By Ma. Lurenda Suplido-Westergaard, M.D., Contributor
INQUIRER.net
15. GROCERY bags — Since I have to pay for each one I take here in Denmark, I have established a collection of plastic bags from the major supermarkets, all (sort of) neatly stored under the sink. They get to be used many times, until they end up as trash bin liners. I used to have a more massive collection of plastic bags from mall supermarkets in Manila, and they hardly ever got re-used. I wonder what would happen if I brought those to SM and Robinson’s and then say to the bagger, please use these, they’re perfectly recyclable. There’s a fashionable (environmentally friendly) cheesecloth bag here that’s supposed to be used for shopping — to do away with plastic altogether. But if I send this home, it would pale in comparison to our bayong. On her birthday, I gave my mother-in-law a sturdy and finely woven bayong that I bought from Aldevinco in Davao City. It’s her favorite shopping bag.
14. GPS (global positioning system) — There is this amazing car gadget that shows you how to get from one place to another. It has a map that displays exactly where you are and a pleasant female voice that tells you when to turn. Of course this would have to be configured for Philippine traffic where the best option isn’t always the shortest route. There are other factors — peak hours for going in and out of offices, big churches, schools and universities; the scheduling of three-day sales in big malls; fiestas and processions; political rallies; barangay basketball tournaments; burol sa bahay (vigils held at the home of the deceased, with family gatherings spilling over to the street); funeral processions; busted traffic lights; traffic collisions where both parties make a big deal out of superficial scratches on their bumpers; and then there’s flooding…
13. Trains and buses with a fixed schedule — It’s strange to be able to say to someone: “I’ll take a bus at this station at 10:43, transfer to a train at 11:08 and meet you at your office after a six-minute walk.” Yes, in Pinas there’s always a jeep, FX, bus, taxi, tricycle, or pedicab waiting to take you door to door. The adventure lies in when you will actually arrive, and if you have to report your time of arrival, you have to say: “Ah, eh, not sure, siguro mga 20 minutes pa, more or less.”
12. An efficient vote counting system — A few weeks after I arrived there was a parliamentary election. Results were known before the end of the day. Yes, they have a smaller population here, but that would be the equivalent of knowing election results for Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Makati, and Pasay within six hours of closing the polling centers.
11. Community newspapers — We get them for free (I guess they’re supported by taxes, not just advertising) several times a week. They’re like Inquirer Libre at the barangay level. I find it most interesting to read profiles of one’s neighbors (ordinary folk, not starlets, rich people or politicians), and get updates on when road repairs are expected to be finished. Today there are four pages on how the barangay’s tax money was spent, complete with charts and bar graphs.
10. Windmills — It would be great to harness the power of amihan, habagat, and frequent typhoons. I’ve heard of a project on wind power in North Luzon. Imagine the country having so many more them, like at the farm level.
9. Bicycle lanes — I bought a second-hand bicycle to avoid the high minimum fare on public transport, and feel safe riding it on specially marked paths. It is possible to get to the supermarket without getting on a road with cars! You can attach special seats to these bikes so a toddler can ride at the back, held in place with a seatbelt. I wouldn’t think of trying this out with my son in Manila though.
8. Packed museums — Yes, we have museums in the Philippines, but what I’d like to see are places teeming with people who are there because of genuine interest — not for school field trips, and not just because of a chance encounter at a mall exhibit. The last time I saw a packed museum in Manila was maybe 20 to 25 years ago, when there was a big display of artifacts from the Vatican, one of the events during a Papal visit. This is not to disparage our museums, or the general public for not patronizing them. I’m just describing the heady sense of excitement I feel in seeing many people share my interest in objects of art and reminders of our history.
7. Fresh milk — My husband looked at the “fresh milk” cartons I used to buy in Manila and wondered why they took so long to expire. Here, shelf life is about one week, opened or not. The milk here tastes different, and there’s the option to buy milk produced ecologically, mas mahal nga lang (more expensive though). Drawback: because there’s no evaporated milk, much less condensed milk, I have to figure out a new family recipe for leche flan.
6. Cheap broadband — Everything seems expensive to me, but in relation to income, monthly broadband subscription costs are very low and represent a small share of household expenses. I’m excited about the potentials of computers and the Internet for education, health care, low cost communication with family and friends — potentials which can be realized only if the technology is ubiquitous and accessible to all. See what we’ve already done with SMS in the texting capital of the world!
5. Candles on Christmas trees — I did not get to see a single parol (Christmas lantern) this year, but we had a real pine tree, and that in itself is a thrill. What I was really impressed with are holders that allow you to light up trees with candles. I know that safety concerns will not make this popular in Pinas — we have enough causes of fires to deal with. So I guess I’ll just send pictures.
