things I love and hate about living in the philippines

[tiger31]

1. power cuts nearly every other day where I live 2.interuption to the internet and can be very slow 3. satalite t.v signal goes when cloudy or heavy rain 4. cash machines mainly in the cities my nearest one is 12 miles 5. cock roaches and all the other bugs that invade your home 6. disease ridden dogs hundreds of them roaming the streets 7. karaokes,roosters ,music, blaring all hours day and night 8. general pollution,black smoke belchin jeepneys etc etc 9. hundreds of sales assistants following you around the store 10. no stock sir ,no VAT here but they have KANO ADDED TAX lol 11. large que,s for the basic services NOW THE LIKES 1. the warm weather all year round 2. the cheap cost of living 3. the friendly smiley faces despite the hardships 4. the price of land and property 5. the close family values of taking care of each other 6. my lovely girlfriend who takes good care of me lol :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Ako Si Jamie]

9. hundreds of sales assistants following you around the store:icon_lol: Yeah that bugs me too. Happens a lot in Pampanga although when I went to the BQ Mall in Tagbilaran it didn't happen once. Left totally alone and wasn't hassled at all. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[stevewool]

brian you have given me a great idea, it will not solve all the hates but may give hope to a few, number 4/9/10 and 11,

Home shopping, you can start it up and even loan out cash too, use your new bike to deliver the shopping and get paid for it too, look at tesco and the other big boys home shopping, and if you find any road kill along your journey thats a added bonus to try to sell too

[tiger31]

brian you have given me a great idea, it will not solve all the hates but may give hope to a few, number 4/9/10 and 11,

Home shopping, you can start it up and even loan out cash too, use your new bike to deliver the shopping and get paid for it too, look at tesco and the other big boys home shopping, and if you find any road kill along your journey thats a added bonus to try to sell too

:xxgrinning--00xx3: lol

[tiger31]

:icon_lol: Yeah that bugs me too. Happens a lot in Pampanga although when I went to the BQ Mall in Tagbilaran it didn't happen once. Left totally alone and wasn't hassled at all. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

its one of my pet hates when you go into a store here there seems to be 10 sales assistants to every customer then they follow you around the store I get so mad I end up leaving the store without buying what I came in for lol

[stevewool]

I think its great when you have a bunch of lovely young ladies following you around while shopping but you must have no intention of buying,

Better than having the 1 whos intent of spending everything, no names mentioned :biggrin:

[fred]

its one of my pet hates when you go into a store here there seems to be 10 sales assistants to every customer then they follow you around the store I get so mad I end up leaving the store without buying what I came in for lol


Agreed.. I just tell them I'm fine and I'm just looking..Works 8 out of 10 times.. The other 2, I tell to #$%# off. :cwm23:

[Michael Parnham]

1. power cuts nearly every other day where I live 2.interuption to the internet and can be very slow 3. satalite t.v signal goes when cloudy or heavy rain 4. cash machines mainly in the cities my nearest one is 12 miles 5. cock roaches and all the other bugs that invade your home 6. disease ridden dogs hundreds of them roaming the streets 7. karaokes,roosters ,music, blaring all hours day and night 8. general pollution,black smoke belchin jeepneys etc etc 9. hundreds of sales assistants following you around the store 10. no stock sir ,no VAT here but they have KANO ADDED TAX lol 11. large que,s for the basic services NOW THE LIKES 1. the warm weather all year round 2. the cheap cost of living 3. the friendly smiley faces despite the hardships 4. the price of land and property 5. the close family values of taking care of each other 6. my lovely girlfriend who takes good care of me lol :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Agree with everything you say! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

I think its great when you have a bunch of lovely young ladies following you around while shopping....

:xxgrinning--00xx3:

:iagree:

It really doesn't bother me so much. I can always find ways around that.
Some of those sales ladies are fun.

Maybe it's better to explain that you're British and you're looking to being ignored and derided whilst shopping. :biggrin:

Many folks may well yearn for imagined times past and those highly discreet UK sales assistants.
Unfortunately you may find imagination, as usual, has outweighed reality.

