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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

First Discrimination Experience in USA



I don’t know of how other Aliens specifically the Filipinas here in USA were treated when they first landed here. But I had a hurtful and bad experience when I arrived here. I want to share my story hoping that there are some who will be benefited by this. When I arrived here in USA way back in September 2006, I felt I was an Alien coz people here always speak in English and not the language I normally hear and speak when I was in the Philippines. I know I have to speak the same way or they won’t understand me. But even if I talk in English, there are some individuals who can’t understand what I meant. Like when hubby and I flew from LA to Texas, I ordered I think a hamburger in Burger King and a soda but the cashier didn’t understand what I said so I just mention the number which she then understand right away. I even tried to pronounce the word differently but too bad, she still can’t understand what I’m saying. That’s not discrimination I guess coz the cashier didn’t say anything bad to me, it’s just that she didn’t understand how I pronounce the word in English. Here’s one.

1.) I stayed in a local hotel for more than a month before hubby and I got married. A week or two before the wedding, something happened that I felt really hurt inside. The white maid had a daily routine to clean all rooms everyday and since I don’t have a car parked in front of my room, the maid knocks on the door so hard even if I put the sign on the door knob outside “Don’t disturb”. One day, the maid knocks on the door. I open the door and she asked if I need new sheets and I said yes. She then told me that I hand her the dirty sheets first before she gave me the clean one. I went to my bed and took the comforter out while the maid was waiting outside then I handed her the comforter which she didn’t consider as part of the bed sheets. I know that a comforter is a comforter but I thought that it’s part of the bed sheets as what we call it in the Philippines or beddings. The maid asked “where’s the dirty sheet?” and I said “here” and handed her the comforter. She then said that “it’s not a sheet” so I was confused of what she really meant by sheet. What I want her to do is go inside my room and took the sheet she knew but she didn’t. She just stood beside the door and so I closed the door but not fully closed. I was thinking that she might clean my room so I waited but a few seconds later she said “This woman is crazy”. I was really hurt when I heard her say that. But even though I was hurt hearing those words, I didn’t cry. Instead, I thought that it was just a part of being here in the USA that there are people who speak of what’s in their mind. I didn’t tell hubby about it coz I don’t want him to worry about me when he’s at work. When I got married, the words that the maid said were still in my mind and I was bothered by it. So I told hubby about it and he said that there are individuals who think that they are better than others but the truth is they’re not, coz if they do, then they should be working in the office and not cleaning rooms. Those words made me feel better…

To be continued…

6 comments:

Twerlyn said...

unta imo cia giingnan "me crazy? ikaw buang!" para maglabad iya ulo pangita sa meaning sa buang!

Michelle said...

haha nah nagpugong lang ko sa akong kaugalingon kay laing nasud na raba ni diri. sige lang, si Lord na mahibaw niya. :)

Butchay said...

nah...ako pa ato katilaw gyud to...gi ingan unta nimo girl nga " aren't you supposed to be cleaning my room? What are you standing there for?"

Michelle said...

hehe nah nga mahadlok man ko mangaway kay basin bugnuon unya ko, gamay raba intawn ko, pwede ra ilabay nya lisod raba sad mangaway nga maningles. hahaha

cathara said...

that's quiet a bad experience. i used to work for call centers(AT&T & Sprint) and i received discriminations too. but sometimes, i consider those things as challenges. i practiced. practice makes permanent not perfect. few months later? people in the US appreciated my accent. some said i didnt sound like a native californian(we say that were located in CA though just in makati,lol),instead, they say i sound like british,canadian or australian.queit flattering though.

but practicing is a good start, isnt it? pero mas buang pa tong white lady hehe, my bf who's a newyorker calls women there white ladies, lol!

keep posting!:-)

Michelle said...

haha yeah. thanks for the comments. though i was hurt at that time but i was challenged to do better than them too. :)