4. Bird feeders — When asked about what I wanted for Christmas, all I could say was a bird feeder. I had to explain to my family that I felt sorry for all the birds that have to live in the cold. Their trees don’t even have leaves on them! There are so many different kinds of bird feeders on sale, and supermarkets sell bird food that are meant to be placed outside people’s homes for the consumption of wild birds, not caged pets. The ducks in a stream nearby survive partly because residents bring them left over bread. Of course there’s more to this desire to have a bird feeder. It’s about teaching my son to care for wildlife. It’s about accepting that I live in a country where people don’t eat wild ducks, they feed them!
3. Good fun — Confucius said, wherever you go, go with all your heart. I think for Pinoys, this should be rephrased as, wherever you go, go with all your sense of humor. Many times during my travels to other countries I would happen upon something unusual, scary or downright bizarre, and then immediately make a joke out of it that only a fellow Pinoy would understand. After reading my previous list of 15 things I miss about the Philippines, my close friends and family laughed out loud knowing that I was ably dealing with the stress and bewilderment that accompany migration and being part of a multiethnic household. But those who don’t know me so well sent messages of serious concern for my wellbeing. The country I am in is not bad; neither is the Philippines a paradise. Yes, I miss our old apartment in Malate, and the UP campus but I don’t miss the floods on España and Taft Avenue. There have been moments when a profound sense of melancholy overtakes me and I feel like hibernating for the rest of the winter. I know being homesick is natural and inevitable, but I take solace in the fact that home is where you create your happiness (and where you cook adobo).
2. Free quality education for all — Okay, now for the serious stuff. One of the things I worried about most while growing up was how my parents would take out loans to pay our tuition and how my father eventually worked in the construction business abroad in order to support our education. My two brothers, sister and I went to the best private schools in Manila. We grew up speaking sosyal (elitist) sounding English not because we were economically privileged but because our parents placed the lion’s share of the small household “fortune” into our schooling. Living in Denmark now, I wonder: how did this small country of 5 million people produce 16 Nobel Prize winners for medicine, literature, physics, chemistry, and peace? I believe the answer is in realizing every person’s potential for contributing to society, and that rests on educating everyone in the best way possible. I wish all Pinoy children would have the same opportunity.
1. Free universal health care — Soon after arriving, I received two letters: one from the city health service reminding me to go for a pap smear, a screening procedure for early detection of cervical cancer and other gynecological diseases; a second letter was an appointment for my son to see his dentist. On my health insurance card are the names of two doctors my family has been “assigned” to. Their office is close by, and I have their phone numbers. Beyond hospital or clinic-based health care systems, there is the overriding concern for safety in the streets, creating healthy workplaces, curbing pollution, living well until you’re gray. I don’t need to describe how a Pinoy family can be devastated economically by serious illness, and how patients, especially the poor, don’t often get the care they deserve.
Since the publication of my first list on INQUIRER.net, some readers thought I was whining about my condition as a Pinoy living abroad. Seriously, hindi po (I wasn’t). I am handling it in the same way I’ve faced other major life events: with some measure of grace and the biggest smile I can muster. In this second list, some might feel that I’m making empty (if not strange) promises to fellow Pinoys after migrating (often seen as synonymous to abdicating one’s responsibility to participate in nation building). Seriously, hindi rin po (I am not). The worst interpretation of these two posts is that I left the Philippines because being abroad is better. It is not so. It’s just different. One of my professors told me I’m like a turtle: I carry my home on my back everywhere I go. I think there’s more to that analogy: turtles also have a keen sense of navigation; they know how to go back to the place where they were born.
My simple hope is that I could get through the holidays (and all winter) with my Pinoy sensibility intact; to put some distinctive Pinoy touches to a Christmas season where, for the first time ever, I won’t get to hear Gary V. sing “Pasko Na Sinta Ko” on the radio.
Manigong bagong taon sa ating lahat (Happy New Year to all)!
56 Feedbacks on "Countdown to 15 things I wish I had sent home for Christmas"
santi consunji
well written…
Reggie Suplido
“One of my professors told me I’m like a turtle: I carry my home on my back everywhere I go. I think there’s more to that analogy: turtles also have a keen sense of navigation; they know how to go back to the place where they were born.”
Great lines sis.
I enjoyed reading it.
vbf
very well written. it will take a while to adjust to a new country, the food, the climate, the people, the language, i am pretty sure that you will be fine. you are very intellegent person and very sure that there’s a better future ahead of you. wish i can talk to you. cheer up.
expat
you’ve redeemed yourself.
honestly Christmas outside the Philippines lacks the ‘warmth’ and the meaning of the season.
Pat
Attagirl, Lolit!
krism
I enjoyed reading this blog! Well done!
Pasty Muncher
Wherever i munch my pasty = that’s my home. Munch onwards and upwards.
Ian Soriano
Excellent piece….have known the author from med school.
divine
yeah very well written even the first article about the Philippines. I’m also married to danish and staying here in Denmark. Thanks for your views
pinoy parin!!!
