Monday, November 12, 2007 Echaves: Behind the chatter By Lelani P. Echaves Thinking Aloud
“I CAN speak English and Chinese….. also Mandarin,” squealed the boy about eight years old. “Naku, nagyayabang pa!,” exclaimed the young lady beside him.
And so my husband and I rejoiced that another Filipina was in the same bus. The boy had heard us trying to explain, but without success, to the bus driver where we wanted to go. The young Filipina saved our day, and gave directions to the driver.
It had been quite a while since I visited Hong Kong again, and during our stay learned that some things haven’t changed. For one, bus drivers generally neither speak nor understand English. And since they speak fast and in staccato, they sounded like they were barking, making the whole experience quite frustrating.
Fortunately, Filipinas were ubiquitous, in subway MTR’s, public buses, and streets. They helped us navigate our way to and from the hotel; most importantly, they were always very generous with their directions.
Even the ways of transacting business in malls hadn’t changed. In computer malls, the SOP was buy-first-before-demo. No amount of telling them I was from the Philippines and so couldn’t possibly just go back there to complain about the product, helped. And so I decided to forego buying the small portable printer. While it cost P 3,000 less there, I decided not to take the risk.
And so, I was beginning to miss my favorite computer shops at SM — O’Clar, Octagon and Thinking Tools. At Octagon particularly, the sales attendants are even ready with their shears to open the new boxes, knowing that Filipinos always ask for a demo prior to purchases.
So genuine are the customer relations skills that at Thinking Tools, even the security guard demonstrates remarkable product knowledge. While canvassing for an external CD-DVD Rom, the guard told us one model would work with the newer laptop versions “only.” Testing him, I asked “how about Visual Premium? His quick response, “Aw, o kaayo. High end man na.”
Another inconvenience in buying in Hong Kong is the English pronunciation. I was particularly interested in a Fujitsu tablet, but wanted another color. Shop after shop, there was only the white design. We asked for details like the operating system, speed and memory, but their only answer was “brak.” Only when we reached the hotel did we understand that “brak” was “black.” They must’ve thought we were asking about other colors.
It was impossible not to bump into fellow Filipinos. On Sundays, the Central Park was overflowing with Pinays from 10 am to past 10 pm, chattering and laughing, complete with their “baons” from mid-morning snacks to dinner.
In the subway train, I overheard a Pinay asking on her cellphone why her husband said the money hadn’t come, when she had deposited it three days ago.
Clearly, she was tired from the day’s work. Her hair needed some combing, and her eyes were swollen red. Within the conversation, she’d sigh heavily and stare blankly at the floor.
Behind the Sunday chatters, the sad travails of the Filipina as OFW were loud and clear.
