#europevacation2014 - the highs and lows (part II)

"The clouds that cover the sunshine,
they cannot banish the sun.
And the earth shines out the brighter,
when the weary rain is done." - Anonymous


The annual vacation actually started out well.

After spilling out my frustration over the robbery in Milan, here's a summary of the HIGHs of my European vacation:

1. Emirates Airlines - There were two legs to the flight (both outbound and inbound). Of course, the technical stop is in Dubai. The 777-300 planes from and to Manila are wide enough with the inbound from Dubai being a newer plane. I think because they fly out more OFWs, they use an older model for the outbound flight. And we parked in the desert, which really sucked because we all had to take the bus to the terminal (about a 30 minutes ride including deplaning). When compared to Qatar Airlines (which is my all time favorite), the food served on the outbound and inbound flights on Emirates were mere sandwiches and very light snacks...unlike Qatar Airways, the food was always a very hot meal. And this was disappointing because I expected better food on Business Class. After all, it was a 9 hours flight to and from Dubai! They provided amenities which include mini-Bulgari lotion and cologne, but Rexona and Colgate were part of the package.

On my bucket list was getting to fly an Airbus 380, and this was available out of Dubai - to Rome and from Barcelona. Now this was flying. While the plane lived up to its design, I found the business class a bit too cramped as they fitted in too many things to make ONE seat looked like a mini suite. It was, however, an excellent sleeper as it was a 180 degrees lie flat bed! And the bar where food and drinks (well, yeah, mostly drinks) were abundant was the piece de resistance of the whole plane! Of course, the icing on the cake were: (1) you boarded separately from the rest of the world from the business class lounge and (2) you had your own chauffer-driven limo to take you TO and FROM your hotel (as long as it was within a 70km radius of the airport).

2. ROME, ITALY
Rome is without doubt a city deep in history. If one should make a trip to Europe and want to review the history of various countries or do some Museum hopping, Rome should be your initial destination, otherwise you might end up with saturating yourself with Museum-fatigue-syndrome.

Rome is a small city and I suggest two things: get a great hotel right in the heart of it all and bring some good walking shoes.

Selecting hotels can be a problem especially in Europe. Most of them are small, and the nice ones are expensive. But I've always cherished a vacation. You need to plan for one and not just jump on a plane on a whim! And remembering the places will require great accommodations and not just the scenic or touristy spots.

In Rome, we stayed at the Sofitel Villa Borghese which is such a beautiful hotel found at the back of the Villa Borghese park. It's a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps and while it is a bit secluded, security in the area is guaranteed. Breakfast at the hotel is divine and those Strawberry Shortcakes were to die for! One thing I can assure all the guests who plan to go to Rome...you'll never go wrong choosing Sofitel Villa Borghese.

Aside from the famous Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (where there are loads of gypsies), Colosseum, Palantine Hill,and the Roman Columns are many places where you can enjoy Italian cuisine. Just a note to remember: you need to check with the concierge where it's best to dine. On the first night, we just casually walked to some restaurant and the food was terrible! I thought that spending 90 euros was such a robbery considering that the restaurant was one of those sidewalk restaurants. Rule of thumb to remember: IF THE LOCALS DON'T EAT THERE, THE FOOD MUST BE BAD!!!

3. THE VATICAN CITY
The Vatican City State is a walled enclave found within the city of Rome in Italy. It's about 44 hectares and with a population of less than 1000 people, it is the smallest country in the world.

For this part of the tour (which we spent a whole day for), we paid for a walking tour. While the walking tours are a bit pricey, don't attempt to do it on your own because you'll miss out on most of the history of the place. The Vatican City is ruled by the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. Pope Francis makes it a point to meet and greet the audience after the 10AM mass at St. Peter's Square.

In the city, the cultural sites are St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums. The major income of the Vatican comes from the sale of postage stamps, tourist mementos, admission to museums, and publications. The military and police defense of the Vatican City is provided by the Italian government. The guide informs us that the Vatican City has no armed forces of its own and the Swiss Guard is the one that takes care of the security of the Pope. The arrangement for recruitment is between the Holy See and Switzerland. Majority of the people that live in the Vatican City are those working in the state and their families.


