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Your October 2017 Postcard from Norm -  My top 10 memories from this year living abroad

9/28/2017

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My 10 most memorable experiences this year:
 
I've lived abroad for about seven years now since I first moved to Costa Rica in 2011. (Wow, where does the time go?) Although I’ve spent time throughout Latin America and now Southeast Asia in that time, I’ve always managed to come home to Connecticut every year where I grew up, as well as my adopted home of California.
 
So instead of tracking time by the calendar year of January through December, I tend to consider my year when I leave and then when I get back to the U.S. – when I can see family and friends from my “old life,” eat way too much home cooking, and easily find clothing that actually fits.
 
On this tour of duty, I left from San Francisco on November 8, 2016 – Election Day. Next week, I’ll be touching down again in New York City for about seven weeks stateside.
 
Therefore, I thought it was the perfect time to reflect on my year (ok, eleven months) abroad with these top 10 memorable experiences:


​Pampanga hot air balloon festival
I was lucky enough to go on an early morning hot air balloon ride at dawn on February 9, the first day of the annual Pampanga Hot Air Balloon Festival and also my birthday. It wasn't cheap, but the view of the countryside farms and villages below was breathtaking!
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​Playing Santa Claus and meeting Liza Mae
A friend was looking for someone to dress up as Santa for a Christmas party for sick children in Cebu, so I volunteered (“But why is Santa sweating so much?”). That’s how I got to know Everlasting Hope, a non-profit that helps poor kids with cancer and their families. Since a warm-hearted friend got a Santa suit custom made for me, I’ll be dressing up for the kids again next Christmas!
 
Through Everlasting Hope, I also got to know Liza Mae, an adorable and spirited 8-year old girl who is suffering from a cancerous tumor that covers her face. Lacking enough money for any medical care (or even proper shelter with a CR), I took on her cause, raising enough money from caring friends all over the world to get her treatment. I was even able to visit their humble shanty near the port in Cebu, where Liza Mae presented me with a drawing that says “Salamat” – now my prized possession in the world.
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​Hitting golf balls off Taal Volcano
Taking a weekend trip to Tagaytay with two great friends, Trevor and Laarni, we hopped on a ferry to Taal Island. After a hot and dusty hour hike to the top, we were rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime view of an island inside a volcanic lake on an island inside another lake on an island. That’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen! I even got to hit golf balls into the volcanic crater. Fore!
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​Writing a newspaper column & DJ’ing a radio show
When it came to branching out into mass media, 2017 was a super fun year for me. I was asked to be a guest on Jeff the Solar Guy’s radio show on 93.7 ENERGY FM, which led to DJ’ing own show on that station, rekindling a love affair with radio that goes back to my college days. 

Additionally, for some strange reason, the hometown newspaper in my new adopted city, the Dumaguete MetroPost, invited me to write a weekly column. They even gave me carte blanche to write about whatever I want and express my personal opinions. I don't think they know what they're getting into! But so far, I've been tame and well-behaved in my column, and it’s a fantastic way to get to know my new community.

​Royhle Air tour
I took 57 flights this year (58 with the hot air balloon!), but none was more memorable than going up in a four-seat Cessna for an aerial tour over the Negros Oriental coastline and Apo Island. Thanks to Royhle Air, a private charter company that flies out of Dumaguete and Cebu, I hope to take a few more of these puddle jumper flights!
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​Flooding in Cagayan de Oro
Visiting a local friend in Cagayan de Oro, we spent a day in the mountains, where I rode the longest zip line in Asia. It started raining on our way back to the city. And then raining harder. It rained as hard as I’ve ever seen for the next 12 hours and the city flooded. In fact, I was stuck inside my hotel all weekend since the water on the street below reached the height of an SUV, which made international news. 
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​Island hopping w friends
I love it when friends visit me in the Philippines because I get to play tour guide. This year, my U.S. buddies Trevor and then Scott came to visit, so I showed them around Coron, Cebu, Boracay, La Union, Camiguin, and yes, Dumaguete.
 
