even broken Visayan establishes that I am not a tourist. Plus people on the whole are appreciative that I am making the effort. I think my efforts imply several things and they are all true. It says that I am not too proud to make mistakes and can laugh at myself. It also says that I respect the local culture and the people and that I want to be able to communicate on a more personal level. Besides, why should I expect other people to speak English? All those positive and friendly vibes go a long way in bargaining.

Opening a Business in the Philippines

The business (Billiard Academy and Internet Cafe) is really coming together. Painting is complete and the pool table is set up. It's really nice. In fact, I got my first student and have been able to give the lessons on it. I have wanted my own table for many years and I can hardly believe that I actually have one. I guess all I needed was to come to the Philippines, lol. Who knew?

I've been able to practice undisturbed several times and I can already see some improvement in my game, which as you can imagine pleases me a lot. I figure it will take about a month to get back to where I was when I was playing in tournaments back home. The computer desks and front counter are being built (at the carpenter's home) and will be finished and delivered next week. I found a good deal on the computers online in Cebu City. I now plan to check out the local computer suppliers armed with the quote from Cebu. I hope to find a comparable deal here in Dumaguete.

If I can't secure a good price here I  will buy the ones in Cebu and have them delivered also (hopefully) next week. The A/Cs will be installed on Tuesday. We have 2 refrigerators coming, courtesy of Coke and SanMiguel (a popular beer company).

To open this same business in the States, I suppose it would cost at least 3 or 4 times as much (but then many times the projected gross sales would  be needed, lol). The same bottle of beer would sell for $2.50 to $3 and here the price Maricarl can charge is around 70 cents. In the States I charged $25 for a pool lesson... here it will bring about $3.25, lol. But then, that same $3.25 will take me and Maricarl out to dinner. Anyway, when everything is complete I will take some photos and post them here. If you have any questions about opening a business here (or anything else), just post it as a comment. I'll reply also as a comment.

Just a Joke That Made Me laugh

We were dressed and ready to go out for a New Years Eve Party. We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard.

We phoned the local taxi cab company and requested a taxi. The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house. Our cat who we had put out in the yard, scoots back into the house. We didn't want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird. My wife goes out to the taxi, while I went inside to get the cat. The cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit. Waiting in the taxi, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the house will be empty for the night. So she explains to him that I will be out soon, "He's just going upstairs to say goodnight to my mother."

A few minutes later, I get into the taxi. "Sorry I took so long," I said, as we drove away. "That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. I had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take off, so I grabbed her by the neck. Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it worked! I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!" The taxi driver hit a parked car.

The Good, Bad, Ugly & Humorous of Poverty

The effects of poverty in the Philippines can be seen everywhere. Some of these effects pull at our hearts. For me, it does and whenever downtown I generally seek out the blind mother of 2 to put enough money in her cup to feed herself and the kids. Homelessness is relatively minimal where I live but as in all small cities and towns we have our share of destitute people. When I see an injustice perpetrated by the rich that takes advantage of the poor, I get angry. Some things are more laughable or at least make me shake my head in bemused disbelief.

I’m getting accustomed to seeing grass cut with a manual scissor-like hedge trimmer or sometimes an actual pair of scissors! This is of course when a goat or cow isn’t available or would be impractical. Although, how practical is cutting an entire lawn with scissors?  I have yet to see a lawnmower, gas powered or otherwise. The $2 or so for the worker is obviously better then the upfront cost of a lawnmower. In the case of a power mower there's the ongoing cost of gasoline. Gas is one of the few commodities that has a price comparable to the West.

The pride of the city, the “Boulevard” along the sea is swept by hand with a broom resembling its household American cousin but shorter overall with longer and softer bristles. It is surprisingly efficient.

Labor is very cheap and people are desperate for employment. Many things that we from the West expect to see done with a machine are done by the hard work of many people. Road construction is a good example. A mile of road can take months to complete. Hand troweling of the poured concrete (and most of the rest of the work) is a long and arduous process. Unfortunately, the planning can be sorely lacking. Recently, the 2 main North/South roads were under construction at the same time. The ubiquitous small motorcycles, called “single motors” (I have no idea why) will generally use the sidewalks or the trench for passage. Trucks and cars and some of the single motors used the only remaining North/South road which is very small. The surface couldn’t withstand all the additional traffic and potholes large and small resulted. As soon as one of the roads was completed, work began on the small one to repair the damage. I suspect that the smaller road would have lasted several more years had the road projects been better managed.

