Season 1, Episode 19 - NATIONALITY

(In continuation of Season 1, Episode 18 – PEOPLE)

Chinese – Since I essentially work in an organization with a Chinese name, then I also get to interact with a lot of Chinese. And they are generally a penny-pinching lot, even if they’ve got the wealth to prove it. May pagka-kuripot ang mga Intsik, pinipiga hanggang sa kahuli-hulihang sentimo pa. A lot of them pay particular attention to detail, they are strict, and ang dami nilang mga instructions to do something in a specific way. At dapat talaga in a SPECIFIC way. Personally, I don’t want to anger the Chinese. I don’t know, I’m guessing it’s their eyes and their sometimes stoic expression. Para kaseng tinutusukan ka ng karayom ng mga mata nila. Ewan ko ba, kapag nakatutok na sayo parang it always reminds me of Sadako kahit na Sadako is Japanese. But once makuha mo na ang mga kiliti nila, they can be one of the most endearing people you can work with. The most endearing one would perhaps be this client who uses a magnifying glass to read text messages from her cell phone. I swear, may dala-dalang magnifying glass talaga sa bag niya at nakakaaliw tignan kapag nagbabasa ng text!

Luxembourger – I had to look this up online on the politically correct term for this nationality. I know, parang Jollibee Burger Yum ang dating, but this is a person native to Luxembourg. The Luxembourger has distinguished himself to me as one who is cynical. Generally, civil naman ang style ng Luxembourger but when he doesn’t want a certain policy, he becomes SSS – sarcastic, sneering, and sniping. Ang counterattack ko na lang is to explain VERY BRIEFLY the standard procedure, let him yak away with all his mocking comments and, in the end, susunod at susunod pa rin yun sayo. Hayan tuloy, parang bipolar ang dating.

French – Haaay, the French. And here I thought the French were the romantic and affectionate bunch. Based on my interactions with them, in my opinion, they are the most complicated and, should I say, difficult people to deal with. They speak the most gibberish English I could think of among the foreigners I got to contend with. Kapag nagsasalita na sila ng Ingles, feel ko I’m hearing a babbling person at parang nasa Ms. Universe ang dating na I would need an interpreter para lang maka-intindi sa mga pinagsasalita nila. When I explain something to them, it has to be the most basic English kase, at some point, they might misinterpret it. And I need to repeat it over and over again with them and constantly confirm that they understood what I said. Kase if a problem arises, patay ka, they’re gonna take back all that was explained to them, jumble it up, and all French hell will break loose with matching kaway pa ng mga arms!

Spanish – I have little interactions with the Spanish. And from what I have experienced, they are an elegant and sociable group. They try to be as friendly as possible without being too close. They are generally a good looking bunch. Natatameme ako kapag nandiyan sila kase parang feel ko I’m with royalty at ako’y isang hamak na indio lamang na tagapagkintab ng mga sapatos nila.

Filipino – It’s fun to interact with the Pinoy kase samu’t-sari ang mga personalidad ng mga ito. They are commonly very hospitable and feeling close na parang kapamilya o kapuso o kapatid mo na. And, boy, do they love to talk and gossip! They are also very proud and would love to show off things they bought especially in the presence of other people. Pero, in general, parang fruit salad ang dating ng personality ng mga Pinoy na nakakasalamuha ko – iba’t-ibang ingredients pero masarap pa rin ang lasa. Samu’t-sari nga ang mga positive and negative traits ng mga Pinoy, pero dala na rin siguro ng pagka-Pinoy ko, it makes it easier for me to adjust to each personality.

Hindi lang mga varied races ang nakaka-interact ko everyday. Of course, there are other distinct categories tulad lang ng mga secretaries (feelingero na parang sila ang mga amo), messengers (mahilig mag-insert at walang pasensya), exotics (mahilig sa accessories, the silent type, at oo lang ng oo), cross-breeds (mahangin at kelangan ka talagang mag kiss ass para ma-satisfy), at ang mga weirder clients (let’s just put it this way: dapat ang account numbers at credit card numbers niya should end with an ‘8’).

It’s always a challenge managing the different types of personalities I get to interact with. Pero at the end of the day, the foundation of it all is, basically, to understand the qualities and traits of a particular person and to adjust effectively to his/her style. Kumbaga, diskarte ko na rin yan!

Silent Adventurer out!