IN FRATERNAM MEAM

IN FRATERNAM MEAM

Sunday, January 18, 2004

SURPRISE...SHOCK...COMPASSION...
ON THE FON FROM PAX I GOT AT WORK============================

i work answering the 800 nos for one major airline in the u.s. and i have lots of calls that have shocked me...made me cry...became compassionate...hated the caller...boiled me to extreme anger and lost my composure as a human being. calls are always different. there is no same call that comes into the 800 lines and gets to us individually. i average and incoming call before of up to 100 customers for an 8 hrs work time--but i tried to tone it down now cuz i don't want the boss to demand same thing to other agents on the floor and on my dept.

the work is challenging. one has to have lots of patience and understanding to callers who are at times talking like they are the messenger of BELSEEBUB on earth.

one shocking call i got yesterday--- a lady who originated from a place in africa and entered via charles de gaulle then all the way to and airport to u.s.a (i cannot reveal final airport) pax checked in a number of bags and one particular bag did not arrvd at the final airport and so the saga begins. pax is asking for compensation for the lost of the bag. but there was a message from CDG that the bag was burned after being presented to customs inspector. bag was smelling and inside the bag are chopped meat and parts of a monkey--covered in linen and placed in plastic bags individually. dont imagine it. i dont want you to feel different and squimish.

on my previous blog when i got this call from another african pax--four cans of milk is missing from the bag and these are milk from pigs.i was wondering---how do you milk a pig, and how does the milk taste.can it be made into Leche Flan?

one call that i got made me cry and i was so moved by this one particular call. the pax is a musician--his father died and he composed a special musical composition for his father that he wanted to play at the burial of his father. the bag got lost and the pax said he does not have an extra copy of the musical piece. we were both quite for some time on the fon---both of us cud only hear our breathing---him crying---i.... about to burst into loud cry. i don't know how to console and emphatize with this pax. i was lost for words.
requiem eternam donaisdomine.

here is another call that move me to tears. there was this lady who was forced to checked in her hand carried bag at the door of the plane. the bag has the last picture of the mother when she was at the hospital recovering from cancer. their house burned to the ground and all she has was burned with it. she was now moving to a new home to forget the tragedy and the one and only picture that she has of her mom is the one when she was being treated at the cancer hospital in texas---- we lost the bag. this pax was crying and she was sobbing. i wish i cud be infront of her to just let her cry on my shoulder and cry her miseries out. but i was on the fon and i dont know what to tell her and i dont know how to console her.

a female caller came thru my line--screaming and cursing and telling so much stuff that i cannot comprehend. called me an Idiot and other names. but i was so upset with this woman i just let her blew out her steam. i thought she was already done and will be civilized on the fon so i answered her. this woman told me i sound like a gibberish monkeyi told this woman--- this monkey is the only one who can help you with your problem.

i got a pinay on the fon who arrived from pinas and cleared customs in SFO with of course two balik bayan boxes. guess what--the box was inspected by (Transportation Security Agency) TSA on the last segment of her journey--- and was delayed. she was paged at the air[port but did not respond to the page. she knows that there is something wrong on what she has placed inside the box. there are cooked ABAL ABAL (GRASSHOPPER) inside one of the can container---there is also this coconut shaver in a wooden shape stool and KAMPIT (JungleBolo) inside a bamboo pole--not to mention PORK ENTRAIL (chicharon bulaklak) inside a can--- soaked in oil. custom will not understand that this is a delicacy. for them these are entrails--gutts inside a can.i have to explain to the authorities what these things are.

an indian man called me. be just arrived from New Delhi and was looking for a big suitcase with two big plastic container that is covered. the plastic container has water---- from the great Ghanges river. pax said this is sacred to them and he has to bring it to his family who will wash themselves with this water cuz they cannot come to India for the rites of purification. i cannot tell this man the plastic container leaked and the authorities at the port of entry disposed of the entire suitcase thinking this liquid will just contaminate the other bags and suitcases inside the container fo the plane. i did not tell the caller the info. i dont want to be the one who messed up the religious belief of the pax. i told him to go back to airport and asked to talk to the service director.

most of the time i have to ask myself---what am i doing to this kind of job that i have embarked. i cannot answer myelf and i am still working for this dept. cuz i love travelling for free and i love the salary and priviledges.

posted by infraternam meam @ 4:34 AM

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