The call centers are touted as providing desirable jobs. Their ads tell of pleasant working conditions and a friendly environment. I have a very different take. They are prime examples of how people desperate for work get taken advantage of by the rich. The jobs are 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. Starting pay is 8000 pesos (around $168). Not for a week but for an entire month! After 3 months the pay is increased to a fabulous $250 per month. Often the workers don’t last the 3 month “training/probationary” period.

My wife was offered just such a job but in her case it required relocating to Manila. That particular company was aggressively recruiting in the Provinces. They most likely saw the advantage of hiring people far from Manila for wages that would barely support them in that city. Once there, they would have no money (or time) to do anything else. Many would be unlikely to have the cost of transportation to get back home. They’d be stuck in a strange city with no choice but to work. What a missed opportunity greed has cost the call centers thus far. The lack of loyalty and high training costs that high turnover causes could easily be much improved for a little more pay or at least a bit more humane work schedule. Can anyone say: Unionize.

It’s stunning how many text messages the average Filipino sends during the course of a day. It is a primary means of communication here and supposedly the text messaging capital of the world. People text while walking down the street. A message costs 1 peso (about 2 cents US). While sitting in line at the bank where cell phone use is prohibited, I noticed a young gal surreptitiously sending a text message. She wasn’t even looking at the keypad. I asked her if she had learned that skill in school. She nodded shyly. That’s not to say that it's part of the curriculum, only that she refined her text messaging skills in order to keep in touch with her friends while in class. However, maybe it should be taught. It would probably make the streets a bit safer. It’s not uncommon to see someone braving the semi-chaotic traffic (a future post on this amazing topic) driving their motorcycle one handed while typing a text message. My short, fat fingers make texting hard enough two handed! I read in the paper that a pedicab driver in another town had a minor accident (with passengers aboard) while sending a text. His punishment: the mayor slapped him and he was sent back to work.

Purchasing “loads” is how the vast majority of people buy their airtime. This allows them to buy as often as they can afford it. But here’s the rub, the loads expire. A 10 peso economy load expires in just 24 hours. 20 pesos expire in 48. “No load” can be aggravating, especially when you need to reply to a text in the early morning or late evening. Who wants to get dressed and find an open “loader.” For this reason and before I realized that the loads expired, I regularly bought Php115 (which I now know expires in 15 days). 

In my case, I rarely text more than a few times in a day, some days none and at most 6 or 7. The end result was to regularly make an outright gift of a dollar or more to some big corporation. For me, I suppose it's the principal that offends me. But for my poorer neighbors, that dollar could likely feed a couple of people for an entire day. No wonder the Filipinos text and text, they want to get their money’s worth of messages before they expire. I resent this policy but am adapting, sort of. I buy smaller loads and send more messages just to be sure to have a zero balance before needing to reload. Just another part of my cultural education, lol. So far, my acculturation doesn't include texting while driving. I always pull to the side of the road to read or reply but then I’m still a novice when it comes to text messaging.

The only reason that this policy is in place is to boost profits. The only way it can continue is for the politicians to allow it. How despicable is that? Corporations gouging poor people while the government turns a blind eye. I wonder if their cut (no direct knowledge but not sure how else to explain it) affords them a peaceful night's sleep? What a deal.

Yes, the Philippines is a tropical paradise but sort of the economy model. Over 7100 islands with countless beaches on a par with any on the planet and many world class snorkeling and dive sites. For vacationers, there are lovely 3, 4 and 5 star resorts for a fraction of what you'd expect to pay. In most of the country, $1500usd a month will support a royal lifestyle complete  with a live-in cook/housekeeper, a gardener and a driver. 

But it’s only paradise if you have the money or possess a great attitude about your own poverty. Most people fall into this second group. It’s amazing how happy people are here. I would have to say that in general, happier and more carefree than people in the States. I think this goes a long way to proving the old adage that money isn’t the key to happiness (it can sure come in handy though, lol). People are forever singing (really) and Karaoke is extremely popular. Store clerks, laborers, bank tellers and taxi drivers can be heard singing without inhibition. Any excuse is a good one for having a party and a few bottles of Red Horse (a decent, strong and cheap beer) is enough to bring a group of friends together for talking, laughing and singing. 

