I have written this while I was in the Philippines at the peak of holiday shopping on 23 December 2011 but I was not able to upload it immediately.
Christmas is one of the busiest time of the year in the Philippines. Going to the malls is a real challenge with so many people doing their Christmas shopping, long queue in cash counters and taxi bays. For 4 consecutive years now, I have been out of the country and within these four years, I was lucky to be home for the last two years but I don't enjoy anymore the hustle and bustle of the holidays but this year I didn't have choice but to join the people in the malls as I have to buy some important stuff. I must admit that I am not used to it anymore but I couldn't avoid it this year.
After finishing my shopping, I went to queue for a taxi. It was a double line queue but I knew that it wouldn't take me long to hop in so I patiently waited for my turn to get a taxi ride. Then suddenly I heard a noise from a woman who was so annoyed with the guards who were assisting the shoppers in the queue to get a taxi. She was complaining why a shopper who was outside, near the exit door was allowed to get a cab. The guards reasoned out they were allowed to get a taxi in that area because they have a baby but this woman insisted that it was not fair. She added that everyone should queue regardless if they have a baby. My uttered silently, what a ruthless woman she is. She even threatened the guards that they will be reported to the management of the mall. The guards however just smiled and left them, which is a real portrayal of a true and genuine Filipino.
While listening to this woman, it made me ask myself, is this what fellow VSO RV from the Netherlands was telling me at the boarding lounge of Dili airport that I am near the age when I would feel a stranger in my own country, that I would feel I don't belong anymore because soon, it will be my fifth consecutive year of being out of the country and this was the year he felt such strangeness in Holland. Or was this woman one of those who thinks that she is right and reasonable. I wanted to tell her: be thankful for all the comfort and conveniences you are enjoying in our country. Be thankful to be living in a city where life is being one of the best you could have in this world. I have seen the family she was referring to who has two children, a toddler and a baby. I guess the guards did the right thing of letting them take a ride without queueing with the rest of the shoppers at the taxi waiting area. I just couldn't believe what I have witnessed. I wish and hope that this woman would have the opportunity to be in the country where i have been working and living so that she would come to realize the goodness of life she is living and the comfort she is enjoying. Reflecting this incident during this season of the year, i hope my country would wake up to the real meaning of Christmas. It's not just shopping for presents but more important is keeping the real spirit of Christmas in their hearts.