In fact, two of my favorite road trips near my hometown are to Sijiour, where I love rope swinging and splashing at the Cambugahay waterfalls, and hanging out at the picturesque Manjyod Sandbar.
 
When Scott or Trev come back next year, I want to take them to my new favorite island and the surfing capital of the Philippines, Siargao.
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​Surviving another Kyokushin Karate camp in Thailand
For the second year in a row, I was honored to attend karate legend Judd Reid’s live-in Kyokushin karate camp, where 26 of us from all around the world trained our hearts out – and then trained some more. Last year, the camp was 12 days long, but this year's camp was "only" 6 days – and I was much better prepared for it.
 
But although it was half the time, this camp was five times as hard, with three intense workouts a day, including sparring every day with the other experienced fighters. Somehow, I survived again, and Shihan Reid actually graced me with a blue belt this time. I hope I live up to it, and maybe I can get the courage (and the cardio) up to attend his camp again next March! Osu! 
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​Return to the Kingdom of Cambodia
Cambodia holds a special place in my heart, from the wild countryside to the beautiful people and even heartbreak, as our good friend Anton passed away there on my first day back in Asia in 2015. But in February of this year, I took a trip back to “The Kingdom,” where I toured Siem Reap by helicopter and also ninja’d into Phnom Penh to surprise my best homie there, Wicced, as well as several great charities I support there.
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​Feeling at home in Dumaguete
Living abroad in a new place can be equal parts challenging, frustrating, sometimes lonely, and also fulfilling. Everyone sees the nice photos of beaches and sunsets on Facebook and thinks that life is easy and unencumbered, but quite the opposite can be true when you're a stranger in a strange land. However, I am happy to say that after much soul-searching (and island searching!), I did find a nice, peaceful, beautiful, healthy and happy place: Dumaguete.
 
I’ve lived in Dumaguete for less than six months now, but already I’ve experienced sunshine and sea breeze moments of clarity where the city of friendly people feels like home. It will take more time to get adjusted and keep making friends, but while I’m gone to the U.S. for these two months, I’ll have people that miss me; and when I come back, people that will be happy to see me.
 
That’s all I can ask for.

-Norm :-)

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​How does Philippines tourism measure up with the rest of the world?

9/27/2017

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This week on September 27, the world commemorated World Tourism Day, a time to "foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values," according to the United Nations.
 
In honor of World Tourism Day, I thought I'd take a closer look at the state of tourism in the Philippines by examining the highly respected Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index for 2017, published by the World Economic Forum and chock full of insight. For instance, they report that over the last ten years, international tourism has contributed over 10% to global GDP, accounting for 1 in every 10 jobs on the planet.
 
This year, the Index has the Philippines ranked #79 out of the 136 countries listed for tourism, or the bottom 42nd percentile  (they only rank 136 countries in the world, not the 195 or so in existence).
In fact, in 2016, the Philippines saw more than 5.3 million foreign tourists cross its borders (not counting Filipinos). The average tourist spent about $984 for each trip, which means that we received about 125 million dollars from tourism, accounting for 4.2% of the Philippines' GDP.
 
 More than 1.2 million Filipinos also worked in tourism last year, accounting for 3.3% of all employment.
 
But despite the perception that the Philippines is no longer a secret among Southeast Asian backpackers and travelers, our tourism industry actually took a hit in 2016 – and will probably sink even further in 2017.
 
In fact, the Philippines dropped 5 places from the same report in 2016's report, when it was ranked #74 in the world for tourism (out of 141 countries listed). I'm guessing that headlines about extra-judicial killings, extremist kidnappings and beheadings have something to do with that.
 
Indeed, the Index reports that security concerns among tourists – from street crime to terrorism – remain extremely high in the Philippines, earning us a #126 blemish out of 136 countries.
 
A lack of confidence in the police, substandard quality of roads (#107), a restrictive visa policy (#60), and the fact that the Philippines government reduced their travel and tourism budget by almost half all were contributing factors.
 
