Little Hilton

A Pinoy Hilton
By: Yoko Ramos-Vingno
Spring has finally arrived in Athens, unquestionably the season I love the most, with its mild chilly air driving away the heat of the sun bringing along with it scents of pine and orange as they brush against my warm cheeks in my early morning walks in the park.
Springtime for me evokes re-birth. Freshness. A new beginning. Where flowers spring forth aided by sunshine bloom at their best attracting and appreciated by a variety of audience from butterflies to humans.
Nice for our little baby boy experiencing his first taste of spring, his attention drawn to the sound of birds chirping and the sights of flowers providing a kaleidoscope of colors as they give context of happiness to the strollers enjoying their promenade in the park.
My hubby and I have always looked forward to weekends to enjoy springtime especially now that we have a baby. For us going out would mean lunching out. Nearby Acropolis is one of our favorites where lunch would usually include a long stroll and stretches of window shopping around the area to explore and try the specialties of the cluster of restaurants and coffee shops. The expressions of tourists as they take their poses for their souvenir shots of Athens and their haggling with storeowners for souvenirs are a joy to watch.
In one of our weekend forays, a lunch invite from a friend which we accepted with alacrity brought us to Athens Hilton Hotel, a 5-star hotel located in the center of Athens. The hotel’s façade is quite simple but very impressive after you passed through its revolving glass door to be welcomed by a huge lobby decorated with modern and stylish furnishings and contemporary designs.
A young Greek lady receptionist welcomed us at the Milos Restaurant located on the lower ground floor where she quickly ushered us to the area of gourmet Greek cuisine.
That in itself is not the story but the introduction to the life of Imelda, Filipino expat working at Milos Restaurant as a waitress since it opened during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Imelda Gadingan Berzabal got her job at The Athens Hilton Hotel when Greece offered jobs to large number of foreign workers whose services were vital for the country that was hosted the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. Imelda believes the foreign workers who were given jobs for the 2004 Summer Olympics greatly contributed to the success of Greece’s hosting of the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Imelda proudly tells us about naming his son after the Hotel chain – Hilton – as a sign of appreciation and loyalty to her current employer that gave her the first real opportunity of employment. Her present job at Athens Hilton Hotel provided her not only family stability but also financial and emotional stability.
Imelda didn’t know she was pregnant when she started working at Milos restaurant. She recalls of her hiring as straightforward. The manager simply asked her previous work experience and hired her on the spot. Milos opened a few months before the Athens Olympics. Imelda was assigned in the coffee station where she learned the different varieties and types of coffee and tea. She was the in-house ‘barista’ of Milos for 3 years until she got her promotion. Imelda said she enjoyed her work very much because most of their regulars were politicians and from the upper class society of Greece. And they love her, she added. Most of her patrons would ask about Hilton and they give generous gratuity.
Imelda and her husband of twenty five years, Alex Berzabal, are both from Ilocos Sur. Imelda is a Candonian. The Berzabal couple has three children; they are Leah (25 years old), RoseAnn (17 years old), and Hilton (6 years old). Leah joined her parents in 2006 after finishing high school. RoseAnn, born in Athens, was brought back by the couple to the Philippines to live with Imelda’s parents since both of them were working for a Greek family. Awfully missing her young daughter, Imelda looks forward to RoseAnn re-joining them in Greece to complete the family. Imelda narrated sadly that Roseann recently graduated from high school and is very eager to join her family.
The only boy and the youngest, Hilton, was born prematurely on September 11, 2004. Only 7 months pregnant, Imelda’s blood pressure went up so the doctors at the Alexandras Hospital decided to deliver the baby via caesarian section. Hilton was incubated for 39 days. Imelda and Hilton’s medical expenses amounted to about six thousand euros. Thankfully, her IKA (Greek health insurance) paid for her medical bill. Hilton is now a healthy young boy. He is turning six years old this year and is in the Greek Prep school. Hilton is conversant in both Greek and Ilocano.
Imelda’s story as a Filipino expatriate began on the eve of December 26, 1988. She flew to Athens to work as a household staff. In those times, work in Greece can be easily obtained through agencies and a lot of Ilocanos joined the bandwagon. She found work in the house of rich and affluent Greek families. She worked hard not wavering a bit from her ultimate goal of getting her husband Alex to join her. She had worked as a baby sitter and did other odd jobs and then went back to being an all around household staff.
In just two years of real hard work, Imelda succeeded in having her husband Alex join her in 1990 but had to leave behind their daughter Leah. Finally re-united, the couple wasted no time working as a team for wealthy Greek families who needed household help like Imelda and Alex.
Imelda and her husband Alex share a common goal which is to ensure a sustainable future for their three children. She also thought of the well being of her other siblings and found a way of bringing her sisters to Greece. In 2006, Imelda was re-united with her daughter Leah after she graduated from high school in the Philippines. Leah is now working and earning her own keeps.
Working in a hotel is quite demanding but manageable, says Imelda. Now she has more time for her family after her duty at Milos and spends quality time with his baby boy Hilton. Imelda projects an aura of a happy person. She speaks proudly of her job at Milos Restaurant. She says Athens Hilton pays her well. And since husband Alex and Leah daughter are also working, they are planning to buy a house here in Athens. “We have enough savings” adding that she gets more excited to getting her weekly share of tips because they are higher than her pay check. At least she now has extra money to splurge on her little Pinoy Hilton.