Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Journey of Jeju Island——my korean manager

On the first day of my arrival at hostel, manager looks restless when he found out I can barely understand what he said in korean. I'm feared too, I can't imagine what kind of life I'm gonna go through for the coming days here.
 
Because of my limits in korean, I need to be train from morning till night 8 days in a row before I can start working with payment. Furthermore, our 2 other colleagues will need to go back M'sia for certain period, by then will be only me and my manager running the hostel for ONE MONTH before their return...... OMG!  
 
When we only have each other...
During that 1 months working closely with my manager (we can rely on no one else), I tried my best to communicate with him with limited korean, google translate, dictionary, pictures even video especially when come to explain the problem faced by our guests staying here. Working as a receptionist here at the hostel....

During morning shift (7:30am to 2:30pm) I need to:
1. Prepare simple breakfast for our guest
2. Reply (many) mails
3. Answer phones (Manager answered the phone most of the time because I couldn't speak!)
4. Running upstair to ask our elderly cleaner aunty what she wants for lunch today
    (before we can order)
5. Provide tourist information
6. Taxi tour translation
7. Handling all kind of guest's issues that you can and can't think about it!
8. Do room control and guest list



Bread, Coffee and Tea!
Our Pantry
 
During afternoon shift (2:30pm to 10pm) I need to:
1. Do room check after cleaning
2. Make sure everything is organized in kitchen
3. Reply (many) mails
4. Check in for guests
5. Going to buy breads, jam and etc for next day breakfast at nearby e-mart supermarket at 5:10pm every evening
6. Brain storming what to eat for dinner
7. Handling all kind of guest's issues that you can and can't think about it!   
8. Provide tourist information for their next day plan
9. Do room control and guest list
10. Waiting for check in guest (forever waiting till midnight sometimes)
11. Never end social and drinking session with guests at the pantry nearly everynight!!!




Room Check
Make sure everything is ready in the room 
Social time, after 10!
I'm really exhausted during that one month when only two of us doing EVERYTHING without break or off in between from morning till night. I've to admit my manager is really a Superman because he is the bell boy, technician, room cleaner, driver, front desk manager and also comedian! Frequently, when he get too tired but couldn't rest, he tends to become extra hyper and starts to demonstrate me all kind of sport action which looks SO SILLY YET HILLARIOUS that I couldn't stop laughing. I guess that's how the way we survived through those hard time together, and that also the moment we built trust and get to know each other better. In fact, he wasn't really that scary tho!


my first polaroid with guests from Hong Kong
my first photo with manager and petit guest from China :)
            

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Journey of Jeju Island— 重新认识马来西亚人的价值

在外头"鬼混"了3个月, 在身体状况和财力(国外医疗)不允许的状况之下, 匆匆买了飞机票打道回府。原订半年的流浪之旅, 无奈提前结束。
 
离家在韩国济州岛的一家民宿打工, 在柜台帮客人check in, 提供当地的旅游资讯和 One Stop Guest Problem Solving Center..... 在济州岛, 中国游客几乎占了岛上人口的50%, 接下来就是新马, 台湾, 香港 和欧洲游客。马来西亚人掌握多种语言的能力在这小小的民宿里时常得到游走在国际虚线旅人们的赞叹和神化!
 
我们说中文的能力足以应付中国(大量),台湾和马来西亚的游客; 马来文可以应付我们的马来同胞和印尼的游客; 粤语可以应付香港的游客, 英文就应付新加坡和欧洲国家的游客, 自然还有本人有限的韩文来应付大量的韩国游客! 不少游客对大马人能够说中文这回事充满了疑惑, 在耐心地向对方解释 (大略介绍马来西亚)后, 游客们给我们贯上了"语言机器"的美誉。
Family from Taiwan

Selina from China
Simon from France
因为这次的(打工)旅游经验, 让我有机会重新认识自己身为马来西亚人民自身的价值。我们一直或许一辈子生活在舒适的井底里, 殊不知我们自己已经麻木的呱呱声在世界的耳朵里听来竟是天籁。关于我们在这片土地上活着的身份, 至少确实存在着我们可以依具的认知标签。我想, 世界上只有大马华人才会生成这样, 对唄?
 
我一直都以身为马来西亚人为荣, 这次在外头转了个圈, 让我更加珍惜这份blessed gift which speaks our identity.