Why we left

I can't help but put in my thoughts after reading Conrado de Quiros's articles on Filipinos wanting to leave the country here and a suggestion on hwo to reverse the tide here and I could only agree with him.

We packed our bags and left hearth and home, relatives and friends, the comforts of having domestic help among others to migrate to a First World country where we are on our own getting by with the help of strangers and support of strangers because the grass is not only greener here but their system of government works which I couldn't say the same of the Philippines. I'm not saying it's perfect, it's just working. We haven't given up on our country, we just gave up on the people running it and the people voting for them.

Hereabouts, I work 8 hours a day and I get a day-off every 20th day on top of my annual leave which I accrue as soon as I commenced work and can avail of it ASAP, and not after a year or so as is the practice in the Philippines. A lot of changes are being made to the IR (Industrial Relations) Laws here but I still think they are fair compared to the Philippines labor laws which I feel now that I'm here is so anti-family. And I've not even talked about the country's economy. In the Philippines, I had a full time librarian job, a regular column, a part-time teaching assignment, and trainings in between but me and my hubby, who also had a full-time job and some extra money, still couldn't cope. Sentiments shared by the new Filipino migrants I meet here.

I just witnessed the State election over the weekend and following the campaign trail, the candidates talked about issues and not personalities. Although I must admit smear campaigns were all part of it, which is not different with how politicians conduct their campaign in the country. However, smear campaigns here still focus on issues. And with another election looming in the Philippines, I'm just glad I'm not going to take any part of it. I can still be nationalistic without having to exercise my right to vote.

And as for his suggestion "for the public and private sector to move to inundate the countryside with PCs, and to introduce them to the kids in particular", this is already a reality with a lot of initiatives left, right and center, but all these programs hit some snags somewhere called bureaucracy and red tape and who gets the credit in government. I should know, I've been involved in some of them before I left. And it sucks.

But as I said, we haven't given up on the country. I would still go back and splurge my dollars to shop and pig out in all of those wonderful restaurants if only to help the economy and share my professional experiences here with colleagues their to give them a fresh perspective. Other than that, I just wish other Filipinos would be wise enough to choose leaders who will pick up the broken pieces of the country.

We Filipinos, when we get together and start discussing the dismal conditions of the country tend to ask: If things can be done here, why not in the Philippines? Bakit nga ba hindi?

Maraming sagot, maraming pwedeng sisihin. But have we for once looked into ourselves on how we contributed to the current state of the country? I have, that's why I left.

The accent

"You have an American accent!" This was what my former employer remarked while doing the interview for the receptionist job I was applying for. "How did you get to speak good English?" was the next question to which I proudly answered that I have an undergraduate degree in the subject and that I used to teach it in university.

That was just the beginning. Colleagues at work and people we, my hubby and I, encounter, upon learning that we have been here for barely three months are surprised by our English speaking skills. Some of the comments I got for my English-speaking abilities varied from "exceptional English", to "very good English", and the latest "a good grasp of the language" to which I respond with appreciation followed by a brief explanation that English is a medium of instruction in the Philippines. (I dropped the degree thing because I saw no point in mentioning it.) But of course they don't speak English here with an American accent so I am really adjusting to the language not so much with the spelling but with the pronunciation.

Last Tuesday (31 October) there was this international student, probably Korean, who was having trouble with her Excel document and asked for assistance. As I approached her, she told me in her halting English what her problem was and what she wanted to do. I thought I understood her problem which was pretty simple but we were not able to resolve her problem because she clearly did not understand what I was trying to explain to her. In exasperation, she just thanked me and stared at her computer. There was clearly a failure in communication there.

In an increasingly global society such as ours, mastery of the English language is a must. Never mind if it's carabao English as long as you can express yourself. Practice makes perfect. As for me, its going to take a while to get the Aussie accent coz I'm still generous with my "r's" .