Thursday, October 28, 2010

Confused

I am so confused by everything that I am seeing. In some ways Filipinos are more advanced - like their malls. And they are more together and clean - like the way the store clerks, waitresses, service field and security guards dress. But in other ways they are back in time, years back in time.
For instance I have yet to see a vacuum. Everyone uses a small broom that is about 3 feet long and fan shaped at the bottom. Maybe bamboo made? Everywhere and everyone uses this broom, yard crews, motel workers and home owner. I was watching the waiter sweep the floor at the restaurant of the hotel. He used this broom. Bent over and sweeping with one hand. It took him about 45 minutes to sweep a room about 30'X30'. Why they don't use a push broom or vac puzzles me.

At Dakak resort. The grounds were neatly manicured. Very nicely maintained. But they didn't use a leaf blower. I saw an old lady, 75-80?', in old style Asian dress with one of those small brooms walking around all day sweeping dead leaves and junk.

And at the Grand Astoria Hotel the staff was constantly cleaning. Mopping floors but I never saw a pail of water. I am not even sure if the mop was really wet or just damp. But with all this cleaning going on the place was, by American standards especially for a hotel with the title grand, dirty. Walls were scuffed, smelled, roaches, water pressure that was very low, lint and hair on the floor.. The maids of course used no vac, just the short little broom

What are the houses like? First of all every house you enter you best take off your shoes. Now I know why Korean airlines handed out little slippers. All houses have what we call beach thongs by the doors for you to wear, if you are a visitor and don't have any you can wear theirs. I carried mine with me. At the one house we visited the lady apologized for her humble house. I said please don't apologize, I don't judge someone on their belongings only on their hospitality which I feel blessed to be invited into your house. But even though most houses were were humble and lacking conveniences I found something they all had in common. They are all very clean and so are the people.
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I mentioned the odor of the country, urine is one of the smells. And I mentioned how classless I thought having urinals that barely shelter the user from being seen. But after driving around I understand how much of an improvement it is. Much better than all the males I see peeing along the roadway. Progress I guess.

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