In UK they're no longer "discreet".
Personally I find British shop assistants to be lazy, indifferent, and oftentimes rude

Sometimes When I'm seriously thinking about taking a wad of very hard-earned spondooliks out of my unwilling wallet, I expect the sales person to stop chatting to their co-worker and engage with me.
I also want the person at the paypoint/checkout to treat folks with courtesy and a smile, not humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.

Yes, of course there are exceptions – generally they're not British.
The sulky checkout staff at my local convenience shop hardly ever show any sign of recognition, despite my almost daily visits.

We Brits have historically been culturally challenged when it comes to 'customer service'.
But surely in these tough economic times a much higher priority should be placed on customer service.

It's hardly surprising for me that online shopping is absolutley booming here in UK
Nobody ignores you and there's no humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.
In fact it's normal to be welcomed back with a friendly "Hello Terpe, welcome back" each time I visit.

[lordna]

its one of my pet hates when you go into a store here there seems to be 10 sales assistants to every customer then they follow you around the store I get so mad I end up leaving the store without buying what I came in for lol

Well at least there are sales assistants actually interested in selling you something rather than here in the uk where :-

1) you can't tell a sales assistant from someone shopping

2) when you do they look at you as if you were from MARS if you actually want help

3) You ask them a question and they say sorry we dont have that, have you looked on the internet?

4) Not in your size, you can order it on the internet!

Beginning to wonder why we actually have shops here now!

Sales assistants in the Philippines i have found to be polite, interested in finding you something and if they don't have what you want will suggest and show you something you may like instead. They also seem to have product knowledge of the things they are selling. In short you still get good customer service in the Philippines which seems to have nearly completely disappeared here!

[Ako Si Jamie]

I think its great when you have a bunch of lovely young ladies following you around while shopping If they were after your body and not your money I would agree. :icon_lol:

[stevewool]

must admit over in the phils and the big shops they all look perfect and always smilling, i would throw my money at smilling faces, i love to look and a polite no thankyou always seems to work for me and if i am wanting advice they are quick to respond,

[malditako]

must admit over in the phils and the big shops they all look perfect and always smilling, i would throw my money at smilling faces, i love to look and a polite no thankyou always seems to work for me and if i am wanting advice they are quick to respond,

I thought i always wear a smiling face...come on throw some money on me :Jump:

[stevewool]

how can i answer that Grace :biggrin:

[Terpe]

1. power cuts nearly every other day where I live

Tiger, may I ask did you get many power cuts when you lived in Cebu ?

Or is it something that happens where you are now?

Just curious

[joebloggs]

Well at least there are sales assistants actually interested in selling you something rather than here in the uk where :-

1) you can't tell a sales assistant from someone shopping

2) when you do they look at you as if you were from MARS if you actually want help

3) You ask them a question and they say sorry we dont have that, have you looked on the internet?

4) Not in your size, you can order it on the internet!

Beginning to wonder why we actually have shops here now!

Sales assistants in the Philippines i have found to be polite, interested in finding you something and if they don't have what you want will suggest and show you something you may like instead. They also seem to have product knowledge of the things they are selling. In short you still get good customer service in the Philippines which seems to have nearly completly disappeared here!

I've got to defend UK shop assistants, i can't remember a time that someone on the till at Morrisons has not said, hello and do i need help with packing my shopping, some ask where's little joe is and are always friendly and polite, no problem with them at all. and to a lesser extent the same as Tesco and Asda :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[joebloggs]

Tiger, may I ask did you get many power cuts when you lived in Cebu ?

Or is it something that happens where you are now?

Just curious

Palawan we had a power cuts every other day, some lasted for hours :NoNo:

[stevewool]

its there policy , they must ask everyone who is at there till the same question, sounds good though

[bigmarco]

I enjoy shopping in the Philippines mostly because of the lovely friendly staff. It's nice to be greeted with the Hi Ma'am, Hi Sir as you set foot off the escalator. You always get the impression they enjoy their job and are eager to help. We could learn so much from them in terms of customer service.

