Recently spent just under two weeks in the Mediterranean, sailing between Spain, Italy, and France with Italian-based cruise line MSC and, beyond taking in the sights of the various stops on the tour, it was also an eye-opener getting acquainted with so many Filipinos while in Europe. Now, among the passengers, Filipinos – and those of Asian descent, in general – were few and far between, the greater majority of the passengers were European. However, it was meeting the staff (and a few others along the way) that added an extra dimension to the experience.
One of the first things noticed once onboard was the crew all wore nametags that not only showed their name but their country of origin. There were people from Russia, Cuba, Italy, Hungary, Brazil, among others. In particular, it appeared a majority of the bar and restaurant staff were from Indonesia.
During the dinners, where, passengers are typically assigned the same table and are served by the same staff, it was meeting then the group met Edi, a waiter from Indonesia.
Exchanged greetings and upon learning he had a Filipino guest, he immediately called over another waiter, Carter, who is from the Philippines. As the days went by, it was an everyday occurrence to not only greet the waiter, but Carter as well – usually, in the form of a pat on the shoulder and a “Kumusta, Pare!” Later on in the trip, Carter offered an introduction to another Filipino waiter, Arvin, who would soon also offer greetings every time glances were exchanged.
On another occasion, during one of the excursions in Florence, Italy, was roaming the historic city, which features an incredible array of landmarks like the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Ponte Vecchio. After wandering around, looked for lunch and stopped into a random seafood restaurant. The menu offered an array of Italian classics and the first thing the waiter said once approaching the table was “Filipino?”
Turns out his name is Ryan and is originally from Mindoro. Never imagined during a getaway to Italy, would end up in a restaurant in the middle of Florence, ordering food and conversing in Tagalog.
Following disembarkation in Barcelona, had yet another encounter while having dinner at La Gavina, located at the Plaça de Pau Vila, a short walk from Barceloneta beach. While a female server was replenishing the bread, a male waiter, while taking dinner orders, broke into Tagalog – both servers offered a smile and even more connections were made. Even while strolling the famous La Boqueria market, along Las Ramblas, while a friend was shopping at an olive oil vendor, the salespeople were both Filipino and extended familiar pleasantries – tried to work out a discount, unfortunately, not when purchasing one tin.
During one of the dinners, Carter leaned over to Edi and said, “Make sure you prepare something special for my kababayan.” It was a realization of the bond and camaraderie that seemed to automatically come with meeting another Filipino overseas; even if it was between an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and one away on leisure, instead of between two laborers working abroad for the same purpose.
The “kababayan” spirit is alive and well, regardless of the political divisions many in the government and media try to propagate. Something that becomes more than apparent once overseas is the world is much bigger than the Philippines, which, when hearing those in elected office speak, it would appear the country is a larger factor globally than it is in reality.
Once abroad, the reality sets in and the common thread of supporting oneself and their families becomes of primary importance; a greater priority than the petty partisanship politicians like to publicize as important.
Once individuals begin seeing what is important in life instead of trying to one-up each other or assert themselves over everybody else, then the camaraderie that is very apparent when meeting other Filipinos overseas would be much more widespread domestically./WDJ