09/08/2024
What do most people get wrong about you?
***
I met a fellow Filipina during my trip to Austria.
She works at the hotel where I’ve stayed.
Most would initially think. Ah...a cleaner, maybe. Or a receptionist.
She’s a supervisor.
“Who are your toughest customers?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s my fellow Filipinos. When they see me at the hotel, they think I’m a helper. So they boss me around,” she told me with a laugh.
I laughed with her because it was true.
When people see a fellow Filipina in another country, there are only three possible conclusions: a helper, a student, or a foreigner’s partner.
Few will believe that a Filipina can work directly in a company and hold positions.
Those who manage to do so keep silent about it.
As a result, we lack role models.
We also don’t have a documentation on how the experience went for them.
But that’s before.
Now, things are different.
You see Filipinas making space for themselves.
You talk to them, and you hear what kind of struggles they've experienced.
You’ll realize this.
Helper or not, professional or not, your fellow Overseas Filipino Workers are good at what they do, and they are hardworking people.
They can easily adapt too.
***
If there’s only one thing to learn from working in an international environment, why not this?
Whenever you meet someone for the first time, do your best not to bring prejudice to the table.
Because…
Each person has a cool story to tell.
Each person has a unique insight.
Each person has a viewpoint to bring.
Make it part of your adventures to listen to each of them.
Photo: Snapped from the top of the Gloriette staircase, Schönbrunn Palace | Vienna, Austria