Compare that with 5 people behind the customer service counter at PC World this morning and only one operating a till and I'm about number 8 in the queue. Along comes the manager doesn't say a lot so I left my £24.99 pack of printer cartridges on the counter and said I would probably be better off ordering on line. :NoNo:

[tiger31]

Palawan we had a power cuts every other day, some lasted for hours :NoNo:

hi joe we got blackouts in lapu lapu city too but maybe once a week but did,nt usually last more than a couple of hours, but in my barangay here in Bacolod nearly every other day the longest was 12 hours and I lost all my freezer stuff after just filling it up I was livid

[Michael Parnham]

I find the sales assistants in Philippines (boys & girls) pretty decent really, also with reference to power cuts, once a month for 2 or 3 hours and improving in Dumaguete! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[aprilovez]

this made me laugh heheh ... KANO VAT lol ... how about taxi drivers??

[tiger31]

oh I forgot about guys pissing up the walls everywhere you go they don,t care if its your property or not. I even saw a guy having a crap in broad daylight and then using a banana leaf to wipe his ass in full view of people in a side street.

[tiger31]

this made me laugh heheh ... KANO VAT lol ... how about taxi drivers??

never had any problems with taxi drivers just the odd smelly one but they are very cheap to use so no complaints there.

[Ako Si Jamie]

oh I forgot about guys pissing up the walls everywhere you go they don,t care if its your property or not .I even saw a guy having a crap in broad daylight and then using a banana leaf to wipe his ass in full view of people in a side street.I saw a guy taking a leak on the shoreline of Alona Beach in the middle of the day when there was plenty of people around including kids. :yikes:

[Michael Parnham]

I saw a guy taking a leak on the shoreline of Alona Beach in the middle of the day when there was plenty of people around including kids. :yikes:

Common thing in Dumaguete, used to see it daily!:cwm25:

[tiger31]

There is a tourist attraction in cebu called the yellow submarine where a sub takes you out and you can view the bottom of the sea .The price is 1500 pesos for locals and 2500 for foreigners :cwm23: now is that a blatant KANO VAT tax or what

[London_Manila]

Falling in line and forming an orderly queue = queue jumpers
Seems some people just go straight to the front and don't know how to fall in line

Entering a mall or going through any door
I normally shout at them "yes go on push and shove your way in"

Holding the door open for the person behind you

Litter louts and anything is dumped anywhere

Browsing is not allowed in any department store without being constantly harassed

"sorry sir it's out of stock" who's in charge of stock control i ask

I am sure this is not a cultural thing that i am not aware of :wink:

[jackmac452]

Cockroaches....the bane of my life here. Bought a Brand New Washing Machine..left it outside for 2 nights whilst we made room for it. Brought it inside and within 2 hours, I had killed 14 cockroaches, one BIG Black spider...and my wife was very nice to me, she sent a large Centipede to Centipede heaven for me. I hate the bloody crawly things..:yikes:

[fred]

"sorry sir it's out of stock" who's in charge of stock control i ask

I am sure this is not a cultural thing that i am not aware of

I think it is cultural..
Quite often they dont know what it is we are asking for.. Other times they don't know where it is.
Either way they are far too proud to admit their failing and save face by telling us firmly "Out of stock"..
Stock control?? Are you kidding?
When I ask them if I can order an "out of stock" item,they look at me as if I am an alien from the planet Zog.

