Monday, December 08, 2008
Padala and pabilin
Local phone calls from friends on the day of an OFW's departure can only mean three things: he wants to say goodbye or he has something for you to take to someone for him in the Philippines or he has a grocery list for you. Either way, it saddens me.
Padala
That's the thing I hate the most in going on vacation to the Philippines. There are Filipinos who are just too thick-skinned to realize that maybe I'm over-baggaged or maybe I'd be too busy to do errands for them.
And because I am not immune to such people, my conditions are basically simple:
- I will only take your 'padala' if you haven't been home to the Philippines for more than two years. (I have friends who have been here in Saudi for five straight years);
- Limit it to no more than two kilos.
- Meeting place with your relatives must be nowhere farther than Cubao or POEA Ortigas.
- If you are to insist in meeting your relatives in a location of your choosing, you must be willing to shoulder my taxi fare.
- If you wanted me to send your 'padala' through LBC, then you should shoulder the freight charges.
Apart from 'padala', Filipinos are also very keen in give me a 'grocery list' (normally mango, Kowloon siopao, Goldiluck's pulvoron, glutathion soap and cream, etc). My conditions are likewise simple:
- Be specific about the items (is it cream or ointment?, is the size small, medium or large?, is the color black, blue or gray?, etc).
- Send me money.
- Weight of groceries must be no more than one kilo per person.
- I will not bring the following: smelly tuyo and daing (there are dried fishes available in the Saudi market), bagoong, pirated CD movies, religious items, pork or any pork derivatives, etc. (My point here is that if they cannot bring the items themselves when they go on leave, why would they let others bring it for them).
A friend asked me to bring a sum of money for his father's hospitalization. I was specific that I wouldn't be able to deliver the money until after three days. He said yes. When I reached home, I got a call saying that they needed the money NOW. I ended up traveling back to Manila that same day. My family was upset but understood too the situation.
A friend once asked me to bring his bowling ball because he was over-baggaged. I said no.
A friend once sent me a bottle of lotion (costing SAR 12, around PHP 120) and asked me to take it to Cavite. I took it back to Saudi.
I mistakenly bought white V-neck shirts and the kabayan who asked for it paid the tab but didn't take the shirts. He wanted a round-neck white shirt. Because of pride, I returned the money and provided an excuse that I liked the shirts and would use it. I ended up taking it back to the Philippines on my next leave.
No OFW is free from 'padala' and 'pabili'. Although guilt-stricken, I don't think it's bad to say no sometimes.
my policies were bring it first for approval hehehe. I would usually say yes when they asked me to bring them something but tama ka nga some of them are really callous. last vacation i ended up bringing bars and bars of dove soap all the way to aklan..argggh.
Maganda ang post na ito! Concrete examples at ang message ay malinaw. Sana mabasa ito ng lahat na OFW.
'Buti pwedeng ipasok sa Saudi ang polvoron. Naalala ko unang dating ko sa Au, dami kong dala nyan, ibinasura ng customs kasi dairy product siya! Pero bago ibinasura, humingi pa ako ng dalawang piraso at kinain ko doon sa counter nila.
Nebz,totoo yan! para silang mga pachyderms, makunat pa ang balat sa Rhinocerous!
Ganyan talaga, mabuti na lang walang nagpapadala sa akin. Pero "pabilin" marami sa misis ko. We have to spend an entire week in Manila prior to returning here just to fullfill those "errand". Gagawin nalang ng misis ko, babawi pag sila naman ang nagbakasyon.
yan na talaga ang nakagawian natin...pero nung umuwi ako pinadala ko lahat ng bagahe pati na gamit ko.nauna na sakin i week before pa bago ako magbakasyon,ang dala ko lang nung umuwi ako ay laptop.kaya nahiya na yung mga kasama kong magpadala,kasi ako mismo ayoko magdala ng bagahe pauwi.he he he.
ay, meron pa pala,bag balik ko naman nahiya narin silang magbilin,kasi alam nila na marami rin akong bagahe pauwi.
pero bago ako magbakasyon alam ko na ang mga gusto nila at yun ang ibinili ko sa kanila bilang pasalubong...:)
A neighbor of mine who works as a maid in Dammam once asked me to bring something home. She told me that she's sending a watch and a mobile phone. I was expecting a small pouch but to my surprise, when we meet up she ended up bringing 12 KG of chocolates. I ended up paying for the over baggage not only in the international flight but also in my domestic flight. I vowed that I would have nothing to do with her anymore.
You can always say NO and mean it. No other excuses, just plain and simple NO. I have this belief that if you're kind, people will abuse you. Just learn how to say NO. Don't feel guilty if you're say NO. It's the only way people will stop abusing you.