Getting to a comfort room can be hard

I thought I knew English but clearly I was wrong. Suddenly I cannot understand it or be understood. The good thing is that I know I will be back on track in a couple of months when I get used to the language. Before that I will encounter few baffling moments. Here are some examples.

The first new word that I learned in Philippines was aircon. Air conditioning system that cools the air inside the apartment. An apartment is called condo which is an abbreviation of condominium. The fringe is called bangs. I had to ask my hairdresser to spell it to me. The toilet is called comfort room. The last word I learned quickly due to an urge that comes with the need of it.

Do you need to go to the comfort room?

“No thanks, I feel quite comfortable and relaxed at the moment.” I am waiting for my new Filipino friend, wondering what kind of comfort she is getting in that room. And where is this strange room? After all we are in a shopping centre – or mall, as it is called here. I bravely ask when she comes back. It actually makes sense in old Finnish language (mukavuuslaitos), but I was not smart enough to fetch the connection from that far.

The next day I am in a large shop called SM City Marikina, and I end up needing this mysterious room. Unfortunately I had forgotten what I learned yesterday, so I am asking the shop assistant: “Excuse me, where is the toilet?” She takes me to the department where they sell toilet carpets, toilet brushes, toilet roll holders… “No, I need to wash my hands!”, and she takes me to the section where they sell hand soaps. “Ehmm… Ladies room?” She points at the Ladies clothes.

The Donkey in Shrek said “When there is will, there is a way!” My will is building up inside me, reaching a moment of despair when I remember it: “Where is the comfort room, please, the Comfort Room!? The CR!”

Aiming to be understood, not embarrassed

It’s not only once or twice but many times when the waitress is answering to me even if the question has been asked by my husband. Equally often, when the poor person has no idea what my husband is saying (he is from Scotland, it might explain something), he looks at me with a sign of despair on his face, hoping I would save him and translate that gibberish into English. So far, I haven’t heard local person saying “Sorry, I did not understand.”

Sometimes, frankly quite often, there is a full English sentence that I cannot understand at first. Mostly it’s the speedy way Filipino people speak. Their English accent is different to Chinese, Indian or European. It’s not always quite American either. Then there is the particular vocabulary that has been developing during the colourful history of the country. Tagalog, the native dialect, brings its own influence. To complete the linguistic challenge, here comes this odd foreigner who is trying to understand and, equally hard, trying to be understood.

So we are all quite deep in it, down to our knees. We just have to manage. My way is simple: “Can you please repeat that very slowly and clearly since your accent is quite difficult for me to understand.” – Say it just as it is.

About the toilet paper

By the way – the toilet paper, if there is any, is often outside on the wall, not inside the toilet box. It’s too easy to steal it from there, I guess. It’s wise to keep some tissues with you and, remember it’s a Comfort Room!

For Shake’s sake

I made a list called For Shake’s sake. Trying to be light-hearted in a situation that actually scares me a lot. The first time in my life I am truly afraid of something. Because of it’s unknown and I cannot influence it if it happens. Yet, it is part of my new circle of life.

Earthquakes have a certain level, not very big, though, of predictability. Authorities who monitor the movements of the earth, cannot tell exactly beforehand when it will happen. But they are now anticipating a “Big One”, as there is a certain cycle that high magnitude quakes happen. The one we are now waiting for is already overdue.

Be prepared, they say

I have been learning many new things about the severity of an earthquake in the last couple of days. One of the locals who helps us to find a new apartment to rent, said that “Don’t worry, you are safe here. This building has been built according to Japanese standards and can take 8.0 magnitude of a shake. If it will be stronger it doesn’t matter because we will probably be all gone anyway.”

Rescue forces participated in the Big Drill in Eastwood on July 30, 2015

 

A large scale drill was organised to remind us about what can happen. It was in many news globally. If you want to read more, just google some of the words like Metro Manila, shake drill, earthquake, Philippines, news.