Im sick of your countdown…don’t make Filipinos ignorant like you. Why not compare Denmark from other European countries, Canada or United States maybe it makes interesting to read. Just a friendly advice find a job their in Denmark to make your self busy and productive.
Pinay in Stockholm
I do understand that the author did not mean harm, nor did she mean to criticize any country/culture. I did not even get the sense na nagyayabang siya, nor that she didn’t know what she got into, nor that she was asking for advice from Pinoys in other countries. Nagkukwento lang naman sya.
Kaya lang, given the number of misinterpretations which were expressed by the readers, I do not agree that these articles were well-written.
They were not able to effectively convey the message of the author, which only goes to show that she is a doctor, not a writer.
Ria Holmgeirsson
Just wondering where in Denmark you are settled. Is it in Jylland or Sjælland? It would not be impossible if you already know some Filipino friends I had while living there.
Carmen
This is better than the first article, still far from the typical UP medical doctors’ witticisms , double-talks, puns etc.-all the ingredients of intelligent minds in order to convey their message.
aloy
Hi, fellow migrant here in the Netherlands! I am absolutely going through the same swings of melancholy and noted admiration in Europe. I enjoy reading your posts as I understand where the angst, the yearnings, and yes, even the pagpapatawa comes from.
v k i k a y
Very well written (way better than your previous post). This is how i felt when i first arrived here and every time i travel - if only i can bring these blessings home and share it with my family and fellow kababayans.
Cheer up. My first holiday away from home felt like i was about to die from homesickness. No call, postcard and picture can ease the pain of being away from what you love (and hate). I can assure you that all will be better.
To be honest, being away from my beloved nativeland made me love it more.
gil
Hey. Maybe your host country is not really meant for you.You see it is really a waste of brain to think about I wish this and that. That’s for kids. Please consider going back to your country of origin and help your poor and sick countrymen. They need you there. They dont need the GPS and candle on the pine tree. Good Luck
maricel
hello, how babaw naman the other readers here. what’s so impressive about this article? anong well-written? it’s like my niece in grade 6 who wrote this — full of naivete and ignorance, little things namamangha na — on her first visit to a foreign land. that’s how this writer strikes me. and BTW, you should have learned how to gas up by yourself now. kung hindi pa eh, isa kang malaking hello….
axel
“A countdown to 15 things you wish you had sent home for Christmas.” I don’t understand. Is something going to happen/expire with you?
Your list is over the top. I was hoping you would say you miss your family and friends this holiday season. IMO, what you really are trying to convey here for the readers to know, is not all about the holidays but mock the Philippines. For example, your scenario about the GPS and traffic. You want to tell the readers, hey, it’s heaven here and hell over there.
Just for the record, the population of the Netherlands is not 5 million, but 16 million. In the Netherlands, prostitution is legal and is a major producer of many illicit drugs, so it isn’t like all “heaven” as you may have observed.
Your # 1 about “Free” health care isn’t really free. The people would have to pay higher taxes to fund this kind of health care system. And besides, healthy people would have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, drink, obese, etc. You have to be a little bit rational and not all positive about stuff.
katipunanph
Typical Pinoy in a foreign land. Complaining just about anything regarding the Philippines as you compare it with your new found home. Becoming sentimental probably to compensate for the fact that you are not senorita anymore. And that is what you really miss (based also from your previous posting) and now you make fun of the difficulties back home. I’m proud to be Pinoy and I will not denigrate my country as you do even as you make it appear as a joke.
Carmen
Northern Sjælland is “populated” with Filipino glorified maids, the au-pairs. Why don’t you join them ? Must be of your mentality level, although I praise them for their hard work and their humility.Get a job or some other activity- use your brain or brawn!
pinoy parin!!!
I can’t understand why a UP-MD wrote such silly comparison between Denmark & Philipines in which for obvious reason no need to publicize via inquirer.net. Your article in my part was like written by elementary grade describing the first experience outside the Philippines since you where born. What a nonsense article? come on lets be practical? Are you trying to ensinuate to the reader that you live such a heavenly country? What free medical health care for all? Are you kiding? To tell all those benefits that you said free was a taxpayers expense that’s why if you know about taxes kaya nga malaki ang taxes dyan. So if you are not working and you receive such free medical from your host country then you are considered parasite. Tell me if I’m wrong?
You know what there’s only two reason why posting your article online: First to let the reader know how ignorant you are, secondly indirectly saying Philippines is a nasty country.
Why not direct to the point by saying “Hay sa wakas! wala na traffic sa Taft avenue, wala na baha, wala na siksikan sa MRT, wala na kotong, wala na pollution etc..etc..” magpakatutuo ka.
If you really love Philippines you don’t have to leave our country since you are a doktor by profession maraming mahirap na Filipino na nangangalaingan sa iyo.
pinoy parin from Jersey City, New Jersey
romy
why not write an article about Denmark? Why its called Denmark, its history etc..etc..For sure it will make sense.
romy-pasay
MLSW - author
axel,
I live in Denmark, population 5.4 million. I’ve never been to the Netherlands, well at least not outside the airport during a stopover
And yes, health care in Denmark is free. Don’t know much about the Dutch health care system though.