Superstition: Lola said

I am often amazed at what intelligent people can wholeheartedly believe without ever considering that it could simply be untrue. In fact, without giving the slightest thought to how illogical it might be. To have an attitude of: I believe it because I always have and besides, my Lola (Grandmother) told me. Who can argue with that? The source of the many superstitions in the Philippines: Lola. May she rest in peace.

 

Don’t cut your nails at night. “Why not?” Because it’s bad luck. “Oh.”

 

Don’t whistle at night and definitely not at the dinner table. In fact, better to not whistle at all but if you must, only during the day. “Bad luck?” Of course.

 

Don’t sigh at the dinner table. “Let me guess… bad luck?” Yes.

 

There are so many of these that the uninitiated could easily and unknowingly violate many in a single day. It’s a wonder so many of us survived beyond our 30th birthday. If these are new to you, blame your Lola.

 

OMG. What are you doing? Don’t kill the ants in the house, they bring good luck. “But there’s a lot of them.” Well, they’re my pets. “Pets? All of them? Even the really tiny ones that are such a nuisance?” You can kill the really tiny ones but not the larger black ones. The red ones can also be killed, they bite. But the black ones are my pets.

 

Whenever Maricarl informs me of some potential peril I am risking for myself and my family, I do sort of an informal poll to see how widespread the notion is. My first stop is Leleth, our live-in housekeeper and yaya (nanny) for our son. I turn to her and ask, “Have you heard of this? Do you think that killing ants will bring bad luck?” Without exception, she has smiled shyly and nodded her head. Then, I check with some outside (possibly more objective) sources and either get confirmation or at least an acknowledgement that the belief exists. Oh yeah, my Mom believes that, with a quick (maybe too quick) denial of subscribing to that particular one themselves. My poll takers aren't what are referred to as "from the mountains." For the most part they are business people and college educated.

 

I even Googled: cutting nails at night. I wasn’t sure I would find anything (and I hoped I wouldn’t). I was shocked. There are 591,000 listings, addressing this urgent matter. Try it if you don’t believe me. You know what I discovered, not only is it bad luck to cut one’s fingernails at night but there are varying ideas of what days of the week you should avoid even during daylight hours. Some think Saturday and some are sure it’s Tuesday. It seems fairly common knowledge that it’s definitely not OK on your birthday. Who knew?

 

Then there’s the dreaded Wedding Curse (Sokub). This is a widely held belief that two siblings shouldn’t get married in the same calendar year. If they do, some evil will come to one or the other of them. It’s a little vague what exactly will happen but lots of people here know that something bad will indeed happen. Lola told them.

 

Sokub actually had a direct impact on me (even more then needing to sneak around to cut my nails, shh). My wife’s brother Rey, got married in January 2008. When Maricarl and I decided to get married, she told me of the curse but assured me that she didn’t believe it. I ended up on the phone with Rey. The problem was that his wife’s mother did believe. I asked him if he also believed in Sokub. Rey is a great guy and a hard working engineer. His response: “Of course not… but why take a chance?” I became a believer that very instant. I knew that if Rey and Rachel should have any trouble or discord (what married couple doesn’t) that I could easily be blamed. What a curse it would be to risk a lifetime of hard feelings with my soon to be brother-in-law. You know: why take a chance? We got married in February, 2009.

 

I’m going to go out on a limb here and try to use rational thought to pinpoint the origins of some of these. For instance, maybe the sighing at the dinner table is related to the food/poverty thing. Sighing could be perceived as being disinterested or bored. Those sorts of expressions might be offensive to God. The logical way to handle it: “Why take a chance,” even if you really are thankful for the meal and just tired. You definitely don’t want Him thinking you don’t appreciate the bounty that He has provided. He may not be as generous in the future.

 

My theory regarding the ants, in a round about way may also be from the food/poverty issues that so many here have lived. In order to have ants in your house, you also need to have food or at least have had some food in the recent past. It’s a poor country. Having food is definitely lucky.

 

Even in my most creative moments I have not been able to figure out any logical reason why cutting your fingernails at certain times could possibly matter. I’ll keep working on it and let you know what I come up.