Locals are really well prepared for disaster recoveries. Every citizen was aware of The Drill.

 

The list

The number of items you should take with you when leaving your home in the case of earthquake, is about as much as when you go for hiking in harsh, tropical conditions for several days.

• Important documents (passport, certificates, bank documents, ID card etc.)
• Camera
• Computer
• Mobile phone
• Extra power pack
• Battery-radio
• Torch, batteries
• Medicines
• First Aid kit
• Emergency cash
• Multifunctional pocket knife
• Matches
• Plastic bags, some rope
• Spare clothes for 3 days (trousers, shirts, underwear)
• Toothbrush and paste
• Plastic fork and spoon
• Canned food, dried fruit, nuts etc.
• minimum 6 litres of drinking water

We live in a high rise building with more than 20 floors below us. Like in the case of fire, you cannot use lifts to get out if an earthquake hits. Running down the stairs with full hiking gear on will be an experience on its own, this one spiced up with a fear of life. I am not looking forward to this.

Give me some money, Maa’am!

“Give me some money, Maa’am!” A small boy, maybe 6 years old appeared from nowhere, looks at me with his beautiful black eyes. I smile at him: “Sorry darling, I cannot give you any money”.

I would give all that I have if I knew it will help him. But poverty is a tough problem to solve, much more complicated than you think when a small boy is simply begging for money. The boy reminds me of the movie called Slumdog Millionaire. Except that here it’s not a movie, it’s reality that stupid foreigners like me really know nothing about. I wish I will not see any blind beggars.

I can see the poverty on the streets but it’s more difficult for a foreigner to identify than for instance in Europe. Poor people here are usually clean and they wear normal, clean clothes. Opposite to many poor countries in Africa, most poor people here have at least water. Only disabled beggars who cannot wash themselves might have a dirty appearance. The other day I saw an older lady between the cars in the traffic lights, begging for money from the passengers when traffic stopped on red light. She was wearing such a nice top that I could wear it, too. It’s confusing.

Beauty in braces

Wealth, as it is a relatively new phenomenon in Philippines compared to the developed world, has quite unusual forms to manifest itself. I was told that office workers are raised above the ordinary people just by wearing a name badge that tells the world they work in an Office. I see coffee shop workers every day wearing their uniforms when they go home from Starbucks. In Finland you would hide the badge and change clothes before you leave your work.

I was wondering why so many people seem to have dental problems here until someone explained it to me. Typically a young woman who makes more money than average or has good fringe benefits, wears braces. Not to fix her teeth but as a status symbol. I wonder when these individuals are planning to remove those uncomfortable things from their mouths. Well, at least bad guys cannot steel the braces so easily as they could if you wore a beautiful necklace. But the hissing accent that comes with the braces, makes it definitely more difficult to understand what someone is trying to say to you.

Many of us don’t remember any more those days in Finland when people were wearing a special White Hat all the summer to show they were something special. Today the funny white hat is only used shortly when you have your high school graduation party and the grannies want to take photos of you wearing the white hat. Then the expensive garment goes to the back of the wardrobe and is forgotten for good.

Small boys begging for money don’t know anything about that, they just want money from the Maa’am who looks so rich in their eyes. Maybe they dream about braces.

Reunited with my lost luggage – after four days

“It is in Rome, Maa’am. They will send it back to you with the first possible flight, Maa’am”.  Rome, I thought, that’s not so bad. – Well, it was worse.

That “first possible flight” was four days after my arrival. I called to the airline’s service number every day just to hear that: “It should arrive tomorrow, Maa’am” and then: “It’s not here yet, Maa’am. We will call you soonest it arrives”. I suppose it’s a long way from Rome to Manila, but I could have flown there and back for a few times in four days. Cathay Pacific takes its time when handling lost luggage, I must say.