The post was about things, not people. Missing people is an entirely different matter and that might be another thing to write about in the future.
———————–
To all readers,
Thanks for your support and for reading the posts. What a dynamic medium blogging is - at once personal and public.
I hope you too will send blogposts to the Inquirer editors so we will learn about many different kinds of experiences, all valid and wonderful.
MLSW
Caljam
This Doctor is vehemently FRENETIC!!! Think before you write!
San Diego, CA
exie
“Home is where you cook adobo.”
Nice! Thanks for these two articles. I enjoyed them greatly (unlike some readers who seem to lose their sense of humor when they go online).
Hope things turn out well for you there.
DB
“Oh great Spirit, may I never judge another until I have walked in his mocassins”.
Old Indian Proverb
eklavu
at least you’ve finally redeemed yourself.. the cardinal rule in writing (even if it’s a blog about yourself, because you have to assume that many people get to read it): know your audience, and don’t sound self-serving.
mistah007
The author’s second article is boring, I almost fall asleep while reading it(lol). She should have maintained her previous style of writing to make it equally entertaining and of course controversial and informative as it was. The Dr. become soo cautious in this 2nd part w/c I think is, in order not to offend and irritate her readers again but in return made her article sound monotonous or dull. The first part I think is a bit more entertaining and articulate with all those humors and “pasosi” effect injected in it which eventually made it more interesting to read and controversial hence all those negative reactions and angry replies, heheh. Anyway looking forward to your more blog posts in the future. Take care po dok and enjoy your new environ…
Bluelodger
Theres no such thing as FREE if the are people being taxed for it. Do your research 1st before you write and stop delineating that Filipinos are IGNORANT like you!
California Engineer
haynaku
axel and maricel are right. this article is kind of condescending. hello, you are not the first pinoy to have gone abroad — and certainly not the first to have gone into such hardships to get to where you are now. not by a longshot!
i bow to the real heroes, who have gone through fire, to achieve something that we, pinoys, and humanity in general, can all lift our heads up to. and believe me, learning to gas up by yourself isn’t one of those things.
Nancy
hello, well written but whatever you wrote it doesn’t change my love for my country Philippines. I missed my country, my family,my friends etc..and one day I will permanently go back to the Phillipines for good.
tory
Well what can I say if your trying to be naive about this things that isn’t happening to isla pilipinas well for sure u better try to understand now. A lot of changes has ben made to cope with the ever changing world and the Philippines is on its way to be a worldwide destination if I may say. The inner beauty of my beloved country lies within its vast natural resources and the sense of being pinoy. If u knows about it??? If we are going to help each other and helpout to be a better place that will be one of the best thing that u can contribute and not trying to be influenced by the western world because we are different.
queenie
“We grew up speaking sosyal (elitist) sounding English not because we were economically privileged but because our parents placed the lion’s share of the small household “fortune” into our schooling.”
one chooses to speak sosyal, my dear.
queenie
agree with other poster.
Get a job and integrate
Andrei
Good one, for me also, I think the article pose of a Filipino thinking of where he will stand. Migrate to grow more and never return to his homeland, migrate and return upon growing old, or continue to be in his native homeland and help others even though it looks helpless.
I myself went to Europe for a 4 months training but I am still undecided whether I will migrate or not to Canada.
midnight
the author does not live in the Netherlands. She lives in Denmark.
True, prostitution is legal in the Netherlands. They pay taxes too. They practice their prosfession in allowed areas and have to undergo regular check-ups.
Selling soft drugs is indeed legal…in registered coffee shops [that's what the
venues are called] in certain areas, also
legally registered and known by the police.
The owners of the coffee shops are only allowed certain amounts, beyond that they can get a fine. The Dutch parliament have passed this law as a sort of “experiement” to minimize the enormous number of drug addicts. They were right…the addicts have lessened in
numbers.
They are not stupid…those parliamentairs…
The dogs the dutch police
use to trace drugs in airports, borders, harbors, etc. are the best trained in the world. Some countries are on waiting list
in importing them for their own countries.
The country is doing its best in minimizing
illegal drugs, illegal prostitution, illegal workers from the former east block countries, illegal coming in of fake brand-name products, etc.
Taxes are indeed high but every citizen
benefits from age 1 to the hour of his/her death.
No one who’s a resident complains…so why should someone from another country should?
Every country has its own culture and traditions…everyone needs to respect them instead of condemning them out of ignorance…remember, the Dutch people
and government donate an enormous amount of euros to the 3rd world, the
Phils. included.
