Hi,
The other day I was walking around a supermarket in England when I met a nice gentleman of 82 years old. I wasn't in my normal rush as I was limping along as I had hurt my foot a couple of days earlier.
I probably wouldn't have had chance to meet such a nice educated man if I was dashing about like everybody else scurrying along with all the pressures of modern life.
It was such an enlightening conversation as we talked about work and many other things. We had a common bond as we had both travelled a lot in the electronics field. He was once in charge of installing electronics in Russian gas pumping stations, I had worked in a previous life installing radar stations for the offshore oil industry, but I digress.
He told me about his dear departed wife and I showed him the photo I keep in my wallet of the nicest girl I have ever met, my Filipina sweetheart, Rochelyn.
The topic of conversation naturally drifted into the differences between the UK and the Philippines. When I told him how lovely the people in the Philippines were and how strong the family ties are, we both lamented the respect that the UK seems to have lost due partly, in our opinion, to the modernisation of what is a first world country.
This led me on to telling him about how lovely the Lechon is in the Philippines and that when my future wife quoted me a monetary amount for our wedding, she ended by telling me how many pigs that included. I found this very amusing in the nicest possible way, as I know how important pigs are to a special occasion.
What bowled me over and got me thinking towards the end of our conversation was when he told me that in his lifetime, pigs were often used in a similar way, brought out to special do's like parties, weddings etc..
Some people look down their noses at countries who appear in their eyes to be third world, yet it wasn't so long ago before the Industrial Revolution that we lived in small tightly-knit communities that the Philippines now enjoys.
I understand that many want to leave Phils to better themselves, that is the history of mankind, but which culture has got it right: Our culture of pressure with little smiles compared to the Philippines' culture of less stress and big smiles?
The feeling that I felt when I left the Philippines the last time, six weeks ago, was the most powerful all-encompassing potpourri of warm human emotions that "first world" countries seem to have lost for all our material wealth.
I'm not even talking about the love that I felt for my new girlfriend this time.
It is the beauty of the Philippines, the warmth of all the people.
For me, simply and as plain as my long nose, the nicest country in the world, and the reason that my smile grows wider as the air miles decrease to once again immerse myself in human caring. Oh yes and back to see my "small nose". Ah, dreams are on hold.
