Expatriated American

Down to the Banana Republic

Down to the tropical sun

Go the expatriated Americans

Hoping to find some fun

-- Jimmy Buffett Banana Republics

Grumble grumble grumble.. Okay, I had a great post and accidentally hit a button and lost it all. :( I will see what I can do to somewhat recreate it.

The past few days my mind has been running and I cannot belive that the sun is setting on my time here in Manila. I am the last one from our little group who is left. Melissa left this morning for the States and I will do the same on Aug 1.

Some of you may not know what I have been doing while here. Honestly I feel like it hasn't been much - I have been observing and assisting reps while they are taking calls. I haven't done much teaching at all. Tomrorow I will run a conference call and next week I am conducting 4-hour classes at the 3 centers. But here is a typical day for me (yesterday/today actually)

• Up at 7:30pm to be downstairs by 10pm. I am greeted by many Shangri-La staff members "Good evening Ma'am". The driver picks me up and takes me to Market Market. This is a large 5 story mall where the call center occupies 3 floors of one of the wings. The training rooms are on the 4th floor and production floor is on the 5th.
• Before going up to the call center, I go to Starbucks where two sweet guys, Brian and Phillip, greet me with laughter and smiles. They are sad to see that I am alone tonight. Pam left a couple weeks ago, Russell last week.. and Melissa left last night. So it is just me. But we chatted for a few minutes and I learned that Brian is well traveled and is a chef! Said he loves to cook. I sign the receipts, gather my things, and start my maze up to the call center. But as I leave, Brian and Phillip say "Good night Miss Denise! Have a wonderful shift and we will see you tomorrow!" I return the salutations and head on my way.
• Once I get to the 5th floor, the men in white security jackets greet me and hold the doors "Good evening Boss." Now I am not going to lie - this one I have not been able to get used to. Some seem to enjoy being called boss, but I am simply working on a project with them to accomplish a common goal.
• Ahhh Magandang Umaga! Magandang Gabi! Good morning! Good evening! Regardless I still cannot get that ng sound out and say magandang correctly!!! Leo & Ron's teams are ready to go. They wave and smile as I come in. The prepaid reps always seem to be smiling and appear to have a good time. Looking over at the other side of the building the postpaid reps don't seem to be as lively. The shifts are staggered and come in anywhere from 9pm - 1am and get off at 6am - 10am respectfully.
• 3am is when I generally meet up with the trainers, Cha and Aleck, for "lunch". Unforutnately the only options are Red Ribbon or McDonald's. I am tired of McD's and my stomach chastises me daily for my small cheeseburger/small fries and sprite. Oh yeah, and a McFlurry too. Cha and Aleck are super nice and very funny. Aleck is picked on because she is a neat freak - so much that she has the garbage from her lunch folded and set on her tray in 90 degree angles and equally balanced.
• 8:30am I head downstairs to meet up with the driver and we begin our 5 mile drive which takes about a half hour. Gotta love traffic. There is one particularly busy corner where busses converge with jeepneys and motocycles renting the "seat" on the back moving the locals. The street guys sell a variety of random things - lately it has been the Groucho Marx glasses, fuzzy dice, cell phone chargers, shell necklaces, and feather dusters. I wasn't kidding when I said random!! They are not shy and come right up to the window - sometimes you have to knock twice on the window to get through to them. Simply shaking your head no doesn't work.
• Back at the hotel, my door is opened and about 7 or 8 people greet me with "Good morning ma'am!" Certianly makes your morning when hearing it and returning the greeting. It's time for breakfast (well, dinner for us) and after about an hour head back to the room. I've got a couple hours to relax, shop, hit the gym, do homework before bedtime at 1 and getting up at 7:30 to start it all over again. Not much time for sight seeing.

The man sitting at the table next to me during breakfast is from Texas. He too is here to work with a call center client supporting his company, Dell. He has been here a few weeks and is happy to leaves tonight to go home. We chatted for a bit about some of the funny things we have seen while here and he was comparing their other outsourced call center in Panama.

This afternoon I did a little shopping at the Glorietta across the street and found myself lost in a bookstore. There is something comforting about a bookstore - the smells, sounds of jazz music, and the opportunity to get lost in a place that may or may not exist. Here bookstores have their books sealed in plastic. I am not sure if this is to keep customers from reading and thumbing through them in the store or if it is to keep the books from curling in the humidity.

I have enjoyed my time on this trip, but I miss home. I realized during my walk back from the mall that I have become comfortable here. I have learned a few Tagalog words and when I hear people talking I can pick out some words - yet not enough to piece together their conversation. The people are very nice but the polution is miserable. The smog. Ugh. You feel it on your skin after being outside for a while. But as I was walking back, I passed many security guards standing post along the street. Some holding leashes to their guard dogs and others with guns strapped around their chest. I did not flinch at the sights and it did not even phase me until I was almost at my hotel. It was only a few weeks ago that I was amazed at this very sight and shocked how even a small child was not distracted by this and how I could not imagine growing up and these images considered normal.

There is a book I want to get. "Lost Horizon". Quotes from the book are on all the toiletries in the hotel becuase it has to do something with Shangri-La. I doubt the actual hotel, but this book may have been the inspiration for the corporation.

Tomorrow Jollie and I are going to Greenhills. I still have a few things to buy before coming home. (Let's hope customs doesn't question too much! HAHA) We are leaving from the call center in the morning. I am both eager to get home and sad to leave the new friends I have made here. But I think she is getting a bunch of people together sometime this weekend to go out. I won't be trying any of the foods Leo & others are telling me about. Congealed pigs blood cut into squares completely grosses me out!

Sweet dreams and hugs to all

Spending those renegade pesos

On a bottle of rum & a lime

Singing, 'give me some words I can dance to

Or a melody that rhymes'