However, there was also a lot to redeem the Philippines as a tourist destination, including the relatively low cost (#22) to travel here, the country's rich natural resources (#37), and the ease of air travel.
 
Within Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranks #7 out of 9 countries for tourism, falling behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam (in that order) and only ahead of Lao and Cambodia.
 
On this year's list, the Philippines sits behind Egypt, Jordan, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Bhutan (countries no. 74-78), with Kenya, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Cape Verde, and Armenia ranked behind us (#80-85).
 
Spain is the overall #1 ranked country on this travel and tourism index, and Japan the first Asian country listed, sitting at #4.
 
While I doubt the Philippines will ever reach those heights, perhaps modeling our tourism sector after Thailand (#34) is a great goal?
 
However you interpret the report, it's interesting data that puts tourism in the Philippines in a world context.

-Norm :-)

Originally written for my weekly Dumaguete MetroPost newspaper column.

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Requiem for a radio show.

9/13/2017

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This week, I had the opportunity to be a guest disc jockey on Dumaguete’s own 93.7 Energy FM radio station, filling the how usually reserved for Jeff the Solar Guy’s show.
 
Jeff pre-qualified me tediously for the job by checking to see if: 1) I knew what a radio was; 2) Could speak in complete sentences; and 3) Had a pulse. Assured that two out of three wasn’t bad, I was offered the position.
 
The experience was a blast, and thanks to a few entertaining guests and a solid producer, at least my show didn’t embarrass the station.  But I must admit that I had butterflies of anticipation leading up to my 4 PM On-Air time since it’s been a long time since I got behind the mic.
 
My timing was a half click too fast and my transitions were rusty, but I still remembered the three golden rules of radio: 1) Always read the copy advertising, 2) Repeat the station’s call letters and guest names every ten minutes, 2) and don’t swear like a drunken sailor. 

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​But it wasn’t my first foray into being a radio DJ…
 
A million years ago (OK, 1992-3) I was a Disc Jockey for my college radio station at the University of Connecticut. 91.7 FM went by the call letters WHUS, with the slogan “Radio for the people.” The only problem was that there weren’t any people listening – at least to my show.
 
As a newbie, I was awarded he worst possible time for a radio show: 2 AM to 5:30 AM on Thursday mornings. My first class, Weightlifting 101, was at 8 AM so it was a challenge just to show up, yet alone bench press with that lack of sleep (and lack of muscle).
 
Manning a professional radio station by myself was also a big responsibility. I had to read public service announcements (PSAs) every 15 minutes, report the weather once an hour, and announce the call letters frequently so the people would know which station they weren’t listening to.
 
There were about 1,000 buttons, dials, and levers in the sizable radio booth, at least nine of which I mastered after six months of practice. Also, I was informed very seriously that if I cursed while I was live on air, the FCC could fine the station $10,000 and could put them out of business. 

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​But I had plenty of leeway to make mistakes since the station was empty at that hour. That was fine by me, since I didn’t particularly care for the kind of person who would be a college radio DJ (present company excluded).
 
The other members of WHUS chain smoked, reserved sour lemon looks of scorn for anyone not deemed as “alternative” as them, and obviously spent hours perfecting their disheveled outfits until they’d give off an “I don’t care about my outfit” vibe.
 
But I made the best of it, and I was rarely alone. My roommate, Garnett, always came along with me to listen to the newest hip hop records, and, circa 2:30 AM, Jake the Pizza Delivery Guy would always roll in, red-eyed and carrying a few free pizzas he’d managed to commandeer.
 
Together, to pass the three hours of silent blackness, we turned the radio show it into a big party. 

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​“Stormin Norman in the Morning” was born, but this was no cult of personality, as the show was all about the music. At that time, there was no YouTube or iTunes, and people couldn't even listen to music online (Napster came in 1999). So to hear a new song, you had to tune in on the radio, watch MTV, or go to a record store and buy it.
 
But every record label sent early releases to the station to promote their hot new artists and albums, so we got Nirvana, Dr. Dre and Snoop, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Counting Crows, Radiohead, the Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, and others all six months before the general public. It was heaven for this music lover.
 
