veendam log - 28 oct 2007

Another long entry...

I filed my first official complaint to our Security Officer.

A few evenings ago, at around midnight, I received a call in our cabin. I answered it, thinking it was my roommate’s boyfriend. I was going to tell him that she was still in the shower. But it wasn’t Mike. It was another guy looking for me. I asked him who he was – about 3 or four times – but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer so I hung up the phone.

It rang again. I answered. It was the same guy playing the same game. I hung up the phone. It rang again. I let it ring, thinking it would stop sooner or later. It didn’t.

I answered the phone again and asked him for his name. He told me he was Piolo Pascual… aba’y feeling naman talaga no? I asked him about 3 more times and he gave me the same answer. Finally I told him, “Maayos ang tanong ko kaya sagutin mo ‘ko nang maayos.”

He told me his name was Resti. I remembered his name from one time that my roommate and I ran into him in front of the crew mess. That’s all I knew… his name. I never saw his face. Even if I did, it was so fast there’s no chance I’d be able to recall it. Now if he was a good looking guy, I would remember his face… but that’s not the point of the story.

Resti then began to explain that he thought I was my roommate, which was why he was playing around. Then he said that there was probably no chance of him getting to know me since I’m already pissed at him. I told him he was right.

Seriously, regardless of whether or not that person is your friend, when someone asks you who you are – at least 3 times – you tell them your name. You do not play around. Pano pa kaya kung di mo kakilala yung tao?

Anyway, it turns out that he’d made a few more calls to other Front Desk Attendants that evening and we’d all sent statements to the Security Officer. Last I heard, he was given a final warning. And he’s getting teased non-stop in the kitchen.

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Next cruise I’ll be a reliever for the Neptune Lounge Concierge. The Neptune Lounge is the private lounge for suite guests of the ship. It’s quite a big step for a new GRA so I’m really nervous about being given the responsibility.

Dealing with the regular guests are hard enough, but suite guests can be very demanding… and snobbish. I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my cool and start being smart with them.

Good thing I’ll only be a reliever because even if it’s only Front Desk duties, the fact that you’re doing it alone, for suite guests, that kicks it up a notch. I’m just confident enough to handle a full shift. I still need to learn more about the processes and protocol.

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We had a guest last cruise who was such a racist. Dr. Ramjeet of Stateroom 417. I’ll never forget him because the first time I encountered him – he was refusing to pay for a particular port tax – I ended snapping at him. I didn’t feel bad about doing it because he was really being condescending.

The whole time he was complaining about having to pay the port tax and recounting a previous cruise where he wasn’t refunded when they’d skipped a particular port, I just let him talk. I was calm.

When he asked to speak to my supervisor, as I turned around to go get her, he was still talking and I heard him say, “Do you know what rip-off means?” That’s what got me. I whipped around and told him straight to his face, “Of course I know what rip-off means, sir.” He backed off. I went to get my supervisor.

Dr. Ramjeet came back the next day still complaining about the tax… as if that would change anything. He was still going to have to pay. Anyway, it was my roommate who dealt with him. I was at the back so I didn’t know what was going on.

Minnie came to the back, very upset, asking for our supervisor. Apparently Dr. Ramjeet said something about the Front Desk staff not understanding his request since we were mostly Asians, and Filipinos at that. So Minnie told him that she didn’t appreciate what he was saying about us. He then “explained” that he’d worked with Filipino nurses before and that they usually had difficulty understanding things. That’s when Minnie went to the back to call our supervisor.

Miss Menchie spoke to him in private for a few minutes. When she came back, she told us that he was talking about the principle behind his refusal to pay the port tax. Then he went on to say, “I don’t know how you do it in your country… I don’t know how your parents raised you…” She cut him off right there. She told him, “Dr. Ramjeet, let’s not bring my country and my parents into this. Let’s just deal with the situation at hand.”

Unbelievable.

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I’m expecting my first appraisal soon. Every month the GRAs are reviewed by the Guest Relations Manager and I’m due for mine. I even heard the supervisor calling the crew office requesting for my appraisal form.

I hope I get good reviews. Good enough that HAL won’t have trouble assigning me to another vessel. Good enough that my superiors will request for me when they get the chance.