The people may be frugal in their own way, but when it comes to charity, they
have a big heart. And we Filipinos benefit from that…
jane
geezzzzz..whats the BIG deal about posting these countdown things..seems like this is a kid stuff -it’s just like writing a journal kids do for a trip ..sound not interesting at all to me, u need to work as a doctor and see for yourself what life is for REAL in other countries where u pay for your own liabilities, licensing,insurance and clinic..then share it to your colleagues and for sure that will help and people will appreciate it…not all these crap that’s very routine and not new at all..
oh! boy– it’s a long way to go for you to really know–fil-ams who has been here in United States for sooo0o long has no time writing all these kids stuff–nonsense!!
Christian Magnusson
Your original thought-provoking article about your life in Denmark unleashed a torrent of responses both positive and negative, but should we not consider the plight of the millions of less fortunate Filipinos; spare a thought for:
1. The nine million OFW who are compelled to work abroad to provide for their families, because jobs are not available for them in the Philippines. The Government tells us that only 6-7% of Filipinos are unemployed, but this is hard to believe when you consider the vast numbers going overseas in search of jobs; perhaps it would be more accurate to say 7% plus nine million.
2. The many thousands of Filipino graduates who are forced to accept menial jobs abroad, particularly those employed as house maids working up to 18 hours per day in appalling conditions, some physically abused by their employers.
3. A Bsc Engineering graduate, promised a salary of US $ 400 per month for working as a housemaid, who on arrival in Dubai, is told by her employers that they will pay her just US $200 a month, and that she would also be tutor to their two small children.
4. The many Filipinos incarcerated in jails in the Middle East, particularly those on “Death Row” awaiting execution by decapitation, with no proper legal defense and no one to help them. There is little justice in a country like Saudi Arabia where a young woman is sentenced to six months jail and 200 lashes for being in “close proximity” to the man who raped her, or in Sudan where a primary school English teacher was sentenced to two weeks in prison for calling a teddy bear “Mohammed”: She was lucky to escape the unruly mobs demanding her execution.
5. The thousands of Filipino doctors who now work overseas as nurses, because they cannot survive here on derisory salaries.
6. The nine million OFW who, having taken work overseas to sustain their families, now find that the strengthening Peso reduces their remittances by 20-25%. Imagine the impact of this on their relatives receiving these reduced monthly remittances. Apart from those repaying foreign loans, who benefits from this?
7. Everyone in the Philippines affected by the spiraling inflation. According to the Government, inflation is running at only 2.8% for 2007, but the people who calculate these statistics must be living on a different planet to the rest of us. We are told that the increased strength of the Peso is helping to cushion the impact of the rising global price of oil and other imported commodities. Does that explain why for example the cost of gasoline, diesel and LPG increased 16 times in 2007?
8. The millions of children packed into overcrowded classrooms of public schools with no books and little hope of receiving even a minimal education. Forget cyber-education, we need classrooms, teachers and books.
9. The 11 million out of school youth, whose future prospects are bleak? Imagine the implications when they all become adults, swelling the ranks of the impoverished unemployed. Who will run the Philippines if all the graduates are outsourced to other countries?
10. The poor people who survive by scavenging in the garbage dumps, the street sleepers and beggars, the hungry and the destitute, and children who sleep in the graveyards of the rich.
11. The patients who cannot afford the prohibitive cost of life-saving medicine, because Congress still has not passed the cheaper medicines bill, and because the pharmaceutical companies are doing everything they can to block the passage of this bill, simply to preserve their inordinate profit margins.
12. Children with chronic illnesses requiring life-saving surgery whose lives hang in the balance while their desperate relatives attempt in vain to obtain financial assistance. Congressmen typically donate only P 5,000 for open-heart surgery costing P 450,000. Yet the same public officials accept Christmas bonuses of P 200,000 from the House of Representatives in addition to cash received in paper bags at the Palace earlier in the year. What do they do to deserve this?
13. The rabies victim who suffers a slow and agonizing death because the public officials of the Provincial Capital who control the rabies vaccine will only release it to those who can pay P 1,300 per vial (Hippocratic Oath?).
14. TB patients who are denied free Government medicines, because local politicians and health officials give them away to relatives and supporters in the run up to elections, or hoard them until they are time expired.
15. The elderly living in abject poverty, who can expect no assistance from the Municipal Calamity Fund in rebuilding their homes destroyed in storms and floods, because local officials deliberately withhold the money so that all permanent employees of the Municipal can each receive Christmas bonuses of P 30,000 from the “under spend”. (Legalized corruption!)
Be thankful for small mercies in Denmark.