4. FLORENCE, ITALY
Firenze (Florence) is famous for the Renaissance history. The turbulent political history were periods ruled by the Medici family and numerous other prominent leaders. The Medici family were bankers to the Pope and this contributed to the family's ascendancy to power.

It is the most populous city in Tuscany and was declared by the UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1982. Florence is an important city for Italian fashion and is a major source of economy for Italy.

In Florence, we stayed at the Hotel Brunelleschi. Found right in the heart of the piazza, this is a quaint modern boutique hotel which is just a few steps from EVERYTHING!!! The hotel is nice and the ambience a contrast with the old exterior facade but a modern interior!

Within Firenze is history at our doorstep. The Florence Cathedral, the Medici Palace, and other tourist spots are just a very very short distance from our hotel.

From Firenze, you can take a short train ride (about 30 minutes) into Pisa.

Or go outlet shopping...

I know that we've not really seen much of what Italy has to offer in terms of culture and arts...but aside from the fact that I had such a horrible nightmare from a robbery in Milan, the first leg of our trip ended at the Philippine consulate in Milan.

The second and final leg will be featured in the next blog update.

#europevacation2014 - the highs and lows (part 1)

My annual vacation destination this year too me to five countries in Europe - Vatican, Italy (Rome and Florence), Monaco, France (Nice & Cannes) and Spain (Barcelona). The whirlwind trip was to last 11 days and 10 nights.

This vacation was something I had looked forward to. And unlike previous vacations, this had its highs and lows.

I decided to write about the lows in the first part of this two part blog.

On board our train (Trenitalia) on a platform change in Milan (on our way to Monaco and France), I was robbed.

Yes. Like many other people who have been violated, my passport, wallet, money, bag and a few memorabilia were taken from my carry-on bag.

It's not my first trip to Europe or Italy for that matter. This year, my partner and I decided to just enjoy the much ballyhooed EuroRail in order to appreciate more of what a European vacation had to offer. On board the train, while we were trying to get settled in, there were two women who were arguing over seats. Obviously, they were our seats as indicated on our train tickets. One of the women claimed she had to seat number on her ticket because it wasn't indicated on her ticket. Another woman was arguing with her and then two men passed behind our backs pretending to be carrying things for other passengers. In a split of a second, I noticed that they began pushing against me and my carry-on bag and when I had looked at my bag, I noticed the zipper was open, and my other bag containing the stolen items were missing. I jumped off the train and informed the conductor and all he said was either I get off now and report to the Polizzia in the station or wait until the train stops in Ventimiglia and report it there.

Adrenaline takes an effect on situations like these and the rest was history.

We got off and went straight to the police and all they could do was shove a piece of paper asking me to just file a police report. When I informed them I could identify the thieves, all they did was tell me that: (1) they spoke no English (which I thought was a lot of bullcrap), and (2) that I should just proceed to the Philippine consulate and report the loss of my travel documents.

That was such a bummer! I saved up for this vacation and I felt angry over the incident!

My partner was busy calling the credit card companies to have my cards and ATM cancelled. I proceeded to the Philippine consulate in Milan. With the taxis on strike that day, I was having such a horrible day. I took the subway and got off at the 5th stop but could not figure out where Stromboli Av. was located. I asked a Filipina on the street (her name is Doris), for directions. She was running late for work but when she found out about what happened to me, she accompanied me to the consulate office.

At the consulate, I was endorsed to Jeremy who asked me to fill out some forms and listened to my disheartening story. Today, I was another statistic added to the millions of "gypsies" and thieves that roamed the streets of Europe. Jeremy said that there are almost 10Million of these kind that ply the streets, mostly in Italy, France and Spain. Obviously, it was something I knew, but felt so stupid about not having to be extra careful. I had to reach the inner recesses of my being to go through anger, denial, bargaining, and simply accept the fate - I was robbed. I was violated. Over and over again, the scene kept playing in my head.

On the kindness of Ms. Marichu Mauro (consul general) and Ms. Helen Sayo (Vice-consul), they gave me a new passport so that I could finish the rest of my vacation. In less than 3 hours, I had a new travel document and some papers to support the fact that my passport was stolen.

When I left the building of the consulate, a Filipino who was selling longganisa offered to take me back to the train station so that I could meet up with my partner.

The silver lining in the low of this vacation were the Filipinos who helped me along the way. They were angels that guided me through my nightmare.