[mickcant]

Filipina's make it worthwile:xxgrinning--00xx3:
Far better on average that British madams:action-smiley-081:
Mick.:cwm3:

[chrisincebu]

1. power cuts nearly every other day where I live 2.interuption to the internet and can be very slow 3. satalite t.v signal goes when cloudy or heavy rain 4. cash machines mainly in the cities my nearest one is 12 miles 5. cock roaches and all the other bugs that invade your home 6. disease ridden dogs hundreds of them roaming the streets 7. karaokes,roosters ,music, blaring all hours day and night 8. general pollution,black smoke belchin jeepneys etc etc 9. hundreds of sales assistants following you around the store 10. no stock sir ,no VAT here but they have KANO ADDED TAX lol 11. large que,s for the basic services NOW THE LIKES 1. the warm weather all year round 2. the cheap cost of living 3. the friendly smiley faces despite the hardships 4. the price of land and property 5. the close family values of taking care of each other 6. my lovely girlfriend who takes good care of me lol :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Good post, especially about the internet. I pay more here than BT in UK for lower bandwidth!!!!

Anyway, to add......trying to cross the roads and the attitudes of drivers, especially the SUVs with the tinted windows. When my Fiance and I visited UK, she was fascinated by zebra crossings. Pedestrian freedom. That is one of the things i really miss about UK. The ability to walk almost anywhere.

The growing snobbery of the middle class - thinking that other Pinoy citizens, be they a waiter, taxi driver, store assistant don't deserve any respect.

Obsession with skin whitening.

I can understand the want for a better life, but i haven't seen such a compulsion and desire for a citizen to leave their own country.

My Fiance trying to get a job as a chef, and finding that 80% of the Chef vacancies are MALE ONLY.
Also with her being asked within interviews on whether they are in a relationship with a foreigner and this being the deciding factor whether she gets a job or not. I can now understand the point i made above about leaving.....

The local ideology that us foreigners bleed money and are capable of being able to afford to buy anything and everything.


The LIKES

I can wear shorts and T-Shirt in the evening.

Immigration officers who actually SMILE!!

Strangers talking to strangers, and by that i mean between local folk, not foreigners.

Cheap travel.

Respect for elders still exists here.

Everyone is a romantic.

Enjoying listening to Rock ballads and love songs played in public from someone's cell phone on the Ceres Liner bus journeys.

Kids running around, playing and screaming is looked on as a joy rather than a nuisance.

[grahamw48]

Some well-observed 'likes' there. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I just love the craziness of the place.

My abiding memory of my very first trip there was of riding a (probably my first) Jeepney in some far-flung suburb of Manila, on my way to meeting a penpal, with Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the water' thumping out of the Jeepney sound system, when a load of pretty students got on and started to pay rather a lot of attention to me.

I'm thinking ...I LOVE this place ! :icon_lol:

[chrisincebu]

Thanks.
I think the attention one gets can make a real difference. But after going back to UK, withdrawal symptoms can kick in from the lack of glances and looks (if you do get them, it's usually for the wrong reasons :wink:).
All in all, I think the good things outweigh the bad. I suppose when we start thinking of our pet hates, we unfortunately forget about good things that initially brought us here.

[Pete/London]

Go along with most of whats been said, but a big problem for me is the humidity.
Cant stand being sweaty and having clothes sticking to me, especially as I like walking, oh and the smells of meat and fish stalls in the markets.:biggrin:

[fred]

Some well-observed 'likes' there. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I just love the craziness of the place.

My abiding memory of my very first trip there was of riding a (probably my first) Jeepney in some far-flung suburb of Manila, on my way to meeting a penpal, with Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the water' thumping out of the Jeepney sound system, when a load of pretty students got on and started to pay rather a lot of attention to me.

I'm thinking ...I LOVE this place ! :icon_lol:

My first trip here can only be compared to Dorothy when she found herself in OZ!!Everything compared to the U.K was in black and white in comparison....Now life was in Technicolour!
Very well said Graham... I only wish I could be 17 again in order to appreciate my first time here!! Bloody magic!!

[grahamw48]

My first trip here can only be compared to Dorothy when she found herself in OZ!!Everything compared to the U.K was in black and white in comparison....Now life was in Technicolour!
Very well said Graham... I only wish I could be 17 again in order to appreciate my first time here!! Bloody magic!!

