Don't Knock the Filipinos

Went around the neighborhood today to submit my resumes door-to-door. Ran into a number of Pinoys working for different embassies. They were all very nice and gave me some tips as to which embassies I should make sure to submit my resume to - Namibia, Egypt, Djibouti among others - either because there are a lot of Pinoys working there or there are positions that have possibly opened up. I was able to hit some of them today because they were in my coverage area. Tomorrow and Thursday I'm going to hit the others.

When I was in the Argentine Embassy this afternoon, there was a gentleman in line before me that was speaking with the receptionist at the Consulate Section. He was applying for a visa and was being asked to pay $90 (to speed up the process or something). After paying the $90, he thanked the woman over and over again for helping him with his visa application. He then took a seat on the sofa next to me and when he found out I was from the Philippines, he started a conversation.

His employer (Best Western) advised him that he needed to fly to Argentina next week to inspect a couple of their hotels over there (Manila was part of his itinerary. That's the reason for the interest in my being Filipino). He was very thankful that he was finally able to get the application process rolling. Apparently, he'd been waiting 2 hours before somebody asked him forward (and we were the only 2 people in the room then). It surprised and impressed me how he managed to keep his disposition after going through all that. I would've left in a huff after being ignored for a few minutes. Sure he needed a visa, but still, his mood didn't sour one bit. There aren't many people like that. I know I'm not.

He also mentioned that of all the hotels that he's inspected, the warmest people are really from Asia. So even though their hotels aren't as high-tech as the ones in America and Europe, a lot of people still enjoy - even prefer - going to the Asian branches. Especially those in the Philippines.

It made me think of the Filipinos I encountered during my rounds who gave me tips for my job hunt. It made me think of my cousin in Virginia who welcomed me into their home and always welcome my friends when they come visit. It made me think of their friends who have made me feel like I've been a part of their group for years. They didn't have to do all those things, but they did.

Many think that Filipinos have this crab mentality wherein they don't want their fellow-Filipinos to succeed and will do anything to pull them down. But I believe that there are many Filipinos out there who do want the best for their kababayans and do all they can to help them succeed. And I to believe that the latter far outnumber the former.