First World versus Third World. What makes one better than the other?
These are all based on observations I made when I lived in Australia for some time. This is a mix of business matters, personal stuff, and thoughts on employment.
Disclaimer:Your experience may be different from mine but that doesn’t mean you can go on lecture me about your point as well. Again, this is my experience. I’ll keep this simple.
Pros of living in Melbourne
Independence. Grocery shopping for your needs. Buying all the material things you want. Happiness in doing your own laundry. Going to the cinema alone. Eating out alone. Decorating your own apartment
Yeah, sure, every single one of those activities that spell independence can also be experienced back in the Philippines, but I tell you, it’s simply different when one is based in another country.
New culture, as in, you don’t know anyone, and nobody knows of you. Nobody will judge you. Nobody will meddle with your affairs.
Salary. Well, this is a given. First World countries offer higher salaries than Third World countries.
Mind you, my first job in Melbourne was a part-time dishwasher (that may be frowned upon in the Philippines), but I was making roughly P80,000-90,000 a month.
Well, some might say the equivalent in Australian dollars of such an amount would be considered “small” if one was spending in Australia. But not really…it’s big enough to keep one with simple needs satisfied.
Multi-cultural aspect. We have so much to learn — which is good! One’s knowledge will not be limited to just one’s own culture.
You learn that Indonesian food is similar to Filipino cuisine, and sometimes even better!
You realize that the Hindus are some of the most hardworking people you will ever meet.
You experience how well- mannered the Japanese truly are. Like wow, every greeting comes with a slight bow.
You also learn that Italian food is bomb!
Aussie culture is great because there are no “ma’am” and “sir”. They call everyone by their first names.
And if you were wondering why only white culture is mostly portrayed on TV, think again. Every First World country is home to many different races who have found there the path to financial prosperity much better than their home country.
Business ethics. To explain this simply, I’ll summarize a food park in Australia compared to the ones we have in Dumaguete.
What’s inside an Australian food park: One coffee brands, two barbecue brands, two burger brands, one gelato brand, two milktea brands.
What’s inside a foodpark in Dumaguete (here goes nothing): Four burger brands, three coffee brands, three barbecue brands, five milktea beands, three sushi brands, five fried chicken brands.
You get the picture? That’s what I have actually seen.
I think this is because in Australia, there is more respect between and among fellow businesses. They don’t simply copy what their neighbors are into. They instead make something that can benefit their neighbors.
For example: If an entrepreneur opens a coffee shop in Melbourne, you would expect another entrepreneur beside him to put up a bagel shop. Then beside it maybe a cake shop will also open.
They complement each other’s businesses thus, generating a high foot traffic for the entire food park, and increasing its value in the society.
Based on my experience over here, I’ve tried selling in food parks. Everything was clearly agreed upon with the landlord. “Oo, ikaw ra lagi ang burger joint diri sa food park; dili ta mokuha lain.”
Eventually, the problem is not with the landlord but your neighbor fellow entrepreneur. The moment the Pinoy businessman realizes, “Oi, kusog lagi ning sandwich sa Big Poppa, baligya sad ta ingana?!”
When I started at the food park, I was the only one offering chicken burgers. By the time I left, there were three or four of us selling the same stuff, and they even had the gall to offer it for less.
Do you get the drift? (I’m sure a lot of local business owners here can relate, and feel the same way.)
Food grade. At least from where I worked in Melbourne, everything was spot-on clean and hygeinic.
I tried to carry over the same ethics here with my staff before, and for a while, it turned out good. Everybody was complying with my standards as required.
The problem is, one badly needs to keep on reminding local professional staff here, who instead act like kids, always waiting to be told.
And I just realized that the need to constantly “remind the staff” is unfortunately ingrained in the life of the Filipino businessman. His role is literally to remind the staff regularly about what to do.
Even employees who have been with the same employer the past four years still need to be reminded, like they never learned the things that were taught to them. Lapos ra na sa dalonggan basta kay maka sweldo ra.
So one learns about food handling way better in Australia. This is because it’s more like a way of life for them.
Strict laws. Because of the strict implementation and regulation of the laws, businessmen in Australia are more careful.