While my partner advised that we abort our vacation, I decided against it. It was a simple decision because I already felt violated from the incident and I did not want to give these people the extra happiness of having to spoil a long planned trip. My happiness was not theirs for the taking.

As I write about this incident, I cannot help feel anger all over again. Angry at myself for not being extra careful. Angry at the thieves for taking other peoples property and valuables because it's their way of life. Angry at the Italian police and government because they do not seem to care about tourists who spend money to visit their country (and pay for the entry Visa which is scrutinized to the hilt!).

While we were getting our new train tickets to Nice, I noticed that there were several thugs stationed at various vending machines for regional tickets. These were the kind of people I was trying to avoid. I saw them at the Firenze station, at the Tiburtina station, at the Pisa station. They were lurking and waiting for victims of their scam. Italy has been tagged by National Geographic as the "Robbery Capital of the World". In a series featured at NatGeo, the various scams by these robbers were highlighted. I recall that before I left for Europe, it was in the news that the Chinese government insisted that France provide better security for the Chinese citizens that go on vacation in Paris. With the millions of Euros that Chinese tourists pour into the shopping district of Paris, the least the French government could do was to make their stay less stressful. I would say the same for Italy. Visibility of the police force and some sense of security from the government should be enforced.

The consulate had informed me that what happened to me was a daily occurrence in Italy. Ever since Europe became one state union, other countries had to contend with this problem. Most of gypsy thieves were from Eastern Europe and mostly Romanians. And crossing the borders of various countries became easy for these criminals. There's also a syndicate that manages these criminals. The economic crisis in Europe had worsened this situation over the past five years.

It's a painful lesson learned and in the future, I vow to be more careful with my things and less trustful about people or even give them the benefit of the doubt.

There will be future travels and escapades to blog about. And part 2 of this blog will tell my story - on how one tragedy should not defuse our happiness.

I believe that after hell, there will always be heaven.


(N.B. Photos are care of www.bella-toscana.com/pickpocketsinitaly.htm#.U4sBjpSSw1d
Read this article as it is so accurate to a T)

To friend or unfriend?

Carol Thebarge, the 79 years old substitute teacher at Stevens High in New Hampshire announced on Facebook that she was leaving her job of 35 years after being told by the school administration to "unfriend" her students. According to Ms. Thebarge, she was asked to make a choice - delete every student from her facebook and don't post photos of them, or be dismissed.

The policy of the school administration emanated from another 29 year old teacher, who was arrested two weeks before, for having an inappropriate relationship with a student and sexually assaulting the 14 year old student. This was not the first time that inappropriate behavior through FB was reported in that school.

Regardless of the age of Ms. Thebarge, the school enforced the policy of not being able to be "friends" with students anymore.

Where is the line drawn in this scenario? While it is a gray area to some, the greater good of a community is in order. Social media, like all other forms of internet communication, has served both good and bad purposes. While to some it may be a means of communication between the students and the teachers and an avenue for enhanced learning and interaction, it has also served as predatory grounds for inappropriate behavior and criminal acts.

The question is - do teachers ever need to be Facebook friends with their students? If most of my readers are to recall, during our school days we didn't have social media as a form of communication with our teachers and yet we didn't do too bad, did we? Of course, we can reason that using whatever technology is available at our current disposal can improve the learning skills between the students and the teachers. It should be cautioned that utilizing the reason for a "brave new world" for technology and the mass appeal of social media may have its undesirable consequences specially when the user(s) may have little knowledge on how to navigate through the various social media platforms OR that the user(s) may be using it for more devious intent.

I posted a 24-hour survey on my FB account, among friends and colleagues. I believe that those who participated in the survey comprise a representative group of respondents. Some responded through the private message service, because they are friends with other respondents who may not receptive to their responses.

The question posted was simple: SHOULD TEACHERS AND STUDENTS BE FRIENDS ON FB?

There was no qualifier here and can be interpreted in various ways. As a general rule, do you think your child should be friends with the teachers on FB?

It was interesting to note that of 128 respondents (including those who replied through PM), 96 said NO (75%) and the remaining 32 (25%) said YES. To provide benefit over the doubt, all ambiguous replies were considered YES votes. Over the 24 hour period, the responses were similar in trend - 3/4 replying negatively. There were a few comments provided.

