Stephane Morel – Living in the Philippines for over 9 years

Derek: I want to get a backstory of Stephane and how he’s found himself to be in the Philippines 9 years later and calling it his home now, so what was it about the place that made you stay?

Stephane: What did I enjoy about the place? The weather first I think, cause when i arrived it was like a rainy season so when like I arrived in August it was raining for 3 months, I planned to stay for 3 months so I was like no way I have to stay a little bit more.  I want to see, I have to see the beach, I have to see the sunny time, the summer time like that so I extend in and then there then I know just fully know is a country with people a things like one more time like a.  The people and you feel a lot to do in the Philippines a lot of potential, it’s like a poor country but at the same time very rich.

Derek: So over the last night 9 years how you’ve seen it change has been a huge amount of development you know physical development but are you seeing the country mature, is it?

Stephane: It’s evolving but it’s like only for people with money.  I’m sorry to say that, it’s growing like every single, It’s like a 10 times bigger and everything so yeah it’s booming a lot like a ofcourse like a filipino can, but at the same time I feel like those people again from the street or those people who don’t have the chance to be educated, I don’t see much chance for them and there is potential there is money in this country it has something to do with the so yeah that’s what makes me sad.

Derek: And what about the people’s perception of the Philippines, it’s never really been on the map and not really in people’s consciousness, yeah?

Stephane: Especially when you are from France the only thing you will hear about Philippines it’s going to be negative all the time it’s going to be about typhoon, terrorist attack so for example everybody is going to think in France the Philippines is a muslim country they only think is when there is attack in Mindanao everybody is calling me, “are you safe in Manila?” It’s like a thousand kilometers away.

Derek: And for the record I think the Philippines is the biggest Christian country in the world, isn’t it? And I think also, the biggest speaking english country in the world

Stephane: It’s a bigger. For the regions, Muslim always get the same.  I used to live in a Muslim country like every year when I go back to France like the same and see now they got really hard time to put it in a map.

Derek: And it’s unfortunately never been on the map and I think they’re trying to push it now with tourism but everyone knows the Bali’s and the Hong Kong, and the Thailand for tourism and  you were a backpacker and I was a backpacker and all of those things are really the must see places but Philippines is just not there.

Stephane: You know what before I get the job offer 10 years ago I travel a lot further and I went like Philippines was my last country where I wanted to visit.  I was really not interesting.  I knew I got some few contact there in Manila, maybe I will go 1 day but there is so many place I want to visit first and then I got the job offer, I was like Oh, I should have a look so I will know what is Manila about and what is the Philippine and I got so surprised that’s what really happened to most people coming to the Philippines really like a “ahhh!” I remember when my mother the first time came, she wanted to bring shampoo to me like a, “do you need some shampoo?” I’m like sure. They got everything like a there’s wine there is like a different country I’m not living in the bush you know.

Derek: And there’s so much beauty here which people don’t really acknowledge I mean there’s 7000 islands and there’s still islands which you wonder if any human has ever stepped on there or spent any time there it’s incredible beauty.

Stephane: You can do everything like surfing one of the best surfing spot in the world in Siargao can good diving same it’s one of the best place in the world hiking for everybody like you, you find something to do.  Yes, 7000 islands.  

Derek: We actually had Tom Graham on the podcast too is a  british guy works with Gawad Kalinga which is a charity here but he brings over a lot of tourism and owns a company called Mad tourism – make a difference and he’s trying to leave the charge to bring a lot of people here a lot of backpackers to blend with the holiday but also with ethical tourism and showing them the developing parts of the country though so I think it’s slowly changing.

Stephane:  It’s changing, and 1 more time all of the people came to the Philippines were visiting me, a friend of a friend like who did not know anything about the Philippines on the first 3 days they came back you know after 1 year 2 years I never saw anybody who left the Philippines who said no I did not enjoy my trip or had a bad time.

Derek: It is actually an easy country to integrate with because everyone is they’re happy, they are smiling but they are also quite culturally aligned with the western values.  There’s Christianity which means there’s sort of a implied alignment in terms of cultures and everyone speaks english.        

Stephane:  Yeah, their communications are perfect like a, everytime people speak English anywhere at least.  You are always welcome, invite you for the meal, for the food, for.  Filipinos, they are really amazing.  The big lesson for me coming from France, I don’t know, I hope there are more French people to go and learn things about them.

Derek:  Actually, Gawad Kalinga seems to have quite a strong French Connection.  Did you know that?

Stephane:  Yeah, many French students are going there.  I think our link was the…

Derek:  University.

Stephane:  University.  Yeah.  Where did the future.  We testing project indicates, so many French students coming out.        

Derek:  Yes, it’s crazy.  Gawad Kalinga are built, I think about 250 thousand homes for the poor in the Philippines.  And they have a an eco-village which they called like the Silicon Valley of the Philippines where they are.  There’s a lot of innovation going on and a lot of French students pour into that.

Stephane:  It’s perfect especially for students more like you don’t know much about life or the  word.  When you just finished school?  Are you still at school? And you have the chance to expand something like that. It’s really amazing  Most of them are stay the same field of work like they want to help you, they want to give love, to help people to give love are safe from the.  It’s pretty amazing why they keep on doing like.

Derek:  It was Stephane Morel.  Hope you enjoy that and if you want to get in touch with Stephane or want to know any more about this episode.  Go to the show notes at outsourceaccelator.com/90.  And if you want to ask us, ask us anything then just email us at [email protected]