The Journey II

Long endured a long night on the train with little sleep on the hard seat.

Buying a ticket on a soft seat would have been a frivolous luxury he could ill afford now. Buying a ticket on an express train to shorten his journey to 9 hours was likewise. Long is a frugal man, like his father.

Finishing his last bit of steamed corn for breakfast, he heard the train pull into the city's station. He got out and adjusted his eyes and ears to the humming of the city life. It was a different world from his village 15 hours away.

Long waited at the main gate of the train station, along with possibly several thousand others. All travellers, like him. Why were they here, where were they going to? Each had his own tale to tell, but Long's focus at present was to find Mr Chow.

Soon he heard a man calling "Mr Chow! Mr Chow!" and realised that this man was gathering a group of possibly 50-60 others who had arrived at the station. He seemed to be in charge.

"Those looking for Mr Chow from XX agency, meet here!" the man bellowed.

"Now listen carefully. .... " The man gave instructions for them and they were herded into a bus to be transported to a hotel where the interview was held.

Long waited for 5 hours for his turn at the hotel. There were 75 applicants for the job, and each had waited for his/her turn to enter the interview room.

Long was told that this was a large company based in Singapore. They were willing to pay 5000 rmb per month. That's more than 5 times what he would earn in the city each month! No wonder there were so many applicants. However they needed applicants who were able to converse in English.

Long prayed to his ancestors as each applicant came out from the interview room that he would be amongst the chosen ones. Some came out hopeful, others just shook their heads.

4 hours had passed since he arrived, and he had been seated in line, waiting for his interview.

At 1pm, Mr Chow announced that the interviewers had decided to break for lunch, and the interview would resume at 2pm. Late comers would be banned from the interview immediately as it is a sign of utmost disrespect to the potential employer.

Long caught sight of the demi-gods - the interviewers who would decide upon his fate - as they walked out of the interview room. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a full head of blonde hair walk past him.

"Lao wai?!" (a foreigner?!) Long had been hoping that he could still convince the interviewer of his physical abilities and hardworking qualities in pu tong hua if his command of the English language failed him. He knew that there were many Chinese in Singapore, and communication would not be a major barrier for him.

But, a lao wai interviewer threw Long totally off course. As he paid his 2rmb for a quick lunch of rice, mince meat and cabbage at a xiao dian near the train station, he was in no mood to eat. Long was worried, and checked the large clock face of the train station frequently to make sure he would make it back to the hotel in time.

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Long knocked on the door, and readied himself to meet the demi-gods.

As he walked in he noticed the lao wai, and a young chinese lady seated next to him. The lady smiled and spoke to him in pu tong hua. "Ni Hao, we will be conducting the interview in English shortly. We will ask you questions and you are to perform the tasks asked of you. If you do not understand, just say so. If you do, go ahead and perform the tasks. Are you ready?"

That voice was melody to Long's ears as it steadied his beating heart. Eager and ready to please, Long cried out "Yes!"

Long performed the tasks to the best he could, like "pick up 2 red boxes", "put your hand on the table", "Put the small cup into the big box". At times he thought long and hard, and tried his luck. On tasks he could understand, he did them quickly, and stood upright with his hands behind his back, ready for the next command.

The lady seemed pleased, he thought, as he noticed the lao wai busy looking through his resume.

The lady asked Long about his family which he tried his best to converse in English - a speech he had rehearsed a million times in his head. Never mind if this didn't answer her question, just say something to show that you can speak English!

As his ended his rehearsed speech, Long heaved a silent sigh of relief and looked at the lady interviewer and her lao wai companion. The lao wai had finally spoken and Long could not understand a single word.

"I'm sorry. Please say it again." Long said.

Lao wai tried again, and Long stared at his own sweaty hands. The Lao Wai repeated himself, at a slower pace and looked at Long. The silence was compressing Long's head as each second passed.

Long was desperate. How is it that I cannot understand a single word? Panic set in.

Long's lips tremoured as he said "I'm sorry. Please say it again." the second time. Long wiped his brow with the back of his hand, and rubbed it on his black pants.

He dared not look at the interviewers for he felt he had failed. It was deeply embarrassing. Then Long heard the lady demi-god say something to the lao wai and they both seemed relax.

The lady finally spoke in pu tong hua "Thank you. Can you let me know what do you know about this job you are applying for? Why do you want to work overseas and what do you know about working in Singapore?"

Long tried his best in imagining what job tasks would be expected of him and explained to the lady, each time nervously watching her expression as he mentioned each task. She simply nodded, and at times smiled, which Long took as a positive sign of encouragement. The lao wai remained expressionless, which was a nagging worry.

And then Long spoke about his family in his village, and why he wanted to work overseas to earn more money to lift his family from poverty.

The lady then launched into detail about living costs in Singapore. Never had Long imagined that a meal in Singapore would cost 30-40rmb! And that taking a bus would cost some 10rmb one way! This was many many times what he would have to pay back here at home!

"So don't think that 5000rmb per month is a lot of money. You have to see things in perspective. 5000rmb in Singapore gets you as much stuff as 1000rmb back here, and possibly less as you have to factor in the cost of housing as well." Suddenly the lady's tone turned sombre.

"I will work hard, I am not afraid of hard work. I have worked in the farm all my life, and I am not afraid of hard work. I really hope you can give me a chance, please. I will work very hard."

Long pleaded, desperate to hold on to this long thin thread of hope he had been clinging on to. "It would be very honourable for my family if I can go overseas. Please give me a chance, I want to provide a better life for my little sister."

The lady looked bemused, a look that Long could not understand if it was something she had heard far too many times that day, or that she had really heard his cry of desperation. She ended the interview saying that she will inform the agent Mr Chow of her decision.

Long left the interview room, not knowing when he would be notified. From his experience, some employers decided on the spot, others waited for a day or two. Which meant he would need to stay at a dormitory while the results were being processed.

"Little sister, my fate is not in my hands."