Interestingly, those that replied YES were mostly concerned with kids and school work coordination and being able to moderate each other's posting skills; being able to communicate with the class president or the students in general so that they are prepared for a quiz; or simply bridging the gap between the students and teachers and being less intimidating because you are, well, proverbially, "friends".

Then there are those who replied negatively. Assessment of performance of the students can be blurred because of the so-called "gray zone" that divides what you call a "friend" or a student; personal, business, and academic relationships should be discerned and FB is not a popularity vote; or the real fact that intimacy eventually breeding contempt were some of the posted comments accompanying the response.

A "friend' when used as a noun is defined as "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard." When used as a verb, and used with an object, it is "to add to one's social list of contacts on a social networking site or use an action of adding the person to a list".

Nancy Solomon, in an article published in December 2011 on NPR news points out that "the new and ever-changing world of social networking has blurred the lines between private and public, work and personal, friend and stranger. It's becoming a particular challenge for teachers who can quickly rile students and parents by posting comments or photos online. In some cases, teachers have been fired for statements they've made on Facebook, which is raising free speech issues."

John Palfrey of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society says there have always been teachers who say dumb things, but now social media amplifiy those comments.

"There's a really simple concept here, which is [that] the nature of a conversation is changing in a digital age and the consequences of saying something that's dumb are much greater," Palfrey says. "People can get fired for [saying] something that otherwise would have been completely and quickly forgotten."

[Here's the full article of Ms. Solomon: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/07/143264921/friendly-advice-for-teachers-beware-of-facebook]

While there are settings for privacy and whom you allow and not allow to access your FB account, some are not tech savvy enough to distinguish how and when to turn these on, eventually resulting in a catastrophic outcome with the privacy of either the student or the teacher being exposed.

I have my own reservations for being "friends" with students and I believe that keeping a professional distance between them and I so that I can provide an unbiased performance evaluation should be the rule. I have nothing against my colleagues who say otherwise and respect their preferences. We just need to remember that there are things that may be taken out of context, go viral, and we are all judged accordingly eventually.

And fire fighting is more difficult than fire prevention.

The arithmetic of joblessness

The Social Weather Station (SWS) of the Philippines recently came out with data claiming over 13 Million (13,000,000) Filipinos are currently jobless.

I was startled at the numbers! Not only is it indecent, but it spells that the country is in deep financial shit.

I say this because if I do simple arithmetic using the operations called multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction - the numbers just did not make both mathematical and logical sense.

Let's do the math.

Estimate that the current population of the Philippines is 100,000,000 (100M). This should include the total number of Filipinos living here and abroad.

Approximately 53% are less than 18 years old. Which means an approximate figure of 53,000,000. Unless we are into child labor, we need to simply deduct that number from the total population, and it gives us an estimate of 47,000,000 (47M) employable Filipinos.

According to the census.gov.ph, approximately 2.2M (2,200,000) working Filipinos are OFWs (Overseas Foreign Workers). That makes 44.8M employable Filipinos in the Philippines.

Based on estimates, about 10% of the total population are senior citizens (compared to the 6% in 1995). Which means that about 10M Filipinos are over the age of 60 and it would be a fair estimate that only 50% are now gainfully employed or part of the labor force. That leaves about 5M Filipinos less from the 44.8M employable Filipinos in the Philippines, or a total of 39.8M (39,800,000) currently employable. Deduct the 13M unemployed and you have 26.8M employed Filipinos left.

With the data provided by SWS, this means that the rate of the Filipinos living in the Philippines now stands at 33% (13/39.8). That is a damn high number. The probability that you won't get employed in this country is 1 in 3. That's bad economics. Worst of all, when you can't do the math correctly, it's bad arithmetic.


Definition of SWS joblessness

"The SWS data on joblessness refer to the population of adults in the labor force. This is because respondents in the standard SWS surveys are those at least 18 years old. On the other hand, the official lower boundary of the labor force has always been 15 years of age.

In the SWS surveys, persons with jobs are those who have a job at present ("may trabaho sa kasalukuyan"), including unpaid family workers. The question does not use any past reference period.

The SWS joblessness figures are consistently based on the traditional definition of joblessness as fulfilling two requirements: without a job at present and looking for a job. Those without a job but not looking for one are excluded from the labor force; these are housewives, retired, disabled, students, etc."