Hahaha !....I know EXACTLY what you mean, and for me anyway, still no magic rejuvenation potion that can match it. :xxgrinning--00xx3::biggrin:

[Moy]

Hahaha !....I know EXACTLY what you mean, and for me anyway, still no magic rejuvenation potion that can match it. :xxgrinning--00xx3::biggrin:

:thumbsdown::biggrin:

[grahamw48]

Moy, you're still only a baby anyway. :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

:biggrin:

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVj1ZGwhUbc&feature=player_embedded#t=243

[chrisincebu]

One thing i will never tire of is watching the thunderstorms during wet season

http://filipinaroses.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8564&d=1383747291

[gWaPito]

Good post, especially about the internet. I pay more here than BT in UK for lower bandwidth!!!!

Anyway, to add......trying to cross the roads and the attitudes of drivers, especially the SUVs with the tinted windows. When my Fiance and I visited UK, she was fascinated by zebra crossings. Pedestrian freedom. That is one of the things i really miss about UK. The ability to walk almost anywhere.

The growing snobbery of the middle class - thinking that other Pinoy citizens, be they a waiter, taxi driver, store assistant don't deserve any respect.

Obsession with skin whitening.

I can understand the want for a better life, but i haven't seen such a compulsion and desire for a citizen to leave their own country.

My Fiance trying to get a job as a chef, and finding that 80% of the Chef vacancies are MALE ONLY.
Also with her being asked within interviews on whether they are in a relationship with a foreigner and this being the deciding factor whether she gets a job or not. I can now understand the point i made above about leaving.....

The local ideology that us foreigners bleed money and are capable of being able to afford to buy anything and everything.


The LIKES

I can wear shorts and T-Shirt in the evening.

Immigration officers who actually SMILE!!

Strangers talking to strangers, and by that i mean between local folk, not foreigners.

Cheap travel.

Respect for elders still exists here.

Everyone is a romantic.

Enjoying listening to Rock ballads and love songs played in public from someone's cell phone on the Ceres Liner bus journeys.

Kids running around, playing and screaming is looked on as a joy rather than a nuisance.


Oh yeah!! to that :xxgrinning--00xx3:...Thanks for reminding me:biggrin:

Well worth a rep :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[chrisincebu]

Oh yeah!! to that :xxgrinning--00xx3:...Thanks for reminding me :biggrin:

Well worth a rep :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thanks. The dislikes....well, normally they can be shrugged off, but the odd day it does knark somewhat.

[nigelmac]

:xxgrinning--00xx3:

:iagree:

It really doesn't bother me so much. I can always find ways around that.
Some of those sales ladies are fun.

Maybe it's better to explain that you're British and you're looking to being ignored and derided whilst shopping. :biggrin:

Many folks may well yearn for imagined times past and those highly discreet UK sales assistants.
Unfortunately you may find imagination, as usual, has outweighed reality.

In UK they're no longer "discreet".
Personally I find British shop assistants to be lazy, indifferent, and oftentimes rude

Sometimes When I'm seriously thinking about taking a wad of very hard-earned spondooliks out of my unwilling wallet, I expect the sales person to stop chatting to their co-worker and engage with me.
I also want the person at the paypoint/checkout to treat folks with courtesy and a smile, not humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.

Yes, of course there are exceptions – generally they're not British.
The sulky checkout staff at my local convenience shop hardly ever show any sign of recognition, despite my almost daily visits.

We Brits have historically been culturally challenged when it comes to 'customer service'.
But surely in these tough economic times a much higher priority should be placed on customer service.

It's hardly surprising for me that online shopping is absolutley booming here in UK
Nobody ignores you and there's no humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.
In fact it's normal to be welcomed back with a friendly "Hello Terpe, welcome back" each time I visit.

If you think the customer service is bad in the UK you should go to France where the motto is I am King and the customer can lump it Literally :NoNo: I try to buy everything overseas since I went back to live there a few years ago and as for after sales service just FORGET it getting blood from a stone would be a much better use of your time than trying to get a refund or even something fixed and don't even get me started on insurance claims over there !!!!!!!:yikes: