| Melissa is leading a fulfilling life in Frankfurt, Germany with her family, even though she misses her native land. She has adjusted to the local culture and to German behavior, which are so different from the culture she grew up with and knows. Life in one of the top financial cities in the world is treating this Filipina well. |
 Melissa Petri |
July 4 2006
-Where were you born?
Manila, Philippines
-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my husband and son (another son will be born in two months). My sister, a University student, is currently living with us. But, she will be moving nearer to her Uni after the summer.
-In which country and city are you living now?
Frankfurt, Germany
-How long have you been living in Germany?
7 years
-What is your age?
33 years
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Germany and what factors helped your decision?
7.5 years ago. The connections I had at work offered to absorb and transfer me to the European headquarters.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not really. I had two sponsors (Germany and Philippine-based) which helped me with all the documentations (guarantee letters, employment contract) while I was applying.
-How do you make your living in Germany? Do you have any type of income generated?
I am a Numerical Analyst (Forecasts, Budgets, Statistics) for the European headquarters of a Japanese company. In addition, I write for three blog networks about travel.
-Do you speak German and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Yes, I do. One of the first things the company I work for did was to enroll me in Language class. I took German lessons on and off for two years, until I passed my Mittelstufe Zentral exam.
Yes, it is important to speak the native language. Otherwise, one would never be able to understand why things work the way they do. A lot of my colleagues are foreign. Only a handful of them speak the local language. That is a pity since I have observed that they are missing a lot whenever the local employees talk among themselves. One can learn a lot -- good and bad -- about how others think when one can understand the local language.
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Definitely. I call home a lot. I do a lot of chatting on YM, as well. And to prevent being so out of touch, every single year, we spend New Year's in the Philippines. Every year, I also have a sibling or a parent visit me here. This year is special, though. All eight of them (including one sister-in-law) will be spending Christmas with us here in Germany. Also, my husband and I are passionate about sports. We have activities for every season. We snowboard, mountain bike and kayak.
-Do you have other plans for the future?
Yes. I am repatriating (along with my family) in three years. I was able to secure an expat contract for the same job, in the Philippines! My husband will try to look for a job, as well. But, if that doesn't work out, we are planning on putting up a business where his expertise can be used.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
The place where we are staying in Frankfurt is rented. My husband, though, has two flats in his name where his parents are currently residing. In the Philippines, my father has "guaranteed" that his grandsons will soon be near him by paying for the down payment (30%) for a flat in North Greenhills so we can be neighbors.
-What is the cost of living there?
That’s difficult to answer. Let's base it on food and gas. A McDonald's standard meal is around 5.99 euros. A tall Starbucks frapuccino is around 3.20 euros. Gas is around 1.35 euros per liter.
The funny thing is, whenever I am back in the Philippines, I do not convert from euro to pesos. Instead, I have in mind the price of how much everything was when I was still living back home. Imagine how embarrassing it was when I took my husband with me last year to ride the jeep and MRT. When I asked the jeepney driver (UP-Philcoa) how much the minimum was, I shouted, "What?! Ang mahal naman!” (That’s so expensive!) That was because, in my head, the price should be around 1.50 pesos. Instead, it was 7.50! The same goes for everything I buy.
-What do you think about the German people?
I used to get so offended by how unfriendly the people are. But, that is just how they are. It's their culture. They do not smile if there is no reason. However, when you befriend a local, then you have a real friend. There are no pretensions. The Germans are very straightforward. It’s nothing personal. It's easy to get offended if one does not take it into account that that is just how the people are.
Of course, from time to time, I have been discriminated against because of my skin color. But, that could happen anywhere in the world so I stopped thinking about it. If and when a local does discriminate against me, I immediately switch to speaking in English. That way, they are in the defensive because they sometimes mistake Pinoy-English accent as American and, well, most of them do stop discriminating when they think you are American. Weird.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Germany?
Positive: Germany has all the first-world benefits like health care, social security, etc. It's a lot cleaner and the current Euro rate does give us spending power.
Negative: It's not home. Sixty percent of the time, the weather is awful.
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in that country?
Try to understand the culture and learn the language. Otherwise, you'd have a miserable life here.
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs?
Pinoyexpats (http://pinoyexpats.org) - an ezine about Filipino Expatriates, which I founded
Expatica (http://expatica.com) - great site where one can exchange information with fellow expatriates
