Countdown to 15 things I wish I had sent home for Christmas

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)!

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