I was thrilled when I finally saw my wee case. Have you ever had a feeling that you would like to hug your luggage? The moment when I saw it, I almost wanted to give it a kiss or something. I might have jumped a little, so happy I was. I had made a conscious decision to travel light this time. Naturally I did not expect it to be so light for the first days.

I had to go to the airport to pick it up. First, I had to get a Visitor Pass from the airport security counter. It was admitted only against a valid ID, so I gave them my Finnish driving licence. They are concerned that people misuse the pass, therefore a deposit that you certainly want back.

Next I had to wander through the customs to the luggage hall. I ended up to a large storage hall with floor-to-ceiling shelves full of cases. I did not dare to ask if all them were lost on a flight. A non-smiling Filipino man gave me my luggage and the lady in the next room, who represented customs, asked me what’s in the case. “My clothes!” I said like I had won a lottery.

The emotional side of the old rags

When you move abroad, you will feel very “naked” without having anything familiar with you. You have to leave behind all the people you love and care about, your furniture, your home, your car. Even if you would ship some stuff to the new home it will take weeks before the shipment arrives, so you have to survive with whatever you have in your case. And the content is your only connection to something familiar that you can touch and feel.

In the whole new world it gives you little comfort when you can choose an old t-shirt to wear, those old underpants that you took with you just in case, your old but comfortable shoes to walk about to explore your new neighbourhood. You can put the picture of your family or friends on your bedside table in the hotel. Without my luggage, I had nothing.

Shopping is fun?

During the first three days of my new life I spent doing compulsory shopping in a city that I don’t know. I had to buy all the most necessary things that I wasn’t smart enough to stuff into my hand luggage or that did simply not fit in there.

There will be another post to tell you more about that.

Good morning, Mamsir!

Solid 23 hours of flying behind me, changing the plane in Rome and Hong Kong without missing the connection or having a delayed flight, I finally landed in Manila Ninoy Aquino International airport. Just to hear that my luggage didn’t make it, and that I had 90% chance to see my precious personal belongings again.

I had never managed to pack so much stuff into my wee case before, and I have packed a case quite a few times. This time I had to stuff it all in no matter what, and for the first time I also sat on the case to close it. Laughing loud by myself when trying to do so, because I fell off few times before I succeeded. Have you ever tried that? – Then you know what I mean.

This was the longest journey I had made so far in my life, and I was a wreck. I could have fallen asleep anywhere in 30 seconds.

 

“Good Morning Maa’am, only 10% of the luggage will be permanently lost, Maa’am”, the endlessly smiling clerk at the lost luggage desk encourages me with incomprehensible accent and gives me a piece of paper to fill in. Asian people are small, many of them tiny. I am size 14 (40-42 in Finland) and the XL in Asia usually equals size 12 – if you are lucky to find it. Asian ladies have thick, black hair. I really don’t. Local hair products are totally different to what I am used to. And so it continues. That’s why I was absolutely worried about my luggage.

After queuing for ages and supported by the Smiling Wonder to get the lost luggage report done, I finally found my driver. He had waited for me there for two hours! Later I have learned that two hours of waiting means nothing in Manila. But that morning, as a prompt and precise Finnish person, I thought that driver must be ready to shoot me.

My wise husband had sent me one, as the airport taxis cannot always be trusted and I did not yet know which ones are the goodies and which ones the baddies. The driver’s nick name was Tiny. When I saw him I thought they must sell clothes for people of my size since that giant had found clothes to wear, too. Right, so all the locals aren’t so small in Philippines.

Normal traffic flow on a highway C5 outside rush hours

One could imagine that the curiosity – or fear – beats tiredness when sitting in a car that goes through madness and mayhem, driven by a stranger. But no, I slept on the back seat like a baby. You cannot do anything anyway, if something happens, except pray or hope for the best, depending on your preferences.

When me and my husband walked into the hotel lobby, the security guys with heavy artillery on their waist and the door men with their white shirts are smiling in a choir: “Good morning, Mamsir!”