By Malou (June 2009, Philippines)
I went to Thailand in 2003 because three friends who were working there as telephone operators told me that I can be an English teacher there. They are good friends and I trusted them that this would be a real help from them. I would like to share little things that might tickle the minds of other Filipinos based on my experiences in a foreign land with my fellow Filipinos.
The three friends fetched me in the airport in Bangkok on the day I arrived in Thailand. It was amazing for me since it was my first time to travel in an international airplane alone. I did not tell them my feelings. The only thing I thought about was my hope that I can be a teacher in Thailand, earn enough, and can feed my family whom I left home. Since Thailand is a "free country", I did not put so much effort of getting the visa, it was like taking the next trip in a bus, pay your fare, and you're there. I understand also that Thailand is a non-english speaking country so I am pretty sure that my degree in Communication Arts would make me a good English Teacher.
First week in Thailand was a little rough for me. My friends are not giving me one day of their time to talk about the English teaching plan. Instead, they are pointing to me 20 kinds of landline telephones on the table, which they said, "that will make a better money for you than teaching." I didn't understand. They are just laughing while I'm making guesses. They brought me out to go around Bangkok to ease me from asking questions. I only have 200 US dollars as pocket money but my ticket has a return flight if in case I decided to go home. My fare was even borrowed from my mother's friend because I know that I can easily pay it after I had my first month salary.
I wanted to exchange my first 100 US dollars in a thai currency, which I was asking my friends where to find one money changer. Instead, one of them told me that she can change it, 39 Thai baht per one dollar. I want to make it sure if that is really the exchange rate but she said yes so she gave me 3,900 baht, I handed her my 100 dollars. I was able to buy things which I need at home like food. She even made a deal that I need to share for the condo unit which they are also renting. I said, no problem, I expected that I will give my share. They also asked me to pay them already in dollars for the next two month so I was forced to give them my last 100 dollars to settle my share for the rental.
Days and weeks passed by and still I did not get any answer about my teaching job. They are, however, busy doing some work over the phones. That was the time I realized that that's the kind of job they are into, callcenter agents. I asked them if there is still a vacancy and they said yes so I asked them to start explaining to me how it works. The worst thing I learned was they are using these phones for them to entertain calls from different clients, local thais or foreigners in Bangkok, ordering some men, women, children, gay, lesbian to have sex with them for two hours and out of 4000 baht worth of "closed deal", they get 10% earning out of it. They are earning 15,000 to 25,000 baht per month. I told myself, I cannot do this work. It is outside my moral teaching and principle in life. But I am also worried of my fare, which I still need to pay if I am going back to the Philippines. What will I do now?
I decided to apply for the job and I got it. We have a strange Pakistan boss, who is always shouting at us when we did not close any deal during our 12-hour daily duty, no day off. My first month salary was 14000 baht, good enough for starters. The bad part was, I am sharing the same amount of money for the cost of living in my friends' condo unit but I am sleeping in a sofa beside their hairy dog while they have their own bed in their own room. I am a patient person and I did not really mind. My purpose there is to earn and if I was able to pay my fare back in the Philippines and earn little, I will go home.
So I earned and I am ready to pay my borrowed fare. I need to look for a western union money transfer to make the transaction. On the ground floor of the building I am living, I found a bank. Although it was really hard for Thai people to communicate in English, I was able to demonstrate and act and talk for them that I wanted to transfer money to the Philippines. Thai people are also friendly and patient with foreigners like me so I was able to get by. Do you know what I discovered? Exchange rate of one dollar is not 39 baht, instead, 42-43 baht per dollar. When I checked the dates of currency rates, the 39 baht exchange rate for a dollar was a year before I came there. Since I can find really cheap food in Bangkok, I can budget my 200 baht as food for seven days. You can just imagine that these Filipino friends took 300-400 baht from me in every 100 dollars I asked them to change for me? Since I had 200 dollars, it was like I lost 600-800 baht from them. That is already an average budget of my whole month food!
I cannot take it anymore. I slept in a sofa with their dog, I paid fair rent in the house. I shared equal expenses. They did not help me find the right work they promised. They just took me in Bangkok so somebody will share for their expenses (this became my conclusion). They gave me the wrong exchange currency rate. It is not fair! I never expected that your beloved friends and fellow countrymen can make a fool of you like that. It was unbelievable. Ok, I trusted them at once but they were my old college friends, how would I know that their brains get sick for money. After four months, I left them, I went back to the Philippines. I can say that Thailand is beautiful, progressive, people are really friendly, and economical to live in. But my feelings has to say, I will come back in Bangkok again, this time not to be fooled by these pinoys I met, but to tour around and appreciate the culture of this place. One lesson I learned, be careful whom you trust, it might be your old friend that will hang you on your own doorsteps.