We turned the volume way up. We danced. We tried to rap. We laughed. I ranted and raved on-air. We used the station’s phone to make long distance calls. We stole duplicate CDs. We took turns falling asleep on the couch. And we recorded endless mixes as if this music jackpot might suddenly disappear.
 
I gave shout-outs to friends all the time just so they would listen, spread maliciously irresponsible rumors about our teachers, and invited anyone and everyone in as a guest so we could discuss their sexual exploits.
 
By the time the middle aged and well mustached soft jazz DJ showed up at 5 AM to prepare for his morning show, the studio was littered with empty beer bottles, dank clouds of smoke, stacks of vinyl and CD cases, the remains of Hawaiian pizzas, and a snoring Garnett.

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​The rest of the college campus was still sleeping, too. My radio show was so desolate that when a blizzard struck one winter night, I didn’t bother showing up. No one seemed to notice that the station was broadcasting dead air until a confused morning jazz guy brought it back to life.
 
It snowed a lot of Thursday mornings that winter, and thus my inglorious DJing career at WHUS soon came to an end.
 
I ended up failing Weightlifting 101, a new low-point in my already low academic career. But Garnett and I were sought out for our new mixes and soon recruited to DJ parties. Jake the Pizza Guy would even stop by.
 
Twenty-five years later (wow!), getting into the booth at ENERGY FM rekindled those memories. Pulling the mic close and shouting out those call letter maybe even created an itch that needs scratching.
 
Perhaps I'll volunteer to guest DJ in Dumaguete again? Or, even better, I can record my own little podcast about traveling, culture, and general musings about this thing we call life.
 
But this time, I think I'll call it “Stormin Norman in the mid-afternoon," and strong coffee will replace all of those cold beers. I can even make a call to see if Garnett and Jake the Pizza Guy are available.

-Norm  :-)

P.S. A version of this story first appeared in the Dumaguete MetroPost newspaper.

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Guest DJ'ing a radio show on 93.7 ENERGY FM in Dumaguete, the Philippines

9/10/2017

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This week, I had the opportunity to guest DJ an hour-long radio program on Dumaguete’s own 93.7 Energy FM.

Taking over for the time slot usually reserved for Jeff The Solar Guy (who reminds me of The Dude from the movie, The Big Lebowski), I was lucky to have a few abundantly entertaining guests - the Wonder Twins - as well as Jera. 

We had a blast talking about their amazing Karma Cafe here in Dumaguete, solar energy facts, International Coastal Cleanup Day, and played a hilarious game called Twin Confusion.

It was a great experience and I'm eager to get behind the mic again soon!

You can check out the show here:

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A map of the Philippines as Game of Thrones

9/3/2017

233 Comments

 
Are you fan of Game of Thrones?

The most popular TV series ever has countless fans all over the world, including the Philippines. But the archipelago of 7,500+ islands and 120,000 million residents is quite wild, beautiful, and majestic in its own right.

​So I started thinking about what if Game of Thrones was actually in the Philippines? From Manila to Mindanao,  North of the Wall to Kings Landing, here is my interpretation of Game of Thrones - Philippines' style! 
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How did I do?
What did I get right or wrong?
How would you map look different? Feel free to email me with any feedback! 

-Norm  :-)


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    Norm Schriever

    Norm Schriever is a best-selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He travels the globe, telling the stories of the people he finds, and hopes to make the world a little bit better place with his words.   

    Norm is a professional blogger, digital marketer for smart brands around the world,  and writes for the Huffington Post, Hotels.com, and others.

    Check out South of Normal his Amazon.com best-selling book about life as an expat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

    Cambodia's School of Hope explores education and empowerment in impoverished Cambodia, with 100% of sales going to that school.

    The Book Marketing Bible provides 99 essential strategies for authors and marketers.

    Pushups in the Prayer Room, is a wild, irreverent memoir about a year backpacking around the world.  

    Follow Norm on Twitter @NormSchriever or email any time to say hi!

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