Whenever I travel, I am more often than not by my lonesome self. One of the reasons is that I don’t plan it long enough for family and friends to fix their vacation dates so they could come along. In the few times that I actually do, it gets very difficult (in most cases, for me) to coordinate schedules as well as to time the savings set aside for traveling together. Another reason is that the countries I want to visit nowadays do not interest them at all – from their perspective, why would they want to waste money visiting The Gambia, for example, when they could spend it on a holiday in America or in Europe?
But there was this one trip that I unusually planned way in advance. I did not even set a specific date so that I could be flexible to work my schedule around the person I was planning to invite. In addition, I made sure that the itinerary included destinations that were not too off-the-road but not too alongside it either.
So I asked my mother to travel with me but it took her a while to think about it only to refuse my invitation in the end because of her new work. I then tried inviting my uncle and aunt but, unfortunately, they had to say no because they would rather have their vacation days converted to cash as extra pay for their mortgage. I subsequently went down the list and e-mailed friends from all over to join me but time was already too short for them to ask for a holiday leave.
Knowing that that was the only time for me to visit these places and that I had already kept some of my savings for this trip, I decided to go by myself which was nothing new anyway. Hence, I was going to be alone on a cruise of the Southern Caribbean – visiting the islands of Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, and St. Thomas (as an aside, I met at least one Filipino on each of these)! On the bus en route to the port, I was ready and comfortable having no one around to enjoy the cruise with. And so I thought.
The moment I entered the reception hall, everybody was huddled in groups waiting for their turn to board the ship – families, friends, and couples. I swear I was the only one traveling all by myself and I saw everyone looking at me figuring out whether I lost my way to the airport or I couldn’t find my parents, buddies, or partner amongst the crowd of thousands. Little did I know that I was one of the 3,500 passengers and that 3,499 of them were not sleeping in their cabins alone. No wonder my state room was expensive! I paid for the price of two people because rarely does someone go on a cruise by himself!
However, I only felt alone for a couple of minutes. As soon as it was my turn to register and show my passport, I was received by the warmest of greetings by, yes, a “kababayan”. She was one of the ship’s welcome crew and before I got to ask her how long she had been working in the cruise liner, she asked me why I was alone… I told her the second paragraph of this article. She then replied by saying, “Huwag kayong mag-alala, sir. Maraming Pilipino ang nagtratrabaho sa barko [Don’t worry, sir. There are many Filipinos working on the ship].”
And, boy, there were! Before entering the massive ship (weighing 138,000 tons and at least 14 storeys high), passengers were asked to pose for a picture and the photographer was Filipino. I just knew it from my “Pinoy-dar” only to be confirmed when he saw me and, with his “Pinoy-dar”, spoke to me in Tagalog (and, twice in a row, asked me why I was traveling by myself…). After the photo shoot, guests had to go through a metal detector and the luggage, an x-ray machine and, yes again, it was a Filipino checking our identifications and another one screening the bags.
When I finally went to my room to get settled down, I was welcomed by my state room attendant who, you guessed it, was Filipino. Before asking him my usual question of when he started working on the ship, I anticipated his silent query and told him that nobody could join me in this cruise. To which he replied, “Okay lang ‘yan. Mag-e-enjoy ka dito kasi marami tayong Pilipino [It’s alright. You’ll still enjoy yourself because there are many of us Filipinos here].” And so I did.
Everywhere I went – to a restaurant, a bar, a shop, the casino, the spa, the skating rink, etc. – there was one (or more) Filipino working there. (I soon recalled an interview I made for my doctoral research with then POEA Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz who quoted the statistics that around 80 percent of seafarers worldwide is Filipino.) Each time a Filipino crewmember saw me, there was this instant attraction of exchanging pleasantries, getting to know each other, and sharing an irreverent joke or two. In short, there was always someone to talk to wherever I was and whatever I did.
Being a Filipino onboard with Filipino crew has its advantages. I could get freebies such as a complimentary ticket to an already sold-out show; bottomless soft drinks and milkshakes in the restaurant; custom-cooked “sinangag”, “pancit”, and “bulalo” from Room Service; thirty more minutes of massage; extended Internet connection; insider tips on what is best to order for dinner as well as what and where to buy at the ports-of-call; etc. I somehow felt good myself for being spoiled, but, at the same time, bad for them recognizing the sacrifices they all made in order to work on the ship.
In my conversations with almost all of them, I found out that a number are second-generation seafarers – that their fathers were seamen so they were able to live a good life from their remittances (despite the distance) and that they wanted the same thing for their own families. Some of them have “non-naval nor hospitality” degrees such as accounting, journalism, and even architecture – but have shifted careers for higher pay and overseas travel opportunities. There were also those who had worked for several years in high-end restaurants and hotels in the Philippines but ended up with little or no savings and so, with their experience, decided to work on a cruise liner to earn more. Whatever their different reasons and motivations, these Filipinos had the same drive and determination to achieve their goals.
How our “kababayans” are truly professional with their work! I can still remember how the first Filipino I met at the welcome desk greeted everyone with her lovely smile and patiently answered passengers’ questions; how the Filipino photographer took the best shot and had the pictures developed as soon as possible for everyone to treasure; how the Filipino security officer verified each ID to make sure that there was no stowaway on the ship; how the Filipino baggage controller scrutinized the guests’ belongings for prohibited items; how my Filipino cabin attendant made up my room like it were in a five-star hotel complete with towels rolled and shaped into cute animal décor; how the Filipino servers were very attentive to every diner’s needs and quick in meeting them; etc.
Not only do they have a high level of professionalism in their respective occupation, but they also work really hard. Most of the Filipino staff I met onboard took on second jobs. One was a barmaid at night and a security assistant the next day. Another was a musician and while he wasn’t playing his strings, he was a handyman. And whenever the ship was at port, most Filipinos preferred to stay onboard and work overtime rather than take the time off to visit an island (they said they already did it once anyhow). Hearing feedback from other crewmembers who came from 56 other countries, our “kababayans” had a good reputation of being efficient, friendly, and fun to work with.
Usually, I travel by myself, but definitely not on this trip. I boarded the ship alone but left it with new Filipino friends and acquaintances. Despite the fact that none of the people I am close to was able to go on the cruise with me, the Filipino crew kept me in great company. I thank them for doing so with their open arms and big hearts. I salute them for their dedication to their work and devotion to their families. How I long for the day that our Filipino seafarers will also get the chance to be on a cruise themselves – hopefully, in the near future, as passengers receiving the warm welcome and impeccable service they themselves are known for giving.