Christian
MC_90
whats up doc!!!! hehehehehe
Once nagluto ako ng tuyo..dahil nagdala ako ng tuyo galing pinas…kinatok ako ng kabilang flat…ano daw luto ko at nababahoan sila….well sabi ko..nagluluto ako ng tuyo..isang uri ng pagkain na gustong gusto ng mga cebuano (gaya ko hehehe) sabi nya di daw ako dapat magluto nun kasi mabaho daw…true enough nababahoan sila pero para sa akin mabango hehehehe at tatwag na daw sila ng pulis kung magluluto pa uli ako nun (gawain nila dito yun..konting problema tawag agad sa pulis)
Well..ang ginawa ko..almost everyweek nagluluto ako ng tuyo…naghihintay pa din ako kung kelan darating ang pulis na huhuli sa akin at siguro ikukulong ako….DAHIL LANG NAGLUTO AKO NG TUYO AT AYAW NG KAPITBAHAY KO ANG AMOY NG NILULUTO KO!!!!
magandang chance para maheadline ako…hehehehe pilipino nakulong dahil sa pagluluto ng tuyo!!!!
Kung minsan, masarap talaga mangasar hahaha
wanda
this lady doctor is obviously misinformed, or simply dumb and naive …. nothing in Europe is for free! citizens of Europe pay enormous (and hideous) taxes to avail of the social services from the government. it is the people who have work who generate such income for the government where in turn they expect to be taken care of - and this system somehow works in Europe. it is obvious that this so-called lady doctor’s one of those unemployed in Denmark who’s enjoying the benefits of the social system for “free” - get work real fast before you get to be tagged as a social parasite in Denmark. oh yes, you need to study the Dannish language first … if you can’t do just that, you’ll end up settling for meager jobs Danes hates to do.
the next time you write another blog, do a research, know your subject first - you do come across as arrogant, naive and stupid. the Inquirer readers are no dumb lot … for all you know, they are more educated and well informed - having said that, your “doctor” title would even pale in comparison.
Axel
Re: To Christian Magnusson,
I assume you are from Denmark, because you said at the end of your comment, “Be thankful for small mercies in Denmark.”
First of all, I must say, you are way out of line here. What exactly is the point of your comment? Granted, Denmark is a first world country. So why must you pour salt in our wounds and compare Denmark’s living conditions with those of the Philippines? You have infuriated me. Another ‘countdown’ of the Philippines’ shortcomings is not needed—we all know that. If the author (I’m sorry, I was mistaken about her country of residence) truly desired to send those things back home for Christmas, she should first have at least some semblance of pride for her mother land instead of spouting out solely negativities.
Since you’ve been excessively negative about the Philippines and entirely disregarding the improvements currently taking place there, I’ve looked up a case study regarding Social conditions in Denmark that might be a good read for others.
Denmark sucks!!!
By Peter Bjorn Perlso
Published March 2005 (based on an original from March 2004), Updated March 2006
In short, Denmark is a socialist hellhole, that you would have to be cortically challenged to want to live in, unless you are a spineless and unproductive welfare leech. Here is why:
1. Extreme income taxation (confiscation of private property under threat of violence), ensuring a complete annihalation of the incentives to producing wealth and prosperity:
Top marginal tax rates are 50% in Japan, 45% in Germany, 40% in the UK and 35% in the USA. Income taxes on lower incomes are naturally much lower (ex. 10% in the US and UK). Keep in mind that the average income for a full-time employed person is in excess of 200.000 DKr/year, and, as you can see above, a full time danish employee thus has a marginal tax rate of 42% and up.
2. Extreme General Sales Taxes (25% of all values derived from sales of goods), even on foodstuffs. It must be seen in the light of the glorious welfare state (which supposedly exists for the sake of the poor) that high sales taxes hit the low-income groups especially hard, as they are applied to things that cannot easily be omitted in the everyday household. The UK and USA, oft targets of socialist mudslinging for being rough on poor people, do not tax foodstuffs.
3. Business/corporate taxation of 28%, plus lots of rules & regulations than regulates you to withing an inch of your life if you decide to start a company.
4. Assorted taxes on investment and capital gains (such as stock profits). We can’t have people create capital for new businesses, can we?
5. Automobile taxation: A tax on all automotive vehicles, between 105% for small and environmentally friendly cars, to 180% for large cars (say Volvo, BMW or Mercedes). And this is, of course, before you add the GST, which brings us to a grand total of 131 % to 225% added to the market value of the car (so your car will cost you 231 % to 325% of the actual market price). Crikey!
6. Since the public transportation system works as poorly as it does (see below), most people have to buy a car. And since new cars are so expensive, due to the aforementioned taxes, a lot of people buy used cars, or keep their old car for longer than they would otherwise. That is why most of the cars in Denmark are miserable, dangerous, wasteful and polluting pieces of junk.
7. Duties on oil and petrol increasing the price for one liter of gasoline for your car to exceed 8 DKr (approx. 1.33 US$. Compare to a US price of gas that is around 2 US$ for a (US) gallon, which is 3,8 litres)
8. Estate and rental value taxation: You pay taxes based on the assessed value of your property. If the value assessment of your house increases (eg. due to market demand, or expected market demands, interest rate fluctuations etc), your tax goes up. As such, you pay tax on money that you already paid income tax of. This also goes for people who live in (rented) apartments - wonderfully social, isn’t it ?
