The accent

"You have an American accent!" This was what my former employer remarked while doing the interview for the receptionist job I was applying for. "How did you get to speak good English?" was the next question to which I proudly answered that I have an undergraduate degree in the subject and that I used to teach it in university.

That was just the beginning. Colleagues at work and people we, my hubby and I, encounter, upon learning that we have been here for barely three months are surprised by our English speaking skills. Some of the comments I got for my English-speaking abilities varied from "exceptional English", to "very good English", and the latest "a good grasp of the language" to which I respond with appreciation followed by a brief explanation that English is a medium of instruction in the Philippines. (I dropped the degree thing because I saw no point in mentioning it.) But of course they don't speak English here with an American accent so I am really adjusting to the language not so much with the spelling but with the pronunciation.

Last Tuesday (31 October) there was this international student, probably Korean, who was having trouble with her Excel document and asked for assistance. As I approached her, she told me in her halting English what her problem was and what she wanted to do. I thought I understood her problem which was pretty simple but we were not able to resolve her problem because she clearly did not understand what I was trying to explain to her. In exasperation, she just thanked me and stared at her computer. There was clearly a failure in communication there.

In an increasingly global society such as ours, mastery of the English language is a must. Never mind if it's carabao English as long as you can express yourself. Practice makes perfect. As for me, its going to take a while to get the Aussie accent coz I'm still generous with my "r's" .