Spot the difference 2 ...

A few more comparisons ....

Corey is keen to pick up some work here if he can, so he went to the local Pizza Hut store in our local mall where there was an advertisement for a Customer Service Operator. Before applying he decided to asked the manager if he minded telling him how much he earns an hour. He also picked up an application form.

In Australia: Corey worked at Pizza Hut when he was in Year 7 (Normally you can get a job in Year 10) no qualifications required, maybe good marks would help. You would get $10.00/hr.
If you work up to manager (this guy was 22) in Australia you would be earning $18/hr.

In Philippines: The application required college courses in customer service and management. This was not a high school kids job. He was getting 60 pesos/hr.

Remember $1AUS = 40 peso.

As you can imagine Corey was a little less eager to apply for the job! He wouldn't qualify anyway except he has experience in retail.

Just in case you haven't worked it out - the manager was earning $1.50 Aus per hour.

Many things are cheaper here than in Australia - we get ripped off in the land down under!
Take a Cornetto -drumstick in Aus $3.50 - 4.00 or a Magnum maybe $4.00 = 4.50.

Now they are a little smaller in the Philippines (maybe 2/3 the size) but a Cornetto is 25 peso and  Magnum is 50 peso. They taste just as good believe me - we have had a few!

 

The Bottle of Sprite is 13 pesos - about 30cents in Aus.

So if you work at Pizza Hut as a manager in Aus you can afford to buy 4 magnums with one hours work, as a manager in the Philippines you only can have 1 Magnum. However, if you are an Aussie Pizza Hut manager buying in the Philippines you can buy 14 Magnums with your $18 or 720 Pesos.

Win - win if you are an Aussie.

So for us they are cheap - for Filipino's they are expensive.

Petrol is about the same price.  1000 pesos gets about 21litres of petrol.

Joseph's Coat of Many Colours ...

For those who are on FB - this is pretty much a copy of the post I put on FB.

 

Last Saturday night we were invited to the Tagoloan presentation of 'Joseph and the amazing technicolour dream coat'. Some back ground: Tagoloan is the town where Mandy lives and where Jesus For All Nations Church is located.  Over the last 18 or so years the Mayor of Tagoloan has had a vision of bringing all the churches in the area together (not to change doctrines but for unity). They put on a presentation which is the beginning of the Fiesta Celebrations but until this year it has been individual churches presenting individual items. This year it was decided that there would be a combined presentation to show real unity. The kids started practicing 2 months ago, and for the last two weeks have practiced every day after school from 6ish to 12pm. That is commitment!

 

I would love to see Hills Adventist do something like this!

 

The Mayor contributed 250,000peso's for the costumes, lighting and sound. Mandy and Chennett's son Joshua, and a lot of the youth from the church 'Jesus for all Nations' were all part of the musical. It was brilliant! Amazing! Those kids should be so proud of themselves. It was lip sync but it was so well done you could not tell.

 

 

Party Filipino Style ....

One week from when we arrived (still at Marco Hotel) the senior Pastor of Jesus For All Nations (JFAT) invited us to his house for dinner.

Closer to the day (Friday)we were told that it was his son's 16th birthday - G Boy is his nickname. So when we got to their place Friday evening there must be hundred chairs, six long tables ready for food.

We started the evening with prayer for G Boy and their daughter who just passed her nursing exam and then on came the food. Ten lechon (pigs), whole fish, trays of rice, plates of salad, meat dishes, pineapple, and who knows what.

 Stabbed in the back

 Mandy

 Fish

 Birthday boy.

 Removing the flesh!

 Chennett in the pale pink

Our house ....

We actually started looking for rental properties before leaving Australia - the internet is useful for some things. So we had a short list when we got here. A couple had gone and there was only two that we thought would do the job.

We needed semi/fully furnished which limited our choices. First option, looked great on the outside, the inside was less than wonderful. Advertised as 4 bed, but one was for the 'help'. Corey didn't look that keen. Fully furnished must mean different things to different people. A table, with 4 semi-broken chairs, two beds and very old TV.

Second option had to work. Modern inside, furniture, internet, secure compound all is good. However, no hot water. So cold showers for 11 months - I am grimacing. Three down 300ish to go... sigh!

Looking forward to getting a washing machine - I have dishpan hands.

 

This is the kitchen and dining room

This view is taken from the stairs into the lounge area

 

Main bedroom 

   Lounge

 

There is a strange little room on top to the house, it is pained blue.

This is the 360 degree view from that room.

 Main bedroom - airline blankets came in handy

 

View out of main bedroom door - we have a small balcony

 Passage way up stairs - looking towards the front of the house

 Spiral stair case to the blue room on the roof.

 Jonathan's room

 Amy's room.  Corey's was too messy to photograph!!!

 Sun room and doors to larger balcony.

 Looking back to main bedroom, Amy's bedroom on the right, Jonathan's on the left.

 View off of the top landing

 Window above Corey's head.

 View off of balcony

 Looking to the back of the house.

 Looking out toward the front of the house two new house being built.

 View from front top windows.

 Top landing and Amy's door.

 Front entrance

 Front of house

 Looking to the left

 Looking to the right

 Right down our street.

 Left down our street

 Left side of house

 Right side - you can see main bedroom balcony and main balcony

Spiral staircase.

Hey Dad I hope that gives you enough perspective!!!