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When two fellow OFWs meet, and after the polite introductions and what you not, the usual question pops out, “How did you get here in _______ (state the name of the place where you are) and I am guilty of this too. I ask this question too. Ofcourse when I’m interested in the person. But, when I am asked this and I have not much time to tell the story, then I just reply “It’s a long story”, but when over coffee or other more potent drinks. I tell my story.Unlike most OFWs, I got to Saudi Arabia, out of sheer accident. I was on Leave from Law School when a friend asked me to come with her to apply. My friend’s Lola had an amiga who worked for the Air Traffic Control in Manila and she said that she would try to help us get work in Philippine Airlines, so we went there armed with a recommendation from her and got interviewed. My interviewer said that I should try applying for Ground Crew, he said I was more qualified for that. I didn’t know what a Ground Crew was, but it sounded interesting so I tried.
After a series of interviews, and other tests our group slowly dwindled. Only a few of us were left to have the Psychological test. The Psychological test was the last test. After the test, we were going to be on Probation. But I didn’t pass the test, it seems they found out that I have a psychological problem or something. They knew from my answers that I had a mental problem. Hehehehe.
So I was told by the PAL Human Resources of the unfortunate news that I did not make the cut, but I was also told that if they had an opening, they would consider me. I just shrugged my shoulders at their statement and tried to forget about the whole thing. I was having the time of my life, parties here and there with the Philippine Jaycees, drinking sessions with friends and out of town trips, so I didn’t mind. And I really was just trying to enjoy my youth. But after a week, I got a call again from the PAL people, they were saying that they had an opening for Saudi Arabia, would I be interested (ako? Saudi Arabia? Ewww. Baduy !!!) but I said ok. So a few days passed again, a lady from Aram Enterprises Agency said that I was referred to them by Philippine Airlines for the position in Saudi Arabia, was I interested? I was rushing to meet a friend that time, so I just said ok. So I was scheduled for an interview.
I went to the interview. Grabe ang panget ng building agency! And there were dancers auditioning! Eh paano yan? Hindi ako nag practice? Hahahaha. But I wasn’t there to show my dancing skills. During the interview, I was just observing everybody and everything. It was all so new to me. I have never tried this before. So I just went in the interview room and just answered everything. Not taking the interview seriously, I was even joking with the interviewer. Out of the blue, the interviewer offered me the job. He gave me an offer, and I tried to bargain Hahahaha, without knowing it, I got what I bargained for.
The medical and other document processing came after. It took about 4 – 5 weeks after which I was onboard the plane. And the rest as they say – is history. And I’ve been here ever since.
Would you call this fate?
In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.
What is the world’s 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK? The Philippines.
The USA bought the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain in 1898.
The Filipino-American Independence War from 1898 to 1902 ensued, killing 4,234 Americans and killing how many Filipinos? 16,000 were killed in action and 200,000 died from famine and pestilence. (The Philippines lost and was colonized until 1946.)
Los Angeles, California was co-founded in 1781 by a Filipino named Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, along with 43 Latinos from Mexico sent by the Spanish government.
What antibiotic did Filipino doctor Abelardo Aguilar co-discover? Hint: Brand is Ilosone, named after Iloilo. Erythromycin.
The one-chip video camera was first made by Marc Loinaz a Filipino inventor from New Jersey.
The first ever international Grandmaster from Asia was Eugenio Torre who won at the Chess Olympiad in Nice, France in 1974.
This son of two Filipino physicians scored over 700 on the verbal portion of the Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) before age 13 – Kiwi Danao Camara of Punahou School, Hawaii… Edward Sanchez, a Mensa member, bagged the grand prize in the first Philippine Search for Product Excellence in Information Technology.
Who was the Filipino-American dancer who scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT? Joyce Monteverde of California.
Who invented the fluorescent lamp? Thomas Edison discovered the electric light bulb and the fluorescent lighting was thought up by Nikola Tesla. But the fluorescent lamp we use today was invented by Agapito Flores (a Cebu man named Benigno Flores of Bantayan Island, according to the Philippine Daily inquirer), a Filipino scientist. Americans helped then-Philippine leader Ramon Magsaysay to develop it for worldwide commerce.
(Yes! Many foreigners have noted that the Filipino population has Asia’s highest rates of inventors and international beauty queens.) Two Filipina beauties, Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran, chosen as Miss Universe in 1969 and 1973.
Pure- or part-Filipino celebrities in American showbiz include Von Flores, Tia Carrere, Paolo Montalban, Lea Salonga, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nia Peeples, Julio Iglesias Jr., Enrique Iglesias Lou Diamond Phillips, Phoebe Cates and Rob Schneider.
The first Filipino act to land a top hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s was the group Rocky Fellers of Manila.
Sugar Pie deSanto (father was from the Philippines), The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (according to the October 1984 article “Prince in Exile” by Scott Isler in the magazine Musician), Jaya,Foxy Brown and Enrique Iglesias followed.
Pure Filipinos who made success in minor charts were Jocelyn Enriquez aka Oriental Madonna, Buffy, Pinay and (Ella May) Saison.
Latina-American pop star Christina Aguilera lost to Filipina vocalist Josephine Roberto aka Banig during the International Star Search years ago. In a mid-1999 MTV chat, she said that competing against someone of Banig’s age was “not fair.”
Besides gracing fashion magazine covers, this international supermodel from Manila had walked the runways since the 1970s for all the major designers, like Calvin Klein, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Donna Karan,Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent – Anna Bayle.
Who is the personal physician of United States Pres. William Clinton? Eleanor “Connie” Concepcion Mariano, a Filipina doctor who was the youngest captain in the US Navy.
The first Filipino-American in US Congress was Virginia Rep. Robert Cortez-Scott, a Harvard alumnus.
Distinguished British traveler-writer A. Henry Savage Landor, thrilled upon seeing a Bicol landmark in 1903, wrote: “Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt.Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison.” Mayon volcano has the world’s most perfect cone.
Filipinos had their first taste of Mexican chili and corn during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade (1564-1815). In return, Mexico’s people had their initial taste of tamarind, Manila mango and a Filipino banana called racatan or lakatan.
Founded in 1595 by Spaniards, the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines is older than Harvard and is the oldest university in Asia. University of Santo Tom! as in Manila,established in 1611, is Asia’s second oldest.
Who’s the Filipina senator popular for her colorful jargon, delivered in a mile-a-minute speed and in a weird Harvard-meets-Ilonggo accent? Atty. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
The first female president of the Philippines sworn into 0ffice in 1986 was Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.
In a March 31, 1997 article, The New York Times reported that the CIA manipulated Philippine elections: “(CIA operative Col. Edward Lansdale) essentially ran the successful presidential campaign of Defense Minister Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines in 1953.”
Who was the first Asian and/or Filipino to snatch America’s Pulitzer Prize? Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo in 1941. (He was also the first Asian to become UN President.)
The first two Filipino-Americans to garner the same award 56 years later were Seattle Times’ Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido, who is part-Korean.
Filipino writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French and Chinese. What were his last words? “Consummatumsst!”(“It is done!”)
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