Wednesday 23 March 2011

Life on Cannery Row....



I  leave in my house at 1:30 pm and have to ride a trisikad to go town then transfer to jeep to go in the city to my job at the cannery. The trisikad has street priority in daytime, so is faster and easy to get to mains streets where I can catch jeepney. Give php15 (us$.035) to trisikad driver. Today it is Milan - who is registered with proper ID from government. He is engine, and driver for triskid. Takes 2-3 people. Usually just short trip to main street.  At street I catch jeepney (b/f says) this is only in Philippines. Made from jeep to carry many people on benches in back. Very colorful, so driver can get passengers attention. Jeepney from my town to Cagayan de Oro cost php25. (us$0.60). Is quick trip to factory.  Today crowded - many people - but I get seat. 

Before we go in to the plant, I read the sign at the gate. On a post "NO ID,NO SHOES NO ENTRY".   Important for discipline to look like employee, not squatter, so I arrive in uniform. White tee-shirt, jeans, have gloves, have hairnet and apron, have mask. Company and employees both serious about doing clean work with food product.

We are serious while we work. Begin 1:30pm, snack break at 6:00pm. My job is in finishing product. Is already to put in can when comes to me, I sometimes pick out eyes of pineapple - imperfections - I pickup pineapples (always use sterile gloves) and plop! into can. Pass on to machine that puts top on and seals. There are more than twenty of us who do this job. Hundreds of cans in an hour. Today I read advertisement. They need more people.

Desired qualifications -
Very Good scholastic records
Strong leadership skills
Team spirit
Above average skills in written and oral communication
Ability to work under pressure
Willing to undergo rigid training

So.. I am proud of job - we put this product on market and grocery shelves around the world. In America, in Europe, in Asia, Africa. Satisfying to make sweet treat but healthy for people everywhere. Job not pay so well, but is satisfying. To me at least. 

At snack time..its 6:00pm I will hide maybe today, I have only a candy mint for lunch, but my friend there Lilly, she gives me some of her lunch for free.  I'm shy about that, but when I have salary on pay-day, I sometimes give her free snacks too.  At the lunch time my coworkers always joking. We smile and laugh after lunch its quiet again, we are all back at jobs.  Rest of day goes quickly, back to work at 6:30pm, home at 8:30pm. I earn about php125 (us$3) for the day, after I pay jeepney and trisikad drivers both to work and back home.

This is our product - before is ripe - in the field.


And after work I am so excited to go home. No truancy for me!  It is good. Factory supervisor lets me choose own hours so I have mornings to do details and get Llana and Pammi to school, and they can stay at my sister's house on their way home. Straight home for me on jeepney and trisikad. Because of my kids and of course to talk again to my b/f on net. 

I am comfortable in my life, working at company and caring for my kids. Get support and inspiration from my b/f...  I look no further. It is enough for me..


This is day of factory worker in Misamis Oriental.

<3

1 comment:

  1. After three days, I’m only free and managed to surf other blogs, like yours. To be honest, I feel relax whenever I read articles having plain and simple story about ordinary life…Like yours, among others. As you know (may be), my blog is filled up with ‘heavy duty’ news and articles of politic, wars and human misery. However, I’m advised to keep it, as it is.

    Coming back to your blog, it is indeed remaining me of a nostalgic memory whenever you mention trisikad and jeepney.
    Actually sometimes ago, I visited your country. Particularly in Manila and Zamboanga. My experience with those means of transportation was very interesting.

    In Manila, I sometimes took jeepney just for an experience. Sandwiching myself between the local Filipinos and the Filipinas.
    However, in Zamboanga, the story is totally different. I was more or less forced to take trisikad most of the time. Because the option of having others are limited.

    Unless you have a well-to do friends, who have cars and free to transport you around the town. Off course, I have some…However most of the times they were busy with other things. So I had no choice but to accommodate the usage of trisikad.

    In those day, some of the drivers who took me around, I guess are crazy. They drive their trisikad so fast as if there is no tomorrow. Somehow it scared me.
    Not forget to mention that we don’t have it over here, so I don’t have the yo-yo experience.
    Well, that was in the past.

    Regards to your children and your BF

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