I was on limited posting and commenting this past week due to a teeny tiny problem, like, say…my resident visa. Miscommunication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff (MOFA) meant my visa wasn’t renewed, only extended. In October. According to them I was now on an overstay. It had to be fixed, which required travelling abroad and reapplying from Manila. Not fun. And expensive, on top of losing wages from not working for three days. Having lived here legally without issue for fourteen years probably played a role in getting it resolved.
All is well. I’m legal, I’m back in Taipei, I have six boxes of Cinnabon and cans of Tim Horton’s coffee to share with friends. Yee hah.
Glad you are back safely and legally. Somehow I had not expected a Timmie’s in Manila but, of course, Filipino–Canadians visiting the old country are going to need their fix.
Shopping in Asia is odd in that every country has some North American or European convenience or chain, but none of them have all of them. Carrefour, the French supermarket chain, is in many countries but not in Thailand, which has Tesco’s. Tim Horton’s isn’t the only Canadian presence in the Philippines, there’s Telus, the BC and Alberta phone company.
The weirdest thing is how many chains have gone bankrupt elsewhere but are still operating in Asia. Toys’r’us is everywhere. The Philippines has many US fast food chains (Shakey’s, Wendy’s, Sbarro’s, Kenny Rogers’, Dairy Queen, etc.) some which no longer exist stateside. More importantly for me is clothes shopping. Women’s sizes in Taiwan are limited and tiny, while larger outer and under garments (3XL, 4XL) are easily found in Manila.
Payless Shoes still operates there. You. Have. No. Idea. how hard it is to get shoes big enough for my feet. Ordering shoes online is a crapshoot, and you can’t return them. It’s sooooo nice to sit down in a store and find sandals or pumps that fit, not wear sneakers all the time.