9. Mediocre public transportation: Public transportation is rarely on time, and rarely completely effective. If you depend on public transportation to get to you job in the morning, you had bettter be prepared to do a lot of sincere apologizing to your boss, who will not be amused that you regularly arrive 15 or 30 minutes late for work. [Furthermore, during the socialist years (1993-2001), collective transportation recieved major financial subsidies from the government (unsurprisingly). One of the major companies providing public transport - Combus - was on the brink of brankruptcy in the late 1990's. The Socialists' answer to this was to pump even more tax money into the bus company - a total of 600 million DKr over a span of 2 years. Even despite this massive aid package, the company went bankrupt shortly thereafter. The minister (Sonja Mikkelsen) in charge of public transport - and thus this enormous subsidy - was never charged with the dismal misuse of taxpayer money.]
10. Public broadcasting based on licensing that invades privacy and uses mafioso methods to procure funds: DR, the largest radio station, is funded on money that are extorted from you if you buy a television or a radio. There are made many attempts each year by the DR authorities to breach the privacy of the homes of private people to find out if they have a radio or TV set. If the DR authorities assume that you have a TV set in your household, you are sometimes greeted with threatening phone calls, encouraging you to pay or be heavily fined for not paying your TV license.
11. Mandatory yearly payment (~2000 DKr.) to aforementioned state controlled media corporations for owning radio and television recievers. Lots of rules and regulations and checks of your household if you choose not to support the state media monopoly.
12. On top of that, the DR is pervaded by socialist affiliates, who skew the news coverage and media programmes in both TV and radio in favor of the left wing of Danish politics.
13. Mandatory Bi-yearly car checks, even on newly acquired vehicles. (price: 400 DKr per checkup)
14. Taxes and duties on more things than you can shake a stick at (tea, coffee, rechargable batteries, yes even low-power lighting bulbs).
15. Alleged environmental CO2-taxation burdening any and all industrial businesses.
16. Complete state control of educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities; a) ensuring uniform thoughts in all the state pawns; b) Destroying the market for private and unregulated education, making sure that the only way to obtain a higher degree is by attending state-funded and controlled teaching institutions.
17. Restrictions on free speech - no dissident thought allowed. No “racism” (conveniently redefined to mean criticism of state-sponsored immigration) or blasphemy allowed - punishment ranges from fines to imprisonment.
18. Wideranging state sponsoring of “culture”, meaning theatres, music, movies, books etc. Would you be surprised to learn that we have a very large number of collectivist book authors and movie producers in Denmark, and that numerous authors are financed directly by means of tax funds every year?
19. Severe restrictions on immigration: If you are under 24 years of age, the state can intervene in deciding who you can and can not marry, especially if it happens across borders.
20. Complete firearms restrictions. Owning a firearm is not only illegal if not registered by the police, and a permit is difficult to obtain, plus the weapon itself (it is additionally difficult to get any reasonably useful handgun or rifle). Should you be able to obtain a firearm, you will not be allowed to use it in self defense. Plus, firearms owners, apart from hunters, are stereotypically seen as potential criminals, murderers and generally Bad People. Not as individuals with a right to self defense the best way possible, oh no.
21. Conscription. Unless you are deemed unhealthy or chronically ill, you are to be conscripted into the Danish armed forces. If you choose to refuse, the state can send you anywhere they please, more or less, to be used as cheap labor. This is naturally to discourage dissent. Big surprise.
22. Healthcare system is state owned, and while private hospitals do exist, a) they are few and far between; once again a result of the market-destroying state intervention on behalf of the “common good”; b) The quality of treatments on publlic hospitals are at best mediocre, and the line you have to wait in is long. If you have cancer, you are likely to die while waiting for treatment.
23. Unions: Many unions in Denmark are in some degree affiliated with the Social Democrats, the largest socialist party in the country. First of all, that means that some of your union money goes directly to the SD’s, unless you actively opt out from the “contribution”. Second, whenever the chance arises, the union bosses will be sure to voice public support for the socialist political parties of the country, and of course attack and denounce the liberal and conservative parties (as seen by SID, HK and others). Third, some unions occasionally blockade factories and entrepreneurial businesses, if there have been disagreements about wage or work conditions at the factory, or if lower-paid foreign workers are found to be employed (of course they aren’t union members). Unions prefer violence over diplomacy, it seems.
http://haxor.dk/articles/dksucks.html
Rheekoe
Ginagalang na Gng. Dr. Suplido-Westergaard,
Dapat nating itanong sa ating mga sarili, bilang mamamayan ng Pilipinas-
“Ano na ang nagawa mo sa iyong sariling bayan?” Lahat ng mga taga
Denmark at iba pang ma-uunlad na bansa ay nagpakahirap, nagbayad ng buwis, nag-alay ng dugo
at buhay upang makamit ang kanilang kasalukuyang katayuan, na
siya namang pinagsasamantalahan ng mga immigrant na katulad mo. Walang dangal
doon kahit ano pa ang ipagyabang nyo.
