Arrow Training November 2007
I was "wow-ed" yesterday. At our Arrow training I ate some of the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. The Spring rolls were delicious and, for the first time, I ate this egg dish (5 on the plate in the middle). They were delicious. The soup was average because we didn't have enough of the proper ingredients, but everything else was fantastic. I was impressed!
Overall, the level of English in this group is quite good. I have not yet interviewed anyone with below average English. A couple of them have learned a little Mandarin or Chinese. One or two have impressed me with their initiative, bringing me coffee, etc. (Coffee is always a good way to get my attention.)
We have tried to discourage some of the ladies with small children at home, but some of them are in desperate financial need and feel they have no choice.
A word about finances: Potential employers, you need to remember that these ladies often borrow money to pay for their processing in the Philippines. If you hire someone, you need to be patient with them. If you terminate an employee over minor issues like absentmindedness or occasional lateness, bad cooking, etc. you will be hurting their whole family financially. We work with our Philippine partner to keep fees on this side as low as possible, but most women still need to borrow to pay their fees here. Some of them even need to borrow money for the bus fare to attend our training. Please have some compassion and patience.