If the law requires restaurants to have a piece of equipment, then every restaurant in Australia has to invest in it. Clear as day. If it is the official requirement, the businessman simply complies. If not, he is not allowed to operate.
The law is applied the same way — from small ventures to big businesses. It is fair for everybody.
Which leads me to share with you another true story: Back in 2022, some government agency investigated my restaurant, and demanded that I install some equipment in my kitchen that costs roughly P60,000-70,000 because “it’s all in the Law”.
I casually asked if they were requiring everybody to install it. Yes daw, because of the dangers and hazards businesses like mine pose to people.
For those of you who had the opportunity to see Big Poppa’s kitchen, aren’t you proud to know that it’s one of the cleanest and safest, if not the cleanest and safest, commercial kitchens in Dumaguete during its time.
That was why I decided to make the restaurant an “open kitchen” set-up so that we would be compelled to always keep it clean; not offensive-looking from the outside.
That beautiful kitchen of mine did not have open flames; everything worked on electric. We also had a proper kitchen exhaust system, the standard of which is similar to Jollibee’s.
So I was wondering why that agency would require me to install that expensive contraption, while eateries located right beside me were operating with two or three open stoves with open flames, and yet not required that expensive equipment? Maybe because I was located within a gas station? So why were they requiring only me? Where is justice?
Anyway, I ended up installing the expensive thing because I had no choice.
My friend had a similar experience; he was made to pay around P170,000 to 200,000 for installation because he had a bigger kitchen.
I was thinking, since government has to be strict with the implementation of its laws, then they have to ensure to be strict with everyone, if safety is truly their concern.Not just those they think can afford to pay.
Side note: If Dumaguete indeed implemens its business laws about permits and regulations strictly, perhaps half or about three-fourths of the current local restaurants here would be temporarily shut down — and not necessarily because they don’t comply with the requirements.
Binisay-on nako: Dili pasabot na dili kaya sa negosyante musunod sa balaod. Wala’y klaro unsa gyud ang mga requirements sa gobyerno.
Salvation. Living alone in Australia transformed me into the holiest version of myself. To the point that gym music to me needed to be Hillsong or Planetshakers. I was so hooked with living life like Jesus did.
I guess when one lives alone in a foreign land, you really have no one else to trust and run to but Jesus. Your relationship with God just grows stronger, especially when days are hard. It was as if I can clearly hear God tell me what my next move should be.
The cons of living in Melbourne
Expenses. The gist is I once got locked out of my room. The locksmith cost me $300. Sa Pinas pa, walay bayad; gub- on ra ang pwertahan o kamangon ra ang bintana.
Mental health. “What are you doing, Sam?!”“That is wrong, don’t you get it? It’s been taught to you three times already!” “You’re so slow!”“How come you’re weak?” “How come this? How come that?”
Believe me, in First World countries like Australia, they are brutal about how you work.
It came to a point when I was just entertaining thoughts about simply crossing the tracks several times until a fast train would run over me. That way, I thought, I can peacefully sleep at night without having to worry about the negativity awaiting me the next day.
My friends, if you think your Filipino co-workers are brutal, wait until you work with those from the First World. They are simply straightforward, and don’t really care about how you would feel.
Ayaw parehasa ang Melbourne ug ang Dumaguete.That is so true! People here in the Philippines are easily hurt with words hurled at them, one needs to be careful with them. Chef Gordon Ramsay’s type of talk won’t do one any good here in the Philippines.
Loneliness. I spent my first birthday abroad alone, my first white Christmas alone, my first new year abroad alone.
It’s good when it’s busy at work because one tends to forget about the joys back home: breakfast set at the table even before you wake up; your mom’s hugs; your dad’s calls every now and then; hanging out with your girlfriend and simply unwinding; the barbecue stand right around the kanto; argentina corned beef at every sari sari store; cheap pedicab fares; cheap everything….
My advice to those who would like to work abroad is to always find something to keep you busy because the moment you have nothing left to accomplish, that’s when real loneliness hits you with thoughts about not being able to ever go back home anytime soon, and probably spending the rest of your life like so.
When I heard the song, “Sana ngayong pasko ay maalala mo pa rin ako…” it just brought tears to my eyes even while I was in the middle of a busy street because I just missed everyone, and everything back home. To be continued next week.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