 

As for the wedding curse, it seems pretty likely that the Lola of some poor family flat out made it up. She wisely wanted to spread the expense of two weddings out over two years instead of one. Brilliant. 

 

I have saved what I think is the most bizarre for last.  A couple months ago our 6 year old got a small fish bone stuck in his throat. He wasn’t choking or anything that seemed life threatening but was pretty uncomfortable and crying. It was too far down his throat to be retrieved so (right or not, I don’t know) we had him drink some water and then eat part of a banana to push it down the rest of the way. I thought we probably succeeded but his throat was so irritated that it felt like it was still stuck. Clint was still crying and trying to dislodge it by coughing vigorously and there were tiny specks of blood as a result. It was verging on chaos as we tried to think of what to do next.

 

My wife urgently says something to Leleth in Visayan. My Visayan is marginal anyway and she spoke so fast I didn’t catch any of it. Leleth understands and goes out the front door and a minute later returns with our neighbor’s cat. Of course I have no clue what’s going on or what possible reason the cat was brought into the mix. Truthfully, my mental faculties became suspended and everything seemed to happen in slow motion as I watched in awe. The women work in unison, both knowing what to do. Maricarl is tilting Clint’s head back and Leleth has a tight grip on the cat and is extending a front leg and using the paw to massage the boy’s throat.  That's when I realized what they were up to and snapped out of my zen-like moment... “Are you kidding me! Get that cat out of here!”

 

Clint went to sleep a little uncomfortable but too weary from the trauma of the experience to care. He woke up the next morning feeling fine. No one has mentioned the cat (who no doubt was also traumatized). But I can’t help but wonder if the women secretly think that their expert use of the old tried and true cat trick saved the day. After all, Lola said.

Kano

Filipinos generally refer to everyone with white skin as a “Kano” or “Americano.” It would not be unusual to hear something like this, “I met an Americano. He’s from Germany.” It isn’t meant to be derogatory. Even so, I don’t particularly like being lumped into such a large group that I often have nothing to do with and certainly no control over. The fact is, many tourists and expats treat the local people with a lack of respect or an arrogance that I find embarrassing. As if their pocket full of pesos is proof that they are superior. My take on this is that the only reason they have those pesos is pretty much an accident of birth. While accumulating money is no easy task no matter where you’re from, it is hugely more difficult here then any 1^st world country.

 

Foreigners sometimes misinterpret the uniquely Filipino English grammar as a sign of a lack of intelligence or emotional immaturity. What they fail to realize is that the “simple” person they’re talking to can communicate in at least two and usually 3 or even more languages. Everyone can speak Tagalog, the national language, English (the 2^nd national language) is common as well as whatever dialect is spoken in the province they are from. A pedicab driver I met was fluent in five languages.

 

There are no gender specific pronouns in any of the Filipino languages. Consequently, he/she and him/her are often a challenge. “Siya” is both he and she and you can only differentiate by context. When it comes to English, it seems that they’re guessing, banking on the 50/50 odds of being right. Sometimes they will hedge their bets by referring to the same person first as one and then the other, e.g., “He went to the store and then she came home.” After my first couple of months here I came to terms with this and stopped assuming the gender based on which pronoun someone chose.

 

Anyway, because foreigners are often hambogiro (boastful) and bastos (rude), most people I meet are a little guarded at first. I’m pretty outgoing and friendly and I am always practicing my Visayan. People immediately drop their guard and become warm and friendly as soon as they see that I’m not going to be a jerk. Considering it would be far faster for me to just speak English, people are very tolerant. Everyone seems to really appreciate that I’m trying to learn the language and even strangers are forever taking the time to teach me new words.

 

I guess my point is to not judge people based on your cultural bias. Jobs are at such a premium here that employers can set fairly high job qualifications. The waiter or store clerk that is helping you (and earning $4 to $5 a day for a 12 hour shift) is almost certainly a college graduate, conceivably in engineering or computer technologies. So, if you happen to come here, treat people with respect or at least with common courtesy. It will take you much farther and you will probably make some friends who will have a depth that you might not have imagined. And if you move here, I highly recommend learning the language. It will convey a certain measure of respect for the culture. Besides it’s the only way to be in on all the good jokes.