Good Manners

It is such a pity if you come from a poor country and would have to find employment abroad as a waitress or a domestic helper. Here in our college cafeteria, most waitresses come from either the Philippines, India or Sri Lanka.

A lot of our Emirati students would order food and shout words like, "More!" or "Cola!" without the magic word, 'please'. Oftentimes, their house help would come from the same countries as these waitresses.

Some argue that perhaps it is the language or lack thereof that makes them speak like cavemen did; mono-syllabic grunts of the basest communication point conveyed i.e. "more" and "cola".

I believe that despite one's lack of English skills, you can still be full of good manners. A smile, a gentle voice, a friendly manner makes all the difference. Filipinos have never been language experts but what we lack for in vocabulary, or even grammatical fluency...we more than make up for our good manners.

In the grand scheme of things, it is good manners that makes you likable and a good person to others and what each individual should strive for.