A great honor!

[robert k]

5 hours ago, Clermont said:

While sitting in one of the Jolly Bees on one of my trips over, I noticed a family  sitting next to us eating a meal of Jolly Bee. The father had ordered two pieces of chicken an extra rice. My wife kept going crook on me for staring at them, it was obvious they were from a province, but I could not help admire the behaviour of the little boy. Not once did he whinge about the little food he received  nor did he complain about having to share his sars. My first reaction was to order more food for them, my ears are still healing from the ear bashing my wife gave me, the father would have lost face, she was rite. In a cabinet opposit us was a mascot of the Jolly Bee in the form of a little cusion. I bought it for him and after asking permission from his father to give it to him, I invited them to join us. My wife translated and we spent a good hour together, my pretend birthday celebration was the excuse to save face for the father. The little boy was hesitant to eat at first but when the ice cream arrived, there was no stopping him. It was one of the most memorable meals I've had while over there and I learnt a valuable lesson, the PI might be broke, but they are a proud race. I think the whole meal and cusion cost a little over 1500 peso, and as the little boy departed, he gave me a hug.  Bloody smog is what I blamed my eyes for watering up and my wife was concerned that id got something in my eye. Yeah Jolly Bee to a little kid and us oldies can be an experience.

Good work that!

[Snowy79]

One thing I've learned since being here are the people can soon bring you back to reality. I was with my partner and her sisters last week and spotted an old women struggling with what I thought were her possessions. She had a serious curvature on her spine, it was almost at 90 deg. I was tempted to cross over and help her out but was unsure. 

Fast forward to a couple of days ago and I was in the same area eating a meal with with my partner when the same old lady came past. It started to pour down and she sheltered near where we were eating. I pointed her out to my partner and said I'd like to buy her a meal. My partner split her meal and ordered another portion of rice and called the lady over. As she was chatting to her she discovered the old lady makes her living collecting plastic bottles and taking to a recycle place for money. She gets 5 php per kg. I couldn't imagine the effort that takes as it must be hundreds of bottles to the kg. It would break my heart to think of my mother in such a situation but she just got on with it.  I slipped her some money before leaving and my partner gave her a hug. We saw the same lady yesterday as we were eating and she just smiled and carried on her way. Certainly not one to take advantage of foreigners. It made me realise just how fortunate I am.

[Nephi]

Amen... Reading these posts it makes one wonder why there is no one to help all these people. We all moved here for a "better" life to to enjoy our retirement and in the process get a daily view and reminder of how the other half must exist. Sad failure for mankind when Christ's final injunction to us was to "Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU."

What happened? Will it ever change?

[Clermont]

Yeah, snowy I'm in the same boat as you, I can never pass up the chance to help one off the elderly in similar  circumstances, it's about the only thing I don't get into the proverbial from the wife when donating to the needy. But saying that, were do you stop, the true hard ups never bother you.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Nephi said:

Reading these posts it makes one wonder why there is no one to help all these people.

I think its because they were raised that the world does not owe them a living.  Some foreigners here see "these people" as charity cases.  They do not see themselves that way and they seem to think it is arrogant of the wealthier person to treat them as less of a human being just because they get by on more hard work and less money.

That said, few turn down a helping hand if it is phrased the right way and done with the right attitude.

Example:  In a few cases I have tried to help extremely poor, elderly folk, in a few areas of the Philippines.  Each and every time I have provided financial help or food that is not asked for, the elderly folk give that money or food to relatives.  In many cases they give it to lazy sons who have no money to feed their family because the are busy drinking and gambling etc.  I would never contribute directly to that behavior but giving a sack of rice or a little cash to grandma contributes indirectly to it.

Living here for a long time you get to know the difference between the proud poor, the scamming poor, and the starving, truly needy.  There are a lot fewer of those latter than I thought when I first arrived here.

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Dave Hounddriver