By Lurenda Suplido-Westergaard, M.D., Contributor
INQUIRER.net
15. TAKING a taxi out of the supermarket — First of all, taking a taxi is very expensive (more about public transport later), but what I really miss is having an attendant actually carry the stuff out, wait with you as you enter the taxi line, and load up the goods. That kind of service doesn’t exist here. Heck, they don’t even give you free shopping bags at the supermarket: You have to bring your own, or they charge you for each one you take.
14. Being able to drive — First, no license. Second, can’t afford to buy a car (at 200-percent tax, never mind). Third, I easily get lost (one open field looks just like any other). Fourth, I can’t imagine myself filling up at a gas station (me holding the gas nozzle? Ewwww!). Fifth, I wouldn’t know what to do if there’s a solid sheet of ice on the windshield.
13. Taking two minutes to dress up Alex in sando (undershirt), shorts, and sandals — Here: underpants, long socks, normal socks, long pants, t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, sweater, gloves, winter coveralls, boots, hood. Minimum: 30 minutes. If he’s not cooperative, this takes an hour. Pagod na ako, hindi pa kami nakakalabas ng pinto (We’ve not gone out the door and already I’m tired)!
12. Being able to blend in — Almost the entire indigenous population is blonde, and I get a sense that all women are at least 5′8″. People don’t stare (as we do at foreigners in Pinas, out of a naive curiosity rather than rudeness), but it is not possible to just pass through here unnoticed. This is especially uncomfortable for someone with a self-conscious streak. Of course there are deeper issues here: It’s about being in the minority. The last place where I lived abroad for an extended period was
11. Long mall hours — Everything is closed by 6 or 7 p.m. on weekdays, by 3 p.m. on Saturdays. And there’s nothing open on Sundays (except on eight Sundays of the year)! What happened to shopping after work? Or sitting in coffee shops till midnight? I’m told it’s because family life (being at home) is so central to living that commercial establishments have to let their employees go and enjoy it.
10. People with a more friendly sense of personal space — Having grown up riding jeepneys (and buses on pre-MRT EDSA), I think nothing of being packed like a sardine in public transport, thighs squished together on both sides. One time I sat beside an old man on a public bus, I swear he gave me an elbow (okay, he might have had Parkinson’s). But there was another time when I reached over to press the stop button and the lady beside me raised her arms in a defensive move, like preparing for a karate chop (okay, maybe she was physically abused in the past). In a half-full bus, I see people electing to stay standing. Those who sit together in the two-seater row are friends, not strangers.
9. Minimum fare of P7.50 — Here it’s P96.00 (that’s on buses/trains where you can have unlimited transfers within two adjacent geographical areas over one hour; but you still pay the same minimum fare even if you’re just going for a five-minute ride).
8. Temperatures above 20 degrees — This is a country where the average annual temperature is seven degrees Celsius. Haaaay! Apat na patong ng damit, nanunuot pa rin ang lamig. Bawiin ang Nobel Peace Prize ni Al Gore (Four layers of clothes and the cold still seeps in. Get back Al Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize)!
7. Policemen — Never thought I’d say this, but I miss seeing policemen, armed security guards, traffic enforcers, and the “friskers” at the entrances of malls and LRT stations. Not that I long for their presence; it’s their absence that is disconcerting. In my one month’s stay here, I swear I’ve only seen one policeman (his partner, the driver of the police car, was female). At the police station where I had to report my presence, the staff were all women. There are lots of cameras on public transportation and highways, still, getting the personal touch is different (hahaha).
6. 12-percent VAT — That sounds good if you now have to pay 25 percent.
5. McDo, Pizza Hut, Don Henrico’s, Jollibee, Max’s, and all restaurants who deliver even if you’re just ordering food for one. Corollary to that is having hot meals three times a day (at least). — Here, it’s buttered bread and yoghurt for breakfast, cold cuts sandwich for lunch, and a hot meal for dinner. Ack! Walang ginataang bilu-bilo na meryenda sa umaga at walang pancit malabon na meryenda sa hapon (No Filipino snacks in the morning and afternoon)!
4. Going to the movies — This is a country with the most expensive movie theater tickets in the world, and the theaters are far from where I live (well not really far, but I would be spending more than minimum fare; add that to the cost of movie tickets.).
3. Filipinos — I’ve only seen one Pinoy (plus two on many previous visits) in the streets. This is not a preferred destination for overseas workers because taxes take out at least 40 percent of your income (closer to 60 percent total), and then there’s VAT. It’s great if you live here, retire here, and your entire family is supported by the social system (with free education and health care), but it’s near impossible to send money to relatives back home.
2. Filipino the language — The sound of Filipino is heavy on hard T’s, K’s, D’s, and short A’s; what you hear is what you spell (and the other way around). Here there are all kinds of rolling R’s and soft D’s; H’s and V’s that are barely there. Sabihin mo nga sa akin kung paanong naging “mal” ang pagbigkas ng “meget” (Just tell me how “mal” becomes “meget” when spoken)? I’m told that everyone understands English, but they won’t volunteer that. They will speak their language until you say that you can’t speak it yourself.