Official definition of unemployment

"On the other hand, the official Labor Force Survey definition of employed include all those who, during the week before the interview date, are 15 years and over as of their last birthday and are reported either:

a. At work. Those who do any work even for one hour during the reference week for pay or profit, or work without pay on the farm or business enterprise operated by a member of the same household related by blood, marriage or adoption; or

b. With a job but not at work. Those who have a job or business but are not at work because of temporary illness/injury, vacation, or other reasons. Likewise, persons who expect to report for work or to start operation of a farm or business enterprise within two weeks from the date of the enumerator's visit are considered employed."

I guess whether you were looking at it from any administration (Arroyo to Aquino), global economics had played a role in the unemployment rate not only in other countries but in the Philippines as well, with more females being unemployed to date, than males. The stupid idea alone of having women who become pregnant later on be allowed a 6 months leave of absence is not being sexist, but being idiotic! Who in his right mind would even hire women at all if such a law existed?

And if you broke the segments by age, the chances that a new graduate would land a job by the time he or she finishes school would be 1 in every 2 graduates!

The startling data is not much different from many other countries worldwide. It is, however, sad news, considering that the Philippines has a very large young population and that we are a developing country.

The statistical data provided are painful to accept. As in many statistical data, they may not be exactly accurate but more or less is a good approximation of what the current job market is. And the job market is always reflective of the economy of a nation.

With these constraints and this data, there needs to be action from the government - and the public learning to bite reality because this is as real as it gets.

Of faith and miracles

January was a busy month. It was also the month where there were various religious celebrations throughout the Philippines.

With over 85% christians, the Philippines is the biggest Catholic nation in Asia. This perhaps accounts for the frenetic religious celebrations enjoyed throughout the 7,107 islands almost all year round.

In January, the highlight is the Feast of the Black Nazarene and the Feast of the Santo Nino. Then you have the longest holy week in the world. The Filipinos look forward to the holy week by filing their vacation leaves early and trekking to either the province or some nearby country that hosts Mickey, Minnie and Donald Duck. Then there's also the Flores de Mayo, where the Santacruzan and the parade and charade of Emperatriz and their male escorts come a prancing, a dancing, and a glancing along the already crowded streets of the cities. This is followed by the long trek to the dead as All Saints Day and All Souls Day approach in November. This is the Philippines answer to Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Finally, the country enjoys one of the longest Christmas in the planet! Work is abandoned by the 23rd of December (yes, we do not work on the 24th) and hie off to some forsaken place and spend in wild abandon the 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses (which are integral in the payslip of all employers and employees) and return after the merry making on the 3rd of January. Then the cycle repeats itself.

Students and teachers from Catholic schools enjoy more respites in between. Each time a saint celebrates their special day, it's no classes in our country.

So why do I want to talk about faith and miracles in my February blog entry?

First, let me make it clear that I am not bashing my religion.

I understand how some of my friends and colleagues felt during the last Feast of the Black Nazarene. All roads leading to and from Luneta to Quiapo literally was at a stand still. For that very short distance, the procession lasted more than 19 hours, several container vans weighing tons were lifted and moved from the street because of the large crowd, and the streets were laden with litter from the devotees that flocked to the scene.

The number of people that came to the procession, mass and celebration was estimated between 10-12 Million. Mind boggling - considering that this number topped the number of people who came to see the Pope (John Paul II) on World Youth Day in 1995.

Are there really 12 Million devotees to the Black Nazarene?

I really don't know. When I was watching the news on TV, I couldn't believe at the crowd and the mayhem. Beside me was my mom. And she told me a story:

"When you were still in my womb, I almost had a miscarriage. I was bleeding profusely that your grandmother was so scared that we would lose you. After all, you are the first of all the grandchildren she will ever have. Your grandmother went to the Quiapo Church and crawled kneeling down to the altar and begged the Lord for a miracle - that I would survive this, and you would live. A few days later, maybe because of the medicines and the prayers, the bleeding stopped. Your grandmother made me promise that after you were born, that I would be devoted to the Black Nazarene for the next 2 years."

I was startled at the story. It was the first time I had heard about this. And I quietly watched the news again.

And I understood...that it was faith and small miracles like these that mattered most. Never mind the inconvenience for the day. There are just things in life that are kept between God and His works at making us realize that He is part of our lives.