I'm back!

I didn't think I'd be back in Manila so soon. Ed and I were here in Oct 2006 for a backpacking adventure. But this past Christmas, it was decided that my dad needed a travel companion since he is not able to travel on his own any longer. Hence, my hastily arranged trip to Manila.

My goal here is to sort out my dad's affairs. My dad had a stroke last year and now needs us to help him with these things. So since my arrival last Sunday, my sister and I have been sorting out things with banks and city hall. Land titles, tax bills, bank accounts, power of attorney, etc, etc. It's weird going through someone else's stuff. One thing is for sure - my dad is a pack rat!

Manila is a funny place. On one hand, it is close to North America - music, tv shows, movies, shopping. On the other hand, it is a third world nation. Banking is a perfect example. Each branch operates separately, mainly because they are not tied together by one computer system. So, if I opened a chequing account in branch A and later on go to branch B to withdraw money, branch B has to fax my signature over to branch A which then has to fax back some authorization of some sort so that I can withdraw my money from branch B. For a savings account, I am allowed to withdraw my money only from branch A. And since in this city, it takes about 2 hours to travel 40 kms, being required to do transactions with only one branch is very inconvenient. And yet, people put up with it! Unbelievable.

My dad is now living in a care facility here. Filipinos don't use nursing homes. The elderly usually live with families so we get blank stares when we say that our dad is in a home. Home? What's that? My dad has a caregiver 24/7 and doctors to monitor his health. The home is owned by my sister's classmate from medical school and we're lucky to have found it.

More stories next time.