1. Daylight — Alas-tres pa lang madilim na (It’s just three o’clock in the afternoon and it’s already dark)! Now the days are at their shortest (supposedly seven hours, but it’s really not daylight, more like dusk all day). Losing light is like being hungry — I feel crabby, tired, and a bit sorry for myself. I never knew I subsisted on photosynthesis. There are gadgets for sale that simulate daylight. There’s a new alarm clock on the market that comes with a big wakeup light that’s supposed to be like the dawn. I think this is the hardest for me to get used to. It’s not about being afraid of the dark, it’s about not having the sun streaming through the windows when it should. Someone told me that when there is light, I should go out and soak up as much of it as I can. Pero kung balot na balot naman ako, eh di noo at pisngi lang ang pwedeng mag-sunbathing (But if I’m covered in clothes, it’s just my forehead and cheeks that get to sun-bathe)!
January 7th, 2008 at 1:28 am
cold , dark by 3pm , feeling grumpy and tired ,hight taxes is familiar to me i live in winnipeg , canada .living in cold climate country has lot of challenges let alone a new culture with the culture shock i’m sure Denmark and Canada has some similarites who ever said that living abroad is easy? it takes a lot of sacrifice ,courage and perseverance to succeed . when we are outside looking back to the philippines we miss the things we take for granted when we were there, remember the best things in life are free just from the exprience you have mention when you were there , but now you are in Denmark well then just make the most of your life in there dont forget your roots but at the same time move forward . Pinoys here in Canada are known for their hard work, being able to adjust to way of life and for the ability to learn quickly and i’m sure that i dont speak only for pinoys here ,but for everyone of us who left the philippines. best of luck to you in Denmark make the most out of it you definitely will look at life in a different perspective.
January 6th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Thank you for a very interesting read. Whether you are spoofing or genuinely mean what you said, it is a useful contribution to migration literature. Of course there is “no place like home” but after being expat for almost 40 years, I have added another slogan, “Home is where your nuclear family is” and this has largely been Denmark and Europe for me. Of course I go home to the Phil. as much as possible, ie. whenever I can afford it and luckily, this has been almost yearly thanks to a simple, humble and equitable lifestyle where taxes are so awful!!!basically one pays close to 50% income tax and 25% sales tax on everything, with luxury goods such as cars and perfumes@200%. On the other hand I do not have to worry about educating my kids, getting treatment if ill, sleeping soundly because I do not fear being robbed and so on and so forth..
Life is always a trade-off, as well as being a series of priorities. All of us coming from the Philippines, no matter how poor,always had either “katulongs” (house help) or poorer relatives who made life more comfortable for us. Our Pinoy society is built on mutualities which is the start of corroding corruption.
When I look back at raising 3 kids (only) without help, unlike some people in my circles here who did (yes, some upperclass Pinays have had maids here- a secret!and nowadays they have au pairs!) I feel proud, but not specially because that is what Danish women of my generation have done so why should I have it differently? But they also have many freedoms: economic, political, socio-cultural, eg.freedom from want, of speech, from sexual harassment, etc.
Like I said, Life is a trade off. Obviously after living more than half my life here, I know where quality of life for me is to be found. Here in Denmark. But it is not perfect. No democracies ever are….
I know you will quickly learn the ropes. But keep your critical eye and sense of humour and you will quickly integrate. The Danes have this ascerbic wit and some Pinoys here in Copenhagen will never discover it. You already are equipped with it,so Welcome to better: warmer and lighter times ahead.
Take time out to check out -as
suggested by Ana Lindenhamn earlier-
our organization, BABAYLAN, The Philippine Women’s Network (Denmark) which is a Europewide network of Pinays empowering themselves while maintaining a critical eye to European society.
PS. I am trying to organize a UP Alumni org so you are also very welcome to this initiative. But do it fast, the Centennial celebration is this June already. Contact
me at my email if you are interested.
January 6th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Nyek. Ano ba yan!
Ang linaw linaw.. 15 things i miss about the philippines. Pag tingin ko sa ibaba ang daming galit na nag comment.
Nakakatawa yung sulat nya eh, except for the gas-muzzle part.
January 6th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
looking forward to your part 2 of this article dr. W.
i’m sure the comments will be as interesting and enlightening. cheers to us, pinoys!
January 6th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I don’t see any arrogance from the Doctor’s blog.
It’s the simple things that we expats/OFWs miss.
She should be glad that you are in Denmark and probably earning Euros. It would have been worse if you are in the United States.
US Dollar is now being exposed as worthless (not really backed by Silver and Gold). US will be on recession soon.
Count your blessings.
And to her fllow UP alumni: aw, cmon…don’t act as if you were really trainied by UP to be street smart, humble non-elitist…