BEIJING, China—On Sundays, Marie Angelee Conlu can often be found at home on Beijing’s east side dancing with her two young sons to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”
But when former presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, boxer Manny Pacquiao, and singer Gary Valenciano come here, her energy is channeled toward serving them either as a translator or a liaison officer, transforming herself a celebrity in her own right.
The Manila-born, Cebu-raised woman known to friends as “Jake” came to Beijing in 1990 on a bilateral college scholarship awarded by the Philippine and Chinese governments. Then 21, she dreamt of becoming a diplomat. Among the scholarship’s perks was a guaranteed officer position at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila after graduation.
Best in Chinese
She attended Peking University, or “Beida,” one of China’s top schools, and finished with a degree in law. Four years of classroom instruction in Chinese, in addition to two years of Mandarin lessons in Taiwan after high school, molded her into one of Beijing’s Filipino community’s “Best in Chinese.” Jake, 40, speaks, reads and writes the language, an unusual feat among non-Chinoys.
At Gary V’s Beijing concert in June, Jake wowed the audience with her translation.
Says Zheng Lu, a local newspaper reporter who covered the event: “Her hosting skills were impressive as she cracked jokes. She was never nervous.” Lu says she did not expect a translator at the show, but was pleased with the organizers’ consideration. “It made us feel the kindness and loveliness of Filipinos.”
Jake has always worked with the Philippine embassy for free, a continuing expression of gratitude for that long-ago good fortune. “I use my annual leave for them because I always think that if I wasn’t offered a scholarship, I wouldn’t have had all these opportunities.”
And opportunities, she had many in China.
In her third year at Beida, San Miguel Corporation wooed her to join its Beijing office, offering to repay her scholarship expenses. After six years with San Miguel, she moved to the Canadian embassy, where she’s now a “designated immigration officer” with authority to approve and refuse immigrant visas.
Moving to Canada
She might not have taken the road back to the Philippines or to DFA after college, but Jake says her fluency in Mandarin has allowed her to communicate with a wider group of people, some kind of “diplomatic” work.
Jake married her Jordanian college sweetheart with whom she has two boys. They all speak Chinese, English, and Arabic. The children have happily co-existed under Jake’s Christian faith and her husband’s Islamic faith.
She admits, however, that her Mandarin deteriorated after college; her husband speaks it better than she does because he uses it for business. But she still tries to keep her language skills sharp by engaging local taxi drivers in debates. “I’ve also begun writing the household grocery list and menu in Chinese,” she laughs.
Jake prefers to tour Beijing on a bicycle. She has been doing it for the past two decades. But for the future of their multicultural and multilingual family, they are planning to move to North America.
But wherever she may be, Jake says her heart will always be with the Philippines. “I love watching Filipino channels because I want to stay in touch with the Filipino culture,” she says. “I want to be involved with what’s happening in the Philippines.”