Ang iyong paglalathala ay isang insulto sa akin, bilang mamamayan ng
Pilipinas
na piniling bumalik at manatili sa kanyang sariling bayan upang sikapin
na mag-alay
ng panahon, pagod at buhay sa ikabubuti nito.
Madaling sabihin na mahal mo ang iyong bayan. Ngunit ang pagmamahal ay
may katumbas na tungkulin na dapat na ginagampanan.
Ano sa tingin nyo ang maidudulot ng inyong sulat? mapapabuti ba nito ang
Pilipinas?-hindi!.
Nagdudulot lamang ito ng pananaig ng kolonyal na pag-iisip at mga
damdamin ng paglisan sa sariling bayan.
Sana naman ay maging sensitibo kayo sa katayuan ng bayang Pilipinas at
sa mga nangyayari dito sa susunod nyong paglalathala, maging sa mga
maaaring idulot ng mga sinusulat niyo sa pag-iisip at damdamin ng mga
mamamayan sa Pilipinas na tunay na may pagmamahal at malasakit dito.
gourdo
hmmm. i read the previous post but only realized it made a big stir when i read this second one and saw the comments. i wondered why because i thought it was a witty but very personal piece. i read and enjoyed and forgot about it.
dr. lab
dr. luren,
hi dr. i am smiling again infront of my computer because you stirred once more readers of this popular blog of inquirer.net. I really enjoyed reading your coundown (1st/2nd) including the reaction of readers and can’t keep laughing because more were got mad at you the second time around. I believe your humor makes you look younger than your age. Please share more about real Filipino experiences in a foreign land. One day I will give my share too.
Carmen
God- is this blog still here ? Discard it and be silent of a Filipina doctor- professor who has the mentality and writing prowess of an 8 year old.
enen of Canada
Hello Doc,I enjoy reading your write ups,your just sharing what good things that you see in your new place.Ang tanong ko, Bakit may masamang mga impressions ang mga kapwa Pinoy sa iyo,seguro inggit sila sa narating natin.he he he.Magsumikap rin kayo!
MC_90
wanda,
the lady doctor is not dumb or misinformed….she was merely expressing an observation and an emotion to what she has observed….You..I think is arrogant and aggressive enough to call her names….
Ill bet you dont miss your country at all….maybe you are one of those filipinos who finally got endoctrinated by the country you are living with…or maybe you for a long time already have the thing we call “colonial mentality”
you are the one show needs to understand your words first before you reply to blogs!!!
MC_90
Enen of Canada,
normal talaga na kapwa pinoy ang may masamang impersyon sa kapwa pinoy din…kahit saang bansa ka magpunta…hindi ka makakita ng mga pilipino na nagkakaisa…laging merong maraming factions..
dito lang sa kinalalagyan ko…di ko na mabilang ang dami ng organisation ng pilipino dito…kasi kung ang isang membro ay galit sa presidente ng organisation…titwalag sya at magtatayo ng ibang grupo hehehehe
ANG SABI NGA NILA…KUNG SA ISANG LUGAR MERON 10 PILIPINO NA NAKATIRA…SIGURADO MERON DING 10 ORGANISATION NG PILIPINO SA LUGAR NA YUN
hahahahah
tapos TINATANONG PA NATIN KUNG BAKIT HINDI UMUUNLAD ANG PILIPINAS??????
FOOTSY
As a writer, I could understand that the author is a doctor and probably wasnt able to get her messages across, hence the remarks from readers to both of her blogs.
As this is a blog, she can write whatever she wants. However, expect more comments (negative or positive) as she has published it at the net.
As a reader, I am quite dismayed on what she has written. It doesnt come across the way it should be.
carmz
i beg to disagree with my “tukayo.” the author definitely and obviously does not have the mentality and writing prowess of an eight-year-old child. i don’t know her at all, but she talks sensibly about topics of human interest and i can read between the lines about her concern for her fellowmen back home. keep it up, doc! just ignore those who simply don’t know any better. the world will be a better place if you continue to share these valuable insights with others.
kodomobonita
i’m really having fun reading the author’s blogs. i could see the truth in it. i guess some people who really can’t dig it is because they are residing in a different country, thus having different experiences,but since i am residing in Copenhagen at present, i could say that the author is merely writing her observations…this is her truth…and her truth should never be questioned.
Perla P. H.
Hej Dr. Luren,
I hope that you can speak and understand danish language by this time after almost 7 months in Denmark. You find a job as a doctor. Denmark is in need of doctors. You can see website http://www.laegejob.dk.
Liza
Hi Doc Lolit!
Galing… very funny…
Liza G.
NoKoreansAllowed
I think this is a cool article.
Keep it up!
visit now
Your site is also very interesting, very calming effect just reading it. Will spend more time with certain areas. Well done and good luck with your work.
gogohamster
GoGo Hamsters are the new number 1 Christmas present ever!
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