Training Days And Languages

I had been busy attending training for six days since last week, so I wasn't able to catch up on my blogging habits lately.

Just like in my former job, I got to be trained this time with a new set of reporting tools that my current employer has been utilizing. I was glad to be trained first instead of immersing myself at once at the beginning of my work week.

During the training, I got to meet and interact with people of different nationalities. I find it amusing and at the same time challenging to communicate with them. Luckily, English is widely used here in Singapore. But just like Taglish back in the Philippines, most use Singlish - English mixed with Singaporean local terminologies in between. Some pronunciations and accents make it at first difficult for me to understand what my colleagues would say. But eventually, I got the hang of it. Along with other colleagues, during the training days, we got to meet with two instructors. One was a French woman and the other a Swiss man. Both could communicate well in English, though I sometimes mistake a word or two from them because of the difference in English accents that I'm used to back in the Philippines.

Just yesterday, while playing a card game with a Singaporean local, he asked me the country I came from. But before I could tell him, he asked me if I was from the Philippines. Astonished of course, I replied back on how he guessed it right. He told me that I got this distinct accent that Filipinos have when speaking in English clearly.

I guess that tells it all (with a hidden smile on my face).

Friday, My Goodness

Being a Catholic, it's one of my duties to attend mass especially this Good Friday. But I observed here in Singapore, even though today is a holiday, everyone seems to be enjoying and doing things normally. I should not be surprised since being a multi-cultural place, those few Catholic citizens will be the one who would solemnly celebrate this day while the rest of the population would go out and enjoy the holiday with friends, families and loved ones.

Good thing there was a nearby church a few bus stops away (the handy bus terminal book I bought was so helpful that instead of utilizing the MRT trains I usually ride the bus to go places more frequently). Good to see that there are many Singaporean Catholics (and even obvious expats) of other races who visited the church.

What I like about in Singapore is the religious tolerance the country practices to unite all people of different races. It makes this country more fascinating and more challenging for me, especially when I relate to other Singaporeans - Chinese, Malays, Indians, other fellow Filipinos and the Americans or Europeans.

Currently, I only know two languages - Tagalog/Filipino and English. I plan to study Chinese language (like Mandarin) someday just like what my friend is doing nowadays. I know this would help me further in understanding and blending with the locals.

Nine To Six Here

So how's my first day of work here in Singapore last Monday? Well, the usual stuffs when one new employee gets to be introduced to his new work co-employees. But this time it's totally different for me since I go to introduce myself before a panel of Singaporeans (bosses and other staffs). One should have been there but was out in an MC (term used here to indicate one was on a "sick leave"). That person turns out to be a fellow Filipino.

Overall, my day one was more of introductions and preparations of my ID card, computer login name, network access, and documentation previews.

Nine to six. That is the usual period of work here in the bank I am currently working under contract. Back home, I'm used to getting myself prepared to start the working day at eight in the morning till five or six in the evening. And still, I don't need an alarm clock to wake myself up - I had already developed a bodyclock that automatically alerts me to open my eyes at around six to six-thirty in the morning. Make me sleep late in the evening or early in the morning and mysteriously I would make up at around six to six-thirty (unless of course I'm dead tired the previous day; I would eventually slept longer and wake up later at around seven till eight).